No Escape

When Livie left, she beckoned Ami to follow her and report on everything their "guest" had said or done that day. The wisp of a girl hurried along after the noblewoman with her shoulders slumped and a hint of tears in her eyes.

Renat had no doubt the terrified woman would give every detail of his day in order to save her own life. He felt no ill will toward her on that, but also did not tell her anything important for the same reason.

It was nearly dusk when Renat finally decided to eat his food. Livie wasn't there to smile at him victoriously, and he felt like he was truly starving.

'No use escaping on an empty stomach,' he reasoned. After wolfing down the food--oh the irony!--Renat felt much better without the hunger clawing at his stomach.

At present no one was guarding him, and those around were growing weary after a long day of activity. If he made a break for it soon, it would take time for anyone to pursue him because they would not be expecting it.

Covertly, Renat tried to remove the iron shackles from his wrists. The scientist recalled his brother-in-law bragging about how to pop a thumb out of joint in order to escape bonds, but he couldn't remember exactly how he had described the process.

Anyway, it sounded incredibly painful, and strong emotions were Renat's enemy right now just as much as the monsters surrounding him. It turned out that the memory was unnecessary. The pads that had formed on his hands, or rather his front wolf paws, were actually very malleable.

Squishing the soft padding together, his hand was suddenly thinner than the iron ring which contained it. While not exactly easy, his right arm managed to slip free of the bond with only minimal clinking of the chain.

Renat glanced around furtively to make sure nobody had noticed the noise. For whatever reason, no one seemed to be paying him any attention. 'Perhaps Lady Livie told them to let me think,' he pondered with a yawn.

Now that he had perfected the process, his other hand slipped out more easily than the first. 'Just when I think being thin is a problem, it turns out to be a solution instead.'

He laid the chains neatly against the trunk of the tree. Hopefully if anyone saw them, they would assume the brown wolf had simply been relocated.

Renat paused and wondered if he should run, walk casually or sneak out of camp. They would be sure to notice him if he bolted, but he did not think the monsters would pay attention if he walked by confidently. There were enough of them that knowing every single creature seemed unlikely.

Unless it were Lady Livie. She probably knew them all by name. With a deep breath, Renat hurried into the growing shadows of the nearest tent. Soon it would be completely dark, but his brown fur lent itself well to mixing into the uncertain light of the last whisper of dusk.

Any time a wolf would pass him, the prince would straighten his back and walk confidently by, making eye contact like he had seen Aurora do with some of her more challenging noblemen. It was firm, but not necessarily challenging.

As Renat hoped, the wolves seemed to give him only a cursory glance, and not recognizing him they would go about their way. The humans avoided him completely, and the one lizard he passed, hissed at him to get out of his way.

Of course, the brown wolf complied, but just slowly enough that the lizard was wary of turning his back on him. 'Being tough is exhausting,' the scientist thought with a sigh, 'far more taxing than using your brain.'

Moving quickly in between encounters with those in the settlement, Renat made it to the edge of the camp after darkness had claimed the world. The excitement of the escape was wearing off and the fatigue was taking a real toll.

All he needed to do was pass by the largest tent and he would be in the clear. Slowly he snuck past Lady Livie's tent, barely allowing himself to breathe. The light inside was glowing dimly as two figures moved around inside.

"Don't move," a feminine voice ordered.

The brown wolf froze. How had Lady Live seen him?

"It was by your foot. You cannot crush Yumeto's message orbs or we will have no way to contact my brother."

"Sorry, my Lady," the assistant responded humbly. By the shadows, Renat could see the man pick up something and hand it to the woman.

"I am anxious to hear what Taran thinks of our newest development. The prince becoming a wolf certainly changes things."

Renat had begun his movement into the forest, but stopped when he heard himself mentioned. What exactly was changed?

"It is a good plan, my lady," the assistant agreed easily. "Much less needless violence."

"I never liked Taran's plan to begin with. It seemed so wasteful. Why make so many wolves and lizards if we are just going to sacrifice them? We already have a magical enemy to unite against. Why bother creating a new one? This is much cleaner." Livie clicked her tongue as was her habit.

The scientist felt the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. The attacks on the royals had been more than just an assassination attempt. They had been meant to strike fear into the hearts of commoners. If the royals weren't safe from the wolves, then how could a regular person possibly be?

Panic would make people search for a solution to make them less vulnerable, stronger. And that is what Livie and Taran were offering: a solution to the problem.

With everyone flocking to achieve a 'more desirable' transformation, the original wolves and lizards would be wiped out and Taran and Livie would be declared heroes.

But as far as he could see, since the attacks had failed, few knew about the wolves or lizards outside of those in the palace and Oblivion.

On top of that, Renat had now seen Livie and connected her to Taran. So unless they killed the prince, trying to deny that they caused the problem would be useless.

The new plan was obviously to support Mairwen and usher in a new era, just like Livie had proposed. It was interesting that the lady had done it without consulting her brother. She had confidence in her ability to convince him, it seemed.

"If I don't hear from him by mid-morning, I will send another message to Yumeto. I know he is responsible enough to get things done. Do we have any idea when the water will recede so we can move in?"

"No, my lady. This type of event is unprecedented this time of year..." the assistant began.

Livie huffed. "I am as impatient as the others to get on with things. Why must the weather be so contrary? Do you have the layout of Oblivion's walls?"

The conversation began to shift to the logistics of the battle. Although Renat would have liked to hear every detail of the plan, his time was limited to make his escape.

He pulled back from the tent and took a few quiet steps downhill. 'I will be there by morning.'

On the next step, his knee did not lock as it should.

He grabbed at the closest tree and clung to a low lying branch while trying to keep from falling. But it was no use. Because the branch was weakened by the storm, it easily broke loose under his weight. As a result, Renat landed on the ground with an ugly, loud thud.

The sound was enough to stop the chatter inside the large lit tent.

'Drat! No!' The scientist tried to stand but his arms and legs were sluggish and uncooperative. The world went in and out of focus.

"Where do you think you are going?" Livie asked from behind him. He turned awkwardly and saw a smug grin on her face. "I know you were not about to leave my enchanting camp without saying goodbye. That would be very rude."

The noblewoman had left her tent and now stood looming over him with her assistant, but both had yet to call for help. Didn't Livie realize how much stronger he was than her? Renat made a wild swipe in her direction, but the lady easily dodged it.

"What did you-" Renat could not get out the words. His tongue felt heavy as did his eyelids.

"I knew you wouldn't try to leave without eating. That wolfish stomach would never let you leave perfectly good food behind. I will give you credit though. I didn't think you would be able to hold out as long as you did."

That was when Renat came to the horrific realization of why he was so tired. It wasn't exhaustion from exertion. No. His food had been drugged.

There would be no escape tonight...or possibly ever.