Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale (9 page)

The men drank to Andreli’s toast. Thal looked
at his beer. It was foamy and smelled grainy. He drank and
reflected on the flavor.

“What think you of our local brew, Lesky?”
Jan said.

“Very good,” Thal said and drank some more.
As it dispersed through his stomach, he felt a little more relaxed.
Liking the feeling, he drank some more. The effect surprisingly
helped him not mind that Medina was not looking at him.

The women circled close to the men around the
fire and then moved back. In and out they came and went as the men
emptied their cups and conquered the second bottle.

Flushed from their opening act, the dancers
took a break. One of the musicians started singing a ballad, and
many in the camp gathered to listen.

At Andreli’s fire, a few ribald jokes were
exchanged and the laughter was pleasant. Feeling the ice to be well
broken, Jan said, “Lesky, our friend Brother Ondrej said he met you
today.”

Alarm scampered along Thal’s dulled nerves.
The monk might have blabbed all kinds of startling stories. Thal
resisted his urge to touch his fine fur.

Jan continued, “He didn’t mention anything
about your pilgrimage to Rome.”

“It did not come up,” Thal said.

Andreli offered, “Ondrej had some wild ideas
about my guest that rightly made him uncomfortable. The good
brother’s imagination was all ablaze after a recent visit by
Jesuits.”

“I can understand that,” Jan said and drained
his cup. The Jesuits who had passed through had stimulated the
Rosenberg household as well.

Still hoping to inoculate the captain from
suspicion, Andreli said, “Thal has a family heirloom with code
writing. Ondrej called it devilry and Thal took offense but excused
himself instead of losing his temper among holy men.”

“Very good manners,” Jan commented.

“I’m just looking to enjoy my travels,” Thal
said. He almost mentioned that he wanted to play cards but he
thought it might be premature. Best to let Andreli bring that up he
reasoned.

Thal’s mildness did not match the fresh
gossip Jan had heard at the monastery. He figured he would keep an
eye on the stranger but not add to the monk’s dramatic suggestions.
Baron Rosenberg liked his scenic vale to enjoy quiet living.
Agitating the superstitions of the folk was not to be done lightly.
And it would inevitably mean more work for Jan.

Turning to Andreli, Jan said, “Do you think
you’ll be moving on soon?”

The Gypsy sighed. He knew he had worn out his
welcome. “You wound me, Captain. I thought that we were friends.
Can I not petition Baron Rosenberg for permission to settle, even
in the hills?”

Jan scoffed. “Spare me any saintly proposals
about becoming swineherds and paying taxes. And I do come here as a
friend. You know I enjoy your liberal charms, but it is your way to
move on.”

Andreli knew gentle suggestion would not stay
gentle forever.

“Your advice is kindly given. I shall take it
to heart, but surely we should enjoy a few more hands of cards
before we part,” he said.

“I want more music,” Jan said.

The dancers roused themselves back to action.
The audience clapped as they increased their tempo. Jan eyed the
young women closely and enjoyed their individual attentions as they
broke from their group one by one and circled him and touched his
shoulders and swung their hips.

Their enticing solos went on and the music
became more seductive. Thal’s head swam with more than just the
effects of alcohol. He realized he wanted the dancers to come to
him, especially Medina, who had been so friendly by the river.

To his silent dismay, Jan pulled Medina into
his lap. She nuzzled his neck as the music ended.

“Andreli, let’s save primero for another
night. Your Gypsy angel needs to play a game with me,” Jan
said.

“You’ll find she knows all the rules,”
Andreli said.

Jan stood up and kept Medina close with an
arm around her waist. He withdrew with her across the camp to a
dark tent. Lucas tossed some coins to the other dancers and told
the musicians to keep playing. He took out another bottle. Andreli
and Petro held out their cups, but Thal excused himself.

