the blood of a sorcerer
The sorceress is protected by the wolves.
It was what his people called it. Except that Burials were not docile creatures or that showed compassion. They were predators and exterminated. The discovery of one of those creatures had been decisive in sealing the fate of the child welcomed by the pack. Customs and traditions determined that such a woman should be chosen and given to the alpha.
Will naturally had not willingly accepted to sacrifice his foster daughter. Only they feared for the safety of the leader of the wolves. One life for the other. That had been the Sepultor's charge when claiming the small child. That is the ill of Hécate.
It had all been complicated when the girl decided to wake up Morgan's inner wolf. Even worse. According to traditions, the firstborn should be the leader. The child was naturally enchanted by the wolf that had saved her life from the attack of the ichichos.
Cassie had been removed from their coexistence. The original power of the Primordials... The great diamond that gleamed on the Staff had been destroyed during the Great Fall and divided into four parts. It was a cursed stone. Such power could not be mastered by sorcerers. There was no discipline for them to use and nature itself had destroyed it in punishment for breaking the laws.
-Vlad, what the hell ... - Richard grunted trying to get away from his friend.
His gaze was sharp at the silver dagger the gipsy held. A dagger soaked in the blood of a sorcerer was powerful enough to kill that thing.
-You won't touch her.
-Rick, you don't know...
The alpha could growl. He stifled a violent plague. He didn't know and doubted would like it.
-Damn it, man. But what pact? - he asked coldly as steel when looking at the image of Kassuim. - Was that why I should take the leadership of the wolves and not Rick?
That thing smiled. A grotesque and frightening smile. It was not the image of the girl he saw before his eyes. Time stopped again. It was as if he were again in the presence of that immense supernatural dog.
-A Pact of Blood. Her Blood was offered as a peace offering. - the voice was distant and frightening. - Your life for hers. Your inner wolf was awakened dominant by the child's appeal. It was certainly not an alpha that we would like to be alive.
The immense dog seemed to materialize with eyes of fire roaming him. And his breath smelled nauseating.
Richard's anger rose and doubled.
A Blood Covenant?
Since when did wolves deal with those things? In his mind, he remembered the first time he had taken on animal form. The cries of the child cornered by ichichos...
- Did you know that, Vlad? - he had an accusing and low tone of voice.
Vladimir perhaps intended to explain. There were reasons why wolves had agreed to violate ancient traditions. In the face of an inevitable war with those creatures and fearing that sorcerers would support the creation of the Primordials, the Council had decided to sacrifice the life of a single child to save thousands.
-I can explain ... - Vlad started to imagine that everything had become very complicated.- Godness, Morgan. They were not extinct, they never were. Will shouldn't have interfered.
-I'm the alpha and not a bureaucrat. I should have been informed about a lot, no doubt. Traditions are clear and obeyed. - Richard Morgan grunted, perplexed.
Only Phil was not chosen by the Guardians of the Holy Lands. Morgan swore mentally. The memories came back as clear as they had that day. would never have had the tumultuous ideas when Kassuim was a kid.
Rick's look at the child was icy. Naturally, in the eyes of a frightened girl, the appearance of the black wolf that had saved her life would have left vivid memories. He was beginning to understand that the girl had sealed the older brother's fate there.
- It was an unexpected fact for the whole Council, Morgan.- Vladimir tried awkwardly to justify himself at least. –It was not an acceptable alternative. A half-breed chooses the leader of the pack, only Cassie ... Rick never demonstrated the ability. Wolves had no way to fight wizards and burials at the same time.
The rest of the words were not needed.
Cassie would never have chosen Phil. Richard's only attempt to get closer that day had been disastrous. The supposed boy...
Rick hissed in frustration.
The child clinging to his shoulder had climbed onto his back with agility and resourcefulness, grabbing his fur and settling easily in the space between the black wolf's immense shoulders. His breath was laboured.
He had been chosen. It made his frustration worse.
-I can be open to negotiations. The creature spoke again and seemed to Morgan to be a distinctly real nightmare. - The Staff of the girl.
Morgan's breathing was loud.
- And this is it? - He growled low, gritting his teeth addressing Vladimir before facing the Grave's spectre: The girl belongs to me. I do not deal ...
It all happened quickly. Two men circled the bed towards the girl, using the creature's sudden distraction. At the last moment, Morgan saw the blade of the dagger that was aimed at its target shaking with rage.
"They are not going to kill her, Vlad," Morgan shouted in warning as he moved forward.
The wolf's ability surfaced without any explanation even far from the Scarlet lands. In the hundredth fraction of time, a monstrous black wolf materialized in front of the haunted looks of the guards protecting the woman.
The blade of the dagger slid and buried itself in the animal's shoulder, which growled loudly in warning as it pulled its ears back in an attack position. New screams echoed through the terrifying silence that fell in the moment. The air around them seemed to freeze with the Burial's howl of fury as it faced Vladimir with rage.
The creature howled helplessly limited by the woman's body. His shadow intensified, growing in an astonishing and threatening way, disappearing as soon as Cassie blinked her eyes in fear.