The Jewel of Turmish - Mel Odom [42]
Haarn ignored her. If his spell was going to work, he had to stay focused. He concentrated on the growling noise, knowing that it came from the wolves. As his enhanced senses sharpened, he recognized that there were eleven distinct voices among the pack. Three of them were male.
What is man doing? a soft voice asked.
Watch, a strong male voice answered. Wait.
When will we eat? My cubs are hungry.
Soon. We all eat soon. Rush now, we may have to chase their bodies to bottom of mountain.
Druz Talimsir stepped up beside Haarn. Her fist still wrapped around her sword hilt.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm going to talk to the wolf," Haarn replied.
The mercenary looked at him. "We're not here to talk to the wolf. We're here to kill it. We had an agreement."
"Yes," Haarn agreed, "but I don't want to kill them all if we don't have to."
"They hunt as a pack. All of these animals are man-killers."
Even caught up in his spell as he was, Haarn couldn't miss the vehemence in her voice when she called the wolves animals.
"The wolves follow a leader," he told her. "Take the leader away and you can change the pack."
"We may not have a choice about how many of them we kill."
"I'm working so that we will," Haarn said, but he didn't know if it would work.
The lead wolf strode from the darkness. As he moved into the opening, a fierce blaze of lightning lit the heavens. The wolf growled. Dark fur stood up in a spiky ridge along his back. The wolfs gait was the crooked movement Haarn was familiar with, the hindquarters following the forelegs at an angle.
With the spell in place, Haarn understood the wolfs growl.
Human, the lead wolf snarled, twisting his head sideways and flashing his fangs in open threat.
Food, a female voice said. She emerged from the shadows and flickering lightning reflected in her eyes. Kill humans, Stonefur. We eat.
Quiet, the lead wolf ordered.
Stonefur moved with rolling precision that seemed too loose to stay together, as if he were a puppeteer's device and the strings had become worn and frayed.
Haarn maintained eye contact with the wolf and turned his body to keep the creature before him. The druid's throat worked, but growls came forth instead of words.
You are called Stonefur?
The wolf closed his jaws and took a step back. Muscles coiled and quivered beneath the sleek fur. You speak, the wolf said. Yes.
Excited confusion rippled through the growls of the other wolves. They strode forward from the shadows, five on either side of Stonefur.
Are you wolf-man? Stonefur asked.
No.
Haarn wondered if the wolves had encountered a ly-canthrope at some point. It would have been the only way Stonefur would have known about the existence of werecreatures.
You know me, Haarn continued. Open your nose. Breathe me.
The druid spread his empty hands at his sides and the wolf approached with caution but stayed well out of arm's reach. Feral gleams ignited in the yellow-green eyes as they flicked back and forth between Haarn and Druz.
Not wolf-man, Stonefur said. Know you. You lifekeeper. Protector of lands.
Yes. Haarn remained still.
Not afraid of Stonefur?
No.
The wolf snapped his jaws, and for a heartbeat, a lightning flash made the fangs look blue while the wolfs eyes turned orange.
Stupid human.
I respect Stonefur's pack, Haarn growled.
The wolf preened, drawing his wedge-shaped head high and unfurling his tail like a flag in the wind.
Stonefur great killer, said the wolf. Stonefur kill many humans. Eat humans. Feed pack good.
7 know.
The wolf paced in a semicircle before Haarn. Why you here, lifekeeper? You search for Stonefur? Haarn didn't break eye contact. Yes. What want?
You can't keep killing humans.
Haarn noted the crafty set to the wolfs eyes as he paced. Stonefur knew how the meeting was going to go. Perhaps conversation with prospective prey wasn't the wolfs usual method of operation, but Stonefur was intelligent.
The other wolves milled around, their attention shifting from Haarn to Druz.
Stonefur kill humans if want, the wolf declared. Humans