The Wolf’s Daughter

Phaedra leaned on the railing of her newest ‘airship’, if it could even be called that. It had no ability to steer itself and could, barely, fly on its own. It would be entirely dependent on the harpies pulling it to make sure it went in any one direction.

But there was a silver lining. Her airship was supposedly still in (mostly) one piece and held by the harpies. Sure, it’d need a few days to repair, but it hadn’t been torn apart. Instead, the harpoons that had pierced the ship had then drawn it in. Houdini had plucked their weakest, most vulnerable members off first, then well…

They’d surrendered. Her orders had been to keep Emma safe. The moment Arthur had Emma, Lu Bu had vowed he’d keep her safe. So they’d cut a deal. They’d surrendered. As far as Lu Bu knew, he was going to be serving as Arthur’s ‘champion’ for the time being, unless someone ‘better’ came along. If he died, then Medea would take his place, then Lancelot.

Phaedra gave a soft sigh and shook her head before glancing towards the harpies they’d left bound up. “This is all my fault. I should have prepared better.”

“It is, but one cannot prepare for every eventuality,” Lu Bu said. “It is what you do in the face of these hardships that determines your value as our leader.”

“Heh. And if I fail?” Phaedra asked. “Or worse, get you all killed?”

“Why did you push me away?” Lu Bu asked.

“I told you, I didn’t want you getting hurt,” Phaedra said.

“Instead you got hurt,” Lu Bu said. “That was better?”

“I never said my instincts were smart,” Phaedra said. “I’m sorry. I’ve never been… good at this…” Slowly, her arms wrapped around herself. “I’m trying to come up with a plan that’s better than fly in and kick down the door before tearing them all apart, but I really don’t have anything.”

“What’s wrong with that plan?” Lu Bu asked.

“Other than the fact we don’t know how many of them there are so it might be suicidal?” Phaedra asked. “The handful of harpies here were just the smattering who drew the short straw. They didn’t expect a fight, they didn’t WANT a fight. They expected a bunch of frightened push overs. The harpies in the heart of his den, well…”

“They’re not much better,” Lu Bu said.

“What?” Phaedra asked.

“I was there,” Lu Bu said. “The harpies under Arthur’s command are not warriors of any kind. He, himself? He is dangerous. But those with him are not. Their tactics are vicious and brutal. They isolate and swarm their victims from a distance. In an actual fight they don’t know what to do and often get tangled up in themselves. I’ve seen harpy warriors, these are not them. Their ‘champions’ are captives like me, those they hold enough leverage to force to fight for them.”

“I don’t know, they took over Roothome well enough,” Phaedra said.

“With help,” Lu Bu said. “Arthur is the biggest threat when we get there, but the moment he realizes what we’re doing he won’t hesitate to use Emma. You’ll have to accept she’s going to die.”

“I can’t let that happen,” Phaedra said.

“Why?” Lu Bu asked. “She’s just a mouse.”

“The same reason I couldn’t let you get harpooned,” Phaedra said. “Because she’s mine and I’m greedy. I don’t want my people to get hurt. If I can see her, I can take her, though. But there’s still everyone else. I don’t know if I can grab all of them. On top of that, it’s not like he’s just going to bring everyone out for me to see the moment he realizes what I’m doing.”

“Well… there is one other thing you could do,” Lu Bu said. “But I don’t think you’ll like it.”

“Why?” Phaedra asked.

“When we arrived there, he took most of us to his prisons,” Lu Bu said. “But he seemed particularly interested in finding out if we had any elves with us. Apparently whoever he’s working with is very interested in them and wants any found captured alive and sent to them directly. If we took the elves from Roothome and--”

“No,” Phaedra said. “I won’t sacrifice them to… they saved my life.”

“They’re just elves,” Lu Bu said. “Your father is the reason they’re running. If they had known who you were, they wouldn’t have helped. That pixie tried to kill you, lest you forget.”

