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Here we go, the next chapter of the wolf and the rose. I hope you enjoy it.

As always, comments are appreciated.

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Continued from "A banquet, a rose and a night of terror..."

My sword blade passed into the flesh of the vampire that had been hunting for Julianna in the maze, spearing its heart in one motion. The vampire screamed in pain, an inhuman wail, as jade green flames flowed out from the wound, crumbling its flesh to ash in moments. The other demons in the clearing, hearing their leader's death knell, fled screaming into the night, leaving most of their fellows behind as piles of ash. My brother Aldric took a deep, steadying breath, winded. We had been moving and fighting at a quick pace through the moon-lit castle gardens for hours, hunting the demons within their sprawling beds of flowers and the maze of hedges and he was not as young as he once was. The pace was wearing on him, I knew, but he hadn't said a word of complaint the whole time, nor would he, if I knew anything about my brother. While he rested his tired body, leaning forward on his sword, which he had rested point first on the ground, I tested the wind, the sharp sense of smell my transformed body possessed telling me of other enemies. Aldric watched me scent for them for a few moments, then spoke.

"How many are left?" he asked and I looked over at him.

"Two werewolves and about a half dozen mujina is all." I replied, looking around the nearby gardens, trying to spot any of our foes.

"Does that include you?" He asked, making an attempt at a joke. I didn't think it was very funny myself, and I looked at him with one eyebrow raised, shaking my head. He laughed. "I was just kidding you bro. Lets get moving."

I nodded and led the way down another path, on the trail of the mujina who had fled from us. We trotted quickly along the path, weapons in hand, watching for any sign. The sounds of battle that carried over the walls of the castle were starting to die down. The presence of so many Slayers had made the demon's attack suicide, but it had been a close run thing. Soon, we reentered the shadowed maze and strode along its dark passages at a slower pace. My brother could not see as well as I could, but I heard him marking the grass at each turning with his sword, marking our path back to the entrance. After a few more moments, we came upon another corridor junction in the maze and found the remaining mujina waiting for us in the clear space between the four paths, all six with blades out and ready. The black, corrupted steel of the demon blades dripped with foul toxins, but the demons were quiet, standing very still. Usually they were jibbering and swearing at us in their foul language, which no one in our world spoke, and their near silence put me on my guard. It might just have been that they were not as confident as they had been earlier, and their silence was a measure of their fear, but I had never known any demon to show fear.

We two alone had slain many of their kind during the night, along with plenty of Oni, their larger cousins. Six more mujina would not pose much of a threat or even a challenge to us. Still though, I had been surprised not to see any Fel Guards in an assault of this size, but there had been none of the massive demons, which somehow fit with the oddity of this night. Neither Aldric nor I had yet even been scratched and the demons looked on us with a strange gleam in their eyes, for they knew they were going to die. Aldric and I advanced into the clearing slowly, side by side, blades up and ready. Experience had taught us to go slow, to only warily approach any demon that was standing still. And rightly so, it turned out. The moment we stepped into the center of the space between paths, the two werewolves that had hidden in other corridors lunged to the attack, claws and teeth bared.

Warned by my heightened senses, I caught the one that attacked me by the neck with one hand before it was ready to strike, driving my sword point first into its chest in the same moment. For a few moments, the werewolf writhed on my blade, doing more damage to itself and digging a long furrow through its chest with my silver and jade blade, but then, its brownish fur shrank back into its body and its face became human once more, its eyes closing at last. As it died, the face around its eyes eased, losing the tension it had held before, for the human it had once been was finally freed from its curse. I drew my sword from the fresh corpse quickly, turning to aid my brother, but Aldric had handled the werewolf that had attacked him with the same ease, throwing its corpse down beside him, its neck laid open by his sword.

Flush with triumph, we turned back to the smaller demons at almost the same moment, but, just as we turned, the Mujina plowed into us, for they had charged moments after the werewolves. Moving in a blur, I easily caught the blades of the three that faced me on my own sword and threw them back with a mighty heave of my arm. While I drew my dagger from its sheath at my belt with one hand, I struck with the other, striking the head from one with the meaty sound of blade cutting flesh. A swift sword slash and a stab with the dagger ended the lives of the other two who had attacked me within moments of each other. But, even as I ended the lives of the demons in front of me, I heard a demonic voice crying aloud in triumph from behind me, where my brother was fighting. I whirled back around, finding that the three that had attacked my brother had bowled him over and, though he had still managed to kill two of them, the other had stabbed down, its blade piercing his side, just above his hip. While my brother gave a grunt of pain, and kicked at the demon, forcing it backward, I threw the dagger I held. It spun twice as it flew towards its target, its blade reflecting the pale moonlight brightly, then the blade hit, digging into the back of the demon's neck, piercing all the way through to the other side.

