Standing beside his guardsman, Nebiri was no longer so sure they could let Fewa go.
Tales of the Amasiti were few and often half-told. Most read like fairytales. Still, Neberi knew every one by heart. As a boy he studied the texts his ancestors had gathered with a passion that very little else in his life inspired. With gold bangles at her feet and wrists and cowry shells and bells twisted into her hair, he had no doubt the woman before him was one of them.
“No!” Nebiri said. His voice was cool and steady. “She will come with us or we will grant her no mercy.”
Fewa smiled despite the sweat on her brow. “Nor will I ask for any.”
Lem shrugged his broad shoulders and charged.
Ready, she swung her arm around and let her dagger loose. It soared through the air like a flash of lightning before burying itself deep into Lem’s left eye. He dropped to the ground in mid-stride. Nebiri looked down at his guard in shock for only a moment, but it was still a moment too long. By the time his eyes returned to her, Fewa had an arrow aimed at his heart.
“Drop your weapon,” she commanded. Nebiri seethed, gripping the skinning knife in his hand. Behind Fewa, the wolf mother’s eyes bore into him, baring her teeth through shallow, labored breaths. This was not a fight he could win. Not today. But I will not forget this, he thought. If Father will not act, I will.
“Forgive me, Mother,” he offered smoothly. The skinning knife dropped from his outstretched hand. “We meant no offense.”
Sheer determination kept Fewa’s arms from trembling as pain and the chill of a new threat coursed through her.
He knows. He wants me to know he knows.
If she hadn’t been in the throes of labor, she might’ve killed him just to keep her secret. The secret of her daughter. But she could not justify killing him without cause.
If he takes one step towards me, I will be within my rights, Fewa thought. She held her bow taut and waited.
A knowing smile slithered across Nebiri’s face. I will not make it that easy for you. He took two steps back before turning and running away. I will be back for you.
Despite the lingering threat in his words, relief flooded her shaking limbs. Fewa knew she could not afford a fight in her condition. As soon as she lost sight of him through the trees, Fewa fell. The pain seized her back so fiercely she had to grit her teeth and dig into the ground to keep from screaming. When it subsided, she closed her eyes and rolled to her side, collapsing into a small puddle of wet sickly liquid. Fewa’s eyes flew open and found a trail of blood before her.
The wolves.
All four pups now lay still just outside their mother’s reach. The mother wolf held Fewa’s gaze as she lifted to reveal a fifth pup hidden beneath her. The pup was weak and wounded, but very much alive. Agony seized Fewa again before she could decipher the reason the wolf had revealed her last remaining child.
But this time the pain was different. In addition to the deep pulling of her womb, there was a burning between her legs. My child is coming! Fear gripped her as Fewa realized that she was too far away for anyone she knew to help her. In the back of her mind, she knew this was all happening too quickly, faster than it should have, but there was nothing she could do to stop it now.
Another contraction took hold before she could catch her breath, bringing more pain. She screamed through the burning in her loins as blood and fluid rushed from her body. She needed to push.
“Help me, Mother!” Fewa gasped. “Please! Spare my daughter!” Shaking uncontrollably, she managed to rock herself onto her back again. Propping herself up on her elbows, she spread her legs wide.
“Amalaki, give me stren –” Fewa’s voice caught in her throat as she watched the mother wolf rise. Just below the wolf’s rib cage a deep wound dripped blood as she hobbled towards the space between Fewa’s legs with the wolf pup, her last living child, dangling from her maw.
Horror struck Fewa. Will she feed her young by devouring mine?
Before Fewa could close her legs, pain gripped her, pulling her open from the inside.
“Please,” she sobbed as the wolf settled down between her legs. Delirious, she bore down. Protect your child, Amalaki. She is your daughter. The last of our line!
The mother wolf ducked her head beneath Fewa’s dress, coarse fur brushing against her calves and thighs.
“No!” she screamed. “No!” Fewa dug her heels into the ground, trying to push her own body away, but it was no use. Halfway through her efforts a new wave of contractions came, and her body responded without her permission, pushing and tearing to bring new life forth.
“Don’t!” Fewa pleaded. “Don’t hurt my child!”
In the haze of silence that followed, the wolf raised its head with Fewa’s daughter wriggling in her jaws.
( Continued… )
© 2019 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Cerece Rennie Murphy. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
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