The morning is shaken by Lukas smashing Sigurd's door. The sweat dropping on his face and beard, his hair that is tangled more than usual and the flip-flop that are invisible while his feet are scratched. The boy jumps out of bed.
"What's wrong? "This wasn't the time to get angry at the man who evidently ruined his morning sleep. The matter why Lukas is so devastated should be serious. The man falls on his knees and with a mouth of air he tries to breath normally. The terror is painted on his face. The frown accentuates his dark circles that cover the underneath of his eyes. His lips are bleeding from being bitten to much. He is about to cry when he puts his hands to cover the pathetic expression.
It is like he doesn't know how to tell what happened. The thoughts he has stops him from talking and the silence keeps Sigurd in suspense.
"Tell me what happened!"
Lukas looks in his eyes as if he doesn't want to tell him. The truth is that he wasn't sure is his assumption is correct. He gathers his voice that doesn't seem to sound, when he tries to talk.
"Nissa … disappeared…I looked after her …. in the house …at the pool .. at the cabin…"
Sigurd's face freezes. Where would she be?
'Don't tell me Karlen kidnapped her…' He refuses to think that she was kidnapped.
"Come with me! Let's look for hint in her room. Maybe she left something behind."
He sounded calm but just the Ancestors know what is in his heart. The fear of losing her being kidnapped, he can't seem to shake the feeling. If that is the case than Karlen will suffer from his hand.
In the room the closet is open and nothing more caches their attention signs of her being abducted. It is like she left the room in a hurry. Her bad is arranged and the lamp is not finished. Usually in the night the lamp would stay lighted in her room. There were few times he checked on her and the lamp was always lighted.
"She left in the middle of the night. Look, There clothes missing from this corner. She probably took off toward the Circle."
"No way! Is she planning to free Yrsa and Kai?"
They arrived at the conclusion that Nissa is making her way to the Circle. The worry is felt by both. How can she leave alone when she knows that assassin is there waiting for the right moment to wipe of the Dalgaard family?
Another thought comes like a flash in Sigurd's mind.
"Where is Karlen?" Lukas doesn't understand where is the question coming from but decides to respond anyway.
"He left in the morning. A bird came from Talis. Now with the camp being postponed there's need for him to be here."
Sigurd feels a shiver going up his spine and a knot in the stomach that he will not be able to untie till Nissa will be next to him safe.
The fact that the madame had a mask on is eliminating any thought that Talis is the one. She was taller than Talis. Her voice was different too. A tone pitcher than Talis's.
On the other side, Karlen is sure the assassin and he will not hesitate to kill not even a person he eats with. That's probably what you call a sadist person. A person that doesn't have a single attachment to his victim, killing it without bating an eye. Still why did Sigurd hesitated to kill him with the knife in that night?
Is he having feelings for him after sleeping with him?
'No way.'
. . . . .
On the road to the Circle is Nissa with a back back in her mouth. Her wolf form runs through the forest. Her sped as she passes brunches, bushes and the fallen trees is incredible. In a hurry, The ship will take off in few minutes and she still has to arrive at the village next to the port.
Her fur is wind blown and her ears are stiff, her focus is on the ground ahead o her. She increases the sped and jumps high aver a bush. The backpack swings making her fall unstable. But, with her powerful legs she manages to continue without tripping.
She is set on her goal: talking with her mother. The thought of staying closed in the 'castle' while her parents are with their hands tied up, this will not happen as long as she can fight. Her skills are not a laugh stock. She can protect herself as well as others.
Yes. Why to stay at home when she can help catching the wolves or the assassin?
She is planning to see what is her mother's plan. Now that she is in prison the chance of she being stopped are equal to zero. Her mother will be obligated to tell her all information she knew in order to be aware of what's ahead of herself in finding the murderers. Yrsa will not hide any information in this case.
"I will find them! "Her motivation drives her and the village is seen in the distance. In a few minutes she is in the village. Hiding at the back of a house, where no one could see her, she rose unto her feet. Her body is covered with her underwear. It was uncomfortable to move in her wolf form fully dressed. She opens the backpack and a dress with flowers painted on it, she pulls the dress on her slim body. The boots are enveloping her fragile feet. She tosses the backpack on her shoulder and with an untamed speed she runs across the street that heads to the port. Her hair plays as she hops through the people that cross her path in the crowd. She breaths heavily and with an ultimo effort she steps on the bridge between the ground and the entrance in the ship.
