The Lannister Wolf Series

Seven

"Is she all right?" Podrick whispered to Brianne as he and the woman watched Evelyn standing a ways off, her back to them, standing absolutely still.

The female knight shot him a glare that basically screamed for him to shut up. "She is listening Podrick and she cannot very well do that if you keep hollering in her ear, so shut up."

The boy hung his head as Evelyn turned back towards them, "I know where we need to go. The valley Yalreal. It is about a 5 mile walk from here but getting in will be the difficult part."

Podrick's eyes widened like saucers, "the valley of Yalreal? That place is just a mess from old story books."

Evelyn and Brianne both looked at the boy with raised eyebrows and Podrick caught on, face going white, "you mean to tell me that the valley which is the epitome of paradise, surrounded by thick fog where the bodies of dead people have are in the air, the realm of a legendary sphinx serpents is a real place?"

Evelyn smiled and watched an amusement as the young squire began to mutter some thing about the end of his short life when Brianne spoke up next.

"My lady, how did you find out the origin of a place that no one has been able to find in centuries?"

"I had a few confidants. Brisingr and Audra, the keepers of fire and air. Only a true dragon or those touched by a true dragon can find the valley and luckily I happen to know quite a few dragons."

Evelyn reached out and lifted Callum from Zinzi's back so that the direwolf would get a break. As she sat the child on her hip, the boy wrapped his arms around his mother's neck that tugging on the fabric of her top and pulling it down to reveal one shoulder.

Brianne looked twice to ensure that she had not seen things and sure enough, Evelyn's shoulder it was a deep golden color scaly like a lizard but as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. Brianne looked to Evelyn who had noticed her questioning stare and the girl smiled.

"It is a long story but when the dragons welcomed me into their pack, they gave me the powers of a dragon including the ability of my skin to turn to scales for protection."

Evelyn was glad that Podrick was busy rambling to the confused Zinzi so that he did not hear the conversation or she would have spent an hour that could've been used for walking, explaining everything to the boy who was so enraptured by intriguing legends and myths that he absorbed them as if they were food and he was starved. Evelyn grabbed Chance's reins and began to walk west while Brianne hung back, thinking deeply. Why did a part of her feel like while what Evelyn had told her was the truth, a part of the reason for the dragons giving her this power was more than just for the sake of having a mother dragon? What was the ulterior motive of a couple of dragons?

Not more than a couple of hours later, Evelyn pulled the group to a stop on the edge of a vast clearing that was so bleak and empty that Brianne understood why no one thought that Yalreal even existed. Evelyn turned and handed Calum to Brianne who readily took the child into her arms and then she handed Robb to Lady who nuzzled the boy between her two front paws. The girl then began to slowly walk forward until she felt something hard blocking her way... Like a door. Pushing both hands in front of her self, she pushed and then a door that had not been there before suddenly opened. The ground seemed to open up a large pillars, walls and mountains sprung forward like a map falling open with all the landmarks protruding from the parchment. Podrick and Brianne both took a few steps back in shock as they watched a huge wall practically build itself before their very eyes. Evelyn looked back at her comrades who were still gawking and she placed her hands on the large gate.

"you ready to go in?"

Podrick nodded vigorously but Evelyn held up one hand, "don't forget, the fog is full of those who have died. If you touch any of them, they will come back to life but at a price. One of us would have to be killed by the sphinx serpents should we touch one of the gone."

Podrick's face went from excited back to horrified, "oh peaches and plums."

Evelyn braced herself before pushing hard and the gates swing open, revealing a thick fog as dense as cream. Evelyn scooped Robb into her arms and slowly entered the fog, the others following close behind. They were barely in when dark shadows began to appear. As they walked past, they saw that they were bodies hovering in the air, eyes closed and fully clothed with the evidence of what killed them still on their clothes: blood, poison and even more. Evelyn tucked Robb's face against her neck to cover his eyes as she carefully wove past the dead . She could finally see light ahead when she heard Podrick speak up.

"It's a kid..."

Evelyn turned and saw that Brianne and Podrick were looking upon a young boy, no more than 16 years old who hovered dead before them. The boy's sandy curly hair was covered in snow and a knife wound was on his neck. Evelyn felt a deep pinch in her gut. Why did she feel like she knew the kid? She had never seen him before... And yet...

"Brienne!" The girl cried, making everyone jump.

What Evelyn had seen and what Brianne saw too late was that Calum had reached forward and touched the dead boy on the cheek!

Brianne jumped back, hoping Calum had missed but when Evelyn heard of the soft screeching noises of sphinx serpents, she knew that they had made a mistake.

"Watch out! She cried when small creatures no bigger than rats with the heads of people, the fangs and tails of serpents, small eagles wings and the body of a lion.

Sphinx serpents! Evelyn drew one of her knives as she held Robb close. Podrick and Brianne did the same as Lady and Zinzi growled angrily. The little creatures began to swarm around them and for a moment everyone hoped that they would not attack when suddenly they all pounced. Evelyn cut every which way to make sure that none of them her or Robb. Just when she was feeling too overwhelmed, something knocked her to the ground and all of a sudden the sphinx serpents retreated back the way they had come as if they had come to do what they needed to and were no longer required. Evelyn opened her eyes to see what had knocked her over only to see Lady standing over her, growling at the still retreating sphinx serpents before the wolf turned her soft eyes onto mistress and young master. Evelyn felt her heart drop in dread, wondering who it was that the serpents had taken from her only to feel the weight of Lady removed from over her as the wolf stepped aside. Evelyn scrambled to her feet and seeing that Brianne, Calum, Zinzi, Ace, Chance and Podrick were fine but exhausted, Evelyn looked over at Lady... And that was when she saw it... The two bite marks on the wolf's neck... And as the wolf slowly slumped down into a lying position... The sudden halt in the wolfs breathing. Lady has been the price.