Winter of the White Wolf (Noble Heart Book 4)
WINTER OF THE WHITE WOLF
CYNTHIA S. GRIFFITH
COVER ART BY SARAH LOWE
Copyright © 2008 by Cynthia S. Griffith
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without prior written permission of the author.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Duty Calls!
Chapter Two: Howl of the Wolf
Chapter Three: Simon Foster
Chapter Four: The Empty Stall
Chapter Five: Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!
Chapter Six: A Trail in the Snow
Chapter Seven: Strangers in the Inn
Chapter Eight: The Wolf
Chapter Nine: Escape!
Chapter Ten: The Chase
Chapter Eleven: Setting a Trap
Chapter Twelve: The White Wolf
Chapter Thirteen: Three Wolves
Chapter Fourteen: Return to Aber
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CHAPTER ONE
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Duty Calls!
Noble looked up at the overcast sky and drew his cloak more tightly around him. It had been a hard winter already, and now it looked as though more snow was yet to come. The walls of the castle seemed to blend right into the sky as it towered above him, for the clouds were the same hard gray as the stonework. The wind was cold and damp as it whipped in off the sea just a few miles away. “Hurry,” he said to the dog at his heels. “Let’s get inside, Hero.”
The pup did not have to be told twice. He gave a sharp bark and leaped forward ahead of his young master, eager to find the warmth of a fire, and perhaps a good bone to gnaw.
The kitchen, as usual, was bustling with activity when Noble entered. Cook was bellowing orders and the younger servants leaped to do her bidding. She was a good-hearted person, but no one dared to dally when she was in this mood, for according to her, dinner must not be late for the king—ever!
Noble wove his way through the busy room to the corner near the fireplace. Granny was right where he knew he would find her, happily mixing up yet another batch of scones.
“Granny, what are you doing?” Noble asked with a smile as he approached her. “King Stephen said you are to be a lady of leisure now that you are living at the castle.”
“Noble!” The old woman’s face lit up with pleasure at the sight of her young grandson. “Oh, you know I’ll have none of that! I’ve never been a lady of leisure in all my life and I don’t plan to begin now at my age! I have no housework to do now that I am living here, and I cannot work in the garden when the weather is like this, so I keep busy doing any baking Cook will allow me to do, and sewing. The queen has given me several projects to do for her, for she knows how I hate idle hands. William is outgrowing his clothes so quickly that we are hard-pressed to keep up with him!”
“Well, I am glad you are happy here, Granny. I feared you would miss your quiet life in the country.”
“Oh, there are days when I do miss that, Noble, I must confess, and I miss my little cottage and your grandfather, but how can I complain? God has been so good to me. I have you, first of all, the grandson who has made me so very proud, and I have a comfortable and secure life thanks to you, and the king, of course. I have made friends here, as well—many friends. I am blessed beyond measure, Noble.”
“I am happy for you, Granny.”
“I know you are, my dear. You look cold, Noble. Why don’t you sit down and have a hot cup of tea, and perhaps a scone or two? Dinner will be ready soon, but I don’t suppose anything will spoil the appetite of a growing boy like you!” She gazed with concern at him. He had certainly turned into a handsome lad, tall and strong with dark hair and clear grey eyes. It was difficult to remember that he still was just a boy, for he carried much responsibility as a knight of the King’s Guard, and he carried it well.
“Thank you, Granny, but I don’t have time for that at the moment. Sir Robert sent for me. He is with the king right now and I must not keep them waiting. I just stopped in here to see how you are doing.”
“Goodness, Noble! I am just fine! Now you hurry on—don’t keep the king waiting on account of me!” Granny waved her apron at the boy, suddenly flustered at the thought of the king pacing the floor and wondering where his youngest knight was.
Noble laughed. “It’s fine, Granny, but would you mind keeping an eye on Hero for me? I did not have time to take him to my quarters when I got word that the king wished to see me.”
“Yes, yes! Of course, I’ll watch him. Now go! And as for you, my little Hero, would you like a treat? Let’s go see what I can find for you!” Hero grinned his doggy-grin and held out one paw to the old woman who was always so kind to him. Noble was quickly forgotten as the two went off in search of a bone or a scrap of meat. Noble smiled as he watched them for a moment and then turned and went his own way.
Voices were coming from the council room as Noble reached the door. Sir Robert was speaking, and though he looked up when Noble entered, he did not pause, but when on with what he was saying. Several other men sat around the table, listening intently. The king sat at the head of the table and he, too, paid little attention as the young knight entered and slipped into a chair. Whatever it was they were talking about must be serious. Noble concentrated now on Sir Robert’s words.
“This is the worst winter, Sire, in living memory. Many of our people are in distress, as you know, for the harvest was cut short by the early storms and there are food shortages. There are farms and whole villages cut off by the snows in the highlands. To make matters worse, there are gangs of ruffians preying upon those towns—robbing, fighting, holding the people hostage. They are bold, for with the villages isolated, they fear no help coming to the people from the outside.”
