Wolves: Chapter 8

         The walk to the gate was deadly quiet. Babies were suckled and swaddled before the journey so as to be as silent as possible. Older girls held the younger girls’ hands and I had hoarded food for a week so everyone would have enough to eat for breakfast. Even our stomachs couldn’t growl and give us away. Our shoes were padded with thick fabric on the undersides. We walked on the grass instead of the stone road. It was a routine I had grown accustomed to, but my nerves were still on edge as we traveled. We had more babies this journey than I’d ever had before and I wouldn’t rest while cries were a possibility.

            Annette walked by my side, her fingers brushing mine occasionally, one arm wrapped around the baby strapped to her in a sling but the other free to subconsciously reach for my hand. After the fifth time of brushing and her pulling away, mouthing indiscernible apologies, I wrapped my hand around hers. She met my glance and smiled softly. The tension and fear was palpable in our huddled group.

            When we reached the gate, three hours later, babies were getting restless and the youngest girls were teary from exhaustion. One of the youngest nearly fell but tried not to let anyone see. I scooped her up and carried her weak body the last two miles.

            Kailah, who had been bringing up the rear, ushered the tired ones along even as she was clearly as exhausted as they. I had explained before we left that we would not have even a moment for rest. Time was of the utmost importance when we traveled because I couldn’t hide them all and being discovered would result in execution, even down to the babes in slings. All the girls expressed their understanding and I was indescribably relieved that everyone remained silent during our walk.

            It was an exhausting journey.

            The hardest part was yet to come.

Wolves: Chapter 7

           I rose before the sun, as I always did, and took Cara’s cooing baby from his small crib, changing his diaper as quiet rays of light started coming through the locked shutters. I carried the child with me as I opened the shutters, checking to ground below to see if we had nighttime visitors still prowling. No sign of wolves, so I started pumping water and pulled wood in for a fire. The girls would want warm water to bathe before we started our jump.

            They began rising slowly, silent but smiling. I had been preparing them for weeks so even though it was sooner than I had intended, we were ready. Everyone knew today was a big day.

            We took turns helping the younger girls bathe, then I dressed them while the older girls got ready. Annette made sure everyone had breakfast of bread and apple slices and didn’t misplace their dresses in their small bags. No one owned much, but it was precious to them. I knew it would help them in their transition to the new world.

            “Is something wrong?” Kailah brushed a girl’s hair while I laced her boots. The little girl skipped off to beg some more apple slices from Annette.

            “Just worried,” I admitted. “I know I can jump everyone, but I usually have more time to prepare.” I glanced around the room. “I’m worried this will be my last jump before the masks catch me. I don’t have an apprentice like Faula did, so there is no one to take my place. I just…” I trailed off, rubbing my forehead and trying not to think about the girls who would be trapped in Dark Houses without me. I didn’t save them all, that was for sure. There were hundreds of Dark Houses but I frequented three and had visited seven total.

            Kailah took my hand and squeezed gently. “I’m sure this will go well. You know what you’re doing.”

            I smiled appreciatively. “Thank you, Kailah.”

            She followed me to the pump, were I filled a bowl to fill the tub again. “How many girls have you jumped?”

            “In total or at a time?”

            Kailah considered. “Both?”

            The fire was getting low, so I added a few logs, considering. “About fifteen at a time. Faula could do thirty. But I’ve never had that many girls at a time anyway, so I’ve never tried. Overall…probably six hundred?”

            She did some quick mental math. “That’s forty jumps. How long have you been doing this?”

            “Well…” I stepped onto the front porch and Kailah followed. I blew out the lamp that kept ghosts away at night and stared at the horizon. “I did it for about two with Faula. Then it took me ten years to build the portal…maybe ten years? After I finished the portal.”

            Kailah laughed. Her laughter was infectious and I started to smile, but I was confused. “What’s funny?”         

            “You can’t be older than twenty-five. You’re telling me you’ve been doing this for twenty-two years? Since you were ten?”

            I smiled wryly and shook my head. “I don’t age here. I’m a lot older than I look.”

            “How is it possible for you to not age here but to…I mean, you age in other worlds?”

            “Only in my homeplace.”

            “Where is that?”

            Annette appeared at the doorway. “We’re ready.”

