Heir of the Curse Read online

  Red turned to us and gave us a sad smile. She had seemed happy at the festival; I hated how she looked now. Her dream of wolves and tree humans as one burned down last night. I wasn’t sure if she were back to step one, but the look on her face said she knew it was like that.

  “I’m cleaning up,” Sera said to the two of us as she went into the cottage and her bedroom that used to be mine.

  Red watched her go and then turned back to me. Somehow, in just the few days since she had been to my house, she had aged again. It was like winters were passing each day she had. The lines on her forehead seemed more profound. Her hair might even have had a few more strands of gray in it. It was beyond strange. Red was eternally young. At least, that’s what I’d always thought.

  Red wasn’t your typical mother. She didn’t give hugs or kisses freely. She didn’t make pies and cookies for you to have when you came home from lessons. She didn’t tuck you in at night or tell you there was nothing to be afraid of under your bed. That wasn’t Red. She was always real and honest with me. She was strong and fierce. And now, it seemed like some of that was fading along with her hair color.

  “Come on in,” she motioned for me to follow her. I nodded and did as she asked. “Have a seat.”

  I sat down at the kitchen table where I had eaten all my meals when I was a kid. Red sat in her regular chair at the head of the table. I tried not to feel like a little kid again.

  “Sera told me about yesterday, but I need to hear it from you.” She took a sip of her tea.

  “I’ve been trying to tell you, but you’ve refused to listen,” I started waiting for Red to reprimand me for my disrespect. She only stared at me, so I continued. “Micco told me the wolves were getting sick. I tried to get you to see that. What happened yesterday was because they are sick, and you didn’t care enough to listen to me.”

  I wasn’t blaming her. It wasn’t her fault they were sick, but I felt like it was made worse because she didn’t believe me.

  “I believe you now,” she told me like she could read my mind. “Tell me all the details. I need to figure this out.”

  I stared hard at her. Was she just saying what she thought I wanted to hear, or did she honestly believe me? I didn’t know which it was.

  “The wolves need help,” I started and waited a moment to see if she’d dismiss my words as she had already done only a few days before. “Some time this winter Micco found that a few wolves had gotten sick. He thought they were just making it up. Wolves can’t get sick, right?”

  Red nodded her head but added nothing. She knew just like the rest of us that the wolf gene made it impossible for them to physically get sick. Wolves healed from almost everything and quickly. They never had to worry about catching a cold or if they ran across poison ivy. Nothing could get a wolf sick.

  “Micco ignored it until he couldn’t anymore. He finally realized after you last visited him that the wolves weren’t pretending. They were really sick. That’s when he asked me to tell you. He showed me a sick wolf, and mom, they’re really bad.”

  We needed to help them, and I wanted to keep the wolves safe. The tree villagers already showed that they were ready to kill off the wolves if given a chance. I didn’t want to see my friends die, and I didn’t want to kill any crazy tree-dwellers either. We were all part of Elder, one people.

  “What happens when they get sick?” Red asked as she watched me like I held some grand secret. It seemed that she was taking me seriously now.

  “They are ravenously hungry, but no amount of feeding nourishes them; they lose weight, become weak, and are unable to work . The healthy wolves left in the villages are starving because the sick wolves eat everything at night. The available food is diminishing because it seems like the animals in the woods are avoiding the area as if they are aware of the increased risk to them. When a sick wolf transitions back to his human form, he is weak and starving. Hunting in their wolf form isn’t filling them up.”

  Red pressed her fingers together and tapped them on her lips. She knew something she wasn’t sharing with me.

  “Do they have control of their wolf?”

  I bit my lip. If I told the truth, she might let the tree villagers hunt them. The wolves were a problem, and I knew that even though they lived in Elder, Red would protect the tree villagers first. Red didn’t need me to answer as she read my face.

  “I need to talk with Micco further, but I have a feeling the curse is back.”