Ignoring the mujina that was rapidly dissolving into ash, I went to my brother's side and wiped at the wound with my hand, clearing the blood from the cut. I found to my relief that the blade had missed anything important, leaving only a long, bloody cut in his flesh. Working with the speed of experience, I plucked the pouch of jade powder from my belt and sprinkled a pinch of it into his wound, making him grimace as his flesh sizzled, a thin curl of acrid smoke rising from the cut as it was cleansed of the foul toxin that had invaded it.

"It isn't too deep." I told him, helping him to sit up. My brother did not answer, instead tearing a strip from the hem of his cloak for a bandage. I tied the makeshift bandage tight around the wound, making him grimace as I worked, but when I was done, he nodded and took the hand I offered, letting me haul him to his feet. When he was standing once more, I retrieved my dagger from where it lay on the ground, immersed in a pile of hot grey ash and stood tall, drawing in deep breaths to catch the scent of any more enemies, but I had barely begun to sift through the various scents when the wind carried a scream to my ears. The scream was of the same sort as those that had filled the air all night, but this one made my blood run like ice, for it was the voice of my love and I realized then that the entire assault had been meant to seize only one person. Without waiting for my brother to react, I leapt the wall of hedges that separated me from the rest of the gardens in a single bound and sprinted off toward the keep, not slowing down for anything. As I ran for the keep, I found myself once again glad of the long, loping stride that werewolves were capable of. The gardens passed by in a multicolored blur, followed by the grayish blur of the keep's corridors.

By the time I reached the top floor of the keep, I knew that something bad had gone on here. I passed several corpses dressed in Slayer white, and more dressed in the uniform of the castle guards, and the air was heavy with the scent of blood and the foul stench of the demons. And then, when I saw the door to the small chamber that Julianna had described hanging by one hinge, I picked up the pace even more. Even before I passed into the chamber, I knew I was too late to help. But what I found in the room was as horrible as anything I had ever seen. The room was covered with blood, as if it had been painted bright red. All the Slayers who had been posted to the room had been hacked and slashed with many cruel strokes. Two slayers lay against the wall opposite the door, and one was missing his head. Another lay slumped near the door, his white uniform positively soaked in blood. There was also a blood soaked pile of clothing and flesh that must once have been Lieutenant Skiard, but it no longer resembled anything remotely human. There was no sign of Julianna at all in the room, but somehow, as bad as the scene of battle was, I felt in my heart of hearts that she was still alive. The feeling was fleeting, like wisps of smoke, but somehow I knew it to be truth.

Even as I heard the footsteps of a large group of people hurrying nearer, responding to the scream, another sound drew my attention to one of the Slayers lying against the wall. Despite all the injuries he had sustained, he was still alive, and struggling to draw breath. I went to his side and knelt, looking at him with pity. Even with a healer, he would not survive his wounds. But he persisted, struggling against death, struggling to get enough of a breath to speak, for he seemed driven by some urgent purpose. I leaned in close, focusing hard to hear what he had to say. His eyes were glassy with the nearness of his end and it was clear that he could no longer see what I was, but something within my presence convinced him I was not an enemy, and he whispered slow words, his voice barely audible.

"The princess..." He began, choking out the words slowly, "They took her...the prince is..." But what the prince was, I didn't hear, for he let out a last, shaky breath, and expired. I didn't get very long to ponder these last few words, the final gift that this Slayer had to give, as a crowd of warriors came running down the hallway, coming to find the source of the scream. Within the crowd, I could see both the white of Slayers and the livery of the Castle Guard which would likely mean trouble. The moment they saw me standing there in the small chamber, cries of 'Werewolf' were shouted by the guards and there was a confused rush of bodies into the chamber that happened so fast that I even I couldn't comprehend all that had happened. Finally, the press of bodies and the shouting of soldiers resolved itself into two groups, separated by a few footsteps in the small chamber. The guards clustered around the King and Prince Talorn, both of whom had weapons in hand, though the king looked slightly ill. The few Slayers in the mass, though outnumbered by a wide margin, had rallied around me, standing at my side, their weapons held before them. All of them had been among those who had heard my tale from my brother, and they stood ready to die to protect me, werewolf though I was. The situation might have ended badly, had not my brother arrived just then with even more Slayers at his side. His strong voice shouted down the angry cries and demands of both sides and he came forward between us.

