463- The Head That Rolled
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I walked outside Eldoria toward the lumberyard, where I knew Anton would be. I did not enter the village so as not to frighten anyone. They did not need to witness the chaos that belonged only to me.
With my head held high, I advanced through the debris where logs were separated by wood quality. I could no longer avoid the pack members; men walked in every direction, focused on their tasks.
I heard their sharp intakes of breath when they noticed me. The silence, broken only by the sound of wind in the branches, was replaced by a murmur of shock.
I spotted Anton sitting behind his desk. He was not alone; Edric and Vladren were with him. None seemed to notice my proximity, concentrated on the dialogue they appeared to be maintaining.
As soon as I climbed the first step, I pushed the doors open. The three turned to me immediately, recognizing the unmistakable scent of blood.
Anton opened his mouth, in shock.
I tossed the head in his direction, making it roll across the polished wooden floor. He lifted his foot, holding it beneath his boot. He looked at it, then turned to me.
"What the hell is this?" Vladren whispered, his eyes wide.
Edric watched us in silence, one arm folded over the back of his chair, his head resting on his fist. He scratched his jaw with his index finger, thoughtful and analytical.
A smile curved Anton's lips, and his eyes lit up with something I could not distinguish, but it seemed like... pride?
"It's a Merchant," he said, without taking his eyes off mine.
There was another very valuable lesson my father had passed on to me: "Your greatest strength will lie in men's most common mistake, especially those of our species: underestimating the power of a woman."
Vladren pressed his fingers to his brow.
"Can you please explain to me why there's a Merchant's head rolling around the office?" He looked at the ceiling. "Heavens, this reminds me so much of the past..."
Edric laughed as if he shared the memory with him. The Eldoria leader turned his head toward me and analyzed me from head to toe. He flared his nostrils, sniffing.
"He was on the territory?" he asked. "I smell eucalyptus on you."
I tried to appear bored, but the truth was I was completely shocked by his ability. He was a wolf, a pack leader with centuries of life and experience; it should not be surprising. Still, it impressed me.
"Yes," I replied.
Anton stood up in a swift movement, kicking the head away. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me. He leaned in, aligning our faces. He sniffed me, searching for something. His eyes glowed in distinct colors, the wolf lurking.
"She's not injured," he stated, making me realize then what he had been looking for. Wounds. He was checking if I was alright.
"No," I confirmed to him, even though he had not asked a question.
Edric watched us with furrowed brows, a crease marked in the middle of his forehead. Vladren cast a look at the alpha, as if in shock. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, before the Eldoria leader broke the contact. He cleared his throat.
"Are they after you?" I nodded.
"Apparently, yes."
"And how did they find you?" Vladren questioned. Anton turned to them.
"We went to the city yesterday; they must have caught her scent."
They're trying to track her.
"And now we have the confirmation we didn't have before; the Merchants really do want Thalyndra," Vladren pointed out.
Anton nodded and looked at me.
"Did he say anything relevant?" I shook my head in denial.
"He came to get me; I don't know what his name was. Actually, I don't know anything about him. I didn't let him have time to succeed in his task."
The smile that appeared on his face made me hold my breath.
"You said you would have heads, and you're keeping the promise you made to yourself," he whispered.
"All of them. Every single one that appears in my path."
We stared at each other for a few seconds, in silence, absorbing the reality of a promise made by both of us.
"Do you have any idea what they want with you?" Edric asked.
I ran a hand through my damp hair, pulling the strands back behind my head. I reeked, and I was well aware of it. Covered in the cretin's blood, sweat, and forest dust. But none of them seemed to care.
I cleared my throat.
"I asked myself the same question," I confessed. "I don't have even half the knowledge my father had, and I burned everything that belonged to him. There's no coherent reason for them to want me."
Edric drummed his fingers on the wooden backrest, pondering.
"Are you absolutely certain your father is dead?"
I swallowed hard; touching on the subject was still shaky ground; it hurt my soul.
"Yes, I am."
"How?" Edric questioned.
I took a deep breath, soothing my wounded heart.
"We arranged... a code..." I whispered, my voice failing. "He was afraid this could happen one day, so he prepared himself in every way. In case he was taken alive or if he was killed, he wanted me to know, so I could at least have that answer."
Edric ran his tongue over his lips; his eyes, fixed on me, were full of compassion.
"He left the code about his death?" I nodded.
"Yes, he left the code on the clock, the exact hour we agreed upon. It was something only ours, his and mine, very simple so no one would suspect." I filled my lungs with air before continuing. "It was sort of the way he found to give me closure, if something happened to him."
Edric stood up from the chair he was sitting in.
"I'm sorry for the death of your parents, Thalyndra. There is not a single second that I do not mourn them." He stepped toward me. "I promised him I would keep you safe, and now that we know the Merchants have an interest in you, everything changes."
I stared at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Besides the fact that they killed my longtime friend, they have become a threat to my family, my territory, and my pack."
My heart faltered a beat.
"You want me to leave?" I asked, feeling disappointed, though I did not know why.
I wanted to leave. I had plans to do so when things calmed down. So... why did I seem so resentful about it? It should not matter; it was something to be celebrated.
Anton growled, as if he vehemently disapproved of the idea.
Edric laughed and shook his head, pulling me from the torment of my thoughts. He cast a look at his son.