  I stared at her. What was she talking about? She broke the curse. She saved everyone eighteen winters ago. It couldn’t just come back.

  “Back? Not something new?”

  I wanted badly for it to be something new. Something we could find an answer for. Something we could help the wolves defeat.

  “No. It sounds just like how the curse began hundreds of winters ago.”

  I shook my head. This couldn’t be happening. When the curse was active, not a single wolf was able to control themselves at the call of the moon. That would mean my friends, Nikkan and Grace, would turn into the monsters that lived to kill people. All the wolves would go crazy and hunt humans. No one would be safe.

  “Micco brought out cages to keep the sick wolves in, and we started building a fence around the village to keep everyone in at night because he will soon run out of cages.” I wanted Red to see that the wolves were working hard to keep Elder safe. I didn’t want her organizing hunting parties, and I didn’t want her hurting the wolves.

  I wasn’t sure if I convinced her or not as Red nodded, lost in her own thoughts. She had always been hard to read, but I think being away had made it harder for me. I knew she was never going to give a yes or no answer, that wasn’t her way, but it would have made me feel a lot better.

  All Micco was doing wasn’t going to be enough. I thought the sickness was going to be a few people, maybe the males of the wolf village. We could contain it and then look for a cure. I could never imagine Grace as a monster. And what would happen when the fence was finished. They would all be trapped with the cursed wolves. What would happen to the women and children? Would they be prey or turn into a cursed wolf like the others?

  “Sera,” she said as Sera walked out of her room and into the living space of the cottage. “Your lessons have just ended. Now it’s time to deal with the curse for real. It is back.”

  Sera looked at Red, shocked. I don’t think she thought the curse was back either.

  “Castiel. You will stay here until we handle this. No seeing the wolves. Not Grace or Nikkan.”

  My eyes bulged as I stood up and pushed my chair back.

  “Nikkan and Grace are my friends.”

  “And wolves,” she pointed out.

  “So?”

  She had no right to tell me what to do.

  “They can hurt you or even curse you with the wolf curse. They won’t be in control of themselves. You have to stay away for their sake. It’s the only way to stay safe. They both would be devastated if they hurt you, and you know it.”

  “They could never hurt me. I know that.” I couldn’t help but defy her. She was wrong about the curse and how it could change Nikkan or Grace. They were my friends, not the monsters she was trying to make them out to be.

  “They won’t want to, but they will. The curse takes away their free will. You will stay here. That’s an order.”

  “I’m not a child,” I spat back. She couldn’t just give me orders. I wasn’t one of her soldiers. “You spent weeks ignoring that something could be wrong with the wolves, and not even seven moons ago, I told you to help Micco, and you turned me away. You don’t have a right to tell me what to do when you spent your time ignoring it. Maybe if you’d helped Micco when he asked for help, the child wouldn’t have been taken.”

  Red didn’t stand up but just gave me the stare I dreaded my whole life.

  “You aren’t allowed to date wolves. They are dangerous, and you will get hurt.”

  “Date?” I had no idea what she was talking about
.

  “Grace,” Red added at my confusion. “is a wolf, no matter how nice she might be.”

  I rubbed my hand down my face as I tried not to smile. Some of my anger faded a bit. My mother thought I was dating Grace too. Couldn’t a guy just go someplace with a girl without it being a date?

  “Grace is just a friend, mom. Nikkan likes her. There’s nothing to worry about there. Grace and I are just friends.”

  That seemed to appease Red a little as relief showed momentarily on her face.

  “Glad to hear that, but what I said is true whether you’re dating her or not. You never saw the curse and don’t understand. A cursed wolf can’t control themselves.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t done with her lecture; that started my blood boiling again. “You may be all grown up, but I’m still your mother. If I tell you to stay here, then you stay here. If that doesn’t work for you, how about I’m the Red of Elder, and you will do as I say.”

  My anger came back completely. I hated to be ordered around, and I hated her treating me like a child. I was technically an adult and had been since the beginning of winter. It was about time she trusted me and treated me like one.

