The Rites of Malice: Ceremonials (An Aardwulf Tale)

Chapter 6

Here's Chapter 6!

The picture on the top/side is of Burghley House in England, it's a reconstruction of what it would've looked like in Elizabethan England (it's what I imagine the Castle to sort of look like, but not exactly, more grey stone and more dark wood, and black iron fencing ect))

The video is Devil within by Digital Daggers ( it's not necessarily to  be listened while reading the Chapter, i was just listening while I was writing :) )

Sorry for any errors! 

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No one moved, no one made a sound, and I don’t think Paige was even breathing. It remained like that for a minute before another howl rang through the air and I turned my head to try get a glimpse outside through the bloodstained window. The wolf that had hit the window hadn’t gotten up and I couldn’t hear a heartbeat besides those in the car.

A growl reverberated through the forest this time, all the guards in the car winced and tightened their hold on Paige and I; whatever had killed the wolf had been merciless, and by the amount of blood on the window, it had been slow torture.

“…Nobody move…at all.” Garic repeated before he opened the driver’s door and got out, abruptly shutting it. He walked a few paces from the Hummer, before scoping the area; his knife was unsheathed, but he was in a defensive stance.

His Majesty.

Garic’s words finally registered in my mind, and I struggled with the guard caging me to try and get a better look outside. Just as I managed to get my head up, another body hit the car, rocking it and jostling me back, only allowing me to I catch a glimpse of a huge wolf jumping over the roof. I whipped my head around to Paige’s window but the wolf had already disappeared.

His Majesty.

They were so close.

Then Paige started screaming, hysterically. Her guard tried to cover her mouth, but it wasn’t happening. I glanced around the rest of the car, the guards were tense and their faces were pale; the only ones who looked like this was a normal occurrence were our parents. Dad was sighing, obviously trying to calm Paige down through the link, and she was just sitting there calmly, despite the fact that there was a body strewn across the windshield.

Garic had sheathed his sword and was now getting back into the car. He looked unnerved as well, but a bit more put together than the other guards. He started the car, and bellowed “relax!” to our cages; and just like that we started driving again. No one said anything, no one explained, except I think heard Garic mutter something along the lines of “He wasn’t mean to be here until tomorrow.” But that was it, we drove on as if two wolves hadn’t died, dried blood wasn’t congealed on the window and a huge wolf hadn’t caused the Royal Guards to tense up and protect us as if their lives depended on it.  That act in itself was strange.

“We’re approaching the Castle, I won’t pain myself and go through the expected behaviour and etiquette, just know if you breach it, there will be pain.” Garic sounded as bored as someone who was watching paint dry, he obviously does this often. I wasn’t sure if there were any other wolves and their families who were disgraced like us, I’d never heard of others, my only guess is that

The Winter Gathering can get pretty disorderly and obviously a lot of pain was inflicted upon the unfortunate ‘breachers’ of court etiquette.

How Scandalous. I rolled my eyes and resumed looking out the window. They are nothing if not traditional and quite royally, pains in the, ahem well, derriere.