The Adventures of Iron Wolves: Book 1 - Alpha

“I hope Stykes isn’t having too much trouble,” Anima said softly to Rue, well aware that Kopra would be attempting to break down the wall by now. “If I can get aid from Roma…”

Rue shook his head. “Roma has an obligation to aid Lunarias,” He could see Anima stiffen. “But he’s not an ally for the Iron Wolves.”

“I know that,” Anima replied exasperated. “But I have to try, don’t I?”

“How do you know they’re still alive?” Rue asked maliciously. Jealously reared up inside his heart and latched it’s claws into him. “It’s been a week since you left Lunarias. You had to go the long way around. There’s a chance that they’re all dead.”

“Do you hate the Iron Wolves?” Anima asked focusing on entering Caecus City gates. “Aside from your strange hatred towards Stykes, why else are you so against the Iron Wolves?”

Rue refused to say more and decided to busy himself instead with the stable hand who met them at the entrance to the palace.

Stykes sat listening to his court. He lowered his head and pressed his fingertips hard against his forehead. Feeling a migraine forming, he released a loud sigh. He wanted this over.

Relo looked up from her papers. She glanced at Tilde uncertainly. Tilde shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘Just continue.’ Relo blinked and continued the report she had received from Kuros and Lina.

Stykes watched Nemia distractedly. He wished for his own Oracle ability to be more in his control like hers. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair. The image of Anima crumpled on the floor stood out clear in his mind. He could sense someone close to his left side. He opened one eye to see Nemia crouching next to his chair. She touched his shoulder, not knowing he was already looking at her, and quietly indicated she needed to talk to him.

“What is it?” he asked in whispered tones. He brought his head down close to hers. “Another report?” His tone told her he was sick to death of reports.

“A vision,” she replied whispering in his ear. “Anima’s in danger. If you leave now, you’ll meet one of the Griffin Guards by the time you reach the border.”

“What did you see?” His tone worried now and his attention fully on her. “Tell me.”

“Roma will violate, imprison and abuse Anima if you aren’t there in time to save her.” Nemia replied bluntly knowing there was no way to sugar-coat those words. She leaned back expectantly. Stykes jumped up out of his chair, his eyes wide in shock and fear. “I’ll handle here. Go!”

Stykes gave her a nod, knowing she couldn’t see him do so, and left the room at a run leaving his court both bewildered and at Nemia’s mercy.

Rue clenched his fist for the third time feeling helpless. The scene unfolding before him was something out of his nightmares. Roma’s guards surround the hall easily outnumbering Rue and Anima’s other guards three to one.

Roma’s guards, from what Rue could tell, were all upper-class Paladins. He was the only one of Anima’s guards that could fight at their level. He also knew that within the crossfire, Anima could be hurt… Or worse, killed. He raised two fingers telling the guards with him to be ready but not to attack.

Anima and King Roma stood on the dais, Roma’s fingers holding her chin up and close to his face. His eyes looking at her in such a way that would start wars if her Father knew. Rue looked down and noticed Anima’s hand moving close to her side.

Get word to Stykes. Quickly. He read as she went through the various signs she had created for her guards. This is going to get ugly very soon. No sooner had she signed, Roma hooked his leg under hers and sent her flying to the ground. Her back landed on the carpeted dais with an audible thump.

Rue leaned over to one of the guards and whispered. “Fly! Don’t worry if Stykes finds out your secret. He knows what we are already. Fly and tell him what is happening here.” He sent the guard at a run. No reason to let Roma know their secret too. Roma’s guards, either not noticing or not caring, didn’t move to stop him.

“I’m very certain that your father will grant me the privilege of marrying a beauty like you if he knew I have taken your prize already,” Roma whispered softly, his voice deep like that of a man to his lover.

He moved his legs between hers, forcing them apart and his right hand onto her breast, cupping and caressing it. His left hand held her wrists tightly together over her head. He pressed his lips roughly to hers, pressing down hard to show he had complete dominance and there was nothing she could do.

Rue’s ears pricked up hearing a faint whoosh he always associated with an arrow flying through the air. Something too thick to be an arrow flew upwards outside, then descending down into the window and landing into the dais next to where Roma’s hands pinned Anima’s wrists.

