"Hear me well, my faithful children, for I speak the words of Malar, and mine is the honor of leading the last wild hunt to break down the pens and fences of the city dwellers. Those who prove strong enough may join us, while the weak we will hunt for our sustenance and our pleasure."
That night, the chosen prey ran fast and far, but in the end he did not join the pack. He cried for Mielikki, Daughter of the Forest. If she heard his plea, it was far too late. Ronan tore out his throat, and the whole pack feasted on his flesh.
Three tendays later, in late Eleasias, Rusk took Darrow and Sorcia ranging to the southwestern reaches of the Arch Wood. They walked in human form, though Darrow had wished for a chance to prove he could transform at will. He had become much better at it recently. It took him less than a minute to enrage the beast and let it come over him.
When they reached the southwestern woods, they found the first signs of human habitation. First they smelled the wood smoke and the unmistakable odor of human kitchens. Soon they spied lone cottages and small clusters of sod houses appeared just within or beyond the tree line.
"Why do they live so far from a town?" asked Darrow. At least in the northern woods, the foresters were within a day's walk of Moonwater.
"No lords to tax them," explained Rusk. "No laws to bind them. Most of them are strong. That is why they make good prey and sometimes good People."
Contrary to Rusk's endorsement, the forest dwellers seemed weak and frightened. They barred their doors at the sight of the strangers and peered at them through the shutters.
"Something turns them against us," grumbled Rusk. "They cannot have forgotten the winters when we fed them."
"You know who it is, Huntmaster," said Sorcia.
Rusk frowned and increased his pace, leaving Darrow and Sorcia 'behind.
"Who is it?" asked Darrow quietly.
"Maleva," said Sorcia. "A cleric of Selune."
"One cleric?" said Darrow. "Why don't we drive her away or kill her?"
"Her home is protected by a forbiddance," said Sorcia. "And Rusk has long decreed that none but he shall take her life."
"A matter of honor?" asked Darrow.
"No," said Sorcia, "a matter of weakness."
They found Maleva's cottage the next night. It stood atop a low hill near the forest's edge. One square window glowed with yellow light, and a thin ribbon of smoke rose into the dark blue sky. Even from fifty yards away, Darrow smelled rabbit stew and wood smoke, as well as the dog lying beside the front door.
"See how close you can get," said Rusk. Sorcia and Darrow looked at him in surprise. "Both of you, from different directions."
"You said she had a forbiddance on the place," said Sorcia.
"That's why he's sending us first," said Darrow, who remembered all too well the way Rusk used him as a trap-springer back at House Malveen. He didn't like it, but he knew Rusk would not tolerate an argument.
Sorcia felt otherwise. "You called Balin a coward for leading from behind," she said.
Darrow blinked and stepped back, expecting Rusk to strike her down. Instead, he merely fixed his eyes on hers and asked, "Which of you will free me from paralysis or heal me if I am struck down?"
Sorcia had no retort for that argument.
"When you wield the power of Malar, perhaps we will discuss my decisions. Until then, you will do well to obey them."
Darrow had already turned away to skirt the hill and approach from the north, where the tree line would prevent him from making a silhouette against the sky. The stars shone in the cloudless sky, and the crescent moon was bright and high.
From this side, Darrow could see neither the dog nor the window. Darrow crept close, expecting trouble only when he reached the building. Thus, he was unprepared when he triggered the ward when still thirty yards away.
Brilliant silver light suffused his body, and an invisible force thrust him away from the cottage. He fell sprawling on the ground, twitching and breathless. The force that pushed him back felt like fire and lightning combined. He couldn't smell or taste, and all his flesh felt numb and useless.
He rolled to his feet and felt briefly dizzy. His vision blurred, then cleared. He looked for Darrow and Sorcia but saw neither of them.
From around the cottage came the dog, barking furiously. It was a big wolfhound with a mottled gray coat. Darrow heard the sound of the door opening, and a woman's voice called out, "Who's there?"
Darrow turned and ran, the wolfhound close behind.
"Call back your dog, Maleva," boomed Rusk's voice. Darrow veered toward the sound, seeking the protection of numbers, as well as Rusk's magic. His body stung and ached from his expulsion.
After a moment's hesitation, Maleva called out, "Here, Shard! Come here, boy!"
The dog broke off its pursuit just as Darrow reached Rusk. Sorcia was already with him, looking no worse for testing the Selunite's ward. Maybe she had simply waited to see what happened to Darrow, first.
Maleva let Shard inside the cottage then closed the door before approaching the three werewolves. She wore a dark blue cloak with the hood thrown back to reveal white hair bound in a long braid. She stopped inside the ward around her cottage, about twenty yards away.
"I see ydu brought a pair of your own dogs," she said.
"Bitch," muttered Sorcia. Darrow noted she said it quietly.
"Won't you come embrace your old friend, Maleva?" Rusk walked halfway toward her but stopped well beyond the magical boundary.
"Go back to your lodge, Rusk. Hunt the animals, and leave the people alone."
"You could come with us," he said. "You could run with me as we did so long ago. There is still great strength in each of us."
"You are wasting your breath, Rusk. If you want to turn away from Malar, I'll go with you to Moonshadow Hall. Otherwise, I'll stay here until one of your pups tears you down."
"But you won't kill me, will you, Maleva?"
"I will if you don't keep away," she said. "Stay in the woods, Rusk."
"Where is Feena? Why does she not come out to greet me?"
"In Yhaunn," said Maleva. "With Dhauna Myritar, well beyond your reach."
"The Mistress of Moonshadow Hall taking your acolyte under her wing? I think not. She never forgave you for your heresy."
"Think what you will," she replied.
"Perhaps you left her in Selgaunt to look after the boy."
"Think whatever you will. Just stay in your woods."
"You think he is the Black Wolf, don't you?"
"The Black Wolf is a myth," she said. "We are too old to believe in such stories."
"You once believed it enough to run with me," said Rusk.
"We were young then. I was a foolish young girl, and you were a much better man than you are today. Stay in your woods, Rusk."
"Perhaps I'll pay them a visit," he said. "There are so many things I would like to tell them both, Feena and this young wolf. But not too soon, I think. Perhaps next summer would be a good time."
Maleva's eyes flashed bright blue, and she raised her hands in prayer to the moon. White light formed on the medallion around her neck.
Rusk pressed the back of his hand against the talisman on his forehead, chanting his own invocation. When he thrust his open hand toward Maleva, a burst of red light surrounded her. For an instant, Darrow could see the smooth, curving border of the invisible field surrounding her home.
Rusk cursed. Whatever the spell was meant to achieve, it had failed.
Simultaneously, a cone of silver light shot from Maleva's palm and covered all three werewolves. Every muscle in Darrow's body cramped at once, and he was forced low to the ground. Before he realized he was transforming, he was in wolf form.