CHAPTER 8

Lola looked at Russel with alarm. The news had spread that quickly? She wondered how the people of Howlton found out. Whatever the case was, the town was buzzing with gossip, idle speculation, and what might happen in the near future. Everyone was so loud, it was beginning to hurt her ears and give her a slight headache. She did her best to ignore that though and actively forced her mind away from the powerful emotions the conversations she did hear stirred up. “Are you okay?” Russel asked. He saw the uncomfortableness and emotional pain on her face. “We can leave. Go somewhere else.” “No,” she said. “I’ll be fine. We need to eat some real food. I’ll tune it out.” “Are you sure?” he asked, real concern in his eyes. He might not have known her long but despite that, he had grown fond of her very quickly. Seeing her hurting and in so much pain made him feel an overwhelming, and completely irrational, need to protect her sweep through him. “Let’s just find a table,” she said, pushing her way through people to an empty table in a dark corner of the tavern. After they sat down, she gave him a tired smile. “Maybe after I get some real food, I’ll feel a little better.” Russel leaned back in his chair a bit, spotted a server, and gestured her over. She looked red-faced and exhausted, which meant the tavern probably didn’t see this much business at one time. She came over and wiped her arm across her sweaty forehead. “G’day to ya travelers,” she said. “Welcome, welcome. I apologize for the rowdiness. What’ll it be?” “Two ales and whatever food you happen to be serving,” Russel told her, setting two silver coins on the table. “That’ll be a roast, some boiled potatoes, and bread. Will that do for ya?” she asked. To Lola, the food sounded heavenly. She could already feel her mouth start to water. The trek to Howlton, combined with the intensive training from Russel, had made her extremely hungry. The little bit of food she did manage to get had been completely inadequate. Once the server left to get their drinks and food, they spent the next few minutes in silence. Both of them wanted to eavesdrop on the conversations around them and try to pick up as much information as possible. The news, from what they heard, wasn’t exactly great. Most of it was probably rumor but a grim-faced woman in a ranger’s cloak and gear was talking in hushed tones to a local. Before Russel could focus on the ranger’s conversation, the server dropped by with their ales and grabbed the silver coins on the table before heading back over to the bar. Once she was gone, he focused his heightened hearing on her and was able to pick up her words. “...was sent on a mission to scout the area around Gloucester,” the ranger said. Russel had judged her information as the most likely bit to be true considering she worked for the king’s military. “We found the whole place burned to the ground, not a soul alive.” “What did it ya figure?” the local she was gossiping with asked. “Near as we could tell, werewolves. The burned bodies we did find all had slash marks on ‘em,” she replied. She grabbed her stein of ale and took a long pull from it. She set it back down and wiped froth off her lips. “My superior sent me here to gather information. Figured the closest town might have some interesting things to say. What about you, sir? Have you seen or heard any werewolves in the area?” “What are they saying?” Lola asked. Russel held up a finger to her, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Nothing like that, as far as I or my family have seen,” the man said. The two continued their conversation a bit longer until the ranger decided the person didn’t have anything to contribute and then moved on to the next local. Russel quit paying attention after a while when it became clear no one in Howlton had seen or heard of any werewolves. “The ranger is asking for information on werewolves but hasn’t been having much luck,” Russel whispered. He turned toward her and did his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. If the ranger got wind of him being a werewolf, they would be in some serious trouble. “Act like you belong here. Don’t draw attention to yourself. We need that ranger to go about their business and leave us alone.” “Shouldn’t be too hard,” she said. “She’s a stranger here too. She won’t know we aren’t from around here.” “Lola?” a voice asked. Her heart dropped at the sound of her name being called and a wash of fear went through her. She didn’t think anyone from Howlton would have remembered her. She hadn’t been to the town in over six years. Or was it someone from Gloucester? Did they manage to get out before the destruction and slaughter? Russel was hunching in on himself a bit, forcing himself to remain still even though he wanted to look at whoever had just said Lola’s name. She turned toward the sound and found a tall and long-limbed boy two or three years older than her staring with evident shock on his face. When she looked fully at him, there was relief in his eyes. His name was Brenner, she remembered. The son of the town’s breadmaker. “Thank all the gods in hea…,” he started to say but a harsh look from Lola shut him up real quick. She