Werewolf Knight 5, page 7
“Of course, Sire,” I nodded.
As the King called over another squire I sighed. I was secretly a little bit peeved that we had to stop and start so often because of how the castle was run, but I understood that the more dangerous everything became, the more organized we had to become as well.
“Of course, Sire,” Dromgoole noted, and he scurried off.
“The meeting between nobles will not be happening tonight, Charles,” the King said. “Instead, they are invited to join our discussion if they please. The dining hall will be closed to the rest of the palace tonight.”
“My goodness,” Tabitha murmured to herself. “The dining hall was never closed except for emergencies in all my years of growing up here.”
“I think that this certainly constitutes an emergency,” the King replied.
“Oh, of course,” Tabitha added, and a naughty smile crept across her face. You could take the cheeky girl out of the castle, but Tabitha was always going to have that hell-raising teenager somewhere inside her.
“Right,” Charles said. “Well, I’m not up to speed. What’s been going on?”
“Today we ventured to a vampire hideout that was shockingly close to the castle,” I said. “It was guarded by a zombified bear that must’ve been made by a similar process to that questing knight in the river. But this time, it was guarding a laboratory that the vampires were using to keep track of the nobles’ blood. We think that they are planning an attack based on the phases of the moon.”
“Exactly,” the wizard said. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Following the storm, both Sir Henry and I had a vision of the Moon Goddess, who told us that she was weak,” the King added. “But we aren’t sure why. I thought perhaps she had been attacked by another immortal being, but Sir Henry was about to make another suggestion. Something to do with New Jersey.”
“It’s a phenomenon that sometimes happens in New Jersey,” I said quickly. “It’s not something that the people of New Jersey actually control in any way. It’s called a lunar eclipse.”
“What exactly happens on this lunar eclipse?” Charles asked, and he looked between the girls and me. “Is it as frightening as the storm?”
“It’s a time when the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow,” I said. “The moon’s influence is completely nullified.”
“And how often do these… eclipses occur in New Jersey?” the wizard said. “I’ve read of such phenomena, but many scholars believe they’re just… stories.”
“Well, it’s every few years,” I said. “It’s not as common as a new moon. But the moon becomes completely invisible, and the darkness--”
“It’s an ablation, Rorschach,” Blueclaw interrupted. “That must be what he is referring to. And we know what happens during an ablation of the moon.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, and I held up both paws, which were covered in crusted-up dried blood. “Please explain what an ablation of the moon is?”
“It’s like the opposite of a holy day,” Imelda murmured. “They don’t occur very often, and it’s difficult to predict when they do. In fact, most of the time they are pinned to our worshiping patterns. When we’ve experienced insufficient crops or constant warfare, it’s often viewed as a punishment.”
“But now you’re saying that they follow the Lunar Calendar?” Rorschach added, and he raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Because that would certainly change things.”
“I am saying that there is a scientific underpinning to this, yes,” I nodded. “But it seems as if there’s also a magical component, at least here in Lupercalia.”
“Some of the worst battles in history have been fought on the night of an ablation,” Grayback sighed. “Some of the bloodiest and least successful.”
I heard the door slam again, and all of us looked back.
“Good evening,” a knight named Clancy said. “I’ve been told that the meeting is postponed so we may deal with a dangerous situation in the Kingdom. Sir Henry, you look like you’ve been used as a dart board.”
“Something like that,” Charles said as he stood up and shook the noble’s hand. “Clancy, do you have any memories of an ablation in our time?”
“From when I was a boy, yes,” the sandy-haired wolf said as he sat down at the round wooden table. “There was a fire in the village.”
“Nothing new there,” Tabitha murmured. “Seems it was a common occurrence around then.”
Clancy glared at her before remembering that Blueclaw was there and would probably have his head on a platter for a single word against his troublesome daughter.
“It’s true,” Grayback added. “There is generally an upsurge in evil and dark activity in those times. Does anyone else have any evidence of this?”
“Once, two of our pigs were stolen on a particularly dark night,” Sybil said. “We had to send my brothers out far and wide to try and find them, but nobody could.”
“Don’t people steal things… all the time?” I asked.
“In Lupercalia?” Grayback huffed. “Most certainly not.”
“Uh, okay,” I said and glanced at Sybil and Tabitha.
“One time, we were riding into battle against the lair of the silver-haired clan,” Blueclaw mused. “You remember that, don’t you Grayback?”
“Like it was yesterday,” he laughed. “With no light from the moon. We had to hold torches.”
“No light from the moon whatsoever,” Tabitha’s father laughed. “And it was a catastrophe. Lost two strong, well-trained wolves during the battle. I had to bring their bodies back to the families, which is the worst part of being a knight by far. We won the battle against that clan, but it was hard-won. I almost lost my direwolf.”
“I am familiar with the silver-haired clan,” Imelda admitted a little sheepishly. “In my past life, of course. When they disappeared, we locked ourselves completely into hiding.”
“How strange it is that we’re companions now,” Tabitha marveled as she patted the ex-vampire on the back. “It’s quite sexy, isn’t it?”