Screams filled the palace. These weren’t the screams of females, but of males. “The God of Death has come to your palace,” Rue said softly to Roma, who looked confused. “If you value your life, you’ll release Anima now before he gets here.” Rue hated Stykes but he admired the fact that when Stykes set out to do something, he always did it well no matter who or what his enemy was. Roma ignoring Rue, looked at one of his guards and indicated with his chin towards the thing on the ground near his hand. The guard came forward and picked it up.

“It’s an arrow with a black scroll wrapped around it, Milord.” The guard said looking closely at the object.

Rue smiled and felt the guards relax a little behind him. They knew a black scroll was Stykes’ trademark when he was prepared to kill someone without regret. A warning, in which, there was no longer any forgiveness he could spare for the recipient.

“I know that you asshole,” Roma snapped at the guard before looking down at Anima’s now very pale face. “I want to know what it says.” Anima’s face confirmed to Roma who the scroll was from and that should be running fast and far.

“Roma, King of Baddis,” The guard read formally. “I submit you to the wrath of the Iron Wolves. Depending on my mood when I reach you, you will either die or sign the red scroll of subordination. Run while you can because there is no where on earth that can hide you. Stykes.”

Roma paled still looking at Anima. He was one of the few nobles who knew Stykes’ true identity from the legends passed through the Lunarian Royal Line. A King from another realm that possessed three magical items, one of which was a red scroll able to bind the will of those who signed it in blood to the King.

He had only seen the long katana which gave him an educated guess. But now, with the mention of the Red Scroll, it was confirmed in Roma’s mind. Stykes truly was a King from another world.

“Why is Stykes coming here?” Anima’s eyes widened, more with fear at the prospect of Stykes seeing her in this predicament than fear of Roma himself. “Who are you?”

Rue smiled and answered for her when Anima was unable to find her voice to answer him. “Anima is the daughter of Neflyte, King of Lunarias. She is also Co-leader of the Iron Wolves.” Roma stared at him, a mixture of fear and insanity. “It would be in your best interests to release her.”

“I think not,” Roma replied with an insane smile and looked back to Anima. “If I’m going to die, I might as well die happy.”

His hands reached down and pulled her skirt up until it was wedged between their stomachs. His fingers unlaced his pants to pull them down quickly. Rue’s teeth clenched angrily and started forwards. Anima’s other guards shook their heads and indicated to Anima’s fingers flickering. She was counting each second that passed.

Anima didn’t struggle or scream in fear at what Roma threatened to do. She continued to count softly in her head. She had been counting since the appearance of the black scroll. Eight, Nine, Ten… She felt the part of Roma she didn’t want out against the inside of her thigh. She kept her count steady, even as a blade sliced over her hip to cut one side of her lace underwear. Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty. The door burst open and Stykes with a horde of Assassins stepped in looking bloody but victorious. Stykes…

“Roma,” Stykes said with a snarl and a flick of his head. Every guard in the hall fell to the ground. An Assassin standing now where Roma’s guards previously stood. Rue and the rest of Anima’s guards where on Roma in a snap pulling him up and away from her.

Stykes walked towards Roma, the air crackling around him. He glanced at Anima, who now was sitting up and assessing herself, then back at Roma with increased fury. “You’ve crossed the boundaries of civility and law between Baddis and the Iron Wolves. You have also betrayed your treaty with Lunarias. Give me reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Anima stood and brushed her dress off quietly then moved to Stykes to place a hand on his shoulder. “I will take care of the Lunarias side of things,” She came close to Roma and stretched her hand out palm up to Rue.

“But Milady,” He protested looking into her eyes. He chose his words to be formal in front of Stykes. He saw no reason to show this ‘other worlder’ how close his friendship to Anima was. “That’s the law of Lunarias, not of Baddis.” Realizing she wasn’t going to back down, he handed her a dagger with the royal crest of Lunarias.

“Even so,” she said taking a hold of Roma’s penis and giving it a hard yank causing him pain. “He tried to stick this thing in me without my permission. That violates the treaty between Baddis and Lunarias. I hold my right as part of that treaty to enforce any Lunarian laws that I deem necessary.” Without another word, she raised the dagger and brought it down hard as close to his groin as she could manage. Roma screamed in fear with the dagger’s descent, then in pain as his penis came cleanly away from his body. Every man in the room cringed in pain and pity at Roma.