gestured for him to come over, keeping a finger up to her mouth to keep him quiet while he did. He sat down in an empty seat next to her, confusion on his face. “I thought…” He paused a second, as if trying to find the right words. “I thought the worst when I heard what happened.” “I need you to be quiet, Bren,” Lola whispered, her voice harsh. Insistent. He looked at her, the confusion deepening. “Why? What happened?” Brenner’s voice was getting agitated. Russel reached out and laid a hand firmly on the boy’s forearm. Brenner looked at the strange man. “Lola is in a lot of danger,” he said. It was clear the boy liked her, maybe even cared deeply for her. He used that insight now to manipulate him. “No one can know she is here, you understand? If news spreads that someone survived, the wolves that destroyed Gloucester will come for her.” “Who are you?” Brenner asked. He looked at Lola. “Is that true? Are they trying to kill you?” She didn’t say anything. Instead, she simply nodded her head. Several emotions warred for space inside her. “And you are what, protecting her? Out of the kindness of your heart?” Brenner looked at Russel, not bothering to hide his skepticism. Russel was about to respond but the server brought their food. She placed two plates full of steaming piles of meat and potatoes, then placed a loaf of bread between them on a cutting board. “Oh, hi there, Brenner,” she said cheerily. “Will ya be wanting ale and food too?” “No thanks, Mary,” he replied. “I’m fine.” “Ya sure?” Mary asked. “Yep. Right as rain,” he told her. She smiled at him and then made her way back to the bar. Once she was gone, Brenner looked at Russel. “Who exactly are you, mate?” “He’s a friend,” Lola said, her voice harsh. “That’s all you need to know. It’s safer for me that way and safer for you too.” He didn’t like that answer but didn’t object again. “Fine. I’ll trust you know what you're talking about,” he said. “Where are you headed after here? Up north?” “Eastward,” Russel answered before Lola could say anything. “Toward the Venkoff River. We’re going to hire a boatman to take us toward Harrington. Not sure after that.” “The Venkoff is three days travel on horseback. You have supplies?” Both of them shook their heads no. “Then let me help. I can get some things together for you,” he said. “We can pay,” Russel told him. “If it’s for Lola, then don’t worry. Just make sure whoever is after her doesn’t succeed. That’ll be payment enough.” Lola grabbed his hand. “Thank you, Bren,” she said. He nodded quietly, his eyes pensive. They spent the next few minutes talking quietly to themselves as Lola and Russel finished eating. Brenner had a lot of questions about what happened but they gave him only the basics. When asked how she managed to survive, Lola simply told him she ran away. They didn’t mention Russel being a werewolf for obvious reasons and just said she ran into him later and he had agreed to help her. That was it. Brenner didn’t seem all that satisfied with their answers but he didn’t argue the point either. As far as he was concerned, Lola was alive. That was good enough for him. “Just answer me one thing,” he said, looking back and forth at both. “Will they come here? These werewolves? Is Howlton next?” “No,” Lola told him. “I think you’ll be fine. The response from King Harrison was swift. I don’t think they’ll try anything now. It’s too risky.” She decided to leave out the part about her being the werewolves' primary target. If anything they would be coming after her. Well, they would be if Russel wasn’t protecting her. If she had to guess, she figured Drake and his band of killers were heading back to Harvenk. “You’re sure?” he asked. “They’ll be hiding or running back to whatever hole they crawled out of,” Russel said, his voice firm. “They won’t want to pick a fight with armed soldiers.” Brenner finally seemed satisfied with that and let them finish their meals and ale. When the last scraps of food and the last swigs of ale were gone, they got up and followed Brenner through town. He stopped at a few different vendors and picked up some things. Some cheeses. Some meats like salami and sausages. A bag of grains. Two skins of water. And a few other things they might need like new boots for Lola since hers were pretty much worn down to nothing. Russel didn’t balk at any of the pricing and paid for everything. The last stall they got to was the bread stall Brenner’s father kept stocked. He grabbed a few loaves and stuffed them all into a sack together. When they had everything they needed, he handed it to Russel. “Take care of her,” he said. “I plan to,” he replied. Lola gave him a hug and a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she told him. Then the two walked away, heading toward the spot they left Serk tied. As soon as they got to the horse, Russel tied the sack of supplies to his saddle. Then they headed out of Howlton, quickly putting the town behind them. Lola couldn’t help but feel deep sadness hit her as she did. Leaving the place behind felt like leaving everything she’d ever known behind. Then she remembered the horrors of what happened and the sadness burned away. Rage was the only thing left behind.