The Royal Flame

Secrets revealed

Two thick bear furs divide me from another beating. I can just feel it.

Rado gives me a nudge to move on towards them.

Bowing my head down, I take a step forward. Pushing the furs apart, entering his den. The floor is covered with goat and deer pelts. With every step, another one comes into my sight. They increase with every hunt. While we get the scraps. Step by step I keep going forwards until I am being called to a halt by Noelani tucking on my arm.

As our eyes meet, her eyes glister in the light of an open fire. Her kind smile has disappeared, exchanging it for worry instead.

“Sorry for disrupting you brother.” His insincerity clear.

His heavy steps can be heard as he makes way to us. Noelani steps back, Baltazar’s scent reaches me. This whole place reeks of him, but its more intense with him next to me.

“Had a great patrol today I heard.”

“Not really, just the usual.” I mumble.

“Look up.” His stern voice makes me look up. Facing Baltazar, his face expresses a grin. A grin that seems to know all.

“You know, Noelani was late. So, as a good husband that I am, I ask.”

Walking past me he sits down on a wooden chair with engraved wolves on each side.

“Not only does it raise questions, when your wife shows up late. As if she is occupied by something else.”

“Sorry that I upheld her.”

“On the contrary” Baltazar shakes his head.

“If you hadn’t I wouldn’t have known what this special thing is that you discovered.” With one of his fingers he taps on one of the wolf heads. Staring in front of him, not even giving me a look as he continues.

“It wasn’t even what she told me. It was her sweet scent that was altered. To be honest I did consider betrayal for a slight moment. However the scent that obstructed my delicate flower.” Lifting himself smoothly off the chair, he makes his way to me. Barely leaving any space between our faces. Inhaling deeply, he closes his eyes straightening himself back up.

While exhaling he opens them back open. Towering over me. He stares right down at me.

“Just like I thought, the scent is not from our bloodline. But I can smell it on you as well.”

Behind me the movement of furs take Baltazar’s eyes off of me.

“Right on time. We were just planning to take a walk over to Klyn’s place. As he got something special for us.”

“That is unexpected. His area of patrol is completely deserted.” Rado sounds truly surprised.

Baltazor seems to enjoy this too much. But I don’t blame him. Nothing interesting has happened in years except for my reduction of the patrol area.

I look concerned at Noelani as Baltazar passes me, headed towards Rado. She returns the exact same look.

“Klyn!” a low dangerous growl makes me turn around. Noelani passes me, headed towards the entrance where she disappears behind the furs. Baltazar stands at the opening, Rado besides him like a true server. I follow Noalani, step by step again off the goat furs, sliding my hand between the furs. Setting my first steps in snow again.

“I didn’t know, I thought you were joking.” She looks concerned at me as she walks besides me, whispering.

“it’s fine.” It isn’t, but I expected it at least. He would have known no matter what. What did I think. I should have left her at the coast.

“What is it? A small whale?” I look in astonishment at her with a frown.

“A whale? How could I possibly bring a whale with me, let alone put it in my tent?” The realization makes her relax. Bringing back that kind smile of hers. After all, it is me Baltazar is aiming for and not his wife who only walked past me.

With our slow pace, Baltazar and Rado have joined us on our path to my tent. Within listening range, we stay quiet as we keep on walking and more man of our pack join us. Sensing the tension.

How did I not consider her smell. She did smell nice, more than the others. I did not realize that that is the smell of humans. Maybe as I saw her and immediately knew I did not consider. But how did Baltazar know. Now I have to bear with the consequences of me not considering this all.

The entrance of my tent comes into view. The torches light up the path, straight for the entrance. Laying in my bed, hiding her face. It won’t work as I imagined.

“Keeping a human to yourself, can be a form of betrayal in so many ways.” His stern voice whispers besides me. Just for me to hear.

Rado with a handful of men enters my den. Only to come out a second later.

“It is empty, but there is a smell.” They report to Baltazar.

“Human.” Baltazor announces for everyone to hear.

“Through the years, I had once the opportunity to smell this scent before. It is the smell of humans.”

“Take a deep breath my fellow brothers. Never forget this taste. It is our only advantage. To know our enemies smell.” Everyone raises their nose towards the tent. Inhaling deeply, searching for the faint taste of her scent.

“We don’t know who this human is, where they belong to and what they know. A spy. Already enchanting one of our brothers.”

“Now go hunt it.” His order hits us in our bones. A command our body cannot refuse.

Half of the pack runs to the tents besides, through the lit path ways. Snow flies up with the hasty footsteps of the men running around the camp. A handful runs behind my tent, into our territory.

Her scent stuck onto me, therefore spreading through our camp. Confusing those who have never smelt human before. Noelani gives me a last look before she as well disappears between the tents.

“You better find her. Otherwise you will really look like a traitor.” His whisper echoes in my head.

“Not that I mind, your pretty young face will look good one the spikes. Forming a great example, not to trust humans.” Satisfied Baltazar turns around after whispering his last words. Walking with pride away to where we came from, as the rest of the pack runs around, sniffing around the aid.

I better find her. I rather have her being punished than me being killed. My thoughts however do not sound convincing to myself. I rather die than having one hair of her broken or touched by any of these animals. But punishment is still better than death, she might repay me for saving her by saving me this time. Even though I do not count on that, seeing how fast she just left.

My eyes dart over the snow in front of the entrance. Kneeling down I search for patterns in this distortion of footsteps and prints. It is hard to distinguish one from the other as they walked in and out of the tent. Stepping over any sign that she might have left of her. The deep prints, show how the snow gave in under their heavy body weight. My fingers hover over the various prints, checking one by one for a difference.

Until on the corner of the chaos of prints, a less deep rounding can be found. The top of her foot, left a footprint less deep than the rest. Noelani did not stand close to the tent, neither were any other women present when they inspected my tent. Unless a woman visited me, which is unlikely as we all had our dinner gathering. It can’t be anyone else than her. To the right another shallow print, half of the size of any other print. Moving close to the side of my tent it goes off to the end of our camp. Bowed over, I follow the steps. Allowing one of the lose pelts that rests on my shoulders to sweep the snow behind my steps. Removing any leftover proof of her small steps.

Her steps move towards the direction we came from. But they slightly have a left direction. Not following a straight line, she must have turned backwards too often. Checking if she might have been followed but losing direction by doing so. Following her steps further forward, she suddenly makes a sudden switch to the left. In the direction of the mountains that separate us from the rest of the world. Raising back up, my eyes follow the slow down hill going plain filled with snow. It is a long way till the mountain range but it is an easy way, all open with no cover. Fastening my pace, I start almost running in the direction of the mountains. It is a miracle that she hasn’t been caught yet. But I shouldn’t further test that luck.