Loki Wolf by Arthur Slade

Author:Arthur Slade [Slade, Arthur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443431439
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2014-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

15

We listened for what seemed an eternity. The wind continued to hiss through the cracks, but I couldn’t hear anything else. Michael took a step towards the trapdoor and the floorboards creaked below his feet. Mordur motioned him to be still.

The beams that held up the croft house began groaning. The sound became louder and harsher and I realized it wasn’t the beams making the noise. It was something else. A growl reverberated somewhere below us.

“There’s something down there,” Sarah whispered.

The growl grew deeper. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. It worked its way into my nerves, my bones, my spine so that I couldn’t move.

The others were frozen in place too, all straining to hear the next noise. The flames in the stove died down and a coldness crept into the room. Even the oil lamp grew dimmer.

The horses had remained silent and I imagined them pressed up against the sides of their stalls, tied tightly, eyes wide with fear, not wanting to attract the attention of the intruder.

Mordur reached for the fire poker and gripped it tightly. “We should not have come here.” He took a step towards the trapdoor, then stopped as if he wasn’t sure what to do next.

The growling grew louder. The support beam in the center of the croft house creaked like a weight had leaned up against it. A heavy hissing noise drifted through the floorboards.

I came slowly out of my shock. There were cracks in the floor, so I knelt and looked through one. It was dark down there, except for a frail band of light.

I could make out a thin shape next to the support beam. It wasn’t that large, maybe four or five feet tall. It was standing on its hind feet and appeared to be covered with fur. Its head was hidden in shadows. It was definitely some kind of animal, but not one I recognized.

“I . . . I think I see it,” I whispered.

It turned towards me, as if it had heard my voice, and revealed a long snout.

“What . . .” Michael began. I looked up, motioned him to be silent.

I peeked back down and the thing had moved out of the pale light.

One of the horses neighed sharply, then the other. A board snapped. A roar, this time so loud it drowned out the horses’ cries, echoed through the floor. A second timber broke, then came the clomping of hooves, a crash.

A large, dark blur shot through the band of light—one of the horses. He smacked into the side of the croft house. The neighing of both horses became louder, higher-pitched, so that they weren’t even the noises of horses anymore. They sounded almost human, like they were being tortured.

Then there was a thud. Now there was only one horse neighing, its voice ragged. It wheezed out its fright, stomping and struggling against an unseen attacker. Roars and growls echoed through the trapdoor.

For a moment the horse stood in the light and I could see its gray hide.

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