Werewolf Knight 3, page 4
“Any quest…” I said to myself under my breath.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist that,” Tabitha said and then leaned over to Casanova and planted a big kiss on his nose.
“You’re right,” I replied as I considered where we could take Casanova first.
I had been dying to see Charles for some time now. I knew that he was taking time to focus on his family and his community, but if we were to slip into the town of Stock and just happened to run into him, I knew that he wouldn’t protest. In fact, he’d probably love it.
On the other hand, Old Blueclaw would love to see Casanova now that the pup was ready for his knightly duties. Tabitha’s father always spent countless hours discussing his jousting career when we dined at their estate, and there was little he loved more than direwolf puppies. In fact, pride of place in the foyer had gone to a commissioned portrait of Blueclaw’s direwolf alongside the older knight’s lance. Tabitha’s mother always protested having a painting of a wolf in such a central part of the house, but I thought it was incredibly endearing.
My mind drifted over all the friends I could visit now that we were back in Lupercalia, but I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in my belly that this wasn’t a time for catching up with old pals. We’d stopped the zombie werewolf, but that wasn’t the end of the vampires’ schemes.
It was time to see the cipher.
“Let me guess what you’re thinking,” Tabitha said. “We run upstairs and put our armor on, we grab Sybil from whatever experiment she’s working on, and then we take Casanova and see what Melchior has been up to. Am I correct?”
I looked down at the precocious blonde, whose brown eyes shone up at me like hazelnuts.
“I love it when you read my mind,” I said.
“So that settles it,” she said, and a smile grew on her face. “We’re taking Casanova on his first quest?”
“Yep,” I said. “We just need someone to watch him while we get changed into our armor.”
“I have a fantastic idea,” Tabitha said, and she gestured for me to follow her back to the front of the house, where my wolf hearing picked up on some indistinct voices.
“Come on, boy,” I said and whistled to the well-behaved Casanova.
When we came around the corner, I was surprised to find that Jacob was there with his siblings as well as some of the other farm kids. It looked like he was delivering an important speech, and I assumed that he was telling them about his new appointment on my bean estate.
“Hey, kid,” Tabitha called out.
Jacob spun around and blushed like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He did a quick bow, but I could still see the red flush along the back of his neck.
“M-miss Blueclaw,” Jacob stuttered without looking up.
“That isn’t necessary,” Tabitha said, and she patted him on the shoulder. “But I have a job for you. We’re taking Casanova out, so he’ll need his riding gear. Can you give him some water and then get him ready? Maybe add a bag of snacks as well. We’ll be leaving in about ten minutes.”
“Of course,” Jacob said and nodded. “We’ll be right back here before you know it.”
The young boy clicked his tongue twice, and Casanova followed after him to the other side of the house. The rest of the kids ran a safe distance behind the giant wolf, though their excited chatter was proof that they weren’t scared of the giant black furball.
“What a fox,” I said and put my arms around Tabitha’s small, soft waist. “How did you know they were going to be there?”
“They love to play on the steps,” she said and wrapped her hands around mine. “My navigator’s room is just above us, whereas your office looks out onto the bean fields. So I hear all the gossip, while you get all the peace.”
“I think that’s a fair trade-off as the Lord of the Land,” I said, and Tabitha raised an eyebrow. “Unless the young Lady disagrees?”
“Oh, you know I love gossip,” she said as we headed up the stairs. “Before the weather turned, Jacob’s cousin Mildred had picked a whole bunch of wild flowers for the newest family’s oldest boy, Jeremiah. The kids were debating what Jeremiah would do, but we had to go back to Jersey before I could hear what happened. I guess I’ll have to investigate on my own now.”
“Sounds riveting,” I replied as I opened the front door. “I love these workers, but I don’t think I want to know what a bunch of sixteen-year-olds are doing in their free time.”
“Suit yourself,” Tabitha said and shrugged at me.
