The First Wolves

16. THE SALT MINES

The pack had run in wolf form towards the salt mines, and arrived just before the sun had risen. The wolves that would be dragged behind them were only in loin cloths, and were rubbing dirt over their skin to play their part more convincingly. Otto was dressed in a simple tunic, similar to what he had seen Leighton, the slaver, wear many times. The she-wolves all wore a dirty linen skirt that stopped at their mid-thigh, and had wrapped the same material around their breasts. They revealed enough to entice the guards, but keep their mates reasonable. Conri, Jerrick and Ewan had protested at their presentation, but were reminded it was only a costume for an act that would save many of their kind. Ewan had been surprised at how possessive he felt about Iselda, desperately wanting to keep her covered and safe.

“Don’t forget Otto, when we arrive at the gates tell them the wheel axel snapped on the cart, and you need food, drink, and aid. You must then offer the services of us three she-wolves as payment for their assistance,” Iselda repeated the instructions once more.

Usually Rufus would be with him, but his poster had stood out because of the scar on his face and the worst thing that could happen was that he was recognised before they got through the gates of the mine. They had decided to chance having Jerrick play as Otto’s apprentice, as he could always think of an answer quickly. Despite this, his Gamma continued to practise his lines with him.

“I know Gamma Iselda, you have told me three times now!” Otto replied, trying to keep his irritation out of his tone.

Ewan gently pulled Iselda to one side, and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“You don’t have to do this. If you want to stay here, or be tied to the wolves instead, then nobody would think less of you,” Ewan reassured her.

The Beta knew that embodying the role she had been forced to commit to in the past was breaking the vow she had made to herself the day they all fled the House of Heaton. ‘I’ll never appear weak again’ those were the words that she had repeated in the carriage they had shared, the shock of Titan’s death still gripping her.

“I know that, but I’m OK. Even though I hate wearing these scraps of material, it still feels different because it’s my choice to wear it to save others. It used to be disempowering, now it feels like armour. They see something that they think they can take, but that will be their downfall,” Iselda’s eyes merged with Ewa’s, her wolf.

Ewan hugged her, and led her back to the group, trying to control the nerves, excitement and worry he inherently felt at the thought of seeing his real father. When they returned, Ewan pushed his wrists forward to have the rope wrapped around them, joining him with the next pack wolf. Jerrick poured water over them until the rope was dripping, to make it seem covered in wolf’s bane. Each wolf’s face was covered in mud, their greasy hair pulled forward over their eyes and their faces fixed downwards on the floor. They looked unremarkable. The she-wolves staggered next to the line of men, but were left untethered, creating the impression that they were tired and harmless.

Otto pulled the rope insistently towards the wooden gates, the red-cloaked guards leaned over their perches glaring at the unexpected arrival.

“What’s this delivery? We weren’t expecting anymore slaves till next month,” a guard shouted incredulously.

“Good man, I have had a little trouble near the last mile marker. The axel has broken on my wheel and it was already a spare. I tied my cargo together and brought them here. My hope was to get them to the next market day. Could you help a fellow citizen?” Otto hollered back.

The soldier gave a quick nod to someone behind the gate and it was pulled open, inviting him in.

“We can help, I’ll get some men who are off duty, and they will follow you back to your cart,” The guard who opened the gate replied, walking away to act on his words.

“Actually, the sun is high and I’m in need of some food and drink. Wine would be most appreciated right now.” Otto delayed him, using his wrists to swipe the sweat off his brow in an attempt to convince the guard of his discomfort.

“We only have rations for our men. Do you have any coins?” The guard stipulated.

“No, but I do have three she-wolves that are worth more than a coin. My intention was to sell them to the pleasure houses on account of their beauty. Would that meet your price?” Otto offered, and to his relief he saw the guard’s smile.

Otto stepped behind his two most highly ranked she-wolves, and his friend’s mate then pushed them in the direction of the guard. It went against every instinct in his body. He had to concentrate on not clenching his hand, and keeping his face impassive. The guard let out a whistle and called his fellow soldiers over who were laughing at their good fortune. Dragging the girls, who continued to appear docile, towards the bunks, they left Otto with the overseer and a scattering of guards who remained on duty.

