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Chapter 22: You're Welcome

"It's definitely magic," Yuri said. She and the others were gathered in the front room of Zaldon's hut, all pacing or standing or sitting as together they talked in low voices about the present troublesome matter. Yuri was kneeling beside the firelight, her slender fingers touching with long nails upon an open scroll. It was a record of the sun village's most prominent Grand Sorcerers of the last decade. Yuri lifted her head as she said, "Every last Grand Sorcerer died before the age of sixty."

"Oh my god," Kilyan whispered: Zaldon would have only had fours years of life remaining. He was kneeling over the scroll with Yuri, a horrified frown on his face. "Thank the gods he retired early! Can you imagine what would've happened if he'd kept working?"

"I don't want to," said Aliona. She was sitting in a chair beside the window, her sapphire blues downcast. Keeno stood over her like a vigilant son, and hearing the wretched note in her voice, he squeezed her shoulder.

"But . . ." said Enya, who was standing beside the window with her arms folded and her shoulders shrugging (almost as if to shield herself against the grim news), "if the village council knew this was happening, why the hell did they let it go on! For years, sorcerers have been dying from magic! I mean - Yuri is Grand Sorceress now!" She waved an angry paw in her wife's direction. "I'm not going to stand by and watch her slowly die!"

"Taking the Grand title is a self-sacrifice," said Yuri, avoiding Enya's eye. "Every apprentice knows this when they take on the trade."

Enya looked at Yuri, incredulous. "You knew? Yuri! How could you keep this a secret --"

"I knew I might die because I'm the Grand Sorceress - but, no, I didn't know the cause would be magic," Yuri explained. "Strong magic practitioners are abducted all the time, murdered by rival tribes, enslaved. These things are explained to you by the village council when you start your apprenticeship. So going in, you know you might not live a normal lifespan."

"Ah," said Kilyan as it dawned on him, "so the village council told you the truth, but not the whole truth." He scowled.

"Exactly," answered Yuri, who was beginning to look a little angry herself.

Everyone was angry. The village council was supposed to guide their tribes like parents guiding children, they were supposed to look out for the best interests of their wolves - not use and abuse them until they had run dry. It was indeed a self-sacrifice.

In the heavy silence that followed, Enya moved across the room, and snatching Yuri's healing staff from her fingers, she snapped it over her knee. The crack was so sharp everyone's ears went back flat, and they watched Yuri and Enya, fully expecting an argument. Enya stood over Yuri a long time, and the wives just gazed at each other. Then Enya grabbed Yuri by the paw, and jerking her to her feet, she embraced her in a hug. The two stood that way for a long time, and both looked so hopelessly trapped by the news.

Kilyan couldn't blame them: if Yuri were to attempt to bring this matter forth in the public eye - this secret that the village council had fought for so many decades to keep hidden - she might be silenced: in other words, stoned for some false crime in order to keep the council's secret. But if Yuri didn't give up her profession, she would die of it.

Standing against the wall with awkward Inden at her side, Wynn pitied her cousin. Here she had been thinking all this time (in typical teenage fashion) that her problems were the worst in the world. But standing there as Enya smoothed Yuri's mane and held her tight, she realized for the first time how self-centered and stupid she was. Of course other wolves had problems just as difficult. Of course there were bumps in the road for everyone. She wished desperately that she could help her cousin and Yuri. She glanced sideways at Inden and knew suddenly that he was wishing the same.

Julyan's head appeared around the curtain and he said something about needing more towels and water. Wynn scurried to get the towels, and Inden pushed himself from the wall, his wings rustling as he gathered the boiling water from the edge of the fire.

"Where is your father?" Aliona complained miserably. "Kel should be here. How can he sit down the street while Zaldon is dying!"

"Want me to go get him?" volunteered Keeno gently to his mother-in-law.

Aliona shook her head and dabbed her tears away with the cloth that had been in her lap. "Don't bother. Kel will come when Kel is ready. That's the way he is." She smiled across the room at Kilyan, as if to say her son was much the same.

"You know," said Kilyan, who had been sitting in thought for some time, "we don't have to tell everyone about the village council's little secret - just other sorcerers. If we could get them all to refuse their services, the village council would have no choice but to stop the apprenticeship and go back to traditional shamans."

"It's a plan," said Enya, grinning past Yuri's mane at her uncle.

Kilyan rose, grinning back. "Then let's get on it. Who's staying and who's coming? Enya and Keeno, I guess you should stay," he said, giving Enya's belly an odd look that Keeno failed to notice. "Yuri and I can go find the other sorcerers - and Inden. I'd feel better if Yuri had two escorts this time of night."

Keeno saluted playfully. "Yes, Captain Kilyan!"

The room became an instant bustle as everyone sought to get ready. Yuri went to get cloaks for herself, Inden, and Kilyan and also to collect Inden from Zaldon's room. Kilyan took the time to fill Ceara in on the plan when she appeared in the hall. Ceara approved, then went upstairs to sleep in one of the guestrooms: she hadn't slept all day because she'd been caring for Zaldon. Then at last, Kilyan, Yuri, and Inden left together to locate the other village sorcerers and spread the grim news.

In the strange calm that followed, Keeno pulled up a chair and sat beside his mother-in-law. Wynn and Enya sat around the fire together and shared a bowl of nuts and dried fruit. Every now and then, Enya rubbed her belly and gazed thoughtfully at the fire before sharing a warm smile with Wynn. But once these smiles were given, it was back to staring miserably at the flames: they may have been saving countless lives in putting an end to the practice, but they had failed to save the one life that meant the world to them all.