"Put up your blades!" he commanded sharply and the order was obeyed instantly, for it was backed up by the force of a Master Hunter's power. Even the guards obeyed him, much to the chagrin of both the Prince and the King, who looked at their guards as if they had just made public oaths against them. "It is madness to fight each other when demons are at hand. Now then, what happened here?"

"Julianna is gone." I stated, not bothering to stand on ceremony. Both the King and the Prince looked shocked at the familiarity of the title-less address I used, but I was past the point where I might have cared. My love had been taken and damn all who said I shouldn't be upset. "But she is still alive, I can feel it."

"Why would they take her alive?" my brother question and I shrugged. The reasons didn't seem important just then. While he looked about the room, frowning at the slaughtered remnants of the Slayers that littered the chamber, I caught sight of Prince Talorn's eyes. Though his face was as impassive as any life long court dweller's could be, his eyes held a look of triumph that was hidden quickly beneath the shutters that he had drawn across his gaze when he had noticed me looking at him in the court, earlier that day. And that brought to mind the sharpening of the foreboding feeling that I had felt when looking at him for the first time and suddenly, the Slayer's last words clicked into place.

"YOU!!" I shouted, drawing my sword and advancing on the prince. I was quickly restrained by the Slayers that stood before me, and if Talorn felt any fear, he didn't show it. Instead he simply looked confused. "You did this!! You are in league with the demons!!"

"Galen!! Control yourself!" My brother shouted at me angrily, his voice carrying a surprised tone within it.

"I heard it from the mouth of one of my brother Slayers as he lay dying, not a foot from where that traitor stands." I shouted in reply, barely restraining myself from throwing the Slayers off me and attacking the Prince. "He did this!!"

"What are you talking about Hunter?" The prince replied calmly, or as calmly as one could be with a werewolf within a hair's breadth of attacking him. "How could I have done this? I haven't left the side of the King all night."

"He has been with me since the attack began." Julianna's father said, looking at me in disgust and confusion. "You are mistaken Slayer."

Before our conversation could continue, the Slayer Captain who Aldric had sent to clear the keep walked up with a pair of other Slayers. All three looked exhausted, but driven with some sort of task that demanded they forget their exhaustion. The captain ignored all in the room save my brother, who he walked right up to.

"Master Hunter," he began. "There is something you must see."

"Not now captain." Aldric replied, glaring at me.

"Sir, you must come." The captain persisted, but my brother brushed him off a second time. Finally, he raised his voice, putting great emphasis on his words. "Sir!! You have to come now!!"

"What is it Captain?" My brother returned, at last noticing the man's urgency.

"We found something, down in the storerooms." He said. "Something you need to see."

"Alright, lets go." My brother ordered, looking pointedly at me. I very slowly sheathed my blade, obliged to obey him, but fighting with myself and looking with utter hatred on the Prince. Nodding, Aldric led the way out of the room. The Slayers formed up to follow after him, and the king's party followed after us. The captain led us all the way down into the bottom of the keep, to the very lowest level of the storerooms, and all the way down, I glared daggers at Talorn. But, then, on the lowest level of the storerooms, the slayer captain led us to a door that looked like it had once been hidden as part of one of the walls. The stones that had made up the hidden door had been scattered outward, many split asunder and blackened by great heat. The small room behind held only a rough-hewn staircase, spiraling down into darkness. Another pair of Slayers, both wounded, stood guard here, leaning on their weapons tiredly, but both still alert, their faces grim.

