The wolf-man seemed to share the sentiment, for it howled with joy just before leaping at him. Jacob dropped to his knees, ramming his arms against the wheelbarrow’s handles. It pivoted into the air on the back braces. In mid-jump, the wolf couldn’t change its angle in time. It rammed its chest against the front, which crumpled inward with a metallic groan. Its momentum killed, it fell back onto its hind legs, the wheelbarrow tipping over onto its side. Jacob dove for it, curling his legs to his chest as he lay atop a pile of vegetables.
Snarling, the wolf-man yanked the remnants of his wheelbarrow off him, removing whatever defense he had. Still laughing, Jacob swung the biggest squash he could find. It smacked against the wolf-man’s nose. Blood sprayed across him, and he wondered what had made the crunching noise, the thing’s nose or the shattered squash in his hand. As the wolf staggered back, swinging its head back and forth in a daze, Jacob took to his feet and ran. He knew it would only be a few extra seconds, but he had to try. In the brief moment, he realized he couldn’t see Perry, and he figured that enough of a victory. The boy would survive, at least longer than Jacob was going to. If the entire pack had come early, then they were all destined for a stay in a cramped belly.
When the wolf-man hit him, it felt like a sledgehammer had slammed his back. He flew through the air, his arms and legs waving wildly. The ground rushed toward him, and it seemed like his legs couldn’t find purchase to keep running. He braced his fall best he could, then rolled along the rough ground. As rocks tore into his skin, he screamed. It felt like his back was on fire. When he came to a stop, the wolf-man towered over him, blood trickling down its nose and onto its yellow teeth.
“I’ll eat you slowly,” it said, its hot breath washing over him. “I’ll eat you alive.”
“Shut up and do it,” Jacob said. The world seemed to swirl before him, and he felt like the patch of ground he lay upon was unstable. Light-headed, he watched with strange disinterest as the wolf-men brought its gaping maw to his chest and bit. Warm blood spilled to his abdomen, and he heard someone screaming. It was him, he realized. That was embarrassing. He’d always thought himself tougher than that.
The wolf-man pinned his arms, because evidently he’d been struggling. It grinned at him, its whole mouth dripping red. It swallowed something. A piece of his flesh. A soft growl came from its throat, and it sounded hungry. Claws dug into his wrists. More screaming.
And then he realized he must have begun hallucinating, for the wolf-man’s head suddenly vanished, replaced by a stump that spurted blood into his eyes. He cried out and shut them, hating the sting. The pressure on his wrists vanished. People were talking, he realized, and he made an effort to listen.
“…too badly, Jacob. Sorry I don’t have time to stitch your chest. You’ll have to make do with a tight cloth.”
“No bother,” Jacob said, the dreamlike feel growing. “Is it still going to eat me?”
Dark laughter met his ears.
“It is dead, though I fear it’s not the only one we have to worry about. Take my arm and stand.”
Jacob felt something grab him, lifting him by his armpits. Once righted, he felt his weight rest on his feet, and he struggled to maintain balance. His strange savior held him steady, and ignoring the biting pain in his eyes, he opened them to look. The dark paladin, Darius, leaned his weight against him, and together they walked back to his home.
“Perry got to me just in time,” Darius said, picking up their pace. “Your back’s a mess, and your chest is bleeding like a stuck pig, but I’m not giving you any choice. You’re going to walk, you’re going to live, and you’re going to remember to tithe every week whether you feel like it or not.”
“Will two of three do?” Jacob asked.
His savior laughed. “For now.”
Perry was waiting for him at the house, his face wet with tears and covered with dirt. His father was with him, along with his damned wagon. They’d already loaded his vegetables, he realized. That was kind of them.
“You’re all right,” Perry said, the relief palpable.
“Don’t feel it.”
They laid him in the wagon, pushing aside rickety crates of food and clothing to make room. Darius gave the order and the wagon began moving. Perry hopped in with him, holding a long rag.
“He said to tie this around you,” the kid said.
“Then do it.”
Jacob grunted as the cloth slid around his chest. It didn’t take long for it to turn a dark crimson, but the pressure felt good. Leaning back, Jacob closed his eyes, drowsiness overcoming him.
“There was another,” Perry said, talking out of nervousness. “Back at my pa’s house. If Darius hadn’t been there, if he…”
“Perry?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up, will ya? We’re going to be fine.”
He opened an eye to see the kid smiling at him. It was a thin mask, a tiny strength covering a massive wall of fear, but at least it was something.
“Should have known a single wolf-man wouldn’t kill you,” Perry said. “You’re too stubborn for that.”
“Too stupid’s more like it. So is this it? This the big attack?”
Perry’s smile wavered, but he managed to keep it there.
“Nah. Darius said it ain’t.”
“Then what is it? You got any ideas, boy?”
Apparently he didn’t, for he only shrugged. Jacob leaned back, moaning occasionally as the wagon bounced along.
“Jacob?”
“Yeah?”
Perry looked away.
“Thanks for saving me.”
Jacob slapped the boy’s leg, then lay back down.
“Was nothing,” he said. “Nothing…”
He slept despite the pain and movement of the wagon.
9
Jerico felt lost in a storm of people, and nothing made sense. At first it was only a trickle, a single family claiming the wolves had come. He grabbed his shield and mace, but before he could leave, another family arrived, holding their bleeding son in their arms.
“Two of ’em!” the father cried. “They got Terry. They got my son!”
Fearing the full attack to come, he sought out Darius. Not finding him, he instead located Daniel and his men, who had also prepared themselves for battle.
“Death may be coming for us,” Daniel said, “but we’ll meet it armed and ready. Gods willing, we’ll take plenty of them with us!”
They marched to the center of town, and that was when Jerico found Darius. He waited there, looking strangely calm amid the din. People were shouting, asking questions. He ignored them all.
“Jerico,” he said, seeing him. “Two attacked the outer farms, Douglas and Wheatley. I saw more, but they kept back, circling.”
“Why didn’t you chase them down, then?” Daniel asked, pushing people aside to join them.
“Because I am no fool,” Darius said, glaring at the older man. “They’re circling, don’t you get it? We’re completely cut off from the world. Every road, every farm, even the river…the wolf-men watch them all.”
The realization hit Jerico like a blow from his own mace.
“We’re trapped,” he whispered. “What do we tell the people? What do we do?”
“My baby!” a mother wailed behind them. Jerico couldn’t think of her name. She was a lost face in a sea of frightened villagers. Several more wandered about, bleeding, and Jerico saw the wounded man in a cart sitting beside him in the square.
“We need to get the wounded somewhere,” he said. “I can heal them, though it’ll take much of my strength.”
“The attack isn’t coming today,” Daniel said. “You have time.”
“How do you know?”
“Because if it was coming today, they’d bloody well do it. They’ve given us warning now, which does them no good. That means they plan on keeping us here, nice and quiet, while they starve us, weaken and frighten us.”