I took a quick peep around the ground floor to see if any servants were coming our way. Since the coast was clear, I took the opportunity to give Tabitha a hard slap on her red, suede ass as she started up the stairs.
“Hank,” the beauty squealed.
She bolted up the rest of the steps with me hot on her heels, and we both giggled as the wooden floorboards squeaked underfoot.
It had been a while since I’d worn my armor, and I couldn’t wait to throw it back on. I turned right onto the familiar landing and then left into my grand master bedroom. I made a beeline for the hybrid-sized mannequin that wore my armor while I was away, and found that the silver had been polished within an inch of its life. God, I loved having servants that tended to my every waking need.
“I’m heading to the map room,” Tabitha called from the landing. “I want to check our route to Gomul.”
“Sounds great,” I called back.
I shook my head back and forth and felt the familiar twinge of fire race through my body as it extended from human-sized to hybrid wolf-sized. When I looked down, I could see that my hands were hairy paws.
I thought back to the American Werewolf in London and chuckled to myself at his misfortune. That guy really couldn’t catch a break compared to what I had. I’m sure if I ever shifted back home, they’d think I was the Jersey devil or something. But here, I was practically royalty, even if I did have to put my own armor on sometimes.
Piece by piece, I started to encase myself in the silver suit. I lifted the breastplate onto my chest first and then pulled on the leg pieces. Once the metal arms and my gauntlets were fastened tightly around me, I felt the armor mold itself to my skin like a leather glove.
When that was done, I grabbed the helmet and went over to the wooden chest where I kept some of the treasures I’d found as well as my trusty sack. But when I pulled the sack from the chest, I heard something clink inside. I tried to remember what I might have left inside. The most important thing I had in there was the opal dagger wrapped in its protective cloth, which was essential in my fight against dark magic. I also found a small vial with a few drops of the nasty speed juice I’d had to use in order to reach the King in time.
But now that Casanova was a fully trained direwolf, I wouldn’t have to drink that foul stuff anymore. Unless I wanted to compete in a marathon or something, but surely that kind of thing would count as doping. With a chuckle, I set the glass container back on the bottom of the chest and closed the lid.
“I’m all set,” I called out as I stepped into the hall.
Tabitha burst forth from one of the doors on the other side of the hallway, though she wasn’t paying any attention to where she was going. She was struggling to fasten the belt around her waist as she muttered something about doughnuts.
“Need any help?” I asked in a low growl.
Something behind her clicked shut, and she looked up at me.
“Oh, my,” she said. “Don’t you look handsome. I haven’t seen my hybrid Hank in far too long…”
The buxom blonde slunk over to me, and it was impossible not to stare at the curvature of her breastplate and how it accentuated her tiny waist and her ample breasts. She was a medieval Marilyn Monroe, and it was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.
“There’s nothing I’d like more than to peel you out of that armor, and for you to do the same to me,” I said. “But, we’ve been gone too long. We need to collect Casanova and Sybil, and then we need to find out if anything happened while we were in New Jersey.”
“I know, I know,” she teased. “I just can’t resist you when you look like that. So strong, and so… big.”
I rolled my eyes, but she knew I loved it. There was nothing like growing from a normal-sized dude to a massive and fucking powerful wolf to build up your ego.
The excitement started to grow inside me as I bounded down the stairs. There was nothing I loved more than a new quest, or as I liked to think about it, another avenue for success.
“Ladies first,” I said as I opened the door.
“Thank you kindly,” she said to me before turning her attention outside. “Oh, my, it’s Sybil.”
I followed her outside and shut the door behind me to find an eager Sybil scratching behind Casanova’s ears and talking to Jacob.
“Hank,” the green-eyed beauty sighed when she saw me approaching. “Oh, Hank, I missed you.”
“It’s been about fifteen minutes, if that,” Tabitha said. “Are you ready to admit that those mushrooms aren’t as exciting as you make them out to be?”