Stykes was unfazed by this act. He had seen her do this once before to a member of his court who got closer to her than Roma had. He sighed and held out small black velvet pouch, he had taken from his pocket, open for her.

“Do you want it packed on ice?” he asked Roma, his voice level and unamused. He watched Anima drop the penis into the pouch and pull the drawstrings tight. “Or just as it is. I doubt your Priests and Mages can put it back on.”

Rue watched amazed at Stykes and Anima’s very cold demeanours. I got to remember to not get on Anima’s bad side. Feeling the weight in his arms, he released Roma. The other guards followed suit letting Roma sit down hard onto the ground.

“What now Milady? Stykes?” he asked looking at the pitiful sight that was now Roma. “He’s not much of a threat now that I look at him.”

Roma’s stocky frame looked small from Rue’s angle. Blood was splattered over his legs. It stained his skin, pants and the carpet under him. His eyes were now glazed over. Rue suspected that was due to the immense pain in his groin

“He can’t do really anything anymore except either kill himself or prove to us he’s a better ruler by looking after his country,” Anima said with a touch of distaste. “If it were up to me,” She looked at Stykes to let him know this was her piece of advice to him. “I’d get him to sign the red scroll then leave it at that. As much as this bastard would be good dead, I don’t want Prince Oslo to increase his land by taking Baddis while it has no ruler.”

It wasn’t the first time since meeting her that Stykes wondered how much Anima knew about him. He knew the legends that were passed through her family. He also knew Anima wasn’t dense, being able to practice Alchemy proved that. She knew he possessed all three items from the legends. So in theory, she should have worked out he was at least royalty of some kind.

Stykes nodded taking in her advice like a sponge. “I actually thought of extending our territory to encompass Baddis but that might start Prince Oslo to create more rumours.” He looked at Anima with a smile. “But with a subordinate that will obey my word can work much better on so many levels.” Stykes drew out a red scroll from one of the pockets on the underside of his jacket. He unrolled it and read to Roma the writing upon the page.

“Under the rule of Stykes de Oruannis, you are to abide the laws of the Iron Wolves.” Stykes glanced at Anima before continuing. “You are…” Stykes swallowed hard.

“I’ll leave,” Anima said noticing his hardship. “There are things, it seems, that you can’t tell me yet.” She signalled Rue and the rest of her guards to follow her. Stykes watched her go, sensing a strong hurt feeling coming from her.

“I’ll come out to you soon,” he said, his voice wavering a little. Anima paused and nodded, not looking back at him. He watched the door close before turning back to Roma.

Anima fumed outside, her anger fuelling more anger. “He still has as many secrets as he did when I first met him.” Rue stayed a good distance from her, his eyes on the crested dagger she still held.

“His secrets could cause you pain,” Rue replied trying to be helpful. “He doesn’t want to see you hurt because of him.” He relaxed a little after Anima’s angry aura began to lessen. “It’s also possible he wants to forget those secrets as well.”

The door opened and Stykes strode out, the scroll still in his hands. Anima’s eyes searched his. He could tell she was still very hurt and angry. He twitched his now pointed ears before raising an eyebrow at her questioningly.

Anima gave no sign that she noticed the change in his ears. “You’re done now?” she asked bluntly. She flicked her eyes to look behind him, mentally taking note of his ears.

Stykes sighed and followed her line of sight to Roma. “I didn’t kill non-combatants so Roma’s Priests are still safe in the Infirmary. Let’s deposit Roma there and go home.”

“I need to go back to Lunarias before I come home,” She said with her own sigh and touched her quite rumpled gown. “My clothes are in my room there. Also I don’t want the majority of the guild knowing who I really am.”

“I’ll escort you then,” Stykes replied in agreement. He rolled the red scroll up and tucked it back into the pocket it originally was held in.

The ride back to Lunarias was a week of nothing but silence. Stykes could feel Anima was thoroughly angry with him and made no attempt to even lighten the mood. Rue, on the other hand, registered as blissfully happy in his senses. He wondered, rather viciously, what had happened to make his mood the exact opposite of Anima’s.

