Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

642 - Spoils of Victory

Solvei panted as she stepped back from Bolverk’s body, blood and saliva dripping from her maw in equal measure.

The wolf who’d killed her father, made the rest of her family sick and ugly like him, and had wanted to do the same thing to her – to say nothing of dragging their traditions through the dirt – was dead, his throat torn out. She could almost feel the cold escaping him, his body starting to warm now that his life had ended. It was finally over.

“Solvei…”

No, she corrected herself as the sound of her mother’s voice made her turn her attention to the rest of her kin, watching as Turid and the rest of her siblings crept closer, eyes darting between her and the shadowy form of the pony who’d aided her. It’s not over yet. We still need to find the Red Man and make him return Lex’s mate and change my family back to normal.

She couldn’t help the slight pang of disappointment that went through her at that. Although she’d known that Bolverk’s death probably wouldn’t result in the rest of her pack suddenly turning back to how they’d been, a small part of her had hoped that would be the case. But at least now they’ll want to go back to stop being sick.

Or at least, she hoped they would.

Solvei’s disappointment changed into a sudden rush of trepidation as her mother and her siblings moved to surround her. They were happy that Bolverk was dead, right? While he might have earned his position as alpha legitimately – and even then, with how the Red Man’s sickness had warped him, his challenge had only been legitimate because her father had accepted it even after seeing what had happened to his brother’s body – Bolverk had still been a terrible alpha. Surely they wouldn’t be upset at her for killing him…would they?

No, that idea was ridiculous. They’d all been horrified at how he’d used fire, as well as how he’d made them fight her after she’d issued her challenge. Even before she’d run away, they’d all complained at how he’d eaten most of what they’d caught on their hunts, despite the shortfall of food. They wouldn’t forget that just because he’d given them great strength, and wings to fly with, and the ability to resist terrible heat, and promised them all the food they could ever want…

All of a sudden Solvei felt a whimper building in her throat. If she had to fight her family again-

Stepping forward, Turid smiled as she gently nipped the tip of her daughter’s ear. “Your father would be so proud of you, Solvei.”

The breath that Solvei had been holding came out so quickly that it was almost another icy exhalation of ice and snow. “Mother!”

And just like that, her pack – her brothers and sister and mother – all rushed in to nuzzle her, the same way they had when she’d been younger.

“I can’t believe you actually made a pact with spirit of your own!” gushed Kaja, tail wagging happily.

“And one stronger than the Red Man, don’t forget,” grinned Ebbe, his voice filled with brotherly pride.

“Stronger than the Red Man, and stronger than any that our father ever spoke to,” noted Sten, giving her other ear a nip of his own. “I bet he’s already telling the story of your victory over Bolverk to the rest of our ancestors!”

Blushing at receiving so much praise, Solvei shook her head, raising a paw to wave them off. “Wait, wait…Lex isn’t a spirit,” she murmured, before turning to look at the shadow with the glowing eyes that the pony in question had become. “…are you?”

“I am a pony,” affirmed Lex, changing back into the form in question. The sound of his hooves striking the ground was loud in the closed confines of the den. “And so is Thermal Draft, the pegasus you dragged in front of whatever creature you call the Red Man.”

He gave them all a dark look then, and Solvei wasn’t the only one who flinched; unlike the rest of them, Lex apparently saw little accomplishment in Bolverk’s death. “Now tell me where they are!”

A round of uncomfortable looks were exchanged then, and Solvei could guess what they were thinking. Despite how weak he’d seemed yesterday, Lex had proven himself to be a being of great power, one who was still clearly very upset about what had happened to his mate. But then, given how lost and alone she’d felt when Bolverk had turned her family against her, Solvei could understand how he felt; if something similar happened to Thermal Draft, then he’d be just as alone as she had been.

“I was the one who took her to him.”

Turid’s voice brought Solvei out of her thoughts. “Mother?”

Ignoring her daughter, Turid took a step toward Lex, curling her tail between her legs as a sign of submission. “I can take you to where I brought her yesterday, but I don’t know if they’re still there now.”

“We’ll all go,” volunteered Ebbe, a little too quickly.

Sten immediately joined him. “If they’ve moved, we’ll find them faster if we all search together.”

Solvei frowned, knowing that they were offering to accompany them because they were worried that, if the Red Man and Thermal Draft were gone, Lex would take his anger out on their mother. But before she had a chance to assure them that he wouldn’t do that, Turid spoke up again. “No. I want you two to dispose of Bolverk’s body.”

An unhappy whine came from Sten’s throat then. “But Mother-”

“Unless the alpha objects,” interrupted Turid, giving her daughter a look.

Solvei paused at that, glancing back at Lex – who, judging from his gritted teeth, was rapidly losing his patience with the discussion – before nodding. “I agree. The two of you get rid of that” – she canted her head at Bolverk’s corpse disdainfully – “and Mother will lead Lex and me to where the Red Man was.”

Turid frowned. “I was hoping you would remain here and let the spirits-, forgive me,” she corrected herself, giving Lex an apologetic look, “and let the pony and the Red Man settle their own affairs.”

“Solvei’s presence is not optional,” hissed Lex, his eyes suddenly glowing despite having turned back to normal. “Your current status makes you unsuitable for enhancement, which means that if it becomes necessary to leverage force against this so-called Red Man, then I’ll need to make use of her.”

Turid’s eyes narrowed at that, but Solvei intervened before her mother could object, lowering her voice as she leaned in to nuzzle her again. “Lex helped bring you all back to me. I want to help bring his mate back to him now. Besides, I want to help Thermal Draft. She was very kind to me when we first met.”

