Shadow of the Wolf

Chapter Seven

“Why?” She asked, even though she knew there was no answer.  The winds picked up as if sensing the unrest within. A great storm began to rage and paralleled the turmoil that Saleene felt. She knew Dartian watch her with covert eyes as her sadness and grief overflowed. She shouted out her outrage into the night at the senseless death of their companion and all the others unnamed who’d forfeited their lives to the evil. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her anger. She had held it in long enough.

“We all knew the risks. Don’t fault yourself for this.”

With the storm raging, a ragged moan carried along the wind. The sound alerted Saleene and Dartian that one of their companions was still alive.

Saleene lifted her gaze to meet with Dartian’s.

“Raku.” She knew he was alive, but for how long? Glancing at Dartian she knew he was thinking the same thing. The look he gave her warned that the battle was not yet done. Slowly, Saleene breathed in and centered herself to allow the wind to bring forth news of the adversary and where their friend was.

Saleene placed her hands on the ground and allowed the earth to tell her what had happened.

“No…don’t!” Dartian’s voice cried out into the night but not before he could stop her from touching the ground. The echo of violence seeped into her soul and chilled her as the stench of evil enveloped her in its embrace. The enemy had come at the call of the phantom. It had attempted to take Raku moments before Saleene and Dartian had arrived. He had been subdued by an ancient poison meant to immobilize their target, not kill.

“Oh God, Raku. No.”  Every part of her cried out.

She felt the impact of the poison on their friend, the pain it inflicted caused her to collapse on the ground. Dartian rushed to her side pulling her to her feet. She felt him tremble as he held her close; his heart beat a drum in her ears.

“Saleene, you must stop. ” Dartian whispered, as he gently caressed the nape of her neck. “Do not let this adversary win this battle. I need you with me here and now. It is the only way we can hope to overcome that which lies before us.”

The words he uttered revealed far more than he realized, but none the less triggered an immediate release from the hold of the enemy.

“I am sorry; I should have realized that a trap would have been set for me. I have not made such a mistake in a very long while. I will not allow it to happen again.”

She knew Dartian would have felt the sadness in her voice even though she attempted to hide it. She had a good feeling he didn’t want her to feel she had done wrong, even though she believed she had failed. 

“Let’s leave this place of death and find Raku, he is near to us, I can feel his presence. Stopping, he turned to face her. Look, I will find him, but first I need you to aide me in preparing to put to rest our friend. Raku is not seriously injured and whatever was here has gone.” He knew she would understand the need to pay honor to their fallen friend. It was something she would not have put off anyway. He deserved a proper burial, but she would give him what she could.

“I will get him ready. I know what to do.” She added, her mind trying hard not to feel totally defeated, but finding it impossible to stop.

She watched as Dartian went outside of the campsite to prepare for part of the ritual. Anger and sadness coursed through her body. Crying out into the night, she felt the animals join in on her pain. She’d held it in until now. Those who she had come upon that had died at the hands of the darkness had never been someone she had known, not until now. She had always felt sad at the waste of life, but this was a hundred times worse. It was such a senseless death and all because they were on the hunt for the evil. Why couldn’t they have made it back sooner, she cried silently.