The group rode into the courtyard of the Lunarian palace and directed their horses towards the stables where a young stable hand took their mounts to their respective stalls. A small smile played on Anima’s lips when she realised Rainspinner had sat down in her usual defiant statement of tiredness as soon as she reached her stall. Anima spun, catching Stykes watching her. Giving him the most convincing impression of a stuck-up noble lady, she flicked her head and walked purposefully up the long staircase and into the palace.

Stykes sighed and made his way up the stairs slowly, feeling Rue’s eyes on his back. He had not of gone up more than four steps before Kyte, the Head Lunarian Healer, approached him.

“His Majesty wishes to have a word with you,” She gave him a formal bow with her hand held firmly across her chest. The gesture told him she knew his secret. “If you will follow me… Master Stykes.”

Stykes sat in the throne room with Neflyte and Crystal, his fingers tapping on the arm of the smaller throne that he sat in. “In all honestly, I have no idea what sparked his sudden insanity. Anima was in serious trouble as well but she was,” He scratched his head searching for a word to describe it.

“Indifferent?” Neflyte offered trying to be helpful. “Ever since her grandparents were killed by your assassins she’s always been like that. She doesn’t deny that they didn’t deserve it but they were always kind to her. To her, progress is progress no matter what form it takes. I have something to offer you that might save your life one day.”

“And that is?” Stykes asked, not believing that someone could kill him. “Unless the person to kill me is Anima, there’s no…” Seeing Neflyte’s expression, he paused thoughtfully. “She hasn’t forgiven me for killing them.” Neflyte nodded in confirmation. “So what are you offering me?”

“Marriage,” he said unceremoniously shocking Stykes.

“If you use the bindings of marriage you’ll be able to sense when she’s near. You’ll both be very open books to each other.”

He sighed and looked up at a painting near them. It depicted a young man with two children. Both the young man and the child on the left both had auburn hair with deep blue eye. The child on the right looked different to them in both gender and appearance.

Stykes felt an odd sensation from the painting. Like something was not quite right but he couldn’t work out what. He guessed the young man was Neflyte. Glancing to the child on the right, he smiled knowingly at the blue hair, he could tell was Anima. But he had no idea who the other child was.

“That’s my eldest son,” Neflyte told him with a sigh. “Seryian doesn’t want the throne and told me to name Anima as my heir. He’s travelling at the moment.” He looked at Stykes with sad eyes. “Normally I wouldn’t do anything related to Anima without conferring with him first. He and Anima use to be incredibly close.”

He looked back to Stykes. His blue eyes watching a confused expression creep over Stykes’ face. Neflyte’s eyes softened and his smile faded away a little. Stykes could see he was sad at the memories now with him.

“Anima’s mother had the most beautiful blue hair. Anima was the only one to inherit that trait from her.” Stykes felt there was something else hidden in those words but decided not to pursue the matter. “But she was killed by Sukonians in front of Anima when she was five. Thankfully Anima doesn’t remember the ordeal.”

Crystal leaned over and whispered in Neflyte’s ear before giving Stykes a smile that sent chills down his spine. Neflyte nodded and drew out a necklace with two silver rings threaded on it. Stykes recognized them as wedding rings, his mind stirred towards another memory. He pushed it out of his mind, not in the mood to take the prospective trip down memory lane. Crystal took them and undid the clasp to place the necklace around Stykes’ neck.

“Keep that with you in case I’m no longer here when you decide to marry her.” Neflyte’s voice hinting at something he knew.

“But if I were to marry her for that purpose in mind then she’d find out as soon as the bindings settle,” Stykes said softly not noticing Anima step into the hall dressed in the clothes she normally wore at the Iron Wolves Headquarters. “But…”

Neflyte smiled towards Anima as she approached, which doubled as a warning to Stykes, and added quietly. “You telling me you don’t love her enough to marry her? Even though you go flying to her side every time she’s in trouble?” His voice hinted at Stykes’ secret. That gave Stykes a lot to think about.

Anima stepped up and stood between the thrones. Her eyes betraying nothing of what she was feeling deep inside. He rescued me again. She looked at Stykes in the eyes as if to read his thoughts. What am I really to him? One minute I’m his ally, the next he appears to be in love with me, and then he disappears only to reappear and be a totally different person again.

