Werewolf Knight 2, page 27
“Well, I’ve certainly had enough magic for one day,” Tabitha said. “I’m going to take my armor off and get to sleep. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I’m already exhausted as it is.”
The noblewoman started padding up the elegant wooden staircase and turned right on the landing.
“She’s a woman who knows what she wants, I’ll give her that,” I laughed.
“Tabitha always wants a nap,” Sybil yawned and then smiled up at me like a sleepy child.
“Looks like she isn’t the only one,” I replied.
“I guess I am pretty tired,” Sybil said. “I might just go join her. Aren’t you coming to bed? You’ve been running all day. I thought that you’d be more tired than us. All we did was ride.”
I had gotten so used to running that I wasn’t mentally prepared to rest. But the idea of taking off my armor and lying in bed with my women was pretty damn enticing.
“Bed does sound pretty good,” I said.
I ran my right hand through her silky black hair, and she closed her eyes as she leaned into my hand like a cat being stroked.
“Okay,” she said with a smile and held my hand in hers. “I wouldn’t mind snuggling under the sheets.”
We held hands and walked up the elegant staircase together. We stopped about halfway up, and I pointed to the weird Calder mobile, which swayed ever so slightly in the breeze from the AC.
“I wonder what he was thinking when he made that,” I said.
“No idea,” Sybil said as she yawned. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“I have to take you guys to some museums in New York,” I said as we started up the steps again. “I’m sure you’ll love some of the odd things they have on display.”
“That sounds like fun,” Sybil replied. “Maybe we can treat ourselves to a couple of days in the city after we finish this quest.”
“Ah,” I laughed. “That does sound nice. We could get a hotel room, go to some nice restaurants, maybe see a show.”
“And go shopping,” Sybil added.
“Of course,” I agreed. “We’ll do lots of shopping.”
Tabitha had already made herself comfortable in the luxurious, king-sized bed by the time we stepped into the room. She’d fallen asleep with the lights on, and her armor and clothing were in a pile by the bed.
“Okay, I’m so ready to get out of this armor,” I said as I started to peel off the armpieces.
“Isn’t your squire supposed to help with that?” Sybil asked with a laugh.
“If you can wake her up, then please do so,” I replied as I unfastened the breastplate. “I’ve certainly never had much luck with that.”
As much as I loved wearing my armor, it felt good to take it off, especially if I’d had to wear it all day. It felt like I’d finished doing an honest day’s work, and the aches and pains were just reminders of all the good I had done.
At least my shirt and pants came off easily enough, and as I looked at the bed, I had this sudden urge to throw myself on top of it. I grinned at Sybil and then threw myself into the middle of the bed.
Tabitha must have sensed my approach, even in the depths of one of her deep sleeps, because I saw here eyelids flicker open, and a moment later, she squealed and scooted toward the edge of the bed just before I landed right in the middle of the mattress.
“I’m so sorry for waking you,” I laughed. “I couldn’t help myself. The bed looked so comfortable, and--”
“And you wanted to terrify me out of my sleep?” the noblewoman croaked.
I looked over at Sybil, who was bent over in a fit of laughter.
“You’ve only been up here for, what?” I asked. “Five minutes?”
“Enough time to fall asleep,” she yawned and rolled onto her side.
Sybil pulled her long green dress over her head and set it on the floor. Her pale, full breasts looked beautiful in the low light of the room.
“I think I’m going to opt for a more graceful landing,” Sybil said, and she crawled into bed and curled up next to me on the other side.
I spotted a light switch just above one of the bedside tables, so I reached over and flicked it. The room was instantly swallowed in darkness, and I felt both girls nestle closer to me.
“Wow,” I said. “Now that is some really good design work.
“Huh?” Sybil muttered sleepily.
“Nothing,” I laughed.
I sank into the memory-foam mattress and let its perfect comfort pull me down. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, but at least we would all be well-rested. And this was certainly the best camping trip I had ever been on.