Wolves: Chapter 6

An owl called its mate as the sun fell behind the horizon. The lamplighter had been eaten by the wolves years before, so the streets were dark as we walked. Kailah didn’t seem to notice. Like most of the girls, she was used to the dark.

            “Isn’t it dangerous for you to be seen with me?”

            I shook my head. “See the glimmer?”

            Kailah looked at my uplifted hand. She nodded.

            “It’s a spell. It will conceal us from watchful eyes while we walk. I just wish I could do it over all the girls.” I sighed. “But the book with the spell in it was lost with Faula so I don’t know how to make it any bigger than two or three people.”

            She waited, knowing I would continue.

            “I met your aunt when she came to the Dark House, where I was working.”

            “You worked at a Dark House?” Kailah’s eyes widened.

            “Yes. For seven months, before your aunt found me. She was posing as a customer, but she cast the same concealing spell I’m using now on us to help me escape. She offered to help others…but they refused. I don’t know why. I left with her.” I kicked at the stony ground, picturing Faula’s smiling face as she raised her glimmering hand over my head, letting magic trickle down. “She did the test on me and discovered I have the ability to manipulate reality. Here, that is called magic.”

            “Wow…I wish I had magic.”

            “It is a great gift, and a greater responsibility. Like Faula, I wanted to use mine to help girls escape from Dark Houses. We worked together for a time. We would portal-jump and figure out which world was best suited for each girl we rescued. But she got trapped on the other side of one when it was destroyed by masks. The last thing she told me was to continue the work, and not to spend time trying to get her back.”

            The silence was painful as I waited for Kailah to realize I had abandoned her aunt to another world. I wouldn’t be able to explain to her Faula’s deep desire to help and her completely self-sacrificing heart. If I had spent ten years creating a portal to get her back, she would have been furious. But these things, I could not express to her niece.

            At last, Kailah responded, quietly and carefully. “It must have been hard for you to let her go.”

            I looked up at her. Her eyes were fixed on her feet but she was staring miles into a different world, as if a portal lay in her thin shoes.

            “It was. She was my best friend. My hero. She meant so much to me.”

            “But you didn’t go after her.”

            “No…all of the portals collapsed when her magic was severed from them. She had created them, you know. Your aunt was an incredibly powerful woman. I’m lucky to have created one in ten years, but she made six in fifteen.”

            Kailah’s jaw dropped.

            I nodded. “Exactly. How did you not know this about her?”

            “My parents didn’t talk much about her. She was an outcast in our family because of her magic.”

            “I understand. I’m sorry to hear that.”

            “I never really thought much about it until now. I wish I had known her better.”

            “I wish you could have. But I’ll tell you anything about her that you want to know, if that helps.”

            Kailah thought for a moment, then said, "Well...I was wondering about you, actually. I have so many questions, I don’t know where to start.”

            Eyes glowed from the forest. I knew they couldn’t see us, but I turned us back toward the house anyway. “Let’s go inside where it’s…warm. I’ll answer your questions tomorrow.”

Wolves: Chapter 5

          The beds were in a pile in one corner after my magic had fallen. Thankfully it was just soft bedding so nothing was broken. After the masks left, Annette had come to check that it was safe, then helped everyone down. I awoke to several small faces hovering over me, one dribbling water into my mouth via spoon. As soon as my eyes opened, one ran for Annette. She came quickly, checking my vision and pain levels, making sure I was drinking enough.

            “You probably have a small concussion,” she said. “But you’re mostly weak from your magic exertion. You need rest. Lots of it.”

            I sat up, pushing her away gently. “I can’t rest. I have to get these girls to the other side before the masks come back. We have to go over tomorrow.” I rested my hand on hers and said quietly, “You need to stay this time.”

            “No!” Annette stood, backing away from me. The entire house turned, falling silent. “I won’t leave!”

            “Annette…” I stood tiredly, stepping towards her. “Please….it will be safer if it’s just me. You should stay and help the newest girls acclimate. If you return with me, you will get caught. Rescuing you will jeopardize all we’ve worked for.”

            “All you have worked for.”

            I lowered my gaze in acknowledgment.

            She stalked angrily to the pump, retrieving more water and attending to several of the youngest girls. I knew it would be a while before she’d speak to me again, but she’d come around eventually. She knew I was right. Staying with the girls was her best option.

