The Demon Wolf (Book 1 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 48

Brynjar spoke with him, saying, "Oh, I have paid, Julius. The inevitable truth blinds me. A truth only you will bring to the people. You might succeed in your quest, but the fate of the earth will lie in your hands. You will know and fear the day when all is revealed, and the last human or creature you sacrifice will lead you to one thing you truly desire. But I don't know the day nor the hour when that will happen."

"Truth? What is the truth? What are you trying to tell me?" Julius asked.

"I seek to make you understand, nothing more. My truth is your retribution. I am here to share a truth about you and Harald, the earl of Loftain."

"Leave my brother out of this, scoundrel! You will not speak of him when I'm here! I will go only to the earl and stay with him for as long as it takes!"

"The truth is... you're not brothers. You were born in Romania, but you were raised in Midland. Harald was born and raised in King Lancelot's castle. Harald came out from behind his mother. You came out from another woman. You may know many things, but not when you were born and how you became so powerful before you sought help from the Demon Wolf."

"Spare me your madness! I don't believe you. I can't. I won't. Your lies will not live long enough. I'll cut you down where you stand!"

No one ever told Julius of how he came into Lancelot's court when he was a baby. He was never told why he was never really born from the wife of the king; perhaps they drugged him and forced him to believe otherwise. Julius could not answer because so much has happened in a blink of an eye, and he might as well kill the man who lied to him and poisoned his mind. He looks down at his hands and tries to doubt himself and question how he came to be in this life. Nobody of value would ever tell him the truth about his past and why Lancelot brought him in as an infant.

"When you return to the earl, perhaps he will tell everything. He may be obliged to listen, though I don't believe he trusts you anymore. The people of Loftain are turning their backs on you," Brynjar said.

"Then, let us not meet each other ever again. I have heard all that I needed to hear from you. If Midland's knights have turned their backs on me, so be it," Julius said.

"Very well. May your journey be successful. Farewell, Romanian."

Then, Brynjar continues staring at Julius for a long while and cannot do anything else. A few seconds later, the vision fades, and Julius realizes that he is back in reality and still sitting down on his couch. Then, he gets up and understands that there were no dead bodies in front of his yard. He had many questions he wanted to ask himself and to Mephiles, but he did not know if the wolf was as smart as he thinks he is. He walks all around his living room to calm himself and tries to make sense of everything he just witnessed.

Mephiles knew Julius for what he is, and he wanted to see if he could help him come to his senses. It may have been hard to see him as an encouraged man, but not impossible to make him be convinced. Julius continues walking back and forth until he sits down again, and he tries to breathe in and out. But it would take him quite a while to do that, especially after thinking he became drunk. Brynjar was somebody who took almost forever to be trusted by many who sought ambition.

"If all the citizens of Loftain will deny you your rightful claim, then all of Loftain will suffer. This is what you have longed for and what you wished on your journey. Do not mourn for those people, Julius," Mephiles said.

"I must. They are the only people I've ever known. The only ones who have ever lifted a finger to say things which matter about Harald and me," Julius said.

"They will not remember your guidance... only your bravery and courage. They will only recognize you for your brute strength against your enemies. They wish for you only to give your honor to the earl. But it so seems to you and me they have turned their backs on you. The knights no longer wish for you to be their leader. They would rather see you in chains and be down on your knees thanking Harald for the privilege of being a general in a dying army."

"Then they have all been deceived. Harald must've told Balvu to hunt me down and bring me in. It's quite obvious that he wants to banish me after dominating that beast. I had no choice. It had to be done. We need those demon kings to be on our side when we build our kingdom on the earth."

"I'll make sure it's done. You still have me on your side, don't you? You're the one with the power of darkness, and I'm here to make sure you do the job right."

"Look, I'm getting exhausted. I need to lie down and rest. We'll have plenty to worry about in the evening."

Mephiles always knew when his master was tired, and he knew when to stop what he was doing and be silent. Peace was still something that Julius preferred when he was too tired to care about anything.

"Fine, forget I said anything. Just make sure you haven't forgotten your primary purpose when the evening comes. Prove everything to Harald and his men. Tell them you have not grown weak and pathetic," Mephiles said.

"You prove to me you are still obedient and stay quiet when I'm with my family. Prove to me you will listen to me and not speak a word around other people. I am your master. Now and always," Julius said.

"Just as I remember."

Then Julius moves straight to his room and makes sure the candles are blown out before going to sleep. He did not want to see himself sleepwalking, as he was so tired of everything that has happened. But even if he was feeling very sleepy, Julius felt like he could not sleep as long as he needed to. He opened the door and found his wife sleeping on the bed; he felt satisfied that nothing awful had happened to her. Then, she wakes up and notices him walking towards the bed to get some rest, and she gives him plenty of space to sleep.

"Oh, Julius. You're back," Lucy said.

"I am. But there is something I have in mind that I wish to speak to you about. I don't think I'll ever have enough time to tell you later," Julius said.

"Sure. I don't think I'm going anywhere. I'm right here where you need me," she said.

"Okay... I've been thinking about it for a long time. Have I ever been cruel to you? Have I ever carried such an awful burden for you and Lagertha?"

Lucy was proud to see Julius come home and be in excellent hands as he stayed with her in the morning. All she could think about was whether she could be anxious or satisfied to see no scars or wounds on her husband's face.

"No. You've never shown cruelty to me. I'll always be here for you," Lucy said.

"Good. Every day I come home, I feel sorrowful and despair. Sometimes, I feel as if those demons will have plenty of courage to tear this place down," Julius said.

"Oh, they'll never come here. I know there are certain times where they might, but I have always looked out for our daughter. I made myself a promise that I'll always keep her safe," she said.

"And I can tell you've been doing an excellent job at that. There's never a day where I never think of you and Lagertha. Of all the women I've ever met in the past, you were the only one who never left my mind."

Then Julius sits down on his bed, and Lucy gets closer beside him to cheer him up before he goes to sleep. She rested her right hand on his left hand and remained with him for a short while.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Julius? You need it more than I do. If there's anything that needs to be done around the house, I'll be the one to do it," Lucy said.

"Fine. Later, then. Call me if you need anything," Julius said. Then, he puts his hand on her right arm and rests his head on her shoulder for a few seconds.

Lucy lets Julius get some sleep on the bed, and she leaves him alone to be by herself until he wakes up again.