Prologue

The boy stood at the edge of the lake, watching the dark ripples rush against the shore. He felt the loose silt shift under his feet as the tide dragged it back, and shuddered as the icy water made contact with his bare skin.

The trees surrounding the lake were still and quiet. It seemed like the entire forest was on edge tonight, sharing the anticipation he felt building somewhere deep in his gut.

A sharp sound like the snap of a twig drew his attention to the fringe of trees to the left of where he stood. In the dimness he could see nothing but their outlines and the shadows between their closely-packed trunks, but he didn't need to rely on his eyes. The prickle of a familiar presence was like a faint itch at the base of his skull. He closed his eyes to focus on it, allowing his other senses to take over as she drew closer.

She was moving cautiously after her earlier mistake: her small feet made no noise on the soft earth. Her musky scent was somewhat comforting even from a distance, though it was tainted with something else sharp and metallic. Her consciousness bore no signs of pain, and he briefly wondered about the source of the blood on her coat.

He felt her pause under the shadow of an elm right at the forest's edge. He almost felt the air stir as she cocked her head, gauging whether it was safe to approach.

"You're late," he told her.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the she-wolf flinch. Half of her body remained concealed by trees, but her head and shoulders were clearly visible by the light of the moon. Her pale coat gleamed like silver. Her ears twitched back and forth, her attention switching from the forest behind her to the dark-haired adolescent watching her from the shoreline. The short hair around her muzzle was unusually dark. Something limp and lifeless was clamped between her jaws.

He extended his left hand towards her, palm up, inviting her to come closer. Her instincts would warn her to keep her distance, but he knew she knew better than that.

With one last glance behind her, the she-wolf loped across the short distance to her master's side. She was breathing heavily through her nostrils, encumbered by the gift she had brought for him and the exertion of a long, thrilling chase. She carefully laid the prize at his feet, keeping her head low to show her submission.

The boy let out a breath through his nose, making a sound that was half irritated, half grudgingly affectionate. He had given her specific orders not to get distracted tonight, but his mouth filled with saliva at the thought of getting a freshly cooked meal.

He dragged his fingers through the thick fur on the back of the wolf's neck, tugging none-too-gently on the strands to reprimand her. She whined in protest, but didn't dare growl or bare her teeth at him. She was far stronger than him - a gangly, slightly underweight teenager was no match for a hundred pounds of solid muscle - but challenging him would be utterly pointless. He would have her on the ground writhing in agony in less time than it took for her to sink her teeth into his flesh.

Turning his back on the lake, the boy turned his gaze to a rocky outcropping visible just above the trees to the south. A trail led directly from the lake to the base of the rock face, and from there made its meandering way up the steep incline to the mouth of a cave that was invisible from ground level unless you knew to look for it. They both knew their way to the cave by heart, and would have no trouble reaching it even as the moon began to set in the next couple of hours.

The she-wolf led the climb up the hill, holding the rabbit firmly between her teeth. The path was narrow and uncertain, and in some places completely invisible, but they made it to the cave mouth without any mishap. In the fading light the cave was little more than a black smudge on the wall rising before them.

The wolf trotted inside without hesitation, but the boy paused on the edge of the outcrop. He lifted his chin to let a cool breeze blow across his face, fighting back a smile as satisfaction began to well inside him. He curled his trembling fingers into fists. Months of preparation had been leading up to this. Every last detail had been painstakingly planned and calculated so that nothing could go wrong, and at last it was time to set his plan in motion.

"Master Tirius?"

Aliana stood at the mouth of the cave; her human hair was the same colour as her fur when she was in wolf form, but the wolf's dark eyes were gone and startling blue ones had taken their place. Her feet were bare and her dress hung in tatters from her body. Her pale skin seemed to emit an ethereal glow despite the layers of grime it had accumulated from weeks spent living in the forest. Tirius would have found her beautiful if his mind wasn't occupied by other, more important things.

"Is it ready?" he asked her.

The young woman inclined her head. "Everything is in place. All we need now is Emrys."

"He will come soon enough. A few days after we plead our case to Bayard, Arthur and his knights will arrive in Mercia for the celebrations. Emrys will follow his king like a faithful dog, and it won't be long before he is cowering at my feet."

"Then you shall finally be freed, my master," Aliana said. Tirius heard the quiver in her soft voice as clearly as if she was speaking directly into his ear.

He turned his back on her to gaze out across the forest. The moon had disappeared, and the faint light of dawn had begun to seep into the sky above the distant hills. The wind blew up from the south, carrying the sounds of forest creatures awakening and emerging from their homes outside the walls of Camelot.

Tirius spoke softly into the wind, baring his teeth in a predatory grin. "Soon, Emrys. Soon you shall be mine."