Sybil sleepily cast her arm over my chest, and she rested her soft cheek in the space between my shoulders and my neck. Her herb heavy scent filled my nose, and I took a deep breath before I closed my eyes.
I felt the world drift away as I fell into a deep, well-deserved sleep.
Suddenly, I heard ocean waves crashing over me. I had been in such a deep sleep that it felt like the noise was dragging me out of the deep recesses of my consciousness. I hadn’t had a single dream, and I hadn’t stirred once. It was like I’d been woken from the dead.
The sound of waves crashing continued, but I couldn’t feel any water over me. I moved my hands and found that Sybil was still in my arms, whereas Tabitha squirmed awake next to me.
“Wh-what’s that?” Sybil said in a small voice as she nestled herself deeper into my chest and put a hand over her ear.
“It’s a fancy alarm, silly,” Tabitha said in a sing-song voice, and she flew off the bed and landed on the floor gracefully.
The noblewoman pressed another light switch that lit up the room in a low glow. The sound of ocean waves grew louder and louder and crashed over the whole bedroom as the light grew brighter.
“What time is it?” I asked around a yawn. “And where is that noise coming from?”
“It’s almost five in the morning,” Tabitha replied and flicked another switch.
The sound of waves came to an abrupt stop, and I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
“Was that an alarm?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said. “I found another handy-dandy little screen in this room, and it even told me exactly what time the sun was going to rise. So I set our alarm for right before it did so I could get ready. Usually I wake up before dawn and then wake you up, but we were all in the same room, so you know…”
“I don’t want to be awake,” Sybil groaned as she sat up.
“Come on, Sybil,” Tabitha said in an official tone of voice. “We have a kingdom to save. We went to bed early enough, didn’t we? You should be ready to tackle the day ahead.”
“We did go to bed early,” I agreed and stifled another yawn.
I could feel myself waking up and decided to ignore the fact that the sun was still rising. We had a long day ahead of us, and our glamping experience was over. It was time to return to Lupercalia and get back on the road, or rather, the wheat fields.
I spotted my phone on the bedside table and decided to take a quick look before setting out on my day. The screen lit up, and I was met with twenty missed calls and a single text message.
“Uh-oh…” I mumbled.
“What is it?” Sybil asked as she peered over my shoulder.
“A message from Ava,” I said as three words drifted over the screen followed by many exclamation marks.
NEED MORE BEANS!!!!!!!!
“She must be running low,” the witch noted.
“People are drinking this stuff like crazy,” I said as I typed in a reply.
Not to worry. New bean delivery in a few days. Love, Hank.
“That’s sweet,” Sybil said, and then she leaned over and kissed me on the ear.
“Alright girls,” I said. “You have to remind me that the first thing we do after defeating this monster in the lake is ship over more beans. According to the spreadsheet I made, we should be good for another week or so, but Ava is starting to freak out a little bit.”
“Well, luckily it’s almost time for another bean harvest,” Sybil said. “She’s probably worried because she still doesn’t know where they come from or how long it takes to get it here.”
“She probably thinks it takes weeks,” Tabitha added.
“And we’ll let her keep believing that for now,” I said as I hopped out of the bed.
After a few stretches to loosen my muscles, I pulled my clothes back on and then the armor. I immediately felt more powerful in my armor, and I felt my back straighten to conform to the silver breastplate. Even in my human form, I knew I looked authoritative and strong in the armor, and pride welled in my chest as I realized I was ready to head out for another day of saving Lupercalia.
Meanwhile, Sybil seemed to be locked in a battle with her simple dress. She floundered around the room in the billowing fabric as she tried to pull the gown over her head.
“Need any help?” I asked with a smirk.
The witch finally managed to pull her right arm through one of the sleeves and popped her head out of the top.
“Don’t mind me,” she yawned. “I’ll get there eventually.”
