Yes, she said, and began to work spells of concealment, drawing serpentine figures on the air with the head of her staff.
When she had finished, the companions prowled onward. Suddenly, the occasional howling they d heard since entering the forest sounded much closer and louder than before. Aoth hesitated for a heartbeat before continuing forward. Evidently Jet had assured him that the werewolves weren t reacting to the interlopers approach.
Still, the war mage motioned for everyone to stay low, and he took cover behind the ridged trunk of a shadowtop tree. Jhesrhi crouched behind an alder and peered forward. Her eyes widened.
There were nine lycanthropes in the little clear space before her. They had already transformed, some to true wolf form and some to a bipedal shape midway between lupine and human, to howl. But they were changing back, their muzzles retracting into their heads, and their fur melting away. It seemed like an odd thing for them to do until she realized they likely found it easier to discuss certain matters with human tongues.
Naked like the rest of her companions, a female werewolf with a mournful, jowly face and a pudgy belly peered into the trees. For an instant, she seemed to look right at Jhesrhi but evidently didn t see her.
Where is he? the female shapeshifter said.
He must hear us. I heard the call all the way from Vinvel.
And the rest of you didn t destroy Vinvel, said a fellow with bushy eyebrows. He hadn t quite changed all the way back to human. His arms and upper torso were still furry.
The jowly female sighed. No, she said, with the air of someone responding to the same stupid remark or question for the dozenth time. Of course not.
But why would Huldra lie? asked the man.
I don t know! the female replied.
We re careful. Even when the craving s strong, we only attack people who are off by themselves, and we never leave a body where anyone can find it. I don t understand why she s thinking about werewolves at all.
It s the others, said a lycanthrope with an eagle tattooed on his chest a member of Borilak s lodge, evidently. They got into trouble somehow, and now it s coming back on us. They never should have gone.
The sole child in the pack a gawky girl who must be the one from the family whom Huldra had scared into running gasped and shrank closer to the rather pretty woman beside her. They re coming, whined the child, pointing in Jhesrhi s general direction. I feel them looking at me.
As Jhesrhi peered around behind her, she heard the man with the bushy eyebrows say, It s all right, Sweetheart. They re our friends. But he himself didn t sound entirely convinced, and as soon as Jhesrhi caught a glimpse of the four creatures stalking out of the trees, she understood why.
The newcomers in black mail and leather were as tall and as massively built as ogres. A single eye glared from each square, flat-nosed face; the pupil smoldered like a hot coal.
Jhesrhi and her comrades had taken cover to keep the werewolves from spotting them. Only her magic could shield them from creatures coming from the opposite direction. She held her breath, and her heart beat faster, until the cyclopes stalked on by.
The lycanthropes bowed awkwardly. Then a cyclops with an air of authority about him growled, What s so urgent that it couldn t wait four more nights?
There s trouble, said the man with the bushy eyebrows. He d moved to stand with his wife and daughter.
When he had finished pouring out the story, the cyclops leader studied him for a moment. The creature shifted his grip on the haft of his battle-axe and said, You, the bitch, and your whelp don t have a brain among the three of you, do you?
The father blinked. I what do you mean? he said.
If this Huldra of yours really knew a prayer to reveal your true natures, would she warn you and give you a chance to flee? the cyclops said. It was a bluff to flush you out. To flush out the whole pack, perhaps. If so, it worked brilliantly, since your second idiot impulse was to howl for everyone to come running. I wouldn t be surprised if someone s checking to see who s absent from each of your villages tonight.
But that s not fair! said a fellow who was thin and narrowshouldered, for a Rashemi, with pale puckered scars on his right thigh. Jhesrhi wondered if they were the marks of the attack that had cursed him.
The cyclops sneered, exposing stained, jagged fangs. Really, Faurmar? he said. That s your opinion on the subject? How useful. Thank you.
What will become of us? the werewolf mother asked. What can we do?
Well, the one-eyed giant said, fortunately, it s not like you weren t about to move on anyway. The bravest among you already volunteered to help the durthans, and I always meant to enlist the rest of you whenever I found the patience to coax you. You ll come below with me tonight, and I ll find things for you to do.
The girl let out a little whimpering cry.
The cyclops glowered at the mother and father. Shut her up before I decide she s too young and timid to be useful, he said. Trust me, you don t want that.
The female werewolf with the sad, drooping face squared her shoulders and said, Don t you threaten them. Don t you threaten any of us. It s your fault if we lose our kin and our homes. Because you cursed the first of us, didn t you?
No, the cyclops said, of course not. There s a lot of old, wild magic festering in these woods, and you simply ran afoul of some of it. If you ingrates will recall, I m the benefactor who found you and taught you how to survive. No, to thrive, for thrive you certainly did. In fact, you gloried in your condition. But now, just because things have gotten a little difficult largely because of your own stupidity you refer to it as an affliction? Be careful lest you offend the Black-Blooded Pard and all the princes of the night.
All right, the jowly woman said. If I spoke foolishly, I m sorry. But still, we never said we wanted to be part of some great scheme. If we did, we would have gone along with the dead witches like our packmates.
Maybe I m the fool, the cyclops said.
I assumed you d all want lives of pleasure and ease. I thought you d want to live openly and hunt humans whenever you felt like it. But if I was wrong, then drop to all fours and live out your days here in the wild as beasts and nothing more. Because, with your homes lost, I don t see that you have a third choice.
The werewolves exchanged looks. The sad-faced female said,
We ll go with you, Choschax. But we d better get the rewards you promise.
Choschax leered. I thought you might see reason, he said. And no one needs to look so hangdog about it, either. You ll think back on this as one of the finest moments of your life. Now change, and we ll be on our way.
As the werewolves began to shapeshift, Jhesrhi reflected that she and her comrades had learned a little that was new, but nowhere near enough. Expecting that he would either want to shadow the enemy or attack and take prisoners, she looked to Aoth for a signal.
But he surprised her. With a patting motion, he indicated that she, Cera, and Vandar should hold their positions. Then he stood up and stepped out from behind the shadowtop. He recited a counterspell, slashing his hand through a zigzag figure, and the concealing enchantments she d cast on him fell away with a gleam like water cascading down his body. And much as Jhesrhi trusted both Aoth s judgment and his prowess, she winced to see him attempt such a daring ploy.
The cyclopes had their backs to him, so it was the werewolves who saw him first. The shaggy-browed father straightened back up into near-humanity to yell, That s one of them! He was with Huldra! The other lycanthropes rushed to complete their transformations into wolves or wolf-people. They grunted and snarled in pain, and bones ground and cracked beneath their fur. The giants lurched around and came on guard.
Easy! said Aoth, keeping his spear in a vertical, nonthreatening position. I only want to talk.
Hmm, replied Choschax. He raised a hand, and his underlings held off attacking. Studying the intruder, he cocked his head one way and then the other, as if that would help his single eye see more clearly.
Thayan? he asked at last.
Aoth grinned. What gave it away? he replied.
Where are your companions? the cyclops asked.
Back in the village performing the promised charade, Aoth said. I didn t want you to jump to the conclusion that I was a threat and react accordingly, and plainly, the one of me is no match for the whole gang of you.
I don t believe you, said Choschax.
