The Exiled Princess

Werewolf

Astrid stepped beside Raiden, gripping the Seal in her bloodied right hand. She shouldn’t have been able to summon its power, she knew that. She wasn’t the heir to Starfell, and the only other people who could use a Seal’s power were those of the king’s bloodline. But somehow here she was.

Maybe it would kill her. But at least she’d go down fighting an army of Fiends, just as her father had.

“Don’t let their claws or teeth touch you,” Raiden muttered next to her, dark blue eyes focused on the door in front of them. “They’re lethal.”

Astrid nodded once, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. They stepped out of the deathly quiet inn, and were met with the screams of battle. Raiden immediately dispatched a Fiend in midair as it lunged for Astrid. “They’ll be targeting you because of the Seal,” he called over the chaos. “I’ll watch your back, you watch mine.”

“Deal.” Astrid turned so that her back was touching his, and the two braced themselves for the onslaught of teeth and claws.

One Fiend screeched at Astrid and pounced towards her, claws stretched toward her throat as they glittered in the moonlight. She held out a hand, following an instinct deep in her bones, and violet light blasted from her fingertips. It pulsed against the Fiend’s chest and sent it slamming backward, hitting a building so forcefully that it created a small crater in the stone wall.

She turned to the next, calling on the Seal’s power to flow through her. It did, twisting around her in a dancing arc of light, sending Fiends flying back. Exhaustion seeped through her bones, the Seal’s magic sucking away Astrid’s strength with each passing moment.

A large Fiend made it through her defenses and lunged at her, claws piercing her shoulder and side. She screamed in pain, falling to the stones with the horrifying creature on top of her, its terrifyingly large mouth fixated above her face, dripping saliva.

Light exploded from the Seal, eviscerating the Fiend into dust in one fell blow, and she drew a shaky breath before rising to her feet again. She raised a trembling hand, and the Seal’s magic flowed through her veins once more.

There was movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see a mass of Fiends jumping over each other to get to Raiden. It seemed that, despite their drive to get the Seal, the opportunity to slay a Shadow Guard was more enticing. Blood flowed freely from gashes in his armor and there was a particularly nasty cut over his left eye.

Raiden glared at the oncoming flood of Fiends and sighed, dropping his sword. It fell to the cobblestone street with a ringing clatter. “What are you doing?” Astrid cried, aiming her glowing hand towards the Fiends.

“Stay back,” Raiden said quietly, regarding her solemnly. Then he looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. The moonlight shining around them seemed to flare brighter, then fade as Raiden’s eyes turned a striking silver.

Astrid stared with a blend of horror and awe as Raiden’s form rippled, changing shape before her eyes. The battered armor he’d worn was torn apart as a massive black wolf stood in his place, midnight-blue eyes glinting with stars of silver. He stood at the height of a horse, but was considerably more muscled, the epitome of a true predator.

He stepped between Astrid and the incoming Fiends, growling a challenge at the feral creatures.

They responded with growls and challenges of their own, advancing on him. Astrid stared at the scene in front of her, momentarily forgotten by the Fiends as Raiden tore into them, ripping each of the creatures to shreds.

More and more Fiends leapt from the shadows, sinking their claws into Raiden’s hide. He howled in pain, and Astrid immediately pushed herself into action, blasting away the Fiends trying to flank the werewolf. She narrowed her eyes, creating the image of a whip in the front of her mind.

The Seal obeyed her unspoken command, creating a long whip made of violet flames that fit perfectly in her palm. Astrid flicked it towards the Fiends and it caught them mid-leap, sending them flying back. Raiden sunk his teeth into a particularly large Fiend and shook him, growling at the remaining creatures.

The Fiends, realizing they were beaten, slunk away into the shadows, whimpering and groaning as they retreated from the city. Astrid and Raiden stood for a long moment, both breathing hard. He turned to regard her warily, as if waiting for her to run too.

“Let’s get somewhere safe,” she said after a long silence. “The city needs to rebuild and care for their wounded, and I don’t think you want everyone to see…this.”

He dipped his head in agreement, dropping the broken Fiend from his teeth. Massive cuts marred his thick black coat, a particularly large gash in his leg causing him to limp as he walked away.

Astrid’s head pounded, and her entire body ached. But she paid no mind as she followed Raiden through the city’s wreckage. Instead, her thoughts were on Raiden. He was a werewolf. An evil omen, one that served as the precursor to death.

And yet, he didn’t seem that way. He was distant and serious, yes. But not evil.

Astrid was torn from her thoughts as pain seared through her. The shock had finally worn off, allowing her mind to start processing the brutal wounds inflicted on her body. Gasping in surprise and pain, she steadied herself against a building and forced herself to take deep breaths.

Raiden turned back to look at her, seeming a bit impatient. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Astrid muttered irritably. “Hold onto your fur.”

His midnight eyes narrowed, and she swallowed hard as he began to move towards her, his large form silent in the shadows.