The Silencing of Esteria

Chapter 16

After Ir Shan and a few of the other men had dug up the body of the direwolf and, along with the head from the tavern, taken it to the nearest mountain peak and thrown it down the other side, word of why had soon got out. Now everyone sat in the tavern in pointed silence.

Next to Duglan in the centre table, to most people's surprise, sat Shudlow, trying to look sombre while in absolute delight over the full tankard his hands and the two empty ones on the table.

"So," Duglan said, standing up, "As you've probably heard by now it appears that the direwolf was not, in fact, a wandering loner, it was probably a stray youngling."

Dead silence.

"And, according to old Shudlow here, that means that there is probably a pack out there, looking for it."

"How do we know Shudlow is right though?" a man from the other side of the room asked, "What does he know about direwolves?"

Shudlow turned towards the man and answered, "I have faced them before, a village far to the south of here was being attacked by them."

"How did you get rid of them?" another voice asked.

"I didn't," Shudlow replied, matter-of-factly, "I ran as soon as I saw one. But saw one I did, looked right into its eyes of fire and hatred."

"So," Duglan said, "The question becomes, what do we do about them if they come? We can't run, the mountain passes are filled with snow and if they are nearby, walking through the forest would just us be walking into them."

"We killed one, just Herdrew Ir killed it, if all of us got together we might be able to fend off a pack."

Duglan shook his head, "That was just a small one, if we had to face many larger ones we would be overwhelmed almost instantly."

"And that's not the only thing," Shudlow put in, "Direwolves ain't no wild beast, they're crafty, they think like we do, sometimes better. They don't just hunt you, they trap you. A direwolf knows you. It was born in the underworld, forged from human sins and sent back out to drag you to damnation."

"That can't be true!" a voice replied.

"I heard they were made by mad sorcerers in experiments," another added.

"No, they are just like other wolves, they are just bigger born like any other."

"I heard that if a wolf is born under a blood-moon it becomes a direwolf."

"Herdru Ir definitely saw one, what does he think?"

Herdru just shrugged and they continued debating.

"Enough!" Duglan Ir shouted and the room came to a begrudging quiet, "It doesn't matter where they came from, we need to come up with a plan for when they get here."

"Or if," someone said, optimistically.

"We should reinstate the watch."

"Throughout the winter? Who will take night watch in this weather, they'll die of cold as sure as if a direwolf ate them."

"We could set fires out each night, that would warm the watch and deter any animals."

"What about getting some magic from Ir Veiga, I'm sure the spirits will help us."

"How much silver do we have, Ir Kenkarten, could we make some silver arrows?"

Rin shook his head, "I'd probably be able to make a few, but if there were more than half a dozen in the pack I couldn't make enough to kill them all. Three long spears would serve us better than twenty arrows."

The room turned into twenty debates going on at once.

"Please, everyone, we need to discuss this together," Duglan Ir tried, but everyone kept going.

"I have a suggestion."

Toland turned to see Katrina standing up next to him. She had not spoken loudly, but he had heard it over the clamoring easily, and as the room stilled, he realized everyone else had too.

"We fortify the village. We have a forest of old trees that give strong wood. You make tables out of it but in the towns to the south this would be requisitioned by the Ashunilir for the building of walls and towers. If we have time we can extend the walls around the sheep pens and fields, or simply slaughter the sheep now and salt them. If these direwolves are indeed creatures of this earth, they need to eat. The larger the animal, the more it requires. The small game in the forest will only last them so long and they will eventually have to leave. You are already stocked and provisioned for winter, we needs only last until the mountain passes open up again and you can make your escape."

"Could it be done?" Duglan asked, turning to Hudlow.

The carpenter stoked his grizzled beard and grimaced, "I don't think so, fortifications of that scale would take months, even if it were done by professionals. I could give it a go, but honestly this is far beyond my experience."

"I know how to do it," Katrina replied confidently, "And as for time, the process will be sped up by magic. Jaran is an accomplished wizard and Toland is learning quickly. Trust me, no harm will come to any of you under my watch, this I swear to you."

She spoke with such sincerity that no one in the room had the heart deny her.

"Well," Hudlow said eventually, "With magic, I guess it's worth a try."

"But really? Slaughter all the sheep? What will we do next year with no sheep?"

"By the look of you, Edrin, you could do with a few months off the meat."

"Thank you, dear, but seriously."

Duglan sighed, "We can trade for a new heard in the spring."

"With what though? City folk don't trade sheep for carrots."

"My sword will buy at least one..." Duglan looked over to Rin pleadingly.

Rin sighed and nodded, "Aye, and my hammer will buy another and my last two silver ingots another, we should have enough. Toland here does some fine work as well, a few pieces of jewelry should get us a fourth."

"We can hunt game as well," Duglan added, "With the fields we should be fine for the year until we can build up the heard again."

The room turned back to Katrina.

She nodded in acknowledgement the asked, "Do you have a large piece of parchment or wood that I could use to make a plan for the defenses?"

"Sorry, there isn't a piece of parchment in a hundred miles, and a piece of wood big enough would take a while to put together."

She nodded, placed her foot on the stand of the table they were sat on and ripped the tabletop clean off.

She spun the wooden disk in her hands, examining it, "This will have to then, Ir Kenkarten, I would trouble you for the use of a knife from your workshop."

Rin nodded dumbly and she left, the tabletop under her arm, leaving the village to watch her go, mouths agape.

"That was my best table," Neshian said eventually.