“I know,” Phaedra said. “But that doesn’t change things. They did help me. And I meant what I said. And I keep my vows. I’ll…” She gave a soft sigh. “How good of a warrior do you think Arthur is?”

“I couldn’t say,” Lu Bu said. “He’s not incompetent, though. I doubt he’ll accept your challenge. He barely seemed interested in me once I surrendered.”

“But if he has Emma and I switch places with her, then I’ll be close enough,” Phaedra said. “It won’t matter then, will it?”

Lu Bu sighed and shook his head. “So we’re clear, it’s not that you’re opposed to us running in and fighting our way through, it’s that you’re opposed to me doing it?”

“I’m… not… I just… It’s not fair for me to put you at risk for—”

“Lady Phaedra, why do you think I am here?” Lu Bu asked.

“Glory, power, to prove yourself?” Phaedra asked.

“And why do you think I chose to do that with you?” Lu Bu asked. “And not with one of other countless demons?”

“Because you make poor choices?” Phaedra asked.

Lu Bu opened his mouth and then stopped. He quickly turned away from her, a hand reaching up to cover his mouth. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected he might actually be laughing.

“Sorry, was that too much?” Phaedra asked sheepishly. “I just… couldn’t not.”

“As a leader, you should try to exude more confidence and strength,” Lu Bu said, turning to face her once more. “Deriding yourself like that makes you seem weak.”

“A lot of what I do makes me seem weak,” Phaedra said. “I don’t think that was the point you wanted to make, was it?”

Lu Bu sighed and shook his head. “No. I chose you because of Lord Fenrir. It was the first time in centuries that that name had been used like that, to call for conquest. A new Fenrir, spreading out, intending to dominate and control the world. More amazingly, he had been unknown. Apparently just an incubus who had set out alone and—”

“No,” Phaedra said.

“No?” Lu Bu asked.

“Dad didn’t set out alone,” Phaedra said. “I know that much. He’s told me about that. He had his most trusted with him. While he claimed the name of Fenrir alone, when he started and began to gather power, uncle Obsius, Leviathan, Cerberus and Titan were all with him. While they didn’t have their names, they all joined him pretty quickly. He didn’t do any of it alone.”

“Really?” Lu Bu asked.

“Dad always said the most important weapon a warrior could have were those allies he could trust to wield them,” Phaedra said.

“And you’ve chosen a mouse and an ascended dragon,” Lu Bu said.

“And a horse, an armadillo and a shark, assuming I don’t get you three killed and you don’t decide that following someone else after this is a better idea,” Phaedra said before sighing. “I’ll be honest. I’m not going to be like… anything you expect of a demon. You’re not much older than me, are you?”

“Not really, no,” Lu Bu admitted, grudgingly.

“And I imagine you haven’t really served under many demons, either,” Phaedra said. “I’m really only decent at one thing. Fighting, improvising in a flurry and being underestimated. I’m not my father. I doubt I could ever BE my father. The best I can do is just… try to do my best. Do you want to leave?”

“Leave?” Lu Bu asked.

“You know, go home,” Phaedra said. “This doesn’t have to be your fight. I’m sure you could…” Slowly, a grin began to form on her lips. “Actually… an idea does begin to come to mind. Just how scared do you think those harpies are?””

“Fairly scared,” Lu Bu said, though he sounded confused. “I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, though.”

“Something, everything,” Phaedra said. “I guess I should start with the most important question to start. How good is your night vision?”

“As good as most demon’s, why?” Lu Bu asked, sounding as confused as ever.

The grin only grew on her face.

“Because I think you’re right, I’ve been overthinking this,” Phaedra said. “They’re not warriors. You and I are demons. I’m not my father, but he taught me quite a few tricks of his and I think it’s time I put some of them to use. I am the daughter of Fenrir, I should try acting like it for once.”

“And if it gets the others killed?” Lu Bu asked.

“My father started his journey with Cerberus, Leviathan and Uncle Obby,” Phaedra said. “They’re all still alive. If he can, then so can I. I’m not going to let some harpy ruin this. Besides, I already stole their best trick. After tonight? I’ll have Arthur working for me. One way or another.”

