Maiev grunted. “Oh, it must! There is no other reasonable explanation.”
He could find none, either. “Where do the worgen live? I heard something, but I am still not quite sure. . . .”
“Oh, we know where they are. What do you say, Neva?”
The other Watcher managed to slip her arm around Jarod’s. Leaning her head close to his, she replied, “Now is a good time as any.”
Jarod was puzzled. “For what?”
Maiev laughed. “To investigate the wolves, of course.”
“ ‘Wolves’ . . . ” He finally understood. “Is that all right?”
“The high priestess and archdruid have given me the authority to follow through this case wherever it might lead. The worgen will just have to behave themselves.”
She led them off. Neva pulled Jarod along until, in order to avoid further discomfort around the other Watcher, he lengthened his stride and hurried after his sister.
At first, their trek was simple, almost seeming so much like a carefree walk that Jarod wondered if his sister was playing a game with him and did not truly want his assistance. However, once Maiev reached a crooked oak, she suddenly grew serious again. Neva put a finger to her lips, not that Jarod needed the warning. He could already hear something far ahead . . . and was instantly aware that if he could hear them, then they might be able to hear the three intruders.
“The main encampment is still some distance,” Maiev whispered. “But recently a number of the wolves have been coming to this region. Guess they like the hunting here.”
She led the other two across a small creek and toward a rise. Not for the first time did Jarod marvel at the landscape. It was very easy to forget that this entire place was all atop a gargantuan tree.
“Keep low,” Maiev ordered. “We are very close now.”
He looked at her. “Are they hostile? I thought we would just announce—”
“Be quiet.” His sister moved a step ahead.
It suddenly occurred to Jarod that neither he nor his companions had taken any weapons with them. Why he had not thought of that beforehand he could only chalk up to residual fogginess due to his near death. However, that in no way reassured him. If the worgen were, after all, that dangerous . . .
“We need to turn around,” he muttered. “This is not the way to go about this—”
Neva suddenly stiffened. At the same time Maiev whirled to her right.
A savage, panting form lunged from behind a tree there. Another leapt out from the opposing direction. Both landed on all fours just a few feet from the night elves, then stood. They were immediately joined by others as the worgen surrounded the trio. For the first time Jarod had a good look at the long fangs and the sharp claws and the fact that, even while hunched over, all the worgen stood taller than the night elves. The worgen were also at least half again as broad and likely outweighed even him by several pounds, all of it taut muscle.
Jarod remained still, silently and swiftly analyzing the movements of the worgen in order to judge whether they intended to attack. Maiev and Neva, on the other hand, fell into battle stances and all but dared the worgen to come at them. Jarod frowned at the two females’ reactions but said nothing.
Nearly a dozen worgen now surrounded them. Their intensity amazed Jarod.
A male worgen stalked up to him. Nostrils flaring, the male sniffed Jarod carefully. The deep brown eyes—the most “human” feature of the otherwise bestial figure—narrowed slightly.
The male moved on to Neva. Her face was a mask. He sniffed at her, albeit in a more perfunctory manner. He turned from Neva. Jarod felt as if the worgen already recognized her scent.
When the apparent leader stopped at Maiev, there was a noticeable pause. As with Neva, the worgen seemed to recognize something in Jarod’s sister, as if they had met previously. The lips of the creature pulled back, revealing better the sharp teeth.
Fearing for Maiev, Jarod stepped forward. That brought the leader’s attention back to him. Jarod then noticed that, despite looking as they did, the worgen still wore clothes. Most of them were loose-fitting or open and in general kept in good condition. The garments made for a contrast to the raw force the worgen radiated.
“Come to spy on us again . . . ,” the male growled, his voice otherwise surprisingly normal. “Do we amuse you?”
It took Jarod a moment to understand that the question was focused at Maiev. She smiled defiantly at the leader. “We are here in the performance of our duty to the high priestess. You know that.”
“You found nothing to learn here last time.”
“Things change.”
The leader’s ears twitched in annoyance. “The king will speak with your high priestess and the archdruid.”
“Feel free.”
The worgen as a whole growled. They sounded more frustrated than angry, however. This argument had evidently taken place once before.
“You say things change,” the leader rasped. “What?”
“My brother here was nearly killed by a trap set for the Highborne.” Maiev did not explain the Highborne to the worgen, confirming what she had said earlier about their being aware of the spellcasters’ existence. “He was chasing a worgen at the time.”
The male did not look at Jarod. “Proof?”
“We found fur caught in the bark of the tree where my brother was lying.”
This garnered a derisive laugh from the entire pack. “Many animals in the forest.” He displayed his claws. “The hunting is good.”
“So long as you are only hunting deer and the like, not certain other prey,” countered Maiev.
The leader turned to Jarod again. The long muzzle came within an inch of the night elf’s nose. Jarod could smell the carnivore’s thick breath, but did not show any distaste for the odor.
“Tell me,” the worgen demanded. “You saw this one of ours?”
“No . . . I was in too much pain.”
“Hmmph. You would be feeling no pain at all anymore if he had attacked you as you claim.”
Jarod met the gaze steadily. “I never said he attacked me. He pulled me free of the trap. I do not know how, but he did. He was even sorry that I got caught in it.”
The ears of his questioner twitched in thought. The worgen leader remained in front of Jarod, but glanced at Maiev. “A different story from what you hinted. So a worgen on the hunt happens nearby. Out of respect to the high priestess and archdruid, he retreats when discovering night elves so close. When a fool follows, he even rescues the fool, and for that we’re judged monsters. . . .”
There were accompanying growls from the others. Jarod tensed, expecting to have to try to fight his way free even despite the impossible odds.
“We are only investigating every possible situation,” Maiev countered. “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, right?”
The worgen leader bared his teeth again. “You wish to question us, you come to us. It’s dangerous to sneak about here. Worse things than traps for magi. Younger worgen can get caught up in the hunt; they might leap before they realize that it’s not a deer.” His ears straightened. “By then . . . it could be too late.”
He made a dismissive gesture with one clawed hand. The other worgen moved back from the night elves. Jarod kept a wary eye on the worgen until they had moved a sufficient distance from the night elves, then joined Maiev and Neva.
The leader of the worgen party snarled. As one, the lupine creatures slipped back among the trees, moving as silently as any skilled night elf.
Jarod exhaled. “That was too close.”
“We were never in any real danger,” his sister countered confidently. “For all their bluster, they are just a bunch of humans.”
He grew angry. “Humans with claws and very sharp teeth—and you knew that they would come for us!”
“Easier than following after them. Think of it as a test. I wanted to see their reaction when I mentioned what happened to you. I saw enough. They know something. More than they realize.”