Einar had to be temporarily blocked out by Conri when Fidella had left, his outrage was putting the others in danger. He looked over to see Jerrick in the same struggle, but noticed that all the wolves were clamping down on their natural need to protect their Luna and ranked she-wolves. Approaching the rock face, Conri and the group could already hear the high pitched musical clatter of the axes slamming against the stone. This was echoed a further distance away, and had a deeper, hollow sound. Ewan and Conri realised at the same time that a more mournful sound was coming from the belly of the mine. It was the wail of sorrow from wolves who had been swallowed whole. The site was rudimentary with only a few cabins built to accommodate the guards who worked there. The harsh snap of the whip had the pack members’ eyes searching for the wolf it was aimed at. Ewan tried to keep focussed, but it was difficult as he searched each face for recognition. The wolves were carrying large blocks of useless rubble on their backs, their knees were shaking with the weight that was pressing down on them. Even more shockingly were their ribs that were protruding out of their thin, paper-like skin, white spittle collected in the corner of their mouths, their tongues too dry to produce any saliva. A crash close by directed their gaze at a wolf who had fallen from a great height onto the ground.

He was unmoving.

Nobody stopped.

His body lay on the ground like bones discarded on a butcher’s floor. Still, nobody stopped. The only expression that reacted in any way to the horrific sight was the greedy glint in the vulture’s eyes that assessed their next meal. Conri’s pack members gulped down the bile that threatened to appear at the coldblooded sight.

“Are your slaves secure?” The foreman asked, noticing the rope binding them together.

“The rope is doused in wolfsbane, they are subdued,” Otto answered, hoping his confident tone would convince him not to investigate further.

Thankfully, the man said nothing else, but led him and Jerrick to a small table that was placed in the shade, and poured out some wine for them. A moment later, a she-wolf with hair so blond it could have been described as white brought out a tray of olives, bread and cheese. She never looked up, but both Otto and Jerrick could see the bruises on her pale skin, and the way her hands trembled as she placed their food down. Thinking of their Luna, Gamma and Delta, they wished this part of the plan would be over quickly.

All three she-wolves were being pushed and pulled by the leery men, who were excited to profit from the payment offered. The needless grabbing of their fingers into their exposed skin felt as painful as it was repulsive, but they uttered not a word of protest. When they arrived at the bunk, they saw a she-wolf kneeling at the door. She had strikingly blond hair and very pale skin, they saw the bruises on her arms, her trembling and raw-boned condition.

“Go feed our guests,” The chief guard bade her as he passed.

She fled with the swiftness of an innocent who had been spared from the rod.

In the barracks, the circle of monsters became tighter, the soldiers enclosing in on them until their bodies were pushed against their own on every side. Iselda pushed them away, creating a gap for them to escape. The defiance only encouraged them further, but unbeknownst to the men, their lecherous, aggressive conduct only fuelled the she-wolves' desire for vengeance. Jenny managed to crawl away, assuming the role of a fearful, compliant woman and her calmness made the men lose interest in her, for now. Fidella and Iselda continued to push back against the human noose that was closing in around their bodies, while Jenny took the opportunity to try to read the maps and scrolls that were nailed to the walls.

“What are you doing? Come back here!” A guard yelled at Jenny when he realised she wasn’t quivering on the floor anymore, but investigating the soldier’s documents.

Jenny ignored the man, but nodded to her Luna and Gamma in confirmation that she thought she had found what they needed. The aura of the ranked females rumbled like the shifts of stones before a landslide. It was a clue of the impending danger that would soon fall upon the men. The guards looked around confused, all in various stages of undress, as they felt a shift in the atmosphere. It was difficult for them to be precise about the moment they realised that they were no longer the hunters, but the prey. Iselda moved forward first, the same unforgiving threat in her eye that had been last seen at the pleasure house where they had rescued Holda. She picked out the guard that seemed to have authority over the others, and gave him a cold, condemnatory curve of her lip.

“This is for all the she-wolves who couldn’t do this for themselves,” She twisted his neck, and watched his body crumple to the floor with a heavy thump.

Jenny blocked the door that some of the men were trying to sneak out of. She knew they wouldn’t get to her before her Luna and Gamma had exacted their justice. Fidella and Iselda drew power and speed from their wolves, and with a dispassionate precision annihilated every soldier in the room. Their unhesitating actions were too rapid for the humans to have time to breathe. Realising there was no need for her to guard a door for dead men, Jenny began to pull the maps to the floor that might be of use to them. The men were placed in their beds, so that they appeared asleep and Jenny linked to Jerrick, telling him that they had what they needed.