Lu Bu gave a little chuckle before nodding. “That’s a far better way for a leader to behave.”

Phaedra nodded. Though, she truly did hope she could pull this off. She wondered if she should try to get a cape. Something to really make herself appear magnificent. Perhaps she could even introduce herself that way. The Great Houdini.

She wondered if that was something the actual Houdini had ever actually done. Now that she thought about it, all she really knew about him was that he was a stage magician and performed escape tricks. Was that why the name seemed to give her teleportation powers?

Phaedra wondered if she could get Emma to make her a cute little tuxedo and top hat. It’d be adorable. Ohhhhh. Maybe an undersized top hat, it could nestle against her horns. Perfect.

But first she needed to save them. She really hoped Lu Bu was right. If they weren’t warriors…

------

It was cold this high up and the air was quite thin. Phaedra couldn’t help but be once again grateful that such things didn’t affect her the way they did when she was human. In the moonlight she could see the snow on the peaks and while the harpies seemed barely affected by it, she was sure if she was a human her lungs would feel like they were half frozen by now. Or she’d be gasping and rasping for every single breath.

Either way, an unpleasant, miserable experience.

For her, it felt kind of nice, a bit short of breath, but the coolness was very soothing. It reminded her of whenever her father was in one of his excited moods and would accidentally freeze parts of the castle. She gave a soft, wistful sigh.

The balloon, she’d long since given up calling it an airship, slowly trudged through the air towards the den of the harpies, pulled by the captured members of their kin. They were wearing the same harnesses they had worn to pull it towards the town, albeit this time there were slightly less of them.

Phaedra would have worried about them trying to slip their harnesses and escape, but they knew she had Houdini’s powers now. Where could they run while she could see them? Lu Bu was right, they weren’t fighters.

“It’s time,” Lu Bu said, his voice soft.

“Is everything okay?” Phaedra asked, glancing back towards him.

“I’m fine,” Lu Bu said. “Will you be able to do this with the air so thin?”

“Of course,” Phaedra said before she gripped the railing. She leaned forward and took as deep a breath as she could manage. Inhaling so deep she felt her lungs might burst. Gathering it all inside, then compressing it bit by bit with magic before she released it even slower, unleashing the slow, ominous, echoing howl that her father had taught her so, so long ago.

The howl of death. The howl of war. The howl of destruction.

A howl that sent chills down the spine of almost all that heard it.

A howl that, once, had terrified the human she had been. A howl she had heard on the day she had died.

Now?

She hoped the howl would be a reminder to her people that hope was coming. To her enemies, that they had taken what was not theirs.

That they should be afraid.

Her howl filled the night, echoing through the mountains. She suspected they could hear it all the way back in Roothome. Even Lu Bu shivered when he heard it. She expected a reaction, the harpies to stir, to panic, for some to run and others to attack.

What she didn’t expect was for ALL of them to flee. Her eyes went wide as suddenly harpies fled through the very hole that they had been heading towards, scattering in all directions. Phaedra watched, a hand over her mouth, before slowly she glanced down at Lu Bu. “Not… warriors, you said?” she asked, waiting for some of them to launch an attack. To turn and take a shot, to try and swing as they fly by. To even chuck a spear at her.

But there was nothing. Not even a half heartedly thrown stick or stone.

“… I… suppose… they were even less than I believed,” Lu Bu said softly.

Phaedra waited for some attack, a harpoon, a spear, even an arrow.

Something. Anything.

But now?

Far too quickly there was only silence.

As if every soul had fled at once, leaving them to descend into their base unimpeded.

Phaedra tried to embrace the confident, arrogant side of herself that said she was just so intimidating, they had all fled rather than daring to face her. That she was just that good a howler. Just like her father.

Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something far, far worse waiting for her. They’d all run away. Fled from her howl.

There was absolutely no way she could turn tail and flee now. Her crew was waiting for her.

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