“Far from it,” Sybil shot back, and she lifted her eyebrow knowingly. “Some of those varieties from New Jersey work perfectly for what I have in store.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” Tabitha said, and she turned from Sybil to Jacob. “Thank you for your help. You’re the best wolf hand a Lady like me could ask for.”
“Oh,” Jacob said, and his face turned beetroot pink. “Thank you, Miss Blueclaw. It’s very much appreciated.”
We all stood awkwardly for a second before the young boy ran off with a muttered excuse about tending to the rabbits. We watched him go until he ran into one of the barns.
“So,” Sybil said and gestured to the large black dog in front of us. “Looks like I missed something. Are we taking the dog for a walk?”
“Something like that,” I said with a sigh. “I thought that it was about time we returned to Lake Gomul and checked on Melchior the Cipher.”
“Wise,” she said. “Well, I have everything I need. My cloak, the basket, and this sack of snacks for Casanova that the little boy just gave me.”
Sybil lifted a canvas bag that was wrapped neatly with a straw ribbon.
“He really is very good, isn’t he,” Tabitha said and nodded.
“Well, Sybil, if you take the snacks, and Tabitha, if you take the maps, I’ll take the reins,” I said with a laugh.
“Oh, yes,” Sybil replied with a big smile, and she rocked back and forth between her legs. “Yes, it sounds like a song.”
“Please,” Tabitha said. “Do not take that as a cue to start singing.”
“Don’t worry, Tabitha,” Sybil said and frowned at the cynical aristocrat. “I’ll never try to delight you with my songs again.”
I shook my head and decided to turn my attention to Casanova, who was staring at me while his impressively large tongue drooped out of his mouth. I grabbed the reins and made sure that they were fastened safely between my fingers, like Charles had taught me, before I pulled myself onto the direwolf’s back.
“Alright girls,” I said. “Let’s get moving. I don’t know how fast this puppy runs yet, and I don’t want to waste all day.”
“Let’s get moving,” Sybil said, and I felt her grab my waist and clamber up right behind me.
“Hey,” Tabitha said. “That’s the navigator’s seat.”
“Oh, come on Tabitha, we’ve been there enough times that Hank knows the journey,” Sybil said. “And I always sit right in the back. But you have waaaay better balance than me, because you practically grew up riding horses and direwolves and whatever else.”
“Don’t flatter me,” Tabitha grumbled. “Alright, just keep him still for a moment.”
“What are you--?” I started to say and glanced over my shoulder.
In true Tabitha fashion, the noblewoman didn’t simply climb onto Casanova’s back. She backed up a few feet, squinted like she was trying to judge the distance, and then charged straight toward the direwolf. She leaped into the air at just the right moment and landed safely behind Sybil.
“Whoa,” Sybil laughed, and Tabitha also broke into a fit of giggles.
“I haven’t done that kind of thing in a while,” Tabitha said between laughs. “But it’s nice to know I’ve still got it.”
“Tabitha,” I said and shook my head. “I don’t know if I should say this to a Lady, but that’s the most cowboy thing I’ve seen all day.”
“I don’t know what that word means,” Tabitha added. “But it doesn’t sound like blue blood.”
“Sure isn’t,” I added, and then I steered Casanova toward the open gate of the estate.
“Let’s see how fast this wolf can go then,” Tabitha said. “We’ve been waiting for this day long enough.”
“One,” I started to count so everyone would have time to grab a hunk of fur. “Two…”
“Go,” Tabitha shouted, and she kicked her right foot so hard that it hit Sybil’s leg as well as Casanova’s.
“Tabitha, what the hell?” Sybil wailed.
But the direwolf was already in motion, and the rest of Sybil’s complaint was drowned out by the growl he made as he flew forward. If the gate to my estate hadn’t been open already, then Casanova would’ve easily blown a hole in the thing. But Eric was right. Even though Casanova was flying at a speed that definitely rivaled mine after the speed potion, he was light-footed in a way that he hadn’t been before.