The Captain led us down the staircase, but as we walked down the stairs, I heard the king commenting that he had had no idea that this room or this stairway existed. It took a few long minutes of walking through the dark to reach the bottom of the stairs, but when we came out, I heard many gasps from the guards and Slayers behind me, and I didn't blame them. The room where the staircase ended was not so much a room as it was a large cavern, deep in the earth, far beneath the castle. Its walls and floor were stained with blood, some of it fresh, but most of it dried, staining the walls a rusty sort of red-black. The stalagmites hanging from the ceiling seemed to glow, giving off a pale, eerie radiance that made the flesh crawl. Droplets fell from the ceiling that were more blood than water, staining the white clothing of the slayers with small spots red. The air was heavy with the scent of old blood, and a feel of lingering evil, as if the very stone of the cavern was contaminated by it. And, the moment we stepped out into the room, we discovered that the floor was positively covered in gray ash. From the looks of things, a huge battle must have been fought here when the Slayers discovered this cavern.

But soon, the curse that lived within me drew my attention to the center of the room. And there, lit with its own unholy light, was a sprawling symbol drawn in blood which glowed eerie red in the dim light of the cavern. It was almost ten strides from edge to center, and as one got closer to it, one could feel a malevolence pressing down on the heart. It was a symbol of five demon claws, each reaching in a different direction, enclosed within a double ring. Between the two rings were arcane runes, similar to the ones that decorated my uniform, but these were twisted and upended, spelling out an enchantment in a foul and perverted version of the language from which spells were crafted. And, in the exact center of the five claws was a symbol, burning bright and powerful, a symbol that all demon hunters hated. The mark of the sun, speared upon a trio of dark lines, the symbol of the legendary demons, the ancient foes of Auré.

I needed no priest to tell me what this was. It was a portal to the demon realm. It also explained a few things. This was how the demons had gotten into the castle even though the gates had been shut. This was why my transformation had been so painful this night, though it was supposed to waning as the moon shrank to the new moon. And this also explained why no Fel Guards had been present in the assault. They would not have fitted through the castle corridors. But, judging from the large piles of ash clustered around the portal, I could tell that at least three of the towering demons had been present here, guarding their escape.

"Auré save us." One of the guards exclaimed, staring at the glowing portal. The Head Priest, along with two of his disciples, were examining the portal from beyond its edge, and more were treating the wounded that lay around the room. More than two dozen Slayers lay dead, along with a half dozen priests, and many more were sitting wounded, waiting for treatment. The crowd of warriors that had accompanied us down into this cavern started speaking loudly, and the King began to demand an explanation of Aldric, but I tuned them all out, standing alone away from them. I ignored all that the others in the room said, all the corpses of the brave Slayers and Priests within the room, stepping forward slowly, my mind focused on scent only. I began to breathe deep, my eyes closed. Sifting through the many scents in the room, I began to discard them one by one, searching for the one I hoped I would not find, but knew all the same was here. And then, under the scent of blood and ash, intermingled within the scents of many demons, I detected the familiar scent. Latching onto it, I traced it through the room, and, when I found where the scent vanished, I opened my eyes, staring at the symbol in the center of the portal. My heart fell, for I knew what had happened here. My brother, noticing my posture slumping down, brusquely told the shocked King to be quiet and walked so he was standing beside me.

"What do you smell?" he asked and I looked over at him.

"She was here Aldric." I said, pointing to the portal. "They took her into their realm."

"Then she is lost forever." Talorn said, speaking up from right behind me. His voice lit a blaze within me and I whirled, turning faster than lightning. In a moment, way before he could react, the prince was sent flying by a mighty blow of one of my furred fists connecting with his head. The king and his guards gasped, for no one had ever dared to strike a member of the royal family, but I didn't care. He had deserved much worse that a single punch, but I had not the will at the moment to deliver it. The flash of anger had burned out, drowned in sudden sorrow. I slumped down to my knees, breathing deep, trying to keep the crushing sorrow from drowning me as well. My brother put a comforting hand on my shoulder and the king finally spoke.

"What is going on?" he asked, coming over before Aldric. "I demand an answer, Master Hunter. Where is my daughter?"