The relief that Jerrick felt when he heard his mate’s voice was painful from the intense relief it brought.

“I need to piss!” He announced unnecessarily, and walked in the direction of the bunk.

Startling him, he saw the girl who had served their food concealing herself beneath the wooden frame that the bunk house was supported by. The gap was too small for him to pass through, so he kneeled down on the ground, and tried to gain her trust.

“Come out, I won’t hurt you,” he said, softly.

To his surprise, she crawled out instantly. Jerrick recalled how compliant slaves were taught to be, and realised she had responded to his request as if it had been a command. He decided to change tact.

“Have you seen three she-wolves?”

The unusual she-wolf quickly shook her head. Jerrick admired her even more. He could tell from her heart rate that she was lying, and scared about it, but she did it to protect three women she didn’t know. That made her brave as far as Jerrick was concerned.

“They mind-linked me to come and find them, we are all from the same pack, but they didn’t tell me what bunk they were in. I was hoping you could show me where they are,” he continued.

At the word ‘pack’ she seemed to hesitate, so Jerrick added his last compelling argument.

“One of them is my mate. I really need to make sure she is OK.”

Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. She seemed unsure about whether to believe him or not. The only person she had ever heard speak of mates or packs before was the strong wolf in the mountains. She nodded once more and led him to the bunk, the place she hated more than the hardship of the mines. It was the stage for all her misery.

She took him to the door, and was horrified when he barged in without knocking. Being sure to stay behind him, she stuck close to the door frame. The room seemed eerily silent, she had never known such a thing before, and her curiosity forced her deeper inside. Watching as he embraced the she-wolf on the floor, she saw all the guards were asleep in their beds. The imminent danger that they might soon wake and realise that the she-wolves had tricked them in some way made her step back towards the door once more.

“It’s OK, you’re safe now”, a beautiful light-haired she-wolf tried to calm her.

“They will kill us all when they wake up.” She replied in horror.

The she-wolf smiled with a look of pride and determination on her face.

“They aren’t going to wake up,” She answered.

Nervously approaching the bed of the head guard, being prepared to run if he opened his eyes, she pulled back the cover to reveal his cold, grey skin and glassy dead eyes. He was dead. The experiences of fear, dread, depravity and cruelty bubbled to the surface as she looked at her tormentor’s face properly for the first time. His eyes mocked her still, even in death. She reached out and grabbed his wooden box from his side table. Subconsciously, she smashed it against his face, desperate to erase his features from her memory. When she thought of him in the future she wanted this to be the image she recalled. A soft hand stopped her, and helped her put the box back on the stand. Keeping a gentle hand on her shoulder, she turned to see the same woman who spoke to her before.

“He was the one?” She asked, sensitively.

“He was the worst one,” She responded, and noticed the subtle nod of understanding.

“My name is Iselda, what should I call you?” The Gamma asked, giving the young she-wolf her full attention.

The girl looked away and shrugged.

“I don’t have one, these men only gave me names that were insults, and the man in the mountains would call me Pea. I was born in the mine. I have no parents, so I have no name.” She concluded.

“Can I call you Pea for now, until you choose a name you like?” Iselda asked, and the she-wolf nodded once more, her trust gradually increasing.

Pea and Iselda walked over to the others who were huddled around the maps. The brown-haired she-wolf that the others called ‘Luna’ was pointing to the big entrance of the mine. Pea thought that Luna was a lovely name, she hoped she’d find one that suited her so well.

“I think this is the entrance into the mine,” Fidella voiced her speculations to the group.

They all nodded, and smiled in affirmation.

Pea was unsure if she should speak. The she-wolf they called Luna had an even more powerful aura than Iselda. Pea’s opinions were her own treasures. No-one had ever listened to them, so she kept them safe, speaking only to herself. She guarded her thoughts with the vigilance of a hawk, but if she didn’t speak now, they would be dead before the day was done.

“Nobody uses that entrance, it is a decoy for thieves who would steal the salt. There is always a guard at the viewing tower facing it. If they see anyone trying to gain access that way, they blow the horn. It is loud enough to be heard in the garrison. Then they will let their arrows loose. The only time it is used is to bring up the bodies of the wolves that die down there, or collect a large load of salt, but that is always pre-arranged, it usually only happens once a month.” Pea explained.

“Thank you for telling us that we would have ended our plans before they began. My name is Fidella, and I’d love to hear your ideas on the best way to get into the mine,” Fidella smiled, reassuringly at the young she-wolf.

