Wolfcry by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Author:Amelia Atwater-Rhodes [Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Legends; Myths; Fables, General
ISBN: 0440238862
Google: EOJ3w6AIjuQC
Amazon: B0017T0BPC
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
Published: 2008-04-08T21:34:57+00:00

CHAPTER 15

We reached Vahamil land sooner than I’d expected. Betia scented wolves before I had a chance to warn her, and she went rigid, recoiling. I had just turned to encourage her when a familiar male voice shouted my name. At the sound, Betia whimpered, turned on her heel and ran. Velyo. I turned to go after Betia but stopped when I felt pressure on my arm, a hand restraining me from running. I shook off Velyo’s grip, but Betia had too much of a head start, and a wolf running in fear would always be faster than the human who followed her.

Surrounded by unfamiliar woods, I shouted, “Betia, please! You’re safe with me; you know you’re always safe with me—”

“Oliza?” Velyo said again, drawing my attention back to him.

Furious, I spun about. The other wolves that had been around us backed off, including some that I recognized from the Vahamil pack.

Right now I wasn’t interested in them—only the man I had hoped never to see again. “What kind of leader are you?” I demanded, shaking with rage. “She runs from you in terror. What did you do to her—or do I have to ask?”

I shoved past him, remembering the last scene between us. He refused to move, and my shoulder caught him in the chest, knocking him back.

Betia would never come to me, not while he was there. “What are you doing here, anyway?” I snapped as he walked after me. “Following me?”

“Believe it or not, I do take my responsibilities rather seriously,” he replied. “You might not have wanted our help, but I felt that it was important to tell your people what I knew of your situation. While I was here, I wanted to see to my people who winter with the Vahamil, especially since Kalisa isn’t certain she will be continuing in her position. Now, if you’re done with your tantrum, there are some things you should know.”

“My tantrum?” I shouted, feeling every inch a coiled serpent preparing to strike. “Your own people are terrified of you, Velyo. Has that occurred to you?”

“They should be,” he replied frankly. “I am their leader, and I have control of their lives or deaths. It is a weak leader whose people do not respect him.”

“My people respect me,” I spat. “Respect and fear are not the—”

“Aren’t they?” he asked. “And do they?”

I was filled with cold rage, and I spoke the words I knew I should not. “What you tried to do to me—what I suspect you did to Betia—would carry a death sentence in Wyvern’s Court. How long do you think you would survive if I told my guard? That is not because they fear me; it is because they care for me.”

“How long do you think you would survive if you declared war on my people?” he said. He held out a hand to me, challenging. “We both know that you won’t do it. So why don’t you play nice and come back to the camp with me? Your people have been looking for you, frantic as a child missing his blanket.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.