16, The trap

The ride over the plateau was uneventful. Ayya was tense and kept listening for sounds that would let them know the wolves were nearby. But nothing was heard and within half an hour, they had reached the forest. As they entered it, the sun was shaded by the tall fir trees. There was a stillness that Ayya found unnerving. Some birds were chirping, but she didn’t spot any animals. Even the sound of the horses’ hooves were muffled by the layer of thick moss that covered the forest floor. The air smelled sweet, but fresh, like moulting leaves. 

“How far in should we go?” Sinhera asked Ayya.

“Where are the wolves’ den?” Ayya asked Minio.

“About four miles north of here.”

“We should be good. We are far enough into the forest that they would feel safe and close enough to the den that they will smell the meat. Look for a somewhat flat surface without too much vegetation,” Ayya told them. A rider pointed out a flat area that looked to have been used as a sleeping spot for a large animal, maybe a moose. Ayya nodded and asked everyone to give her some space. She carefully loosened the string that was holding the stomach pouch together and then threw it, trying to aim for the middle of the flat area. The stomach and its content landed close enough that she felt satisfied as it rolled and the piece of meat inside poked out. 

“That will do it,” Ayya said.

“Now what?” Jakobi asked.

“Now we memorise where this place is, then return to the village and wait. In two days, we will return with new meat and see if we can find any trace of dead wolves,” Ayya told them. On their way back, Ayya tried to memorise the path. She felt relieved as they exited the forest and looked out over the grassy fields again. It felt comforting seeing the village in the distance. They all relaxed as they crossed the ditch surrounding the closest pastures to the village. They rode up to the village hall where the chief and Kahane were waiting for them. 

“Was it a success?” the chief asked as Ayya dismounted.

“We delivered the package with no issues. We will know if it worked in two days when we go back,” she said. 

“Good, you have had a busy day. Is there anything we can help you with?” the chief asked.

“No, thank you. I think I’m going to groom Estrela and then ask for some food at the inn before taking an early evening,” Ayya said. The chief nodded and walked away. Kahane walked up to Sinhera and Ayya as they were leading their horses away. As Ayya and Sinhera groomed their horses, Kahane asked them questions about what they had seen. Ayya hoped their plan would work. She hated that she wouldn’t know until they rode to the forest in two days’ time. 

The following two days seemed to never end, according to Ayya. She tried to keep herself busy. She spent time trying to write everything down in the notebook Tariana had given her. Ayya even tried sketching some of the village. The chiefs talked to her, asking her about decisions they had to make, wanting her opinion. Ayya spent time with the women of the village and she talked to Keristi, the healer. Everywhere she went, Sinhera followed and most of the time, so did Kahane. Miri acted as her constant shadow. Despite all of this, Ayya couldn’t get rid of the nervous energy that clung to her. She just wanted to go back into the woods and find out what had happened. As the second day was moving towards its end, Ayya found herself again standing and making the deadly poison that was to be infused into the meat. She made a bigger quantity this time, and it was because of that she made it late at night. It would be allowed to cool during the night. Four riders and two local men were to guard it to make sure no accidents happened. In the early morning on the third day, Ayya infused the meat with the poison and this time she packed it into four stomach pouches. Sinhera helped her carry them to where the horses waited for them. Ayya secured the first one to her saddle. It would be unwise to have them all on the same horse, just in case something were to happen.

“I will take one,” Sinhera said.

“We will also carry one each,” Jakobi said as he and Minio stepped forward. Ayya nodded and handed them each a pouch after telling them to be careful. Before she knew it, they were riding towards the forest once again. This time the dread of riding towards danger mixed with the anticipation of finding out what had happened to the first meat.  They followed the same path as the previous time. Ayya recognised some landmarks that she had memorised. When they got closer to the drop of spot, there was a sound that made them all freeze. There was a soft, low whimper that was accompanied by a loud growl. The horses started to anxiously shift, even Estrela flickered her ears and Ayya could feel the muscles of the horse tense underneath her. 

“We need to move closer to see what is happening,” Ayya whispered to Sinhera.

“Remember the boar,” was all her friend said. Ayya sighed and nodded. She got the point. She was to stay back and let the others take the lead. Minio and a rider moved forward, towards the sounds. Ayya could see them halt their horses a little further down the path and stare at something she couldn’t see. Minio backed up his horse and came back to the group while the rider stayed to keep watch over what he was seeing.

“It looks like one of the bigger wolves ate of the meat. It is on the forest floor, just laying there and whining. Beside it is another large wolf. It looks like it’s trying to protect the poisoned one,” he quietly told them. 

“It’s probably the main pair of the flock. If the pray is small, they eat first. Unless there is a shortage of food, then the pups would eat first,” Ayya said. 

“What do we do?” Sinhera asked. 

“We let them be. The wolf must have eaten it recently. It should only take ten minutes before it’s dead. We should toss the rest of the meat in different directions and hope they haven’t learnt their lesson. But be careful, if that is the main couple, the rest of the pack shouldn’t be that far away,” Ayya told them. They all nodded and the four of them that were carrying the meat spread out. Jakobi had carefully opened his pouch and thrown it into the forest when there was a low growl coming from his direction. Everyone looked towards the sound and they saw a large group of wolves slowly walking towards the group of people. We don’t stand a chance if I don’t do something, Ayya thought. By pure instinct, she combined her air and water magic and increased the barometric pressure just in the area where the wolves were. With a whimper, their legs buckled as they crashed down. 

“That’s all I can do,” Ayya told Sinhera. Theoretically, Ayya could kill the wolves with her magic. But using magic to kill someone was a revolting thought to anyone that had studied magic. To end a life using the cornerstone of life was something that anyone that understood magic would refuse. To use magic to infuse the meat with poison was on the line. That was one of the reasons Ayya had been reluctant to suggest the method. 

“Let’s take care of them once and for all while Ayya keeps them in place. We need to hurry before she gets too tired,” Sinhera ordered. The riders and villagers banded together and rushed to end the wolves trapped by Ayya. Ayya closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see, but she could still hear the sound. 

“It’s okay, my lady. You can open your eyes,” Jakobi said. Ayya opened her eyes and saw that all the wolves had been killed. The floor of the forest was more red than green, and the metallic smell of blood hung in the air. Ayya let go of her magic and took a couple of deep breaths. A soft growl was heard from behind them and as Estrela spun around, Ayya could see a massive white wolf standing in the spot where Minio and the rider had stood looking at the dying wolf.