“I thought your name was Luna?” Pea frowned in confusion, even more so when they laughed.

“Luna means leader, mother and friend,” Fidella explained, and Pea liked the sound of having such a person in her life.

She stretched out her fingers and pointed to the opposite side of the big mountain on the map.

“That is where I escaped from. I did mean to return. I just wanted to see the sky, but they caught me…I never made it back…” She shuddered, and stopped for a moment.

The fleshy, mushy image of the guard’s face appeared in her mind, and, as expected, she took strength from it.

“It is very narrow, I can lead you there. The rocks will feel like they are crushing you, but they aren’t moving. It is a trick of the mind.” She finished explaining, and almost smiled as she saw each of them beaming at her offer.

Watching Fidella’s eyes become black, she realised she was doing what the wolf in the mountain had told her about: mind linking.

“You have wolves?” Pea asked the group, who nodded and smiled at her, but frowned when they saw her sad expression.

“In the mines they have buckets of wolfbane, they are heated so we have to breathe in the steam. Only the man in the mountains sometimes talks to his wolf. His wolf is called Clovis, but he has never shifted into him. I don’t think he can any more.” She answered their unspoken question.

It was an obstacle they would have to consider when they were in the mine. Hopefully, their stronger wolves will be able to resist the poison for a short while.

“Come on Pea. They are waiting for us now.”

Conri had been kneeling on the floor since they had been dumped there by the guards. He appeared, to an uncritical eye, to be placid. Calmly allowing his arms to rest on his thighs, his head dropped in a submissive pose. Contrary to these traits, his thighs were prepared to launch him forward, and create a fray as soon as he received the mind link from his mate. He watched the wolves repeatedly carry copious amounts of rock across the expanse of the mountains with the groan of strength as they heaved the load on to their own bodies, like mules who were worked to the bone. The wolf, who they had seen collapse earlier, was catching the interest of the flies, but still no effort was made to move him. In a morose shuffle around the base of the hillside, the wolves rotated like a meaningless sun-dial waiting to be overshadowed by heavy-handed guards.

The mind-link opened to all the wolves next to him, and Conri was pleased that she sounded unharmed.

“We have a route, take over the mine!” She commanded, accidently using her Luna power in her excitement.

Nodding at Ewan, they both began to growl with an increasing menace. The guards stopped, and walked towards the tied-up wolves, ignoring the danger that was pulsing around them.

“What the f…” the first guard didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Ewan crushed his windpipe with the rope that had supposed to be tying them up only moments before. Ewan always appreciated irony.

Conri grabbed the second guard by the calves and threw the man behind him, confident that his warriors would end him. Slick, skilled and savage, the warriors, Beta and Alpha removed the threat. Although the yoke of fear had been removed, the wolves chained up continued to shift the rocks as if they were trapped in a cruel compulsion. Conri needed Fidella, her empathy might connect to these tortured souls.

“It’s safe to join us now,” Conri called to her through their link.

While they waited for the group to reunite, the warriors stripped the guards and wore their clothes. They looked so convincing, Otto had sprung into a defensive position when he saw them come around the corner. They laughed at his reaction. Fidella ran lightly across the stone and into Conri’s waiting arms.

“This is Pea, she is going to lead us to the wolves that mine within the rock,” Fidella introduced the young wolf, pleased that she seemed comfortable in the presence of the men.

“Pea is an unusual name,” Ewan commented, insensitively.

The nerves were hindering his thoughtfulness, but he still received a slight glare from Iselda.

“The scarred wolf gave me the name, he looks after us all in the mountains,” Pea explained, but became hesitant when she saw the shift in focus as they stared at her.

“Who is the scarred wolf? Do you know his name?” Ewan asked her.

“He doesn’t like people to use it, only I know his name because he gave me mine. He said it was a fair trade off.” She hesitated, wondering why the wolf with another strong aura was so desperate to know the one thing she promised her friend she would keep a secret.

“His name is Pepin,” She admitted.

“He was in the mountains when you last saw him?” Ewan questioned her.

She nodded in response, her eyebrows were pulled together in curiosity.

“He is my father,” Ewan responded to the question written on her face.

She reached out and gently touched his arm.

“Pepin was alive when I saw him last. He looks after us all. He is very kind. His job is very dangerous.” Pea told him, and felt that even though she had endured the worst life since she left the mine, perhaps fate had intervened to make her the guide that united the father with his son.