I am Wolf (The Wolfboy Chronicles) (23 page)

Two figures stood by the window, their faces hard to
discern in the bright light shining through the big window.

“Where is my family?” I growled.

The figures stared at me. Then one came closer. As he
approached I recognized Officer Alexandru’s face. He was holding the gun with
the silver bullet in his hand. “Hello, Sami,” he said with a wide smile. “So
glad you could finally join us. This is General Mantin. He will be asking the
questions here, not you.”

“I demand to know what you have done to my family,” I
growled again ignoring Alexandru.

The other figure had started moving. I realized I
could smell him. I was confused. He smelled like a wolf. I realized it had to
have been him, I could smell from the forest. It made sense since I knew it
couldn’t have been Caspian. I knew his smell very well, but this was new and very
different. This was the stench of evil.

He was coming closer now and suddenly I remembered
where I had heard that name before. Caspian had mentioned a Mantin. The one who
had turned his own flock against Caspian. The one who had urged them to eat human
flesh. Mantin’s presence was strong, he was strong and powerful. He snarled as
he walked towards me in long, sliding motions. Like a wolf approaching its
prey.

My heart started beating faster. That was how
Alexandru knew about the silver bullet. Mantin had revealed that to him. But
why? To be able to get to Caspian? To be able to get to me? Why?

Mantin’s scarred face came close enough for me to look
into his purple eyes. In the iris I saw his wolf. It was big and strong,
waiting to come out and finish me off. He was an older wolf as well. Not as old
as Caspian, but much older than me.

“You’re right about that,” he said with a laugh.

I gasped. I had forgotten that he was able to read my
mind as well as I was with others. Well two can play at that, I thought and
tried to pick his mind. Pictures of death and devastation filled my mind and
left me breathless, almost hopeless. So much evil, so much destruction. It was
too much and I pulled out. Mantin laughed as I did. “You’re nothing but a kid,”
he said.

I focused on not thinking about anything, so I filled
my mind with childhood memories. I thought of my mother in the kitchen cooking,
my mother reading to me, even my father when we went hunting together, among
the best days in my life. I thought about all that and witnessed Mantin grow
angry in front of me trying to pick my mind. Then he let go of my thoughts. I
felt him withdraw.

“Where do you come from?” he asked. Then he sniffed
me. “I don’t know your scent. I have never heard of you, nor seen you before. Who
are you?”

“I’m new,” I said.

Mantin growled again. “Did Caspian make you?”

“I was already a wolf. I have wolf-blood in me. He
just woke it up.”

“Hmmm. I didn’t even know there were werewolves in
these areas. Which pack do you belong to?”

“I don’t. I’m on my own.”

 
“Who’s
your Alpha?”

“I have none. Caspian is my maker. He taught me all I
know.”

Mantin leaned his big torso in over me. I tried hard
not to show fear. He sniffed and snarled. Then he snapped his teeth. I gasped
and drew backwards. Mantin looked at me and then burst into a hoarse laughter.

“What do you want from me?” I asked. Drops of sweat
caused by anxiety appeared on my forehead.

Mantin smiled and tilted his head. “I want the book.”

My heart froze. I felt Mantin was picking my mind
again and tried to block him out. I thought about everything else but the book
and what Caspian had just told me. Mantin growled in anger. He grabbed my
throat and lifted me up. “Tell me where it is! I know you have it. Caspian has
given it to you, hasn’t he?”

I felt my feet leave the ground. I gasped for air.
Mantin tightened his grip. “So Caspian has told you everything, huh? Has he
told you that a wolf can kill another wolf, has he? Has he told you that I
could strangle you right here and you would be gone?”

I tried to make a sound but nothing came out of me. I
shook my head hoping it would make him let go of me.

“I thought not,” he said. He exhaled then let go of my
throat. I fell to the floor. While gasping for air I tried to get back on my
feet.

“Well now you know. Wolf can kill wolf,” he said.
Mantin turned his back to me and walked towards the window. “You see, Sami, the
thing is I could use you. You and me we could help each other. I could teach
you everything you need to know about your fate, all that Caspian hasn’t told
you. All that he has kept from you.”

Mantin turned and looked at me. The room was still
turning but I was slowly getting back on my feet. A ray of sunlight hit
Mantin’s face and shone on his cheek with the scars.

“He did that to you, didn’t he?” I asked. “Caspian
hurt your cheek so bad it left a scar.”

Mantin touched the scars, his eyes filled with anger.
For a second I could see his wolf, but then he calmed himself down and it
disappeared. He walked fast towards me, then lifted his boot and kicked me in
the stomach causing me to bend over in pain.

“Do you think he is stronger than me? Do you think he
is better than me?” he yelled to my face. “Well he’s not!” Mantin spat as he
spoke. Then he turned his head in anger and walked away. Alexandru was staring
at him. I sensed his fear all the way across the room. He was terrified of
Mantin.

“What do you want from me? Why are you keeping me
here? Why are you keeping Catalina?” I asked.

Mantin turned his head and looked at me again. Then he
scoffed. He walked a few steps closer. “He really didn’t tell you, did he?” he
asked.

“Tell me what?”

Mantin laughed. “Of course he didn’t. Well I might as
well tell you. I trapped Catalina because I wanted to use her to get to him, to
get Caspian to reveal himself to me. He has been hiding for almost a century
from me and when one of my scouts found out that he was here, protecting
Catalina I knew I had found his weak spot. If I got to her then Caspian would
come to me. See Catalina is more than just some random girl.”

“I know who she is,” I said. “She is the princess of
the Bakhtu, the Wind-People. Caspian didn’t need to tell me that.”