"Julianna has been taken through this portal, into the realm of the demons." Aldric stated, staring at the king with disgust at his arrogance. The Head Priest was walking over to us, bent and leaning on the staff he carried. My brother continued speaking to the king as he approached, trying to contain his feelings about the king so he could speak civilly to him. "There is nothing that we can do. Any mortal being that passes into their world without protection is instantly corrupted by their power. Julianna is no longer the person she was. She is no longer your daughter." Two words of that statement cut through my sorrows, driving into my mind. 'Without protection...' In an instant, an image popped into my head. A sunburst armlet of jade scales, connected by woven silver wires, sealed tightly to Julianna's slender arm while we stood beneath the moonlight on a hill, weeks ago. And suddenly, a desperate hope woke in me, cutting through my dark despair like a beam of brilliant sunlight and I rose slowly back to my feet while the Head Priest spoke to my brother.

"Master Hunter, we can seal this portal and remove its influence from this chamber," He began, his old voice weary. "But we should make haste, before more demons come through."

"Since there is no hope for the princess, I must agree." Aldric replied, "Begin the ritual."

"No." I said, my voice filled with so much conviction that all eyes suddenly turned to me. Even Talorn, who was climbing back up to his feet after my punch, stared at me, and in his eyes was a hint of worry. "There is still hope."

"What are you talking about Galen?" Aldric asked, shaking his head in confusion, but holding up his hand to halt the aged priest from striding away.

"She is wearing my Ward of the Sun." I replied and my brother's eyes grew suddenly wide.

"You gave her your Ward?!" He asked, incredulous. For a Slayer to give up his Ward was the ultimate gesture of devotion between two people. Such a thing very rarely happened, even between married couples. I nodded and he continued staring at me, speechless.

"What are you talking about?" The king asked, even more baffled than my brother. "What is this business about a 'Ward' and how does this help my daughter?"

"Every Slayer is given a Ward of the Sun when he completes training." Aldric explained, rolling up his right sleeve to reveal the glittering arm band around his bicep. It glowed faintly in the dim light, reacting to the presence of the demonic portal. "It grants protection from demonic powers to the wearer. It is so powerful an object that if your daughter is wearing one, then she will have at least a day in which she will be protected from their corruption."

"Then you must go after her!!" the king cried, laying a hand on Aldric's forearm. My brother shook his head and gently removed the king's hand from his arm.

"It isn't that simple." He explained, "This portal has had an enchantment cast on it. The only way that a human can pass through it is if they have the assistance of the demons. We cannot go there." He drew in a deep breath and then looked the king right in the eye. "There is only one warrior in this world who can enter through it. That is my brother, Galen."

"NO!!" Talorn shouted, the single word echoing around the walls of the cavern. "Your majesty, don't listen to this lunatic. The werewolf cannot be trusted with this. There is no one who feels Julianna's loss more than I, but she is lost. There is nothing to be gained by sending this...creature...into their realm other than to give them one more servant." For a moment, the king seemed to waver, then his look hardened and he spoke, looking at Aldric with an expression of confidence.

"Order Hunter Galen to go and get her back." He ordered, but Aldric shook his head.

"Your majesty, even if I accepted your authority, which I can assure you, I do not," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder once more. "I would not order Galen to do this. I cannot order any Slayer to go into their realm, knowing it would mean either succeeding or perishing, or worse. And I would not even ask it of this man, my blood, my brother, to undertake such a mission."

"Please, Hunter Galen." The king pleaded, at last speaking directly to me. "Will you go to save my daughter? Please, will you do it for a desperate father?"

"You are asking me to go into the Burning Hells, fight my way through endless legions of demons, more than likely going up against the legendary demons themselves, all for your sake?" I asked, then shook my head, "No, your highness, not for you would I go." The King looked crestfallen and I continued speaking, loud enough that all could hear me. "I would not go into the demon realm for any man, not even if Auré himself asked me to." Talorn looked triumphant, but I was not finished yet. "And yet...Yet I will go. But I go for the sake of only one person. I will go for the sake of Julianna." Now it was Talorn's turn to be shocked. I grinned a menacing wolfish grin at him, for his eye was blackening up nicely, marring his perfect, cultivated looks.

"Are you sure brother?" Aldric said, motioning the Head Priest to stay where he was. I nodded to him. "You will not be able to enter their realm with your cross around your neck. But perhaps we can give something else to protect you..."

