Ch. 7

"I know what it is! I know what it is! Flynn is-"

"Flynn is jealous! Flynn is jealous!"

Flynn's face was slowly turning a nice shade of magenta. "NO I'M NOT! Why would I be jealous of her?" He turned to Daine, who was still looking slightly confused, and said, gesturing madly, "Don't listen to them! They've all gone mad!"

And with the last word of his tirade, his wildly moving hands smacked Daine across the cheek.

Daine froze, her eyes widening in fear and hate. She slowly inched away from Flynn, as if expecting another slap. Then she darted up and ran like a gazelle into the safety of the trees. As she disappeared, her voice echoed through the trees, sinking into the humans remaining, but most of all into Flynn.

"You're just like your da!"

Onua and Numair looked at Flynn, their eyes full of questions. Onua opened her mouth as Numair stood up. He raised his hand to silence her. He looked at Flynn somberly.

"I must go after her. She knows not what horrors live in these woods. I will meet up with you at the palace. As to when we will arrive, I cannot say. She is hurting, and whatever your father has to do with this," His eyes narrowed, "I imagine will unlock many mysteries about our young magelet. For now, young man, you'd best explain to Onua here what exactly it was that your father did."

Flynn opened his mouth to protest, "But I don't know! I didn't even know she knew my father! Why are you blaming all her problems on me?"

Numair sighed, looked at Onua, and loped off into the trees, moving with surprising grace for one so large.

Onua turned from Numair's quickly retreating form to look at Flynn. "Please explain to me what just went on," She said quietly. "Rack your brain, hit your head on a tree, just do something to remember any interaction your father might have had with her. Start from the beginning; what does your father do?"

Flynn sat down slowly on a log, thinking. "He was a falconer up in Snowsdale, last I saw him. That's where we lived, see. They had a problem with bandits and wolves, so all their jobs got put on hold."

Onua nodded. This was also true of the kingdom of Tortall. "Were the wolves and bandits working together? Could you tell?"

Flynn was shaking his head. "No, ma'am. They weren't together at all. A few days after the bandits attacked us, we found 'em all dead, and signs of wolves all around. They were completely ravaged- no way to tell 'em apart."

The woman frowned. This was very unlike typical wolf behavior. They normally don't fight with humans unless they're being threatened, and it didn't sound as if they were. "But what would have made the wolves attack the bandits? What grudge did they hold against them?"

Flynn shrugged. "I dunno. The bandits killed a lot of our people and most of our livestock, so unless the wolves were angry that their 'game' was gone, I don't really know why they'd attack anyone." He paused. "Wait… I, um, I did kill one wolf… a while back, and those wolves with Daine looked kinda like the pack that wolf I killed was from."

Something in Onua's head clicked, and she gasped. "Flynn… those wolves, did they seem to hang around your village? At all?"

"Not until after the bandit raid, ma'am. Then we found tracks of them everywhere. They really seemed to be around a burned down house a lot, thought. Maybe they made it their new den."

Onua sighed, thinking. "Flynn, who lived there? Do you remember?"

He nodded. "There was a lady, she could heal, and most from our village went to her for childbirth. Then there was an old man, a couple years back he was out all the time, but soon he stayed indoors a lot. Must have been his age gettin' to him."

Onua frowned. "Was there anyone else? Anyone? Did your father go there at any point in time?"

Flynn thought, and said; "Well, he went there when he was fancying after the lady. Sarra, I think it was. She never did take for him, though. Oh! That's right! She had a daughter, and Da always went to her to help him train his falcons, even after Sarra refused him. Said she was good with animals."

Onua couldn't believe Flynn wasn't catching on. "Do you remember the girl's name, by any chance? Did it begin with a 'D'?"

Flynn shook his head. "No, mum. It began with a 'V'. I think I remember… It was Vera… Vera… drat, what was the next part!? Oh! Verali…daine…" His jaw dropped. "Daine! That was her! That's who my father tried to ki-" He stopped, horrified.