Once on his feet he felt the effect of the
beer more strongly but he adapted and liked the extra swagger in
his step. He wondered the camp. The crowd was loosening up now that
the dancers were done, but a few would stay up to listen to music.
Thal drifted toward the tent where Medina had gone but then
stopped. He could hear faintly what was happening. The big guard
captain was on top of her, but she did not seem to be in distress.
Realizing the situation he moped back to Emerald’s wagon.

His hostess was kicked back by her fire with
her feet raised up across a small barrel. Her hands were behind her
head as she gazed up at the stars. Twigs crackled in orange flames
next to her. She smiled her big-toothed smile when Thal stood over
her.

“Lose at cards already?” she inquired.

“There’s no game,” he said. He had been
looking forward to it, but now he was troubled. “Why does Medina go
mate with that man?” he asked.

“Oh you’re jealous,” Emerald surmised and sat
up.

Too confused to be properly jealous, Thal
said, “She just met him. Is this how people mate?”

“My innocent babe,” Emerald purred.
“Sometimes yes it’s done this way. But Medina’s met him before. He
visited all through the winter. It’s something young women do
sometimes. A girl that age is going to be lying with somebody, so
she might as well help her people. Don’t worry about her. She knows
what she’s doing. Andreli taught her well and we’ll always take
care of her.”

Andreli? Thal thought and wondered how much
he controlled everyone.

Hoping to soothe him, Emerald said, “She
might fancy you.”

“Why would she want me? I don’t have
anything,” Thal said. He was increasingly aware that he was not an
alpha among men.

“You have plenty to offer a woman I suspect,”
Emerald said and patted his thigh.

“Were you like Medina when you were young?”
Thal asked, trying to gauge how normal it was.

“Maybe I still am,” Emerald proposed.
Flustered, he looked away, uncertain if he was repulsed or
interested.

Emerald hauled herself to her feet with a
groan and rummaged through a chest under her little canopy. “Let me
help you out. A young man wants to know when he’ll find love. I
know this.”

Into the firelight she raised a big deck of
cards. “I can show you another type of cards. Let’s read your
future with the tarot,” she said.

“Is love your word for mating?” Thal asked as
she lit an oil lamp.

“Love’s more than mating. It’s romance as the
poets say. It’s caring. It’s devotion,” Emerald explained while
gently shuffling the cards. She set the deck between them on the
rug.

“Cut the deck,” she commanded.

“Aren’t you going to show me the cards and
how to play them?” Thal asked.

“This isn’t like primero,” she said and
wagged a finger over the deck.

Intrigued, he cut the deck and she gathered
the cards into a stack by her knee. She directed him to draw one
off the top and turn it over.

The card had a picture of a craftsman carving
a pentagram on a door. More pentagrams in circles ran down the
edges.

“The eight of pentacles,” Emerald said. “You
can profit from your skills.”

“The card tells you that?” Thal said
skeptically.

“I know that because YOU turned over this
card,” she said a little reproachfully. Thal folded his arms and
waited. She turned over the second card and placed it perpendicular
to the first card. The card had swords on it along with a picture
of a sleeping woman with shadowy swirls around her head.

Emerald took her time before saying anything
until finally she asked, “Do you have bad dreams?”

He nodded but was more concerned by his
visions when he was awake. Deciding to trust Emerald because he
needed someone to talk to, he shared a few details about his waking
vision earlier that day.

She was startled although she tried to hide
it. Emerald was accustomed to people sharing uncomfortable and even
unsavory personal details, but Thal’s experience was disturbingly
extraordinary.

“Draw another card,” she said.

With her guidance he flipped a card and set
it below the sword card. This picture showed a human skeleton in
black clothes flanked by bare trees.

“The card of death,” Emerald said with well
practiced drama.

“I’m to die soon?” he asked.

“We all die, Thal, but this does not mean
your doom is nigh. But something in your life has died. You’re
shifting to a new phase. You may have a new purpose,” she
explained.

Her interpretation dispelled some of his
skepticism. He stared at the death card and suspected that he did
have a new purpose in life.

Emerald studied him. His silence was
informative. She drew another card and placed it perpendicular to
the death card. Her light gasp yanked Thal from his thoughts.