The king looked grave. “They are fools, then, for they do not know that I would do whatever it takes to protect my people from those who would abuse them. Tell me, Sir Robert, do you know who these men are, which villages have been targeted by them? We must send help as quickly as possible.”
“Word has begun to trickle down, Your Majesty. They say the worst of the gangs is led by a man they call The Wolf. He goes around as a wolf in sheep’s clothing and gains the people’s trust, and then when he has done that, he brings his men in as a pack of wolves. His true cruelty and heartlessness is revealed at last as he steals what little food the people have and even turns families out into the cold so that he may have their homes for his men. When they are ready to move on they torch the cottages, simply out of the wickedness of their hearts.”
King Stephen leaped to his feet. “No! They will be stopped! They must be stopped! Sir Robert, you will take a company of men and go after this Wolf. Do not rest until you have him and every one of his wolf pack in custody. Sir Edward, I want you to send out more men with supplies for those villages—as much as we can spare. We cannot relieve all the suffering that our people are going through this winter, but we will do what we can. I want men patrolling these villages. Perhaps their presence will discourage the gangs from preying upon them.”
The knights bowed to the king and turned to do his bidding. Noble was about to follow the older men from the room when the king called out to him. “Sir Noble! Stay, please! I have something else for you to do.” Sir Robert had remained behind, as well, and now he motioned to Noble to join them at the head of the table.
Noble stepped forward. “Sit down, Noble,” the king invited.
“We have a different task for you,�
� Sir Robert began as Noble took a seat. “There is another man we hope to find—hardly the evil criminal that the Wolf is, but still bad enough. His name is Simon Foster. Some of the knights caught up with him a few days ago and were bringing him back to Caernarfon to face the king when he somehow managed to slip away from them last night. I got word this morning that he has disappeared once more, and although I want to capture him as quickly as possible, I must have the knights return without him, for they cannot waste any more time on the old scoundrel.”
“I would like you to go after him, Sir Noble,” King Stephen put in. “Foster may not be as dangerous as the Wolf, but he is sly old fox nevertheless, and I want him caught. He has cheated several old widow ladies out of their homes, and to my mind that makes him the worst of thieves.”
“The old man is no swordsman,” Sir Robert added. “His weapon is his tongue. You will not find a more cunning liar and cheat in all the kingdom. In fact, that is how he escaped the men who were bringing him in—not by weapons, but by his lies and trickery.”
“Go after him, Noble,” the king said. “If you catch him, he will not so easily deceive you, I am sure. I am sorry to send you out alone like this, especially in such frigid weather, but we cannot spare anyone else right now, and I know if anyone can accomplish this alone, it is you.”
“I will do my best, Sire,” Noble said bowing to the king. In his heart he was a bit disappointed that he would not be going with the other knights after the Wolf and his pack, or even with those going with Sir Edward on a rescue mission to the villages that needed help. Both tasks sounded far more exciting than simply chasing down one defenseless old man.
How could he argue, though, with the king who had been so good to him and his grandmother, or with his captain who had placed such faith in him from the very beginning? He had been just a poor peasant boy a year ago, skilled in falconry to be sure, but with little else to recommend him. King Stephen and Sir Robert had seen something special in that boy, though, and had taken him in, training him and ultimately making him a knight in the King’s Guard. Noble had repaid their trust in him many times over, and now he was more than willing to do whatever they asked of him, whether it was exciting or not. He listened carefully as they went on to describe Simon Foster and the crimes he had committed.
They were just finishing their discussion when a knock came at the door and a small head poked into the room. King Stephen smiled. “Come in, William.”
A young boy stepped through the door. His blonde hair was tousled, there was a smudge of soot on his cheek, and his tunic had a small hole in it. Looking at him, a stranger would never have guessed he was the prince, but the king held out his arms and the child ran into them. “Hello, Father!” he said.
A small bundle of fur bounced around his feet, barking excitedly. “Hero! What are you doing here? I left you with Granny!” Noble exclaimed.
“Hello, Noble!” William turned to his older friend. “I went down to the kitchen to beg for a biscuit and saw Hero with Granny. I asked if I could play with him, and she said yes!”
“And what have you and our little Hero been doing?” the king asked. “Has Nanny seen you? Or your mother, William? It appears you’ve been cleaning the chimneys!”
“Oh! Sorry, Father!” William rubbed at his cheeks. “I threw a bone for Hero to fetch and it went into the fireplace. He was afraid to go after it, so I did. Cook chased us out of the kitchen then. She said she feared I would catch on fire, but really, Father, it was quite safe once I put out the sparks that landed on my tunic!”
“Hmm, apparently Hero has more sense in his head than the prince! Stay out of the fireplaces, William!” his father said sternly, although a small smile played around the corners of his mouth. “Now, what is it that you want, son? As you can see, I am having a meeting with Sir Robert and Sir Noble.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I was just wondering if you are finished with Noble? I would like to talk to him.”