            “Maylie?” Kailah appeared at my side with a furrowed brow.

            “Yes?” I turned my attention to her, motioning for her to come sit beside me on my pallet, which had been retrieved from the ground below the window. I picked a few stray grass blades off and met her gaze. “What is it?”

            “You have magic,” she said slowly.

            “Yes.”

            “I’ve never seen anyone wield it before.”

            “I’m not sure ‘wield’ is the right word for the cheap party tricks I do, but yes, I do use it. And yes, it’s fairly rare in this world.”

            “Is it common in others?”

            “I haven’t portal-jumped in so long, I don’t remember. It’s not common in the world I’m taking you to, so you don’t have to worry.”

            Her eyes widened. “You’re taking me to another world?”

            “Yes,” I nodded. “It is far safer than this one. I take all my sisters there so they will be safe.”

            “But you do not go?”

            I shook my head. “My place is here.”

            There was a moment of silence as she considered. Somewhere in the room, Cara’s baby cried as she unbuttoned her shirt to nurse. I waited, knowing Kailah had more questions.

            “If we’re going to another world,” she said at last. “You must have access to a portal.”

            “I do.”

            “How? A portal hasn’t been discovered in this world in centuries.”

            “I had to create one.”

            Kailah’s jaw dropped. “You…created a portal?”

            I nodded, expressionless.

            “But that would take more magic than…than the entire wizard court combined.”

            I looked down at my hands, the creases lined with dirt.

            “Wow,” she said softly. “You must be really powerful.”

            “I’m pretty average most of the time,” I said honestly. “But if I work on something for a long time, I can make it pretty big. The portal took me ten years to finish.”

            “That’s a lot of dedication. The only person I’ve known who could conjure that much magic was my aunt. Her name was Faula.”

            My breath caught in my chest. “Faula?”

            Kailah nodded. “Have you heard of her?”

            Quietly, I responded, “She saved my life.”

            “You knew her?”

            “She saved my life,” I repeated.

            “How?”

            Annette appeared at my side, holding a cup of tea. I took it, pulling her wrist gently so she would join us on the bed. She sat, brow furrowed. “Is everything alright?”

            “Kailah knows Faula,” I said quietly. “She is her aunt.”

            Annette’s mouth fell open. She glanced around to make sure no one could hear, then leaned forward and whispered loudly, “You’re Faula’s niece?” she looked Kailah up and down. “Well, did you get any of her magical powers?”

            Kailah shook her head. “She tested me when I was little, and I don’t have any.”

            “I know that test,” I said. “She did it on me when she found me.”

            “Tell me about her?” Kailah looked so hopeful, so eager to hear about her aunt, I couldn’t refuse her.

            “Come with me,” I said. “Let’s walk.”

Wolves: Chapter 4

           They awoke me shortly after dawn. A girl was walking towards the edge of town, toward the Nolus forest. Girls laced my boots for me and Annette buttoned my jacket as I pulled my hair into a tangled braid. Time was imperative.

            I nearly fell down the front steps running after her, still tired from the fight.  My boots crunched on a thin layer of snow and my breath tainted the air white as I walked briskly toward the edge of town. A faint green smoke rose from the treetops as far as the eye could see. An eagle flew overhead but turned back when it reached the smoke.

            She was standing at the edge of the trees when I got there. Her body flinched when I spoke.

            “Hey,” I said, trying to be gentle though I was out of breath. “What are you doing?”

            “Leave me,” she answered, her voice cracking.

            “Why are you doing this?”

            She turned to me. Her eyes were red but she wasn’t crying. I waited a moment but she didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. I had talked to enough girls at the edge of Nolus to know why she was there.

            “I can’t go back,” she whispered.

            “You don’t have to go back.”

            Her eyes flickered.

            “I have a safe house,” I said, taking a step towards her slowly. “You can come.”

            “For how long?” her dress was ragged and her form exhausted. “I cannot hide forever. They will find me again.”

            I shook my head. “No. I’ve done this many times. I have helped many girls escape. You won’t stay here. I can take you somewhere safe.”

            She hesitated.

            “What is your name?”

            “Kailah.”

            “Kailah. I’m Maylie. Please…come with me. The forest magic will crush you if you go in.”

            Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so scared,” she sobbed. I stepped forward and she leaned into my arms, crying on my shoulder. I brushed her hair gently and held her.

            From the house I heard a quick tempo.

            I looked up quickly. Smoke rose from the other side of town. The masks were returning. They must have seen me leave.

            “Kailah,” I said, forcing urgency and fear out of my voice. “We need to go.” I slowly started walking, pulling her with me. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and came willingly, still trembling.

            We barely made it to the house before the masks did. Xandra pulled Kailah up to the roof and I flung the beds to the ceiling, wrapping them in invisibility just as the door flew open.

            The masks stormed the house, pulling up floorboards and smashing the windows. I didn’t move, just stood in the corner, watching them destroy what little they could get their hands on. My bed was thrown out the window and the pump was allowed to flow freely, pouring out of the new holes in the floor and watering a few bedraggled dandelions which grew underneath the house.

            One of the masks finally turned to me, shoving me against the wall with its forearm pressing my jugular. I gasped for air; my eyes felt like they would slip right out of their sockets as my vision blurred. My toes lifted from the floor. The magic on the beds weakened. I couldn’t let them fall.

            “We know you have them,” the mask growled, its red eyes inches from mine. “Where are they?”

            I choked in response, unable to speak even if I’d wanted to. Its hold on me was painful but oddly convenient. It released me and I crumpled, coughing.

            “They…aren’t…here…” I spluttered. “You know I’m a town councilman. I would never break the rules so vagrantly.”

            “You’ve been under suspicion for years,” a mask snapped. “Do not assume your position protects you from retribution.”

            I stood, one hand on the wall for support as I rose. I stepped forward and curtsied dramatically, sarcasm dripping from my voice. “Never.”

            With one motion, the mask backhanded me and I crashed into the wall. The air was stolen from my lungs as I crumpled yet again into a motionless, gasping ball.

            When my vision and breath returned, they were gone.

Wolves: Chapter 3

            They broke down the door without even knocking to see if I was inside. I swung around, nearly knocking a glass of water off the table.

            “Gentlemen,” I said evenly. “What brings you to-”

            “We know you have the girls,” the closest one snarled. “Hand them over, and we will show you mercy.”

            “‘Mercy’ isn’t a word in either of our vocabularies. But as you can see, they are not here.” I spread my arm in an inviting gesture, drawing their gaze to the empty room. The only things visible were a single cot in the far corner under a window, the pump, and the table of water glasses.

            “We heard singing,” another mask spat. “How do you explain that, witch?”

            I tilted my head toward the glasses. They were each filled with water at a different level and I pulled a thin strand of green magic from the air, swirling it around the rims. Beautiful voices rang forth as I pulled them from the water.

            The masks were made of a fabric cursed to be sensitive to magic. But the magic I had pulled to create the singing glasses covered the effect of the magic suspending the girls’ cots to the ceiling and making them invisible. The masks would not be able to detect the cots. Hopefully.

            “My entertainment for the council ceremony,” I replied. “Singing glasses.”

            The masks eyed the room with suspicion, but there was clearly no one else. One ran to the window and peered down, but even the blood from the wolves was gone. The ropes had been drawn up, and no evidence gave away the girls’ presence.

            Several of the masks convened quietly, out of my earshot. I listened for footsteps from above but none came. The oldest sisters were succeeding in keeping the younger ones quiet.

            I knew the masks were discussing taking me in for questioning. I wasn’t frightened of questioning – I had done it before – but if I left, the magic would leave with me and the bedrolls would no longer be hidden. If more masks came, I couldn’t protect the girls. The house itself would struggle to stand without me.

My breathing was forcedly even as I waited.

            The masks began filing out as the leader turned to me. “We will not take you for questioning this time. But if you spill so much as a drop of that water at the ceremony, we will know why you are out of line. And we will burn this house to the ground.”

            I smiled bitterly and gave an acknowledging half-nod. They disappeared into the night, their torches burning an image in my mind I would want to erase for the rest of my life. I waited until I was certain the masks were gone before signaling for the girls to come down. Michelle and Xandra came first, helping the younger girls in through the window. Annette was last, calm as ever. I let the invisibility on the bedrolls fade and lowered them to the floor. Everyone began arranging them back to their regular places, ready to get back to sleep after the events of the night. Annette crossed the room quickly to embrace me. I nearly collapsed in her arms.