“Alright,” I said. “So it seems like we all agree that there is an upsurge in criminal activity when the moon isn’t full. And the smaller the moon, the more crime that takes place. This is probably because werewolves are weaker then. We can still fight, but the link to the Moon Goddess is very weak, so we don’t heal as quickly.”
“Yes,” the King nodded. “Yes, we’ve always been told that was true. I know several wizards have tracked that information for us.”
“We have,” Rorschach said and nodded.
“And what does all this recent strangeness indicate?” Blueclaw asked.
“It seems to be a harbinger of doom,” Charles replied. “A warning about this… what did you call it?”
“Lunar eclipse,” I said.
“The ablation,” the wizard replied. “And if Sir Henry is right, then we need to determine exactly when this ablation will occur. If the Goddess is in danger and the vampires are planning something, then we are weaker than ever.”
I could feel the old knights bristle at the assertion that we were weak in any way. It was a difficult pill to swallow, but we needed to know what we were up against. My slow-healing wounds were all the proof any of us needed that the Goddess was indeed in trouble, and if the vampires were planning an attack, we wouldn’t have much divine support in the upcoming war.
“Well, a vampire attack is hardly new,” Clancy noted. “We’ve fought them off before, we can do it again.”
“But it’s not just about fighting us,” I said. “They have a deeper purpose. That’s why they were testing the blood.”
“What are you saying?” the King asked.
“The vampires’ plan is to turn us,” I said. “That’s their end-game. They don’t want to just kill us, they want to turn us into vampires.”
“They want us for their own,” Grayback said with a shiver. “To use for their dark ploys.”
“And to convert the rest of the Kingdom,” Imelda added. “Once the most powerful are converted, there’s no hope for anyone else. And once everyone is a vampire, then the Moon Goddess has nobody to reign over. She is overthrown.”
“These are dark times indeed,” Charles added. “But we can mobilize.”
Yes,” the King murmured as he stared off into the distance. “Yes, we must.”
“I know the doctor is a sky watcher,” Charles said. “He has often said it was an important part of treating blue blood patients. And he can consult with the witches as well. Perhaps they can gather enough information to predict when this ablation will occur.”
“Find the doctor, then, Charles,” the King replied. “I’ll make sure the questing knights return by first light.”
“But what about tonight?” I asked.
“You must heal, Hank,” Charles said. “Let your wonderful wives and Imelda take care of you. If we’re going into battle, you need to be strong.”
“You’re one of our greatest assets,” the King added. “You must rest.”
I turned around and looked outside. It was completely dark, and although I could see a sliver of the moon in the distance, it was fingernail thin.
“Is there anything more we need to do tonight?” I asked.
“I will need to summon the rest of the troops,” the King said. “It will be morning before the rest of the knights and soldiers arrive, so go and rest, Sir Henry. You can rejoin us then.”
“Of course, Sire,” I said with a nod, and I stood up.
Just as I did so, a flurry of fire seemed to race from my arms down my legs, and I thought that I was about to throw up from the pain.
“You okay, Hank?” Sybil asked as she gave me a look of concern.
“Just a little stiff,” I said as I willed my burning limbs to move. “Nothing too serious.”
“That’s a good knight,” Blueclaw added as he slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t think I remember a day that I was as torn up as Sir Henry is right now. The Goddess is certainly weaker than I’ve ever known her to be.”
“Then I’ll take the King’s advice and let the healers tend to me,” I said as I started to make my way out of the dining hall with the girls by my side.
“Sir Henry,” I heard a familiar voice say, and I looked behind me to find Charles standing up as well. “These dark times are unprecedented. But I don’t know how we would’ve gotten this far without you. If you hadn’t come along, we might’ve never known about Wenderoth’s plan.”
I nodded at the knight who had given me so much assurance and guidance on my way to becoming a noble savior of Lupercalia. Now it was my time to show everyone just how much I was willing to fight for the Kingdom.
“It’s my honor, Charles,” I said. “And the rest of you. I will do everything in my power to fight these dark forces and keep them at bay. Even better, I want to vanquish them for good. It’s what the people of Lupercalia deserve.”
“Hear, hear,” Blueclaw said, and he slammed his fist on the table. “To the honor of our beautiful Kingdom of Lupercalia, and to Sir Henry, who has done so much in his short time here to protect us from the dark forces.”
“Hear, hear!” the rest of them shouted, and the small group started to bang their feet against the floor.
A small rumble emerged and echoed through the dining hall. It wasn’t as overwhelming as when every noble in the Kingdom was in one room, and it wasn’t as loud as when we were in the jousting arena, but something about it was different. These were the top guys in the Kingdom, and they were all rooting for me.
I felt something touch my hand and looked down to find Tabitha squeezing me. A daughter of one of the most noble families in the Kingdom was my wife, and now it was my job to make my family proud, too.
It was a hell of a lot of responsibility, but I couldn’t wait.
Chapter 6
By the time we got back to the estate it was pitch black outside. Most of the servants were asleep, and because of the storm, the house wasn’t humming with activity like it usually was.
“Huh,” Tabitha said as the door slammed shut behind us. “Sorry for, um… being sick back there. Almost blew my cover.”
