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THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 17
All the Mothers gather for prayers with Arina in the Third Corridor, then the other Sisters and I are dismissed for a few hours during the day, so we go down to the beach.When we were younger we used to play in the sand or in the sea with wooden toys or scented herb dolls that our Mothers made for us, but as we grew up the beach stopped being our favorite place to play. Each small group had their favorite place on the island. And it was never the lighthouse. I can see it from where we are. I have to keep myself from looking over there, wondering if the stranger is well enough to get up and leave, and then be seen by all the Sisters.But that doesn't happen.There is nothing attractive about a crumbling old tower, so my Sisters don't even look there.Some undress and enter the water.I sit on the sand.Hani sits next to me, then we watch the others play in the sea, young, beautiful and carefree.I would like to be like them again, but I realize that I don't think I ever was. I've alwa
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 18
— Today one of you predicted the worst; a man on our beach — she sounds disgusted as she says the words. — The Mothers will divide into groups to search the island and find out if any foreigners have landed. You will be protected. They must stay within the tower walls until it is safe.There is no sound in the dining hall.Any word. No protests.I feel the fear in my Sisters.They fear men.What I fear, at this moment, is that I will be watched along with the others and the task of sending the foreigner away becomes even more difficult. Even if I can leave the tower without being seen, the Mothers will be watching the beach.And now? And now?— If foreigners arrive on our island and we can't expel them-... — Mother Heste pauses nervously and looks at the other Mothers, who all make a positive gesture with their faces, encouraging her. —The grace of the Goddess must be buried with us lest it be used again for the infamous purpose of men.The Sisters look at each other.My heart sinks i
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 19
Does it seem plausible... or am I just trying to assuage the guilt I feel?The Sisters talk for at least another hour until the first of them shows signs of tiredness. Little by little, one by one, they retire to the shared beds.Arina sleeps next to me.I can see your restless face in the candlelight.I stroke her hair until I feel her small body relax, and then I get up. Her hand is tucked into her tunic pocket, tightly gripping the wolfsbane seeds that I take from her and throw anywhere.My heart rumbles in my chest.I will not allow Arina to die. I will not allow any of my Sisters to die.They are heavily asleep.Nothing will make them wake up for at least the next hour.I pick up my knife and the quiver with the bow and arrow. I get ready as if I'm going out hunting, even though it's still dawn, so I leave our room.I hesitate at the door. I look back at my Sisters who sleep, anxious and worried, in their shared beds.My bare feet make no noise as I step across the stone floor of
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 20
That's when I see the first foreigner. He is five steps away from me and holds a metal pipe in his hands.The air has an ocher, dry smell that stings the nose.I slowly approach him from behind.I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him like he killed my mothers...I move forward silently, as I did when hunting rabbits without traps, and I jump, but I am caught in the air and pulled back.It's the wounded foreigner. He smells like the chamomile I used to cover his wounds, so I recognize him without having to turn around.The man holds me tightly. Too strong.I am breathless. I feel crushed.He drags me behind a rock, away from the foreigners.I struggle with my arms and legs, but I'm small and I don't know how to fight, and he's big and much stronger than me, and he's no longer sick, just tired and hungry. I'm not a challenge. He crushes me in his huge arms.I see dark figures approaching.Screams in a language I don't know.And darkness swallows me as my thoughts are flooded with
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 21
Mr. Tastaren swallows hard.He's sweating, nervous and worried, but he translates, but his tone makes me think he didn't translate my words with the intensity I wanted.The foreigner narrows his good eye.I don't think I'll have an answer either, but after all he says a couple of dry words.— He says there's nothing on the island, girl — Mr. Tastaren weighs each word carefully, making a strange noise in his throat as he tries to clarify his voice. — The Prince says... there is nothing. All the... all the women... they're... — he shakes his face, speechless.— Did they kill them? — I demand, trembling. — Did those damn foreigners kill them all?Without thinking I squeeze my hand in my tunic pocket, holding the aconite seeds tightly.Mr. Tastaren asks, but the foreigner doesn't answer, he just looks at me silently. A horrible silence that I know I will never forget until the end of my life.“The grace of the Goddess must be buried with us lest it be used again for the infamous purpose o
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 22
I choke and vomit a load of salty water that tears up my throat.All around me is a jumble of harsh voices shouting at each other.Huge arms hold me back, and I struggle to push them away.— Don't touch me... Don't touch me... I'm sacred... I'm-...Someone holds me while I vomit some more, and I don't have enough strength to push him away.Before I can think I'm lifted into the air.There's a red eye staring at me when I open my eyes.— You... are the worst of all... — I spit, and my conscience wavers.Salty water shoots out of my throat, and I feel like vomiting it over the injured stranger, but he won't let go of me, the unfortunate one. He holds me tighter.No, you can't touch me... Mom, forgive me...**This isn't the room I've been trapped in for the last few days, I think as I open my eyes. It's bigger, and it's freezing cold, even though my body is covered in thick sheets of fur.My body is tired, so I roll over in the sheets and rub my face.I'm still wet. My hair is wet.I he
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 23
Clear.The door opens before I get to it and a wolf is standing there, holding a wooden box.The injured stranger opens it, then turns to me.At first I don't know what that pile of metal is, but it doesn't look threatening, so I just watch as the Prince kneels and passes two rings around my ankles. He barely closes them and then I understand: they are to arrest me. He's holding me like a real prisoner!Reflexively I slap him hard across the face as he starts to stand, then move forward and try to hit him harder.The wolf in black at the door drops the wooden box and tries to hold me back, but the stranger growls a harsh sentence at him, making him back away. He himself holds me by the arms. When he speaks he's very, very close to me, and I see that his teeth are huge fangs, all of them, like a real wolf, and it's hard to admit, but it really scares me for a moment.I scream and so does he, even though neither knows what the other is saying.For a second I think the foreigner is going
THE ROYALTY OF WOLFES 24
Pontis Maari is what Mr. Tastaren said.Even in the distance I can see the high dark stone walls that seem to touch the sky. A moment of curiosity strikes me and I wonder who built it and why.I can smell the sea from here, and if I pay close attention I can hear it too, but I can't see it.We are close to the sea.The road to the capital was almost empty. A few equally closed carts, and others open, passed us. I could hear the man leading the horses greeting the others with a short sort of whistle.I don't know how long it took from the port to here. I don't even know what time of day it is. But there is still sun. A weak, squalid sun that doesn't offer much resistance to the cold wind or metal-colored clouds.I stick my hands into the thin fabric of my dress to warm them.My feet aren't so lucky, and I grumble at myself for ripping off all that hem fabric that could very well have warmed them.The trees become scarcer as we get closer to the walls until they become squares of stone
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