I looked over at Tabitha, who was already consulting her map. The blonde looked up at me and traced her eyes from the bottom of my boots to the top of my head. Even though I’d just gotten dressed, I felt like she was mentally removing my armor.
“You must like a man in uniform,” I teased.
“You could say that,” she purred.
The noblewoman arched her neck slightly so that her pale, freckly skin was exposed, and her plump, pink lips seemed to beckon at me. I doubted that any knight in Lupercalia had ever been joined by a squire this sexy. If we didn’t have a mission to complete, I would’ve taken her right then and there.
“What’re you thinking?” I asked and placed my hands on my hips.
“Oh, I was just remembering how we made such great time yesterday,” she said and shook all the lustful thoughts out of her head. “All thanks to you, of course.”
She smoothed down her white-blonde hair and returned her gaze to the map. She frowned as she traced a finger across the page, and I could tell that her mind was already back in Lupercalia.
“How much longer do you think it will take us to reach the lake?” I asked.
“It’s hard to say for sure,” she said, and she wrinkled her nose slightly in thought. “As I said last night, we’re over two-thirds of the way there, but we are heading into the mountains. The terrain will be rougher, and you’ll have to run uphill. I would say we have a few hours to go, but we should reach the lake before nightfall.”
“Ooooh, a mountain run,” Sybil exclaimed. “That should be very beautiful.”
“Oh, it is,” Tabitha said and rolled the map back up again. “I used to go there every autumn with my parents as a child, and it’s truly something to behold. There’s a reason the Lupercalian nobility get so excited about the trek to the lake every year. If you thought the cipher’s island was beautiful, wait until you see the mountains.”
“I have no doubt it’s lovely,” I replied. “Just like everything else I’ve seen in the Kingdom. But don’t forget why we’re going there. We can soak in the atmosphere after we’ve destroyed the vampires’ zombie werewolf.”
“You’re right, of course,” Sybil said. “So we should probably head back to the fields.”
“Let’s do a quick sweep of the downstairs and then get going,” I said.
Dawn’s light had filled the house as I stepped into the hall, and everything seemed to have its own golden glow. Outside, birds tweeted in the trees, leaves drifted slowly toward the ground, and dew glittered on the lawn like thousands of tiny diamonds. It was a spectacular sight, and I couldn’t wait until we had a few free days to just bask in the glory of how beautiful our house was.
We swept through the downstairs and made sure everything had been put away, the doors were locked, and the alarm was set. When that was done, I checked that my sack had everything I needed and then looked at the girls.
“Do we have everything?” I asked.
“I’m all set,” Sybil said with a smile.
“Me, too,” Tabitha nodded. “Today’s going to be big. I can feel it.”
I felt the anticipation rise in my stomach. This was our biggest quest yet, and the King didn’t even know a thing about it. It had been nothing but a gut feeling that there was more to the diary than a few rambling entries, and I’d been right. Now, I just had to convince the King and his guards just how dangerous the situation really was.
“Time to kick this monster’s ass,” I said as I held out my arms for the girls.
Once the girls had looped their arms through mine, I twisted the ring on my left finger, and the beautiful house disappeared from my vision. For a moment, I plummeted through time and space, unaware of anything, even the girls who were next to me. I couldn’t feel the armor on my body or the sack strung over my shoulder, and it wasn’t until the ground reappeared under us that I became aware of my weight and my size again.
We were back in the wheat fields. The stalks stretched out for miles before me, and the dusty morning light illuminated everything in a kind of haze. I could hear crickets singing around me, and I even brushed up against the dew on a stalk of wheat.
“How beautiful it is in the morning,” Sybil said. “It was hard to see much last night.”
“Beautiful, yes,” Tabitha nodded. “But I’m glad we didn’t spend the night. The land near the mountains is a completely different place at night than it is in the day.”
“I can imagine,” I sighed as I reached down into my bag and grasped the bottle of foul-smelling speed juice. “That’s true of a lot of places.”
