It was a difficult and uncomfortable task to squeeze the wolf's body through the narrow halls and staircases. When we came to an impasse where the wolf could not continue due to its size, the king commanded it to turn into a boy, and offered nothing for me to shield my naked body with.
Behind me were several knights with drawn swords, blocking the only path to escape. They were dismissed once we reached the prince's room, leaving myself, the king, Roland, and the prince, but I was sure the knights remained outside the door, ready to act on the king's command.
The prince was placed in his bed and Roland stripped his clothes away. I don't know if the child was aware of anything around him, for his eyes were glazed over and his mouth moved in a constant tremble.
"He's dying," Roland said bluntly, "if we don't act now our chance will be gone within the hour."
"Bite him," the king ordered through gritted teeth.
The wolf fought against changing but was defeated in the end. Its frame was so large that the king and Roland had to step back, and the wolf was forced to duck its head and hunch over.
"Save him," the king commanded in a less severe tone.
The wolf lowered its mouth to the prince's bare chest. Its sharp senses could hear the heartbeat inside, faint and dangerously slow. It opened its jaws, revealing fangs that were longer than the prince's arms.
It spoke to me.
No bite. Weak.
You don't have a choice, they'll kill you if you refuse.
Boy die.
I knew it was right, but wouldn't allow myself to accept it.
Bite him!
The wolf huffed in disagreement, but nevertheless it lowered a fang onto the prince's arm and sunk the sharp point beneath his skin. It remained there for a few seconds, then withdrew and cowered as far into a corner as it could. Before I could argue against it, the wolf retreated, filled with shame, and left me huddled and naked.
The prince's convulsions stopped. Roland was at his side in an instant and held his ear to the boy's chest to listen to his heartbeat.
Everyone held their breath and waited for a miracle. I glanced at the king and saw a flash of fear in his eyes.
The prince began to sputter and cough, and Roland dabbed his chin with a wet cloth. The convulsions returned, but they were not as violent, more a twitch than a shake, and I counted that as a good sign.
A long sigh escaped the boy's lips.
Less than two minutes after the wolf had bitten him, the prince was gone.
He died in his bed, without ever seeing what was beyond the castle walls, surrounded by blankets and pillows.
YOU ARE READING
The Beast Within
FantasyA family lost and a son alone. A boy's life at its end and beginning. An adventure filled with fantastical terrors, where a child becomes a monster, and a monster becomes a legend. *** These were the ominous words the ghost Marmy Jo spoke when foret...