            “You need rest,” she said, concern filling her voice. “You have done enough for us tonight. I will take care of the girls. Sleep.”

            I couldn’t even protest as she led me to an empty pallet. I was asleep before she pulled a blanket to my shoulders. I wish I could say my sleep was dreamless.

Wolves: Chapter 2

            I rolled to my stomach soundlessly, hoping the body of the dead wolf beside me would hide me from the wolves circling below the house, waiting for the alpha to give a signal. They didn’t notice me until my hand slipped and I fell face first into a pool of blood. They snapped their heads around, eyeing me with smiles only wolves can give.

            Their lips pulled back to show white teeth. I snarled back, wolf blood trickling into mouth. It was bitter.

            “I’m not your dinner tonight,” I hissed.

            The wolf in front growled, deep and throaty. “We’ll see about that.”

            “Remember last year and let me go.”

            The wolf hissed and took a step back. I stood, face still dripping with blood, and walked through the pack towards the house. The fight was still strong inside but it sounded muffled. The night was silent outside the chaos. Even the stars were not singing.

            “You are denying your family!” the wolves circled me at a distance.          

I turned back to the animals. “These girls are my family now and you knew it the instant your loyalty fell. Leave,” I commanded. “Spare yourselves the loss of your comrades. If you do not, we will slaughter you one by one until not a single pup remains.”

            The wolves exchanged uncertain glances. Their gold eyes dulled in the wake of my threat. An axe was suddenly flung out the window and I heard the screams of the fallen beast. I didn’t even flinch but caught the axe as it plummeted and swung it to aim the eye at the nearest wolf. They scattered into the forest.

            Xandra’s rope was closer than my own but neither spring had been reset so I slipped the axe handle through my belt and climbed hand over hand to the open window. The scene was gruesome. Blood and fallen wolves covered the floor. The girls stood, panting and weak, over the corpses to make sure they were no longer a threat to the children and mothers who stood against the back wall.

            My boots hit the wooden floorboards and the entire room swung around to stare. I raised one hand in a weak greeting, scanning to find Annette. She ran to me, limping slightly but undeterred. The others began pumping water to clean the floor and throwing the wolves’ corpses out the window. Annette grabbed a wet rag and began wiping my face.

            “What happened, Maylie?” she worried, her gentle hands wiping blood from my hair as well as my skin.

            “I got tossed out the window,” I answered, my voice coming out soft and hoarse. “Fell in blood. I’m okay, I promise. Not hurt. What happened to your leg?”

            “I’m okay. Just got hit in the knee. It’ll be a big bruise but nothing is broken.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “I have a low pain tolerance.” she smiled. “I’d know if it was something worse.”

            “How is everyone else?”

            “Em got a big chunk taken out of her arm. Lila got trampled by a few wolves but she’s okay except for some bruising. The younger girls are shaken up.”

            “Understandably. How is Cara?”

            We looked towards our newest girl, clinging to her infant child but bravely talking to younger girls, already able to make them smile and laugh. “I think she’s doing well,” Annette smiled again. I agreed.

            Annette went to get more water for the floor and I joined the cleanup. Blood doesn’t come out of wood easily.

            Bade climbed to the roof, lifting her flute for a haunting dirge. We always honored the dead, even those of the enemy. As her notes floated into the night sky, the bodies of the slain dissipated into dust and disappeared among the stars. My hands gathered splinters as I scrubbed the floor. I’d cleaned it too many times to count. Blood was not uncommon in our small town. If from a girl’s body, the blood was sacred, if it occurred once a month. Then I cleaned with gentleness, respectful of the power it held. Other times it was the result of violence, and I scrubbed with so much anger I hoped flames would spring forth and burn the evil out of the world. Now as I mixed blood with water, hoping to remove the memories, another instrument joined Bade’s horn.

            Voices.

            Slowly, one by one, the house’s inhabitants started singing. Tears stung my eyes at the harmony we had managed to find in the wake of such horrific brutality. Annette pulled my hair back and braided it loosely to keep it from falling into the blood and I could hear her strong, quiet voice singing the words with faint aching. She had seen so much brutality, felt so much pain, yet she was the one tending to the others with untainted gentleness, cleaning and binding scratches.

