Read The Damned 01 - White Wolf for Free Online Page A

ever known, and he thought he had learned the rules of behaviour necessary to survive in such a place. True, he often broke those rules, stealing occasional apples from Carin’s shop, or sneaking onto the estates of the absent lord to poach pheasants or hunt rabbits. If approached later and questioned he would also lie shamelessly, even though Brother Labberan taught that lies were a sin against Heaven. Broadly, however, Rabalyn had believed he understood how his small society operated. Yet in the last week he had witnessed appalling scenes that made no sense to him.
    Adults had gathered in mobs, screeching and calling for blood. People who had worked and lived in the town were suddenly called traitors, dragged from their homes and beaten. The soldiers of the Watch stood by, doing nothing. Yet these same soldiers berated him for killing pheasants.
    Now they ignored the killing of people.
    Brother Labberan was probably right to have called him an idiot.
    ‘Stupid boy, are you incapable of learning?’ It had always seemed such fun to irritate Brother Labberan. He would never raise a hand - not even to lightly slap a child. It did not feel like fun now in his memory.
    Rabalyn rubbed at his swollen eye. It was still painful, but at least now he could see again, although bright sunshine still made the eye water.
    Todhe had caught him with a wicked blow just as he was pulling Bron away from the unconscious priest. With fury born of pain Rabalyn had pushed Bron to the ground, then swung and hammered a punch into Todhe’s face. The blow had been a good one, and had smashed the other boy’s lips against his teeth. Even so the powerful Todhe would have beaten him senseless had the dog not rushed in and bitten his calf. Rabalyn smiled at the memory. Todhe had screamed in pain. Kalia had called the dog back and Todhe had limped away with his friends. He had turned at the alleyway arch and screamed a threat back at Rabalyn: ‘I’ll get you for this - and I’ll see the dog is killed too.’
    He and Kalia and several others had pulled Brother Labberan into the small schoolroom and locked the door. The old priest was in an awful state. Kalia had begun to cry, and this perturbed the three-legged hound, which started to howl.
    ‘What do we do when they come back?’ asked Arren, a chubby boy from the northern quarter. Rabalyn saw the fear in his eyes.
    ‘You ought to get home,’ he said.
    Arren fidgeted and looked uncomfortable. ‘We can’t leave Brother Labberan,’ he said.
    ‘I’ll go to the castle,’ said Rabalyn. ‘The priests will come for him.’
    ‘I can’t fight Todhe,’ said Arren. ‘If he comes back he’ll be very angry.’
    ‘He won’t come back,’ said Rabalyn, trying to sound decisive. ‘Keep the door locked behind me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
    ‘Did he mean what he said, do you think?’ asked Kalia. ‘About killing Jesper?’
    ‘No,’ lied Rabalyn. ‘Wait for me. And find some blankets to cover old Labbers. He’s shivering.’
    With that Rabalyn set off through the town, heading out towards the old bridge and the long climb to the monastery. He heard the mob off to the west, and saw the flames starting. Then he ran like the wind.
    He had been taken to the abbot, told him about old Labbers. The abbot ordered food brought for him and instructed him to wait. The hours wore on. A monk gave him a cold poultice to hold over his eye, and then at last a tall, frightening priest had come and sat beside him. Black-haired and hard-eyed, the man had introduced himself as Brother Lantern. He had questioned Rabalyn about the attack, then he and another monk had walked with Rabalyn back to the schoolroom, skirting the rioting mob.
    That had been two days ago, and no-one had heard since whether old Labbers was alive or dead. Todhe and his friends had twice tried to ambush Rabalyn, but he had been too swift for them, darting away into alleyways and scaling walls.
    Now he sat high on the northern