***

A little later, I lay on my stomach on a smooth table, still transformed even though the dawn was breaking outside the walls of the castle. My brother stood against the wall in front of where I was lying, toying with the chain of my cross, which I had given into his keeping when the plans had been finalized. Two priests and three priestesses were in the room with us, each applying a very special paint to my fur. The paint was made of powdered jade, and, coupled with the incantation they were chanting quietly while they worked, it was absorbed into my flesh and the fur that covered it. The priests were painting the marks of the priesthood onto my skin to give me some of the protection that they enjoyed. Jars of silver paint sat by on the side, their seals unbroken. Because I was a werewolf, the silver paints would like as not kill me if they were used. But, slowly, the sunburst was taking shape on my back, from shoulder to hip, as were the ones on the back of each hand. The head priest was standing by, watching and adding his own words to the incantations when necessary.

"Remember Galen," he said, reiterating his warning for the third time. "Without the silver borders, these marks will not be permanent. At best, they will give you limited protection from the enemy's power."

"I understand." I replied, shivering as one of the paintbrushes trailed its cold load of paint along a sensitive nerve. I looked up at my brother while the priests were working, watching him carefully. He was agitated, I knew, because he was disobeying the mandate of the ruling council. They had decreed centuries ago that any portal that was found must be sealed as soon as possible, and also that no Slayer could enter such a portal, for it would mean death. After the last of the demons had been destroyed in the city outside the castle, he had stationed the bulk of his Slayers in the cavern below the castle, to guard against any more incursions by the demons while I was being prepared for my journey. His wound had been healed by one of the priests after the seriously wounded had been cared for. The castle servants, those that had survived the night attack, were busy all over the castle, disposing of the bodies of the fallen. But my mind wasn't on that at all. I was worried for Julianna. While it was true that the Ward would protect her from the demon's power, and they could not force her to remove it, she could be tricked into doing so. Every moment of delay was another moment in which they might succeed in tricking her.

"Don't worry brother." Aldric said, guessing my thoughts. "She was trained by the priesthood itself. She will recognize their tricks." I nodded and then let out a sigh, looking down. Aldric looked at me, his head cocked to the side. He knew, without me needing to say a word, that something was on my mind that had nothing to do with my coming task. "What is it bro?"

"I can't help but think that I don't deserve her love." I admitted, my eyes still downcast. "I am just a Slayer. I don't deserve a princess."

"No brother." He said, coming forward and laying a hand on my shoulder. "You were never 'just a slayer'. You were always better than any of our brothers, or our father, or me. You were always faster, quicker with a blade. When you were faced with a great challenge, you didn't freeze up, or even hesitate. Instead, you moved faster, fought harder until the challenge had been beaten. Do you know how rare that is? Not one in thousand slayers have such a skill. You have always been special Galen, always been better. I think you deserve her love, and," he leaned in close and whispered the next words. "Judging by what I saw, I think she thinks so too." With that, my brother departed the room, leaving me to my thoughts...

***

Just as the noon sun was breaking over Gulnia, I stood before the demonic portal once more, my cloak and weapons wrapped close around me once again. My brother stood a few paces behind me, my cross in his hand once more, his white knuckled grip the only sign of the strain he was feeling, watching his youngest brother walking into almost certain death. My transformed body now bore the tattoos of the priesthood on my chest, back and the backs of both hands, rendered all in light green. The head priest, who seemed not to care that he was speaking to a werewolf, was standing beside me, reminding me for the tenth time about what I could face beyond the portal.

"We do not know for sure what you will find in their world, but what we do know is this," he said, his old voice creaking slightly. "The moment you step into their world, their powers will seek to corrupt you. The tattoos should give you protection, but I doubt you will get more than twenty hours from them. Be wary of using magic, for that will drain some of the power from the tattoos."

"I will remember." I said, adjusting my baldric once more and preparing to step forward onto the portal.

"Are you ready brother?" Aldric asked, looking at me with concern.

"I am." I replied and stepped forward slowly, passing through the rings of demonic runes.

"Remember this most of all," The head priest said as I neared the symbol in the center of the pattern. "Trust not your senses, for they will be easily deceived in their realm. Trust in your instincts only, no matter how strange they seem. Good luck Hunter."

"Thank you." I replied and stepped onto the center of the design on the floor. The portal began to pulse with energy, and a red glow began to suffuse the air around me. Just when the light began to reach its climax, becoming blindingly bright to the watching Slayers and Priests, I thought a final thought to myself. 'Hold on my love, I'm coming.' And then, the light flashed and I vanished from the world of men...