"30 coins, lady! "The person in charge of the travel ticket rises his head and looks straight at her with a bored expression.
She puts the small coins on the table and the person counts. She smiles happily as she always does. The boy glances at her and blushes. With his head half lift he tells her that she can embarks.
"Have a good day!" She waves and with heavy steps she goes up the stairs for the deck. She wants to relax and collect her thought while looking at the golden river, just as its name 'The Golden River'.
The deck is having chairs and table placed like in a restaurant. A couch, in the left side, is calling Nissa who is broken to lay down.
The currents are calm and the ship is swinging like a seesaw balanced by two people. In fact, there weren't many occasions when the river did swept the ship along his currents. It's width is kilometers and that's probably the reason it was easy to sail on it with a ship that transported passengers and had restaurants.
"I want to sleep…" She mumbles as she half closes her eyes. The time she left home was almost in the midnight. Lukas was sleeping in the kitchen while Sigurd was covered with his blanket over his head. She didn't checked on Karlen but he was probably sleeping too.
The long run drained her energy. She is thinking that her stamina lowered since last year's camp when she chased after that tiger for three days without food just water. Maybe this mission she gave to herself will get her in shape again.
The smile disappears as soon as she starts thinking. After having the talk with Waylin and Didrik's dead, her smile is rare to be seen. She felt somewhat distracted from reality and her mind was empty. Nothing really brought her happiness; she was realizing these days that even if she did smiled is was like a habit. Was she always like this? After all the thinks that happened, her childish happiness, as if eaten by the sadness she felt, is nowhere to be found inside her nor outside.
'I will be fine…this mission will be fun…'
As the 'castle' became suffocating, the need to go and distract herself was urging her to stir away from her real feelings, pushed her to run. The pain she buried in herself, it will stay there since she didn't know how to cope with it better than this.
Even the boy she liked seemed to be far away from her. He hurt her the most, and at a worst possible time.
'I want to eat something special …'
She tries to pull herself up. She convinces herself that it didn't matter anymore nothing. As long as she could entertain herself, she will be able to enjoy her life again.
With a lazy yawn she looks over the couch at the river's surface.
The sun didn't shined to powerful; it was noon after all. She buried her face in the soft couch.
A man's steps turn Nissa's head towards the stairs.
"It is time for lunch. Would you like to come eat at our restaurant?"
"After you!" She puts on her charming smile and follows the man. He is dressed in a white long coat and his hair is tied in a bun. He reminded her of Lukas. She sighs.
'Lukas is probably devastated ….'
The table is decorated with a vase of lilies. In the plate, the fish in half, and the smell of smoke makes her salivate. Rise next to it and a glass od lemonade. It is enough to fill her belly. She tastes and her eyes sparkle.
'Just as I though … it is delicious!'
The man appears and asks if it suited her taste.
"It was delicious! The fish was amazing! I will be glade if you can bring me another glass of lemonade."
"Glad you liked it! I will bring you another glass of lemonade! "He talks fast and rushes in the kitchen that was few tables away.
The flowers, she finds them beautiful as always. With a delicate gesture she pulls one out of the vase. She smells it and with places a delicate kiss on it without others see her.
The smell it reminded her of the garden full of lily trees of her grandma. A priceless memory.
The man brings her the drink and she leave the restaurant going to her room.
Tossing the back pack aside, she undresses and transforms in her wolf form. The bed was comfortable but like hers. Still in few seconds the fatigue overcomes the quality of the bed. She puffs through her small nose. The tail is covering her eyes. Her white fur is enough to keep her cool in the relatively warm room
Till she arrives, sleeping is her desire, even if it's still noon.
. . . . .
White agile steps, Karlen is heading to the cabin in the forest. His horse is following the commends without straying away.
In short time he arrives and dismounts. He leaves Moon to eat the grass that is growing fast after the rain.
"You came faster. Is good. "The madam is still working at the white liquid. Something seems to not click in her recipes is focused on her hand as she pours tea in the container.
"Yes madam. I am waiting for your orders. "He stands straight as an arrow. His face is expressionless. The long hair that covers his back falls on his chest too. As he stares at the madam, his thoughts are getting more and more absent.
"Orders. Didrik's death was impressive. Firstly, tell me what is going on at the Dalgaard residence. Something new?"