            Bade’s tempo quickened. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. She was warning us. Something was coming. I looked around to see if anyone else had gotten the same feeling I had. No one seemed particularly suspicious, but before I could even move, we all heard it.

            Marching.

            I ran to the window. Torches and masks were marching up the road toward our sanctuary. Several of the younger girls started crying. Annette and Xandra rushed to hush them gently. Bade’s song dissipated. I motioned for everyone to climb to the roof. Starting with the youngest, they began climbing out the window and up the ropes silently, trying to conceal their fear.

            I was weak from the fight.

            They would know this.

            I cursed myself for not realizing the plan sooner. No wonder the wolves had come. Michelle pushed our last piece of cacao into my hand before climbing up the rope after Annette. I slipped it under my tongue and pulled a table to the middle of the floor.

            The masks had almost arrived.

Wolves: Chapter 1

They came at midnight.

We weren’t ready.

I was on watch, standing at one corner of the house, a torch ready to be lit should the need arise. Xandra stood at the other corner. The eyes appeared slowly. So slowly, I thought I was imagining them. They winked gold in the moonlight. I lit my torch and the eyes shrank back at first, then came closer. I was entranced even when the form appeared, twice the size of a large dog, and teeth bared. Xandra and I sprang for our ropes at the same time, yanked upwards.

            “Wolves!” I shouted. “Wolves!”

            The entire house was in a panic instantly. Torches burst to life, bedding flung into one corner to make room, old rifles and new axes given to the strongest who stood in front of the children and newest girls. I slammed into the shutters, rushing to bolt them before the wolves could get in. I managed to catch a glimpse of the pack before bolting the wood. I glanced at Michelle. She had seen it too. A wolf smashed into the wood, my shoulder taking as much of the blow as the shutter. I fell backwards, my groan lost in the noise. Thankfully, my weight had managed to keep the wolf from entering and landing on top of me. He fell backwards into the pack. The window was open, though, and another animal sprang through. I rolled out of the way, grabbing my axe.

            The wolf stood in the middle of the semicircle, hackles raised and snarling. No one moved. I tried not to breathe so heavily. I felt something shift in the wolf’s eyes and I leapt at the same time it did, sinking my axe into its neck. The blade only buried itself about half of the way in and Xandra shoved her rifle muzzle between the animal’s eyes, pulling the trigger. The wolf collapsed. Someone was at my side in an instant, heaving the still-warm corpse out the window. The body knocked another wolf down mid-jump and landed in the middle of the pack. The wolves hesitated only a moment before jumping on the fresh meat. They tore into their fallen comrade without a hint of remorse but hadn’t forgotten us – they kept looking up at us, gold eyes glinting and blood dripping from their muzzles. We took the opportunity to bolt all the windows securely.

            It didn’t take them long to finish their appetizer and turn their attention back to us. They leapt towards our windows, slamming their bodies into the wood until the metal bolts weakened and broke. We were prepared this time, though still terrified. I had fought them before and my legs still shook. I swung my axe with as much strength as I could muster, hacking straight into a wolf’s open maw. The girl it was lunging for scrambled away screaming. I yanked the axe away and the wolf turned to me, snarling with its split jaws pouring blood down its throat. Before I could shudder, I drove the axe into its neck. It fell, dragging my axe and subsequently me along with it. The force flipped me over the body and I landed on my back, the air completely knocked out of me. My lungs felt like they had collapsed inside me and stars danced before my eyes. I lay motionless.

            The chaos around me seemed farther away than it had been. I couldn’t see anything except pitch black and a few stars, still winking at me evenly. I managed to move my hand slightly and touched something warm and wet. Blood, no doubt. Hopefully a wolf’s and not a sister’s. Then there was fur under my fingers and I came to a blood-chilling realization. The force from the wolf’s fall pitched me out the window and I was on the ground among the stragglers and corpses we threw out the window. When the wolves inevitably decided to give up, I would be where they turn. I didn’t want to have to deal with their questions.

            Not again.

#59 (window)

How dreary the world when watched through a window
How much more beautiful when soaked by rain
and burned by sun



*Evyn
p.s. what can I say? I'm obsessed with sunburns.

#56 (fire)

some people are so
desperate for love they
burn just to
get warm

*Evyn