  “That might have worked three winters ago or maybe even two. But I’m done following orders. I can protect myself, and who I choose to be around is my choice. Curse or not, they are still my friends, and I plan to do everything I can to keep all the wolves safe, no matter what you do.”

  I didn’t give her time to respond as I stood and left the room. I wasn’t a child, and I wasn’t going to be ordered around. She turned a blind eye to the wolves, but I wouldn’t do that. They needed help, and I’d do anything I could so long as I could walk and breathe. Fight or not, Nikkan was my family, and Grace was my friend.

  6th March

  I returned home in defiance of Red’s order. I understood that the wolves were dangerous. Trust me. It was a lesson she had pounded into me growing up. Wolves are dangerous. Wolves will hurt you. Wolves fight dirty. Wolves can kill you. Always be on guard with wolves. Never be alone at night. Always be ready for a wolf attack. She wanted to bridge the wolves and tree humans together, but even Red didn’t completely trust them. I got all those lessons growing up. I knew what I was dealing with, but I knew my friends.

  Nikkan, mad at me or not, would never hurt me. He was my family. Grace couldn’t hurt a fly if she wanted to. She was just that nice. And Micco was like a grandfather to me. The older man didn’t just have a soft spot for Nikkan but also me. He was there when I needed to talk, and he cared way more than any male in the tree village ever did about me. They weren’t the monsters Red spoke about, or the community believed them to be. They were my friends.

  I lost yesterday going to the tree village to see Red, but at least one good thing came from it. She finally understood there was a problem. I wasn’t quite sure what she would see as a way to help the wolves, but, at least, she now admitted they needed help. The first step to solving this was getting Red on board. She was the leader of the kingdom, and the one everyone relied on. If anyone could find a way to help the wolves, it would be Red.

  I wasn’t too happy to hear it was likely the curse was back. Red never once told anyone how she broke the curse. I wasn’t sure if it could be done again. The curse returning was a bad sign. Sick wolves were terrible, but the curse was ten times worse. I wasn’t going to be happy to break that news to Micco. I don’t think he wanted to think that was a possibility, but now it was. It was something we would have to face together.

  My walk back from my meeting with Red at the tree village yesterday included getting some new supplies and some meat. I already had my kills skinned and drying. There was enough food to last me for a little bit. This freed me up, and I had time today to go back to the wolves and see where I could help.

  Luckily, it was an easy trip back to my place after Red tried to keep me with her. I was glad she didn’t try to physically restrain me. I don’t recall the last time I fought with her as it had been many winters. I still don’t know if I could beat her or not. If she wanted to keep me there, between Red and Sera, I’m pretty sure I would be doomed, but, at least, Red understood she couldn’t do that. Even if she locked me in her cottage, I would find a way out. She didn’t have a say in how I lived my life or what dangers I chose to face.

  The sun had been up for a while when I finally made it out of the house after prepping and putting my food away. It was strange not to start my day with the run around the woods to check for wolves. I figured I had more important things to do; it was fine to miss a few days. And it wasn’t like the wolves were out during the daylight anyway. They attacked at night; that was part of the curse. The remaining non-sick wolves were busy building the fence, so I really didn’t need to be patrolling.

  As I made my way out of my house and onto the pathway that headed north to the wolf village, someone was waiting for me. I nodded to the older man as he stepped beside me to walk. It wasn’t going to be a quick jog to the wolf village.

  “Did Red finally come to her senses?” Micco asked as he walked slowly beside me.

  It wasn’t just Red that had aged many winters in the course of only a few moons. Micco was looking older too. He walked with a limp, which was beyond strange also because even though wolves aged, they always stayed in good health.

  “If you include telling me I wasn’t allowed to see you, then I guess yes.”

  Micco gave me a sad smile.

  “You should listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about,” Micco replied as he slowed further.

