Drift: River of Falcons Book 1

Discoveries

Nighthawk was puzzled by the goats' nervousness. The predator had not been a large one, and it had passed by without disturbing the herd. Why, then, were they still milling around in a tight group in the center of the pasture?

The answer came as a timber wolf emerged on the lower edge of the pasture. It crouched there, eyeing the herd and growling. The goats turned toward the wolf and lowered their curved horns.

As Nighthawk backed toward the herd, she studied the wolf. It was approaching slowly, still in a crouch, and it kept glancing past the goats toward the uphill side of the pasture. It must be following a leader's direction, she thought. They usually run in packs. She spun around and scanned the upper edge of the pasture.

The goats were backing uphill as the wolf climbed toward them. Nighthawk beckoned and said, "Don't let him herd you that way. Come to me."

The wolf growled again, then put its head back and howled.

Nighthawk jumped on a rock and called, "Maneo. Tranquilla! No fugio." The goats looked at her. "Tranquilla," she repeated soothingly as she stepped off the rock and began to walk toward the herd. But the wolf was still moving toward them, and when one of the goats panicked and broke away, the whole herd thundered uphill.

In the excitement, Nighthawk forgot about the wolf, and when she thought to turn around and see where it was, it was almost upon her, its teeth bared and its eyes flashing.

She shouted "Incendo!" and thrust her left hand toward it, forming a primitive rune for flame with her thumb and index finger. With a whoosh the wolf burst into flame, veering away from her and howling in pain. By the time it reached the bottom of the pasture, the fire was out, but its fur had been burned, leaving raw patches on its back. It ran off into the woods, its tail between its legs.

Nighthawk got up shakily, feeling her left hand with her right. It was numb and raw. She thought that when the feeling returned it was going to be very sore. The book she had read in the library had not mentioned any side effects from using runes to throw fire. Or had she failed to read the entire chapter? She decided it was probably the latter. She was not as disciplined a reader as Sasha was.

She heard howls from behind her and spun around. The goats were being attacked by three more wolves. One was the size of the wolf she had chased away. The other two were larger. All I have for a weapon is my folding pocket knife, she thought. Not much use against wolves! But I do have my magic. She ran over and cut the lion skin down, then draped it over her back and began to chant.

The lion let out a growl that drew the attention of goats and wolves alike. As it stalked up the hill, it aimed for the top corner of the pasture, which gave the goats space to run toward the relative safety of the downhill side.

Once the goats were past it, the lion headed for the lead wolf.

The leader was taking slow steps toward her, sniffing the air as it came. Nighthawk frowned and muttered another illusion spell, this time including reference to the scent of a lion along with its voice and appearance.

The wolf paused and put its ears back. It let out a low growl, showing a lot of teeth.

Nighthawk wanted to turn and run, but instead she replied with a growl of her own and continued to stalk toward the wolf. Their eyes met. There was uncertainty in the wolf's eyes. Nighthawk muttered her illusion spell again and glared at the wolf, making a special effort not to blink.

The wolf's eyes dropped, then it turned and ran off into the trees, the other two following close behind. Nighthawk gave a final growl, then stood and let the spell and the fur fall off. She was wet with perspiration and felt weak and shaky. She stumbled to the nearest rock and sat down heavily, holding her left hand. "Spirits!" she said. "That was a close one!"