“This is a powerful combination,” she
murmured.

The card showed a beautiful woman with wavy
golden hair. White robes flowed around her body and she held a
staff of crystals. Above her, berry-laden rowan boughs hung down
from a sunburst-filled blue sky. She wore a crown of blue
flowers.

Emerald said, “This is the High Priestess.
You must have secret knowledge. Seeing the Priestess right after
the death card means you’ve gone through great change and will in
time understand more about it.”

She spoke with confidence, and Thal wanted to
be comforted by her apparent authority.

Emerald added, “The Priestess tells you that
women will influence your life.”

“Like my mother?” Thal said.

“Mothers influence all lives,” Emerald
said.

“Yes, but is she alive?” he asked.

The question flustered Emerald. Spreading her
hands, she said, “This is not something the cards can tell, but if
you ask that question you must have reason to think she might not
be alive.”

“She could be old,” Thal muttered. His heart
ached. He wanted to see his mother.

Emerald waited patiently while he stared into
space. His eyes gleamed in the darkness and she wondered what
secrets he beheld.

Softly she advised, “The Priestess is ruled
by the moon. When next it is full will be the best time for you to
gain your secret knowledge.”

Thal nodded and drew another card. He turned
over a man in heavy armor upon a prancing white horse with a
flowing mane. Instead of a lance he bore a large chalice.

“Oh that’s a promising thing to see after the
Priestess,” Emerald said. “The Knight of Cups brings you exciting
changes, maybe even romantic love,” she hinted with a bawdy
tone.

“And that’s a good thing?” Thal asked. He
understood that he was feeling physical attraction to women but
romance was presumably more desirable.

The Gypsy lady grinned and said, “In the
beginning it’s always good, but the Knight also bears a warning
that you could be easily led astray. I know that when a girl gets a
man’s heart, she can be very demanding and selfish just for her own
fun. Beware of that if you want to be happy.”

Thal appreciated how the older woman was
helping him think about these confusing things.

Emerald turned over a new card. “The Tower,”
she whispered. “I’ve never seen so many powerful signs over one
man. You’ve experienced great loss or will soon know ruin. You must
be careful, my friend Thal,” she said with much sincerity.

“Should I be afraid?” he wondered. His future
was a blank canvas and he had no paints to color it.

“Have courage and be ready for change,”
Emerald said.

Having much to think about, he said, “Enough
of this.”

“One more card,” Emerald said.

Without his permission, she flipped a card. A
naked man and woman were embraced in a garden with birds singing
around their heads. “The Lovers,” she said and smiled.

“So I will find a lover,” he said.

“Oh, a young man like you will have no
trouble finding a lover,” Emerald said. “But this card means more
than just the pleasure of flesh. The Lovers tell you to be guided
by your feelings when you make important choices.”

“I feel that I should think on what you have
told me,” he said.

She tapped the top of the deck. “Want to see
another card?” she coaxed.

“No.”

“But we might discover your next steps in
life,” she said.

He yawned. The day had been long and
stimulating. The moon had set and the darkness felt safe and
restful.

“I’ve had enough for now,” he insisted.

“Very well,” she said, disappointed.

“I think you want to learn more about me than
I do,” Thal scolded.

“You’re a very interesting man to read,” she
admitted. “The tarot cards seem to fit you more closely than other
people.”

Thal fingered the edge of the Priestess card
that was still in front of him. “Do these cards tell the future for
other people?” he asked.

“More or less,” Emerald said dodgingly.

“And do they pay you to tell them what they
mean?” he said.

She nodded.

“What do you want of me?” he said.

“A kiss on the cheek,” she said. Her wide
grin made him smile as she tapped her face impatiently.

Thal leaned over the cards to her. Emerald
fluttered her eyelashes, and he suddenly realized what Medina had
been fishing for that afternoon. He pressed his lips against
Emerald’s soft face. The warmth of the human connection washed away
his concerns for a moment.

He sat back, grateful for Emerald’s gentle
coaching.

“You can kiss more of me if you’d like,” she
said.