  I wasn’t sure what to say to the older wolf. Right now, Elder was in trouble. I didn’t have a solution. Red didn’t seem to have a solution, and neither did Micco. We needed to all sit down and talk together, but I wasn’t sure how or when that would happen. I doubted I could contain my anger if she treated me like a kid any further. And where could we all meet? I was more than sure Micco wasn’t welcome in the tree village any longer, and Red wouldn’t be welcome at the wolf village. The two people that had pretty much raised me were on opposite sides, and I was caught in the middle trying to help everyone.

  “I’m here to help you guys. I don’t care about the danger. Red made it her mission to make sure I know how to protect myself. I can handle myself, even if she doesn’t think so. The wolves don’t scare me.”

  “They should.” Micco found a fallen tree and sat down on it. His clothing had seen better days, and his ragged brown pants had more holes than I could count. He was doing about as well as the rest of the wolves. “They scare the hell outta me.”

  Not possible. Micco was alpha. He was at the top of the food chain. There was nothing that should make him think twice, let alone a wolf that was under him. I looked at the older man, and he wasn’t kidding. He was telling the truth.

  “I scare me,” Micco continued.

  He looked into the woods at the sound of something small digging under the leaves. I was pretty sure it was a mouse, not worth trying to catch or eat, but then again, Micco, along with the rest of the wolves, was going hungry. We shouldn’t have been sitting in the woods, and it would have been better to go back to my place. I didn’t have much, but I could always get more. I was about to ask him when he spoke again.

  “I didn’t mean to kill Nathan. I was supposed to be protecting him. Instead, he ends up dead at my hands.”

  “That wasn’t your fault,” I told him. And it wasn’t. Nathan had to be stopped, and we couldn’t let one wolf start a war that would result in all the wolves being hunted.

  “I think I’m too old for all this. I survived one curse only to have to deal with sick wolves bringing us all back to the place we’d be better off not going. I don’t know if I can fight the tree people a second time.”

  I sat down beside Micco. It was time to tell him the truth.

  “Red said it isn’t a sickness. The curse is back.”

  Micco nodded as he tried to smile like he was expecting that news.

  “I figured.” />
  He looked out into the woods and sighed. Here, by my place, it was still the ordinary woods of Elder. Animals roamed around, though most stayed clear of Micco. There were chirping birds and skittering chipmunks. Squirrels chatted in the trees, and the green buds on the trees indicated spring was coming. It was a time for growth and new life, and Micco was dealing with death. I understood why he was tired, but he couldn’t give up. The wolves needed him.

  “You had to stop Nathan. He was going to kill the baby. No one blames you, and I bet he doesn’t either. Just think what would have happened not only to the wolves and tree people if you hadn’t stopped him. But what about him if he had awakened the next morning from the curse and found he had killed a child. It would have devastated him. You stopped him from being a monster, and I think if he were here now, he’d thank you. You can’t give up over Nathan.”

  Micco nodded as he continued to stare into the woods. He didn’t seem convinced by my words, no matter how true they were.

  Being the leader of an entire breed of people was taking its toll on him. I could see it in Red now, but I could also see it in Micco. He was feeling the winters of being a wolf and alpha. I wasn’t sure there was anyone qualified or strong enough to take his place if he was done. He didn’t have a choice. Without Micco, the wolves would possibly go extinct.

  “I just don’t know if I can continue to lead them.”

  The wolves without Micco was just too hard for me to comprehend. Micco was the wolves. He’d been the leader as long as I had been alive and would be for many winters to come. They didn’t exist without him. They needed him.

  “You are the best chance the wolves have of surviving this.”

  And that was the truth. Micco was strong and could keep everyone in line, but he also was old enough to remember what it was like over eighteen winters ago. He was perfect for the job even if he didn’t think so right now.

  “We don’t have enough food to feed everyone because the cursed wolves ate all the local animals, but now each wolf village has hundreds of new people to feed, house, and clothe.”