Mantin laughed again. “No, but did he tell you that
she is also his daughter? She is the daughter of Slavia, Queen to the Wind-People
and Caspian the human wolf.”

Startled, I drew backwards. No, Caspian had certainly
not told me that. It explained a lot, I thought.

Mantin smiled widely. “Well I hadn’t quite counted on
running in to you while looking for him. But Alexandru here had a feeling that
you could be a wolf. He said he saw it in your eyes, he saw the beast like he
sometimes saw in my eyes. He thought you were Caspian. He thought he had found
Caspian and let me know that he had found the wolf we had been looking for. The
wolf that was looking after Catalina. He tried to make it appear during the
interrogation, but when he realized he couldn’t hurt you he knew you had to be
a wolf and he knew he had to drive it out of you in another way. That was why
he let you go after the interrogation. He let you on that train knowing it
would drive the wolf out of you. It had to. He wanted you to reveal yourself.
And so you did. I came here thinking we had found Caspian. I hadn’t counted on
finding two wolves.”

I growled and snapped my teeth at him. Mantin laughed
again. “You’re no match for me. You’re nothing but a puppy. All I want is the
book. Tell me where it is and I’ll let you go.”

“Why do you want the book?” I asked.

Mantin came up close to me. His face was next to mine.
“Because it belongs to me. I am its rightful owner. As the Alpha of my pack it
belongs to me. Caspian stole it knowing it should be with me. I am entitled to
posses the powers that it provides. But Caspian cheated me of my rights. That
is why he will die and so will you if you don’t tell me where the book is.”

Mantin grabbed my neck and held it tight pressing his
fingers hard against my skin. I bent over in pain.

“Tell me where it is!” Mantin’s face was strained in
anger, froth around his mouth. He had the same look in his eyes that I had seen
in Caspian. The manic look of a wolf craving human flesh. His wolf peeked out
smelling my skin.

“I don’t know,” I moaned. “I don’t know where it is!”
I fought hard to think about everything else other than the book, but wasn’t
sure how long I could control it. It worked if I focused on my mother and my
childhood memories while I sensed how Mantin tried frantically to pick my
thoughts. Then he gave up with a groan and let go of my neck. When he let go he
pushed me to the floor. Then Mantin said something that made me doubt I would
be able to hold it much longer.

“Bring in the girl!” he shouted.

C
atalina screamed, frightened when
they dragged her through the
door to my father’s old study. The sound made me uneasy as it felt like it
penetrated my bones. I hated seeing her distressed and anxious. They had
blindfolded her again. It hurt to see her like that. She called out for me when
she sensed my presence in the room.

“Sami? Is that you?”

I approached her and they let me. I grabbed her hand
and held it tight in mine. “I’m here. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“We’re not alone, are we?” she asked.

“No you’re not,” Mantin answered.

I felt how Catalina trembled at the sound of his
voice.

He walked close to her, sniffing her and snarling
behind her. My heart was racing with anger and I had to restrain myself to keep
my wolf back. Mantin was so much stronger than me and he could easily kill
Catalina who was so fragile. I growled at him to get him to back off. He looked
at me with one of his malicious smiles. He enjoyed this battle of power. Then
he put his hand on Catalina’s neck. She jumped from his touch with a gasp. Then
he leaned over and kissed her ear.

Catalina let out a small shriek. I jumped forward with
a deep growl. Mantin lifted his head and stared at me. I was breathing heavily
and angrily, ready to jump him if he touched her again. My heart was pounding
in my chest, the adrenalin pumping. “Leave her,” I growled.

I felt someone behind me and realized it was
Alexandru. He grabbed my arms and forced me to bend forward, my head on the
floor. I felt the tickling sensation in my fingers and realized the claws were
beginning to grow. I tried hard to restrain it, since it would do me no good.
Mantin would just let his wolf out and then fight me. I would be defeated since
he was so much stronger than me. Alexandru turned my head so I was forced to
watch as Mantin let his hand caress Catalina’s cheek, then her hair and soon he
put a hand on her breast.

I growled again. Mantin spoke slowly one word at the
time while he touched her. “Just ... tell ... me ... where ... the ... book ...
is.”

Everything inside of me screamed. I had seen them
mistreat her in my dreams, in my thoughts, in visions and I could take no more.
It hurt so deeply. Catalina cried as Mantin lifted her dress and touched her
legs, letting his fingers gently slide up inside of them.

That was when I let go. I simply couldn’t hold it any
longer. I tried to fight it but it slipped out anyway. No book was worth this.
In my mind I pictured the place that Caspian had told me about just before the
soldiers had taken me. I saw the field, the small clearing with the big oak
tree where I had left him. Then I pictured the stones that formed a cross. I
bent over crying while Mantin told Alexandru to let me go and he let go of
Catalina.

I was lifted to my feet and Mantin approached me. He
grabbed my chin with his hand. “That-a-boy,” he grinned and petted my head like
I was a dog. Then he turned his back to us while walking away.

“Kill them,” he said without even looking at us.

I was blindfolded as well and dragged outside. I struggled and fought
the soldiers, but soon felt the cold gun pressed against my neck by someone I
guessed could only be Alexandru. I knew it carried a bullet that would cause
the most painful death of having silver spread slowly through my veins and
clot. I groaned and growled, but obeyed. I felt the fresh cold air on my face
and even a snowflake that landed on my cheek. I heard the gravel under my feet
as I walked and knew we were in the courtyard in front of the house. What was
their plan? Liquidation? Were they going to shoot us right here in front of the
other soldiers with silver bullets and then watch us die slowly and painfully?
Was that enough satisfaction for them? Somehow I had a feeling it wasn’t.