Chapter 34

Louisafollowed Killik down the corridor in stark, stinging silence. Her steps short and jerky, her clammy hands clasped together, her eyes held to Killik's rigid back before her.

Hewas taking her home. He was going to be punished. He'd hidden something truly vile from her. Ulfarr was a monster. Ulfarr had attacked Maria, and kidnapped her. He'd defended orcs who'd done horrible things.

Itwas unconscionable, utterly unimaginable, and Louisa's stuttering thoughts still couldn't seem to grasp at it. It didn't make sense, it didn't, Ulfarr had a son, he was a teacher, he'd made that pack — but wasn't that what they always said? Wasn't that what she'd always heard about LordScall, too? Such an upstanding, well-respected man, there must be some mistake…

Butthe longer they walked, the longer Louisa stared at Killik's stiff back, the louder the questions started jostling. She'd witnessed LordScall's cruelty firsthand. She'd caught hints of it very early, even if she hadn't known what it had meant at the time. AndScall's friends and lackeys had always either ignored or justified his behaviour, they certainly hadn't agreed to be hauled up and judged over it, without so much as a protest. Had they?

Andmaybe — maybe that was what was catching Louisa the most on this. Killik always protested. Killik always fought and shouted and raged, especially when it came to his precious wolf. So for him to just stand there, and accept those accusations, accept this defeat, it was…

You never ask the right questions, or allow the truth of the answers…

Butwait. Wait, that was the mountain's exit up ahead — and was Killik truly taking her home, already? Now?

Louisa'ssteps stuttered, her head shaking — and it was enough that Killik glanced back at her, with those dark, empty eyes. Eyes that again spoke of such defeat, and such… grief.

You never ask the right questions…

"CouldI — could I go see Ulfarr first?" her choked voice asked. "Please?"

Killik'sexpression didn't change, but his shoulder shrugged, and without a word, he turned sideways, into another corridor. One that tilted back upwards again, maybe toward the Skai wing.

Andyes, it soon proved to be the Skai wing, the corridors growing narrower and twistier, the orcs all nodding at Killik as they passed. Though some of them looked troubled, too, and a few looked almost afraid.

"Here," Killik said, with a curt wave of his hand toward a nearby door, cut into the corridor's stone. And when Louisa nodded and ventured through, the room was silent and dark, the light so dim that it took far too long to see him. Or rather, to see them. Ulfarr and Sune, sitting together on the floor against the large bed. Ulfarr with his knees pulled up, his head bowed over them, while Sune's injured leg was stretched out on the fur rug, his crutches lying haphazardly on the floor beside him.

Louisafroze in place, and she could feel Killik stilling, too — but then he drew in a deep, shaky breath, grounding himself into the earth. "Ach, what is this?" he said, with passable lightness. "Sune, you ought to be yet in the sickroom, should you not?"

Sune'shead snapped up, his eyes narrowing toward Killik, and in a surprisingly fluid movement, he snatched for his crutches, and leapt up onto his one good leg. While one of his hands began furiously signing at Killik, again moving far too fast for Louisa to understand, but Killik was again grounding himself into the floor, and even attempting a not-quite-genuine smile.

"Ach, I could not be a slug," he told Sune, raising his brows. "They are far too slow, you ken. Mayhap a centipede, if you must. Or better yet, a serpent."

Suneanswered this with an aggrieved roll of his eyes at Killik, and then shoved his way past him, hopping on his crutches toward the door. But then he halted and spun back toward them, signing something else. But as he did it, he wasn't looking at Killik, or even Ulfarr, but at — Louisa?

Butyes, he was looking at her, and his hand was repeating the signs, again and again. You —— this. You —— this.

Louisablinked at him, and shot a searching look at Killik — who sighed, and shook his head. "He says he wishes you to fix this," he said, under his breath, before shifting his gaze back to Sune again. "But you ken is not so easy to fix, ach? And after this, this woman shall not —"

Sunecut Killik off with a flailing wave of his hand, and then he again made those signs — that plea — toward Louisa. You fix this. You fix Wolf.

Louisaswallowed, but before she could reply, Sune again spun around, and hopped off into the darkness. Leaving her staring after him, her stomach twisting, while Killik groaned, and rubbed both hands at his face. And when Louisa glanced toward him, she found he'd streaked blood all down his cheek, and wait, that wasn't just blood, was it? Was he — was he weeping?

Heangrily dashed a hand at his eye, turning his face away, but Louisa had seen it, she had. And what was happening, what was this, why did Sune think she could fix it, what the hell was she supposed to do next…

Hereyes darted back toward Ulfarr on the floor, his big body curled up like that, gone strangely small and quiet. Gone so… wrong. And as Louisa gazed down toward him, her thoughts jolted back to the night before — had it only been the night before? — at the camp, when he'd been so commanding, so easy, so confident. So unlike this empty, silent shell on the floor, lost in grief and defeat.

You fix this. You never ask the right questions. Prove this. Shall you stand tall with the shamed Wolf of the Skai…

Andthen, from longer ago, Ulfarr himself gripping her hand in her bedroom, pleading at her with wide, miserable eyes. I had no intent, cannot bear to bring more shame, more harm, more blood and wrath and death…

Andfinally Louisa… moved. Stepped on shaky legs toward him, toward the wolf, the kidnapper, the monster…

Andthen she sank to her knees beside him, and carefully reached to take his hand in hers.

"Sweetheart," she whispered, into the wavering silence. "If you'd like to talk, I'd be honoured to listen."