“We’ll have to tell them at some point,” Sybil shrugged. “I’m honestly surprised no one figured it out.”
“Because we were in a room full of men,” Tabitha sighed.
“It was pretty disgusting news,” Imelda said. “No one could blame you for being sick.”
“You should have smelled the lair,” I replied with a shudder. “It was horrible. I haven’t been anywhere that smelled that bad since…”
“Since you came to save me from my enslavement?” Imelda added with a smile, and the white-haired priestess did a little twirl.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “If I’m being honest.”
“Do you ever get used to that smell?” Tabitha asked the ex-vampire. “If it isn’t too… personal of me to ask.”
“To a normal person or a shifter it’s the most disgusting smell in the world,” she sighed. “But vampires crave it. The rotting flesh, the blood puddles on the floors… vampires like to play with their food and to make a nest out of the entrails. They find something oddly comforting about it.”
“That’s absolutely terrifying,” Sybil mumbled as she went through her basket. “Hank, do you need any more garlic butter?”
“I’m just fine,” I said and flexed my arm. “I think the wounds have finally healed.”
“It took long enough,” Tabitha replied.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod. “I should have healed right away, especially since I was in my hybrid form. “If this is true for all the knights, then this is a bad time for us to go into battle. We could lose a lot of people.”
“Which is what the vampires are counting on,” Sybil said.
I started to remove my armor and set it near the door so the servants could polish it. I was tired from carrying around the extra weight, another sign the Goddess was weak, and I couldn’t wait to get upstairs, where I could recover from the battle in peace and comfort before I had to face one of the biggest battles in Lupercalia’s history.
“The servants are going to have to fix that immediately,” Tabitha said as she examined my punctured armor. “You can’t go into battle with armor that’s already damaged. It might leave you open to a similar attack.”
“I’m sure they’ll repair it tonight,” Sybil sighed. “They’re usually very quick.”
“I trust them to do it right,” I added when I saw Tabitha scowl at the armor.
“Yes, I know you’re right,” she said as she set the gauntlet down. “I just… worry.”
“We all do,” Sybil said quietly.
“So, tell us more about this bear,” Tabitha declared in an obvious attempt to change the topic.
“I can’t believe that creature…” Imelda shuddered. “It was one of the ugliest animals I’d ever seen in my life.”
“What’s the ugliest animal you’ve seen in your life?” Tabitha asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk that meant she was about to make a wisecrack. “Is it Sybil when she’s only had eleven hours of sleep?”
“Oh, come on, Tabitha,” Sybil said as she crossed her arms around her chest. “I don’t sleep that much. You’re the one who’s…”
“Pregnant!” Tabitha said as she lifted a finger. “So it means that you can’t make fun of me, whether you want to or not!”
“This isn’t fair,” Sybil sighed. “You always make fun of me.”
But the cheeky noblewoman threw her a wink, and I knew that the girls were just having fun. Tabitha loved nothing more than a good dig, even when the world was ending.
I shook my head back and forth as I released myself from my hybrid form, and I felt the strange sensation of being stretched and shrunk all at the same time. When I opened my eyes a few seconds later, I was back to my normal six feet, and I was happy to be back on the same level with my girls.
“Oh, Hank,” Tabitha said as she shimmied over. “My, you look dashing!”
I caught a slightly warped but still impressive glimpse of myself in my armor. I was a little worn from the battle, but I still looked good. My jawline was stronger since I’d been fighting so much and getting so much more exercise, and my formerly short dark hair flopped into my face in dark ringlets.
My eyes still glowed blue behind the cascade of hair, and for a moment I thought back to my sister, Ava, and my parents. They would’ve been proud as hell of everything that I’d accomplished between my coffee business in New Jersey and my adventures as a knight, even if it sounded like something out of a medieval myth.
“Thanks,” I laughed, and I turned away from the reflection in the breastplate.
“You really do, Hank,” Sybil laughed, and she swished her emerald-green skirt. “You’ve had such a long day.”
“We really have,” Imelda yawned. “My nerves are on fire, though. I feel like a lightning bolt.”
“Does it have anything to do with the actual lightning bolt that you helped Rorschach produce back there?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t believe so, no,” she sighed. “But sorry about that. I saw that you were a little singed.”
“It’s not the end of the world,” I shrugged. “If anything, it added a little volume to my hair.”
“I have an idea,” Sybil said, and she managed to corral us all into the middle of the entry hall. “How about I make some hot cocoa? I have just the right herbs in my basket that will soothe all of our nerves…”
“Are these herbs FDA approved?” I asked as I crossed my arms. “Because I’m not in the mood to be drugged tonight.”
“I have no idea what an FDA is, but they won’t hurt you,” Sybil said.
“If you accidentally give me an enchanted fruit, I might be worse than that snake that ate your plums,” Tabitha added. “I’ll go raving mad and start foaming at the mouth.”
“I don’t want that,” Imelda muttered to herself in a soft, earnest tone. “We definitely shouldn’t do that.”
“Guys, guys,” Sybil said and rolled her eyes. “I promise it will be fine. You can get all of these things at… at Whole Foods! There’s camomile, licorice root…”
