filled them.
'So you aren't dead after all.'
'Nor you,' said Darrow. Her listless greeting was disappointing, but he knew it was because she was on the brink of despair. 'I thought you'd have faced Radu by now.'
'Stannis wouldn't let him,' said Maelin. 'I begged him to let me fight back when I still had a chance.'
'You never had a chance,' said Darrow. 'Even if you could beat Radu, Stannis would never let you go. He needs you to get to the Uskevren.'
'Don't say that,' said Maelin. 'I can't bear to believe it. At least if there was a chance…'
She tried to raise her hands, but even the simple gesture was too much. Her arms hung lamely at her sides as she leaned against the back wall of the cell. It seemed much bigger than Barrow remembered, but so did her cot, her clothes, and everything else around her shriveled body. Whoever-or whatever-had tended her in his absence had obviously taken no pains to keep her well fed.
'I'm going to get you out of here,' he said. He watched her face, knowing the promise would give her hope.
She raised her head to look at him. Her mouth widened, and her body convulsed. It was all the strength she had to laugh.
'I'll help you,' he said. 'The whole pack will help you.'
Maelin's silent laughter continued until it turned into a wracking cough. When she had recovered, she asked, 'Pack of what?'
Darrow told her.
When Darrow returned from the baiting pit cells, Stan-nis was nowhere to be seen. Briefly he debated waiting, knowing that Stannis would be displeased if he crept away without sharing the 'gossip' of his past year. Then he realized he still had the key to the cells. He clutched it tightly and returned to the warehouse.
The vast, cluttered room was filled with angry voices. The pack stood around Ronan's body.
'All goes as planned,' bellowed Rusk. His body surged with magical strength, and Darrow realized at once how he had dealt with the disobedient Ronan.
'What do you mean?' said Brigid. 'Was Ronan's death as planned? He worshiped you, and you took his life!'
'He threw his life away!' thundered Rusk. Then he lowered his voice. 'Ronan was a good hunter, but he should not have tried to face the Black Wolf. None shall face him but I. There can be no mistakes.'
'Ronan was the strongest!' shouted Brigid.
Several others nodded at her words. Darrow caught Sor-cia's eye. The white wolf had avoided Rusk since their first encounter with Maleva, but he was certain she was still sowing discord among the pack.
'You sent him to die while you hid in this filthy vampire's lair,' Brigid accused.
Rusk stepped toward the defiant nightwalker. 'You were sent to scatter the herd from their pen,' he thundered. 'Ronan almost ruined everything when he forgot there was a wolf among the sheep.'
'Is that what happened when he cut off your arm?' she spat. Despite her defiance, she flinched in anticipation of a physical rebuke.
Rusk surprised them all by not lashing out. 'Yes, I too was hasty,' he admitted. He turned, raising his voice and gesturing toward his missing arm. 'And Malar demanded a sacrifice from me as well. That sacrifice brought us the Black Wolf Scrolls, and from them we know the night of our triumph is nigh. Ronan has made his own sacrifice, as will all who jeopardize the fulfillment of the prophecy.'
'You keep telling us about this prophecy,' said Morrel. He and Sorcia had been whispering earlier, but Darrow noticed she was nowhere near him when he stepped forward now. 'What if it's only a myth? What if you have the time wrong? We are far from our own territory.'
'This is our territory,' said Rusk, 'and so is all of the land, the wild and the city alike. I shall face the Black Wolf on the appointed night. Only then will the will of Malar be revealed.'
'You mean the will of Rusk, don't you?' said Morrel.
'I speak the words of Malar,' he said. 'Do you doubt it?'
Morrel met the Huntmaster's eyes only briefly before he turned his face away. Before Rusk could continue, the warehouse door opened. One of Stannis's ghastly minions beckoned for Rusk to follow.
'We will speak more of this later. Come with me,' Rusk said to Darrow. Sorcia began to follow him also. 'Not you,' he told her.
As they left the warehouse, Darrow glanced back at the pack. All of them watched Sorcia as they waited for Rusk to depart.
Inside the great hall, Darrow was not surprised to find Rusk and Stannis arguing, and only slightly surprised to find that Radu had joined them. He knew it was only a matter of time before the younger Malveen became involved, but he had not looked forward to meeting him again. No matter how much stronger Darrow had become in his year of ranging with the pack, he knew he stood no chance if Radu decided to correct the error of his survival.
'We shall all benefit from this endeavor,' said Stannis. 'Perhaps when all is done, you will let me provide you with sparring partners once more. Perhaps Talbot Uskevren could be the first-'
'No,' said Rusk. 'After the night of the Black Moon, no one will harm Talbot.'
'Then he will be in your control?' inquired Stannis.
'Completely,' said Rusk.
From the tiny crinkling at his eyes and the corners of his lips, Darrow sensed the Huntmaster was harboring a secret he had yet to reveal to the pack.
'That is what you promised the first time,' observed Radu. He looked pointedly at Darrow. 'And it is not the only promise you have broken.'
'I agreed that Darrow would be the prey at the High Hunt,' said Rusk. He smiled like a chess player who had just made a surprising move. 'And so he was. We hunted him, and we caught him.'
'We should put an end to all of this,' said Radu.
'Two more days,' promised Rusk. 'When the Black Moon comes, the prophecy shall be fulfilled.'
'It occurs to me,' said Stannis, 'that you have not entirely explained the ultimate outcome of this so-called prophecy.'
'You had the scrolls for years,' said Rusk. 'Did you not read them?'
'Of course I did,' said Stannis. 'To be blunt, I found them tedious and vague. Naturally, I skimmed all that business with the star charts and the tidal foofaraw. Even so, I wonder that you derive a prophecy from it all. Please, enlighten us as to the particulars.'
'The Beastlord is not to be mocked,' growled Rusk. 'He has revealed his will unto me, and that is enough.'
'Give us a hint. Will there be earthquakes and firestorms? I suppose that's really more the domain of Talos the Destroyer. Perhaps Umberlee will donate a tidal wave. I do hope you would warn us if that were the case. What catastrophe would the Beastlord unleash upon a city? A rain of frogs, perhaps?'
'Enough!' roared Rusk.
'Please forgive my beastly manners,' said Stannis. 'The gods have laughed at me for so long, it only seems fair that I laugh back. What are they without the promise of paradise after death. And what is 'after death,' to me?'
While Stannis baited Rusk, Darrow watched Radu's face. His expression became increasingly calm as he watched his brother the vampire talk with his ally the werewolf For a moment, Darrow felt sympathy for Radu's preposterous circumstance. He was the only human being in the room.
'What will it take to end this?' Radu said.
'I must face Talbot Uskevren,' said Rusk. 'Tomorrow night, under the open sky.'