She glances at him and than avers her eyes on her experiment.
"Nissa ran away from home. Nothing else." His voice resounds in the small room. The window is covered with a cloth and the sunlight lasers from a corner of the window where the clothes didn't cover it well.
"Well, our next plan is to kidnap the lady. She is our next target since she is a wolf potential to become the leader. Lukas is too power full for the wolves to handle and he will take from our time more to plan his execution. Let's just focus on Nissa. With her here I can conduct my experiments on a subject and we can use her as a way to manipulate Yrsa and Kai. That's the next plan. What do you think?"
She checks him out wondering if he is on accord with what she says. As always he doesn't show any expression of being against her decision. He will do it without problems this time too.
'Sigurd didn't curl into his cold heart. He is still loyal to me.'
"How you say, madam. He nods.
The time he was in prison she saved him. She become his home. The only place he found peace. As long as he did what she said he could life a normal life without being in conflict with anything. The worm hand that pate him for doing a good job, he still feels in on his hair. The way she braided his hair that was tangle was pretty in his eyes when he looked in the mirror after being set free from the prison. He promised to devote his life to her, she will be the master that he will follow even the conflict raised. As long as she was leading him, he felt at peace no matter what he did.
"Go bring her here. I will be waiting with an apple pie. "She lifts her left corner of her mouth and drops her mask.
He nods again and gets out of the cabin.
'Apple pie…" He smiles. She knew it was his favorite. His mother used to do it for him.
It wasn't that he hated his mother, he just felt good with the women who saved him from living like a beggar on the streets. In his eyes she was a good woman, apart from her sadistic behavior.
Now that he got away from Sigurd, his conflicted feeling will disappearing little by little. That's what he wants to believe.
He mounts on Moon and with a leisurely gallop he heads towards the forest. The port is few hours away but is just 8 in the morning. Till the ship sends off in the noon he has time to arrive there on time.
As the hours pass, the clouds gather covering the sun. The wind starts to blow. He is dressed lightly and his hair is caught in a half bun. He rode and now, leaves Moon to relax her muscles when he arrives at the port.
What is cool about the ship is that at the bottom has stable for the horses that have an owner on the ship.
Moon is take by a boy and he goes straight to his room.
'Nissa should be on the ship too …"
He revises his plan and leans in the bed. He will take a nap till the ship will arrive.
. . .
The ship enters the dock. The bridge is leaned on and the people along with their horses leave the ship in a hurry.
Moon is taken by the reins by Karlen as the man who brought her leaves to take out other horses.
"Good girl…" As he walks alongside Moon, someone pokes him from behind. He turns and sees Nissa.
'As I guessed…'
"What are you doing here, Karlen? " She is visibly displeased to see him. Not that he doesn't understand why.
"Did Lukas sent you after me?" She questions him as they start waling towards the city. The people start to look at them when she rises her tone.
"I am going to the Circle. Talis called me." Her frown fades away as she listens to him.
The people stare at the two. Their figures are a little unusual in a good sense. She was short but her hair attracted the attention of many men and he was muscular, his long black hair and the beard that covered his chin along his cheeks made him an attraction for the ladies that seek a handsome mysterious man.
"I go to the Circle too. I need to talk with my mom. "She strides to keep the pace with Karlen.
"I want to talk to you, alone. "He goes down and whispers at her ear.
The ladies are disappointed and jealous of Nissa who doesn't to give a fuck about Karlen.
She nods and follows him through the crowd.
The man heads on a path between houses and the more he walks the path is getting narrower.
"Where are we going? "She growls as the suspicion nests in her mind.
Karlen is silent. A corner is passed and a dead end is before them.
"Why did you bring me here? "The glare and her tensed muscles are the indicator that she is aware that something is weird.
Not a voice is heard from here. They must be far away from the big road.
His back is beg and frightening as he stays silent amplifying the tension in Nissa. He turns and she paralyses as he sees him. His eyes are dark green while his expressionless face stirs terror in the girl. She never saw him like this before. From his hands aura is oozing.
Within a second she transforms into a wolf and jumps to attach him, but her power is useless against a master. She wasn't yet paired with a Master. So, he had full control over her.
He catches her mid air and keeps her like that as she moves frenetically. It isn't his intention to hurt her.
"Calm down ….."
These are the last words she hers before fainting due to his aura.