Eventually, Keeno said what was on everyone's mind: "This still leaves the matter of curing Zaldon."

"Keeno, my son," said Aliona, shaking her head miserably. She closed her paw over Keeno's and peered into his face. "Don't you see? It's too late! Zaldon can't get better!" and sending a shock of sadness through them all, she fell into Keeno's arms and wept.

Keeno held his mother-in-law, rocking her gently as he felt his heart sink like stone. Everyone was trying so hard to keep a brave face, everyone but Aliona and Kel, who had both broken down in the face of such a harsh reality. There was a point, after all, when a forced smile finally crumbled, when the mask finally peeled off and the truth blared through. But was it the truth? Was it true that there was no saving Zaldon? Keeno knew he shouldn't have said anything, but shit - someone had to say it! Because he felt that it wasn't too late, that they should be exploring ways to stop what was happening to Zaldon, that they shouldn't have given up so easily. Keeno didn't believe in giving up on wolves he loved. There were always second chances . . . right? He was starting to doubt himself for clinging to such a thin sliver of hope when the door burst open. Keeno looked past Aliona's gray mane. Kilyan and the others couldn't have come back so soon! So who . . .?

Two figures stepped into the shadowy front room, one leaning heavily upon the other's arm. The figures moved slowly into the firelight, and Keeno was surprised to realize it was Kel and Nontikmah. The vixen moved weakly, her thin frame shaking, her tails dragging across the floor in her wake. Her head was bowed so low she could have kissed her own breasts. She lifted her head slowly, and her once thick white mane spilled back in thin rags to reveal her gaunt face and prominent cheekbones.

Kel's face was creased with determination. Wynn and Enya leapt up to help Kel settle the vixen near the flames, but Kel kept guiding her until they had passed behind the curtain that shut off the hall. Everyone stared after the pair with their ears pricked forward in surprise.

Keeno's mind flew into a panic when he realized what Kel was up to. He let go of Aliona and hurried down the hall after his father-in-law. He reached the end of the hall in time to see Kel helping Nontikmah into Zaldon's bedroom, heard Julyan's questioning voice and Zaldon's hoarse gasp to see his lover leading what appeared to be a fox on the brink of death to his bedside.

Keeno halted at the curtain. He knew he shouldn't do such a thing, that he should go back down the hall and see to his mother-in-law, but he ripped the curtain aside and burst in. Kel had already helped Nontikmah to kneel beside Zaldon's bed.

"No!" Keeno yelled, rushing into the room.

"Keeno!" Kel warned.

Keeno didn't care. He grabbed Nontikmah's arm, forcing her to look at him. "Don't do this, Nontikmah! We can find another way to save Zaldon --"

"I must do this," answered the vixen.

"No, you can't do this - it'll kill you! And if you die, it'll kill Kilyan!" For just looking at her shaking body, Keeno knew any magic she used in her last hours would surely drain her body of whatever life was left.

"Keeno," said Nontikmah with a gentle smile. She pressed his paw away and said firmly, "I must."

Keeno looked at her in amazement, and in that moment, whatever suspicions he held against Nontikmah evaporated: she was willing to give her life for a wolf she didn't even know!

"Let her, son," said Kel, placing a comforting paw on Keeno's shoulder.

Keeno still wanted to stop Nontikmah, but he swallowed and nodded and backed to the wall with blinking eyes.

Nontikmah turned to Zaldon again, who was laying deep in his pillows, the black eyes fixed in awe upon her. No one understood what he meant when he said hoarsely, "Are you . . . her?"

Kel and Julyan looked at each other, confused.

Nontikmah seemed to understand. Still smiling, she nodded and placed her paw on Zaldon's forehead. "Now close your eyes," she whispered to him, "and everything will be better in the morning."

Standing against the wall, Keeno watched with building dread what happened next. Zaldon closed his eyes as he'd been told, and it seemed immediately after, a white light started flowing from Nontikmah's body and into his. It was like fog swirling from one silhouette to the other, only this fog was blindingly bright. Everyone shielded their eyes as Nontikmah, still touching Zaldon's forehead, began to sag. Zaldon gasped as the light filled him, and when the last wisp of it had sank into his forehead, he fell into a deep sleep. At the same time, Nontikmah sank backward. Kel, Julyan, and Keeno jumped as if they would all catch her, but it was Kel who caught Nontikmah in his arms.

"Thank you," Kel whispered, looking down into the fading blue eyes.

Nontikmah smiled. "No, Kel, thank you. Because of you, I was able to perform one last act of good upon this earth."

Kel gave her a half-smile. "You'd think I should be apologizing for that."

Nontikmah managed a laugh. "No, Kel. My days were numbered the moment I sang my sweet Melomiel into eternal night." Her lips trembled, and she reached weakly for Kel's face. Her eyes danced back and forth as she cupped his cheek, searching his face for something that wasn't there. "I wanted to look into Kilyan's eyes as I died," she explained, "but yours will do." She smiled again.

Kel tried to smile back but his lips trembled and faltered. Nontikmah suddenly fell still and the smile slid from her lips. Kel closed his eyes: she was gone.

Kel bowed his head over Nontikmah's body, and he didn't see the shadowy figure that took shape in one corner of the room. Gazing upon Kel's sorrow sympathetically, the figure moved its hourglass shape in his direction and touched a tender paw to his head. As the shadow began to fade, Nontikmah's sweet voice echoed around the room:

"You're welcome."