“We are finished for the moment, but Sir Noble is about to leave on business, William. You may speak to him for a few minutes, but you must not keep him from his duties.”
“Thank you, Father.”
The king turned to his young knight and said, “Noble, you may leave. I have no doubt you will accomplish the task ahead of you. Bring Foster back as quickly as possible. I am anxious to get this scoundrel put away. He has done enough damage.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Noble bowed once more and then followed William from the room. Hero nipped at his heels as they left, happy to see his master once more.
The door had barely closed behind them when William turned and said eagerly, “Noble, I am glad to see you. You have been so busy lately that we have not spent much time together. I am so tired of being shut up here in the castle. I will be glad when winter is over and we may go out to the training fields again or go riding.”
“Yes, I know. I am sorry. What can I do for you, William? You have not hatched another plan to escape Nanny’s lessons, I hope!”
“No, no, Noble!” William laughed. “Father has said if I continue to do well he will give me a horse of my own this spring, so I have been studying hard. I cannot grow up to be a knight like you without learning to ride the best horse in the land, and if that means I must learn history first, I will do it!”
“William, you are the prince. Your rank far surpasses that of a knight. But as for finding the best horse—well, it would be difficult to find a better horse than my Valiant, I’m afraid.”
“That is true, Noble, but at least I can hope to find one equal to him perhaps.”
“Yes, you can hope for that.”
“Well, as I said, if I am to get my own horse this spring then I must learn to ride the best horse in the land, and that of course, would be Valiant! I was wondering if you might allow me to try him out sometime—you know, when the weather is better, of course. He knows me, and I do not think he would object to carrying me, do you?”
Noble laughed. “No, Valiant will most happily carry you, I think, William. I would be happy also to give you some riding lessons.”
“Thank you, Noble! I shall look forward to that!”
“Very well, then. For now, I must leave. Your father and Sir Robert have a task for me to do. And now I have a favor to ask of you, in turn.”
“What is it, Noble?”
“Will you look after Hero for me while I am gone, please? I would ask Granny, but she may not be able to keep up with the little rascal!”
“Yes, of course! Hurray! We shall have a grand time, won’t we, Pup?” The white and tan dog jumped at him, pawing at his knees and looking up with that silly dog-grin on his face.
“Thank you, William. Farewell for now. I will see you when I return.” Noble tousled the prince’s hair, gave his dog one last pat, and turned to leave. He had work to do for the king. Duty called.
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CHAPTER TWO
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Howl of the Wolf
The young knight bent low in the saddle, scanning the ground for signs of tracks in the frozen earth. There was no snow yet, but Noble knew before midnight the ground would be covered, and all hope of picking up the trail tomorrow would be gone. He had to find some sign of the escaped prisoner, and soon, for with the overcast sky, dark was quickly falling.
Noble blew on his red, frozen hands. The wind was whipping viciously at his cloak, but Noble paid little attention for his thoughts were not on his own discomfort, but on the urgency of his mission.
“Come on, Valiant,” he said at last. “I see no signs of our prey, but I am not surprised at that. I do think, however, that this is the way he would have gone. We’ll keep going until nightfall.”
The black stallion tossed his mane and pressed on. Steam billowed from his nostrils in the frigid air, but the cold weather did not seem to bother the great warhorse in the least. He was willing to go as long and as far as his young master desired.
Noble had met up with the knights who
had first captured Foster shortly after he left Caernarfon. They were eager to return to the castle and the warmth of a fire, so they paused only long enough to describe the man to him. “Be careful,” their captain had warned. “He looks harmless enough, but he is a sneaky old fellow with many tricks up his sleeve.”
Now, after a long cold day in the saddle, Sir Noble longed for a hot meal and some shelter from the wind himself, but he was determined to search as long as the fading light would allow him. The village of Aber was not much further. If he had not come across Foster’s tracks by the time he reached the inn there, he would be forced to stop for the night. Not a totally bad thing, Noble had to confess to himself as another sharp blast of wind hit him fully in the face.
Thirty minutes later the sun which had remained hidden all day behind a thick cover of clouds had set, and Noble could scarcely see more than a few feet in front of him. Aber was just ahead, he knew. He was about to spur Valiant on to the warmth of the inn and its stable when suddenly, through the gathering gloom, he saw something lying by the side of the road. Instead he pulled up on the reins and slid off of Valiant’s broad back.
He ran to the shape lying still on the frozen ground. It was a man, and by the looks of him, he had been there for some time. His lips were blue in a white, pinched face. There were patches of frostbite on his nose and ears. It was not difficult to recognize that face, however, for the descriptions he had heard earlier of the escaped criminal were very precise. It was Simon Foster himself, the thief and cheat Noble had been pursuing all day.
Noble laid his ear on Foster’s chest to see if he could hear a heartbeat. Yes, it was faint and slow, but he could hear the steady th-thump, th-thump of the black heart within. Foster was still alive, but perhaps he would not be for long if Noble did not get help for him quickly. He was obviously overcome by the cold.