I barely felt like we were touching the ground, and I even loosened my grip because it didn’t seem like we were in any danger of falling off.
“Guys,” I said as the green fields zoomed around us in a blur. “Do you kind of feel like…”
“This is nice?” Sybil added. “Not to say that your running isn’t also nice, Hank. But this feels like I’m kind of floating as well.”
I watched the town of Stock disappear behind us, and I realized that Casanova’s speed beat mine at my fastest for sure. It was a slight blow to the ego, but hey, this was supposed to be his job, not mine.
“This is the smoothest direwolf ride I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Tabitha said. “And that’s really saying something.”
The ride was so amazing that I turned Casanova away from the castle. It would make our journey a little longer, but I really didn’t want to have to stop and talk to anyone when we were all having so much fun, which would definitely happen if we took the path around the King’s home.
“Where to now?” Sybil shouted.
“Some navigator you are,” Tabitha groaned. “We’re obviously going East, through Yarikh.”
Casanova made the change from the grassy hills near Stock into the dense, bouncy woodland with almost no break in his stride. We glided along through the forest as easily as if the pup were running on a freshly paved road.
I could barely see my surroundings at the speed we were going, but I could definitely make out the change in season. The orange, yellow, and red leaves of the autumn had vanished, and bare, spindly branches reached skyward instead. The flowers had vanished as well, to be replaced with cold dirt and the first layer of winter frost. Milky winter light washed out what little color remained, and the tree trunks stood like dark sentinels along the path.
It almost reminded me of the woods back home, but when I tried to tune into the creatures around me, the sounds were completely different. The birds in Lupercalia sounded nothing like the birds back home, and when I took a whiff of the air, it smelled different, too.
I tugged the rein with my right hand so that Casanova would know to turn more to the east. He obeyed without hesitation, and we swooshed through the woods with gusto.
“I love the feeling of the cold against my face,” Sybil said.
“I love the feeling of a cold beer when it’s like this outside, and I’m in a nice tavern by the fire,” Tabitha grumbled.
“Princess,” Sybil shot back with a laugh.
I joined in the laughter, but all I could think about was the diary I had left with Melchior. I hoped the cipher had been able to unravel more of the vampires’ plans, and as we neared the lake, I felt my pulse quicken at the idea that we might be able to destroy the vampires once and for all.
Since I didn’t have an iPhone to check the time, I glanced at the sky and saw that the sun was significantly higher than when we had left. We must’ve been on the road for at least two hours, but Casanova’s gait was now so smooth that it felt like we had left only minutes ago.
“We must be close,” I yelled over the wind.
“I think you’re right,” Sybil replied. “There’s sand just ahead.”
I looked out ahead and saw that she was right. The dirt on the ground was beginning to turn a more tan color, and the texture was different.
I began to pull back on the reins, and I felt Casanova start to slow beneath us. I was impressed as the direwolf dropped down to a graceful canter and then to a fast trot as we made our way through a wall of tall, coniferous trees. I could hear the pinecones crunch under his massive paws, and yet, our ride was unphased by the prickly seed bombs.
Moments later, I caught the first whiff of Lake Gomul. But the freshwater scent was also tinged with the scent of frost, and I had to marvel at how easily I could distinguish between the two. I don’t know how I’d gone my entire life without my wolf smell and hearing, because now it was like everything was a thousand times more vibrant than before.
“Whoa,” Tabitha said. “I always forget how beautiful it is here.”
Casanova stopped at the shoreline of the now-frozen lake, which glittered like a sheet of glass into the distance. It was breathtaking, with the coniferous trees that hung high in the distance like skyscrapers and the bright beams of sunlight that made the whole scene sparkle like a diamond. Lake Gomul was as picturesque as ever, and if I hadn’t been on an important quest, I would’ve been tempted to drop everything and play around on the still waters.
“Well,” Sybil said. “Looks like we don’t need to worry about any weird creatures coming for us.”
“Are you sure?” Tabitha asked. “Not even those geese?”
