“I saw what Keegan is doing to Mariah,” Céline said.
“I know you did.”
“I never meant for him to drag you into his tent like that.”
“I know. I saw your face.”
This man struck her as dangerous, but for some reason, she wasn’t afraid of him.
“I can’t stop Keegan,” he said. “The only thing I can do to help is to take Mercedes and Mariah away from this place, and I can’t until the end of autumn, when my contract is finished, and that’s only if Mariah will leave.”
“Why wouldn’t she leave?”
“Because we’ve been unlucky, and believe it or not, some things were worse before we arrived here and our men started signing contracts with the House of Pählen.” He sounded accusatory, as if blaming the men in his family.
Céline couldn’t imagine that a life traveling as Móndyalítko nomads could be worse than the Ryazan mines. “But you signed a contract.”
“No, I did not. Not at first. I was our hunter. I stayed because my people needed me, and I watched our men get caught in a web as they were promised work and pay. But the miners only get paid if they complete a contract. During the year, they’re allowed to take out vouchers to be traded for food from the provisions tent, but those vouchers later come out of their pay. That’s why so many of the children go hungry. Their fathers try to avoid falling back on the vouchers.”
He looked at the ground. “Both Mercedes and Mariah’s parents are gone, and so is my mother. But my father still lives. My older brother signed a contract every year, and he was one of the first killed in the attacks by these soldier-wolves. Keegan told me that unless I completed his contract, my father had agreed to work in my brother’s place. My father isn’t well, and I couldn’t let . . . I took over the contract. It’s finished at the end of autumn. But with my brother gone, I have some power in our decisions. Once I’m free, I am taking Mercedes, Mariah, and my father out of here if we have to walk and I have to carry Mariah on my shoulder. I wish I could save the entire family, but I can’t, and those three matter the most to me.”
“Where will you go?”
“To the Autumn Fair outside of Kéonsk. Some of our people gather there, and I’ll ask another family group to take us in. They won’t refuse. I have certain . . . attributes that make me valuable.”
She wondered what those might be but thought better of asking. He was just now beginning to trust her. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I couldn’t stand for you to see what you saw tonight and think that I was doing nothing to stop it. I’m going to get Mariah and Mercedes free of these soldiers.”
The hate in voice was so thick, she almost backed up. Again, she knew his anger wasn’t aimed at her. But if anyone had a motive to sabotage the mines, he did. If the mines were closed permanently, would the miners be paid and set free?
Without warning, his manner changed and he moved closer, backing her up against the tent.
“Do you still want to read my future?” he whispered. “You won’t even have to try. Just touch my hand.” He raised one slender hand. She hesitated.
“Afraid?” he asked.
Reaching over, she touched two of his fingers. Without her even having to focus, the world around vanished.
She wasn’t drawn into the mists, and she didn’t feel herself rushing forward in time. The scene took on the quality of a dream again. To her amazement, she was not a mere spectator. Instead, she found herself seeing through someone else’s eyes. She was closer to the ground and running on all fours through a forest. The feeling of freedom flowing through was exhilarating . . . as was the speed. She could smell life all around her, and she longed to hunt . . .
Whipping her hand from Marcus’s, she stepped away.
His eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Stay inside your tent tonight,” he said, “no matter what you hear.”
Was he worried for her safety? “Why would you want to help me?”
“Because I know my own kind when I see one.”
He turned and vanished into the darkness.
Turning slowly, Céline walked to her tent and got back into bed. She wanted to separate and examine what he’d told her and what she had seen and experienced when she’d touched him. But this time, sleep overwhelmed her as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Maybe it had been a dream.
Chapter Six
Later that night, Amelie was lost in such a deep sleep that when the world exploded in a series of sounds, she was slow to react.
The first sounds to register were growls and snarls, followed by screams . . . coming from somewhere outside.
She sat up.
What was happening? At first she wasn’t even certain where she was. It was dark, but she could see Céline sleeping beside her, and she remembered they were inside a tent.
“Everyone who can hear me, light torches and move to the perimeter!” Jaromir shouted from somewhere beyond the tent wall. “Don’t let it out of the encampment!”
Jumping out of bed, Amelie pulled on her boots. There was no time to lace up a dress, so she tied her cloak over the top of her shift. Drawing her dagger, she gripped the hilt tightly, cursing the fact that she had no sword.
Céline stirred and sat up.
“Amelie? What’s happening?”
“Stay here,” Amelie ordered. “I need to help Jaromir, but don’t you leave this tent!”
She ran out, following the direction of Jaromir’s voice.
At the sound of savage snarls and someone screaming, Jaromir had grabbed several weapons and run from his tent with Rurik at his side. He’d arranged for Rurik to bunk with him in a small tent beside the sisters’ assigned quarters. Both men had been sleeping fully clothed.
“Sir, where’s it coming from?” Rurik asked, his head moving back and forth.
The snarls and screams seemed to be echoing off the tents. The sounds were close, but Jaromir couldn’t tell where they came from. Rurik was poised with his sword drawn, but Jaromir’s blade was still sheathed. He strapped it on and gripped a stout cudgel that he’d brought from home. Having fought wolves in the past, he’d found a short, heavy weapon to be more effective at close quarters.
Also . . . Céline had mentioned she needed one of these beasts alive.
Glancing at Rurik’s sword, he said, “Defend yourself, but don’t kill it unless you have to.”
Closing his eyes, he listened for a moment, and then all sounds vanished. A second later, he heard other soldiers shouting.
“Over there,” he said, pointing north.
Both men ran between the tents, and Jaromir skidded to a stop at the sight of Corporal Quinn, wearing breeches and an untucked shirt, carrying a loaded crossbow in one hand and a long spear in the other. His gaze was fixed on the ground.
Looking down, Jaromir let out a long breath, and Rurik said, “Oh . . . by the gods.”
There was a soldier Jaromir had not seen before, dead, with his face and throat slashed. Light from hanging lanterns illuminated the sight of dark blood running from the wound in his throat and soaking into the dirt. Other men with spears were running up now, but the world seemed a mass of shouting and confusion.
“Where’s Captain Keegan?” Jaromir asked Quinn.
“I haven’t seen him, but we need to organize. We can’t let the wolf escape. If it reaches the forest, it’ll double around and go straight for the miners’ encampment.”
With Keegan absent, Jaromir took charge. “Everyone who can hear me, light torches and move to the perimeter!” he shouted. “Don’t let it out of the encampment!”