“You know,” Tabitha said. “I could really use some moon-bean brew right about now.”
“You want some of this?” I asked with a laugh and gestured at the bottle of speed juice.
“No way,” the blonde said and shook her head. “You couldn’t pay me to drink that stuff.”
“Suit yourself,” I said with a shrug.
It was time to get back to work, so I uncorked the bottle, brought it to my lips and took a big, confident swig. I could already feel the fire in my stomach by the time I popped the cork back in the bottle and shoved it back into my sack.
The energy melted into my nerves and my bones, and made my senses sharper than ever. I felt like I was listening to each individual cricket singing its song in the wheat field. I felt like I could discern every different stalk and decipher exactly what made it different from the one next to it.
There was so much energy flowing through me that I leapt forward and did a somersault in my armor before popping up as the great wolf. My God, it felt good to be a dog again.
“Holy crap,” Sybil exclaimed. “Did you just do a somersault?”
“That was great, Hank,” Tabitha laughed. “This stuff is turning you into a real gymnast.”
I bounced between my front paws and panted at the girls as a sign that I was revving to go and could barely contain myself any longer. I nearly howled for joy when Tabitha finally slung herself over my neck and clung onto me while Sybil took her place behind her and wrapped her arms around Tabitha’s waist.
“Onward,” Tabitha shouted with a laugh.
I did as the noblewoman asked and sped forward through the fields of wheat. Just like before, the entire place became a blur to me. I felt like a bullet, cutting through everything with immense power and satisfaction. I cut through miles and miles of wheat until something caught my nose in the distance. It was a brook.
Just ahead, I could see that the wheat fields ended. The ground beneath my paws was already becoming rockier, and I could hear the water as it flowed over the granite.
The scent of the water made me feel thirsty, so when I was clear of the fields, I bounded through the valley until I found the brook. I stopped just long enough to plunge my head into the water and then lap up some of the glittering liquid. It was the most refreshing water I’d ever tasted in my life.
“Good call, Hank,” Tabitha said, and she hopped off my back.
Sybil followed and removed an empty glass bottle from her basket. She dipped the glass bottle in the brook and filled it up with water.
“Did you know that there are healing minerals in the water in these mountains?” Sybil asked and took a swig from her bottle.
When the witch had drunk about half the bottle, she wiped her lips, and then handed the rest to Tabitha.
“That’s another reason the nobles like to come here,” Tabitha said as she accepted the offer. “There are health benefits in the mountain region that can’t be found anywhere else in Lupercalia.”
Tabitha took a long sip and then handed the bottle back to Sybil.
“It’s also really refreshing after a hard run,” Sybil laughed as she refilled the bottle and placed it in her basket.
I took one last lick of the water before lifting my head and shaking the excess off. I pawed the ground to let the girls know I was ready to go, and then I looked toward the mountains that were suddenly so much closer.
“It’s a pretty straight shot right up the mountain from here,” Tabitha said as she climbed back onto my back. “We should be able to reach the village in no time.”
Sybil climbed on after her, and I took a moment to take stock of the mountain region before me. There were more trees, and the path we were on was well worn, so it was smooth rather than rocky. If it stayed like that, we’d be to Lake Wahaya in no time.
As we entered the forest that ran along the mountainside, it was hard not to slow down just a bit to admire the scenery. It really was one of the most stunning places I’d been in Lupercalia, which was saying something. Incredibly tall conifers clung to the rocky ground, while smaller but more colorful trees filled in the space between the giants. There were trees with bright red leaves and golden trunks, and others with dark green leaves and white bark that was slowly peeling away. Bushes full of berries sprawled across the ground, and wildflowers sprang up through every crack and crevice in the rocks.
The air also started to feel different the higher up we got. Even though the air everywhere in Lupercalia felt very clean and untouched by technology or fossil fuels, this air was something different. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, like something was cleaning my insides, and I figured it was the high altitude thin air.
