dagger. The other two groups marched behind and at either side. Jerico let them gain a bit of distance, then followed.
Gary felt his stomach twist into knots as they walked deeper into the Vile Wedge. It was said that the elven goddess Celestia cursed the land after the Gods’ War, ruining the soil and stripping the land of wildlife. Gary didn’t know if this were true or not, for this was his first time within. The grass was a pale yellow, though that could have been because of autumn’s rapid approach, not any curse. There were no trees beyond the edge of the river, instead long, sloped hills looking barren in the growing moonlight. A thousand campfire stories ran through his head, and try as he might, he couldn’t banish them. The Wedge was rumored to hold all kinds of villainous creatures, from orcs and goblins to the various animal-men, all twisted and formed to fight in the Gods’ War. The wolf-men were one such creation, and of all the stories, he knew at least they existed. He’d seen the corpse tied at the town’s entrance.
Deeper and deeper into the Wedge they traveled. Dirk grew increasingly nervous, but strangely, that made Gary feel better. His pride refused to let him show fear to a young boy approaching manhood.
“Maybe they’ve turned tail and run,” he said.
“You sure Darius knows where they are?” Dirk asked. “I don’t see no tracks.”
Gary had looked himself and saw nothing in the light of the torch and Jerico’s shield.
“Too many men ahead of us marching over them,” Jerico said. “Trust him, and the others.”
The river was but a distant shimmer when they heard the first howl of a wolf. It cut through him like a knife, and for the first time it seemed like Gary realized where he was, and what he was doing. He looked to his sword, an old relic passed down for four generations. He hadn’t even sharpened it before coming out, ignorant of the proper way and not thinking to check with Trent. Men from the other three groups were certainly thinking something similar, for he heard them muttering among themselves.
A second wolf howled, this time from the opposite side.
“Careful, Darius,” Jerico whispered. It did little to help Gary’s already crumbling bravery.
They followed the lead groups into a gap between two gentle hills, their slopes hardly taller than a man. Their pace had slowed considerably, and Jerico lessened the distance between them and the others. When the howls came again, they echoed all around them. Gary swallowed, his mouth feeling stuffed with cotton. Beside him, the torch shook in Dirk’s hand.
“Just two,” Jerico said. “Either side of the hills. Don’t panic. Stay with me, always with me.”
Several of the men on the right cried out and pointed. Gary looked but saw only the hill. Another howl sounded, this one directly behind them. He spun, his knuckles white as he gripped his sword. The grass was empty. Someone from the lead group startled and was swiftly ordered quiet. More and more howling, and this time it was the men on the left who pointed. Gary caught sight of a dark blur, and he couldn’t believe how fast it glided over the hill, vanishing on the other side.
Their groups halted, each one facing a direction. Moments later, Darius arrived and grabbed Jerico by the arm.
“Surrounded,” he whispered. Gary stared back to the river, pretending he didn’t hear and almost wishing he couldn’t. Blurred shapes approached, hovering low to the ground. His heart crawled up his throat.
“How many?” Jerico asked.
“I don’t know. Seven? Nine?”
“We need out of here, Darius. We aren’t prepared, not for those numbers. Such a large pack-”
The wolf-men howled, and it came from all sides, merging together so that Gary couldn’t begin to know how many there were. He imagined hordes of the creatures, enough to blot out the eastern grasslands, snarling and howling while drool dripped from their fangs…
Jerico grabbed his mace, and Darius drew his greatsword. Dark fire bathed its blade.
“We hold!” Karak’s paladin cried.
“To the river, Darius, we must flee to the river!”
“No! We hold, all of you men, hold, we will hold!”
He rushed to the front, leaving the three there to defend. Jerico stood before them, his shield raised.
“Cry out if any come from the side,” he told them. “Gary, stand firm, and watch for an opening. When you see it, do not hesitate. Do not be afraid. Kill it, and live.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Gary said. The dark shapes grew more pronounced, three wolf-men running at horrific speed toward them.
“You will,” Jerico said. Somehow a smile was across his face, and for the first time in their whole trip, he looked calm.
The wolf-men howled just before colliding with their forces, hoping to break the spirits of the defenders. Jerico stood firm, his legs planted and his shield in place. The three approached side by side, and in unison they lunged. Gary watched, feeling as if his feet were buried deep into the ground. Dirk, however, let out a cry and swung his torch. The rightmost wolf-man, having focused on Jerico, howled and turned its head away. Its slash went wild, and then it dug its claws into the earth to slow its momentum.
The other two slammed into Jerico. Gary expected him to fly back, unable to endure such power, but then the light of his shield flared. The wolf-men cried out in pain, and then it was they who fell back, one staggering on two legs, the other falling to all fours and snarling. It shook its head as if to clear away a fog. Jerico gave it no reprieve, stepping in and bashing its skull with his mace. It hit with a crack that made Gary’s stomach turn.
The one that had sailed past returned, this time more carefully. Dirk waved his torch back and forth at it, as if shooing away a stray cat. At first Gary feared he’d been injured, seeing something slick on his clothes, but then realized the boy had lost control of his bladder. He couldn’t blame him. From up ahead, he heard constant screams of pain, snarls of wolves, and chaotic orders combined with pleading.
“I’m no beast scared of fire,” the wolf-man snarled at Dirk. Gary nearly felt his own bladder let go. The creatures could talk? Why had no one told him they could talk? Bobby had said it laughed at him, but he’d thought him hallucinating, caused by sorrow to hear strange things. The creature’s voice was deep, grumbling. He realized the intelligence they must possess if they could communicate in such a way. Bobby had made it sound like they’d gone to hunt mindless monsters. But this…this…
The corded muscles in its legs tensed, and then it lunged. Dirk struck it with his torch, but he was young and outweighed thrice over. The torch bounced off the wolf-man’s chest, causing no harm. The two rolled to the ground, Dirk’s arms pinned, the wolf-man growling, its bared teeth reaching for Dirk’s exposed throat.
Gary stabbed its side before it could. His sword sank halfway to the handle, then snapped when the creature twisted. Claws slashed across his face, the pain immense. Blood blotted the vision of his left eye, and he clutched it with a hand. Be brave, he told himself as the wolf-man jumped off of Dirk. He saw only teeth. The dead one hanging in their town had had its teeth ripped out, he realized. He’d never have come if he’d seen them like he saw them now.
Its jaw closed on his shoulder; its weight slammed him to the ground. Warm blood spilled across his chest. He screamed.
“The Abyss take you!” Jerico cried, smashing its body with his shield. Gary saw the light stab into it, as if the glow were a dagger capable of cutting flesh. It released its grip on his shoulder, and he let out an involuntary gasp. Down came the mace, catching the retreating wolf-man across the snout. Teeth flew, and its blood sprayed across them both.
“We will feast!” it shrieked. Jerico’s shield shone brighter, and amid his delirium, Gary thought he heard the paladin chuckle.
“No,” Jerico said. “You won’t.”
The wolf-man charged, struck his shield once more, and then fell. Jerico’s mace smashed the bones of its face, and it stayed down.
“Dirk?” Gary asked, trying to stand. But Dirk was fine, and he grabbed Gary’s arm and helped him up.
“To the river,” Jerico told the two as he turned to the battle beyond. “Run, and don’t stop.”
“Ashhur be with you,” Gary said, leaning some of his weight on Dirk.
“You as well.”
They stumbled west, between the hills and toward the Gihon. They’d taken no turns, the path Darius led them on perfectly straight, and soon they saw the river in the distance. Gary’s shoulder burned, and every breath he took felt like fire in his lungs. Dirk didn’t look much better, but guilty as he felt for burdening his wounded friend,