Stykes met her stare with a stare of his own. She’s trying to analyse me… Again.

He smiled and said without losing his nerve. “You know, Anima, if you marry me you won’t have to play this little game with me.” Anima stared at him shocked at what he said. Stykes smiled and continued keeping her off balance. “I was shocked too when your Father offered me marriage to you but now that I think about it,” He paused pretending to give it more thought. “It would be good for both of us in the long run. You’ll know my secret without me telling you, and I’ll know why you’re so damn indifferent to everything.”

Anima’s eyes narrowed at Stykes. She knew her father would have eventually offered the marriage card to Stykes but she didn’t expect it to be so soon. She glanced at Crystal, whose eyes were clear but unreadable.

Looking back to Stykes, she said softly. “So an advantageous marriage rather than out of love…” He could hear, for the first time, a hurt tone in her voice. “And when you know my secrets, will I have you keep an eye out for your assassins? I know what happened to your last wife,”

That shocked Stykes more than the offer of marriage from Neflyte. “She lasted, what was it, a total of four months before she died from a dagger in her back. She was the daughter of the Mayor of Apricus in the Kingdom of Kenkay.”

“How did you find out?” Stykes asked shaking slightly. The memories of the day she died flooded into his head, drowning out his thoughts. “I thought no one who knew about it would say anything.”

Anima narrowed her eyes at him as if to will his statement into a fuller sentence. Stykes remained silent, his shaking becoming more pronounced.

“Being a Princess for Lunarias gave me lots of travel experience before I joined the Iron Wolves. Kenkay are our allies and I went there to negotiate a trade deal with Senale,” She paused and smiled knowing now Stykes was off balance. It made her feel a bit better about him leaving her in the dark earlier.

“I happened to travel through Apricus during the time they were mourning Siel’s death. The Mayor told me how she met a man in the Iron Wolves Guild who was the love of her life and the cause of her death. It didn’t take me long to find out it was you.”

Stykes got up off the throne and took a hold of her shoulders. His eyes, looking tearful, pleaded for her to stop talking about Siel. “She died from a Sukonian Assassin. They breached the walls and made it into the Headquarters,” His voice shook and the voice in his head babbled at him as he tried to grasp at his usual calm demeanour. He could tell Anima didn’t believe him. “I…” He released her, his hands still shaking.

“You’re good at acting,” She said softly. “But…” She looked at him carefully. “I want you to go through the Lunarian Knight Challenge before I even consider marrying you.” Neflyte gave a small gasp then nodded in approval. “You need to do three very gruelling tasks. These tasks are usually undertaken voluntarily by Knights of our Kingdom to be enrolled into the Royal Griffin Guards, just like Rue.”

“Then I’ll do the tasks,” Stykes said telling his head to shut up. “What will you have me do?”

Noticing Anima’s smiles, he shivered knowing she was going to make the tasks at a difficulty level that she knew would be difficult for him, not for a regular knight.

“Deep within the Cullatish Mountain,” she began with a smile. “There is a Guild of Dark Dwarves call the Runes. They mine a stone that glows like an electric light. Within that guild is an Elf who was captured by the Dwarves for her ability to cave those stones into beautiful statuettes. She goes by the name of Mariel. I want you to rescue her and bring her back here.” She folded her arms and looked at him with a smile. “You can’t ask for help or that’ll defeat the purpose of the test.”

Stykes thought about it. An elf would be beneficial to the guild if he could persuade her to join. He looked at Anima carefully. She wouldn’t be asking me to do this as my first task if she didn’t know about the elf. He looked at her before nodding and striding out of the hall leaving Anima, her Father and Crystal. There’s something else about this elf that she isn’t telling me.

Neflyte watched Stykes leave and turned to Anima. “You asked him to rescue Mariel as his first task? You don’t know if she’s still alive.” He watched her finger a silver bracelet around her right wrist. The three gems within the bracelet were dark but still whole. “Are you going to ask him to rescue the other two?”

Anima nodded. “It was my fault they got into trouble while they were protecting me. I don’t have the power to rescue them but Stykes does. If I can utilize his power to their benefit, then I will.”