Her mother looked ready to argue, but she was saved from doing so as Sten spoke up, prodding Bolverk’s body with one paw. “Is it safe to move this?” he asked, looking at Lex. “He’s still wearing the beads that make fire…”

Frowning, Lex strode over to where the necklace was still tightening around Bolverk’s throat. A single touch of his hoof was all it took to cause the beaded wire’s contracting to stop, and a moment later it was surrounded in a purple aura as he pulled it off the wolf’s corpse. Solvei didn’t miss how the others exchanged nervous glances as he held it up, looking it over for a long moment.

The tension then spiked when he placed it around his own neck a moment later.

“What’re you doing?!” yelped Ebbe, looking ready to bolt.

“This magic item still has several fireballs left,” answered Lex, showing no indication that he’d recognized the effect his wearing that necklace was having on everyone else. “They might prove useful if hostilities become necessary to secure Thermal Draft’s safety.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” announced Solvei, giving her brothers a glare. “The Red Man gave Bolverk that evil power, so it’s only fair to turn it back against him.”

More unsettled looks were exchanged, but to Solvei’s relief, no one contradicted her.

But that didn’t mean the rest of her kin were happy about her decision.

“Yeah, well, I’m going to get rid of this,” muttered Ebbe, grabbing one of Bolverk’s back legs in his mouth and dragging it toward the den’s exit as quickly as he could.

“I’ll coming too,” added Sten, grabbing the other leg of the corpse and pulling.

Lex snorted, but other than waving a hoof in the direction of the cave entrance – dissolving the bars he’d put into place earlier, Solvei belatedly realized – had no reaction to the pair, instead turning his attention back to Turid. “Now, take me to the Red Man,” he ordered.

Turid sighed, but nodded, turning to follow Ebbe and Sten out, when Kaja – who had been silent for some time now – spoke up at last. “Wait.”

Lex’s teeth were clenched as he glanced back at her. “What?”

Gulping, Kaja held her wings out for a moment before tucking them back at her sides. “If you have to fight the Red Man, will we go back to normal if you defeat him?”

“Answering that would require more data about how he induced your transmogrifications than I’m currently in possession of,” snarled Lex dismissively.

Solvei wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but Kaja seemed to, since she had an answer at the ready. “Then, would it help if you saw the softwood runes that the Red Man gave us?”

To Solvei’s surprise, Lex’s impatience seemed to lessen then, one brow raising in a show of interest. “The what?”

“The softwood runes,” answered Turid. “We all have one. Bolverk did too. The Red Man gave them to us when he made us like this. Softwood is a long, thin slice of wood – so thin that it shakes and waves like a squirrel’s tail – and the ones we have are covered in runes, which are markings that have mysterious powers.”

“You mean something that’s written on paper,” retorted Lex, his voice flat. But it was better than the seething impatience he’d been displaying a moment ago as he looked back at Kaja. “Bring them to me.”

Kaja hesitated, glancing at Solvei just long enough to receive a nod from her sister, and then turned and hurried toward one of the alcoves near the back of the den.

It was enough to remind Solvei of something else they kept there. “Oh! I almost forgot! Mother, I want to give Lex the gold and the seidr that grandmother brought back with her when grandfather tried to attack the ponies.”

Turid blinked at that, and looked ready to argue for a moment, but restrained herself. “Alright,” she sighed, heading toward a different alcove. “It’s just as well. That gold is so much litter anyway, and I suppose a seidrmadr as strong as him wouldn’t find that seidr dangerous.”

Lex waited until she was out of earshot, then glanced over at Solvei. “You brought potentially dangerous magic back to your living area?”

“It was either that, or leave it out there,” replied Solvei. “It’s very scary stuff, but bringing it back here meant that there was no chance that someone else would find it and learn how to use it against us. Or at least that’s what my father said his mother told him.” She trailed off then, getting lost in a pleasant memory for a moment before coming back to reality. “That’s where the gold came from too, actually. It got caught in the seidr that grandmother brought back.”

That last part caused Lex to furrow his brows. “How does gold get ‘caught’ in magic?”

Solvei smiled as she caught sight of her mother padding back toward them, gingerly holding the seidr in her jaws. “Take a look for yourself.”

When no reply came, she glanced over at him, cocking her head when she saw his expression.

Given the strange powers Lex commanded, Solvei hadn’t been entirely sure how he’d react to the sight of the seidr that her grandmother had brought back. Disinterest had been a distinct possibility, given how strong he already was. Or perhaps worry, if the seidr was as dangerous as she’d always been told. Or maybe even delight, if it was something that he could put to good use.

But his reaction now was none of those things.

Instead, the look on his face was one of surprise.

Author's Note:

With Bolverk dead, Solvei is able to reconcile with her family at last! But with Thermal Draft still missing, the confrontation with the Red Man looms large!

Exactly what magic has Turid shown Lex that's surprised him? And what's on those papers that Kaja mentioned?

Comments

[harts fire]

wow first post on a grate chapter.

so Solvei you need to remember one thing. you keep what you kill.

[Booster Spice]

Rod of Midas?

[Alzrius]

11003478 Congratulations on being the first one to comment on this chapter!

As for Solvei, she's quite willing to turn the seidr over to the seidrmadr. Hopefully Lex is getting something good before he confronts Prevarius!

[Alzrius]

11003874 That would be rather awkward, and not just from a narrative standpoint. Something like that in an RPG would totally unbalance the system.

[harts fire]

11004148

Hopefully Lex is getting something good before he confronts Prevarius!

i have a feeling but as i don't want to even give the slightest hint of a spoiler i wont.

[Not so New Brony]

A magical item that 'catches' gold...vague. Does it attract gold like a magnet or does it conjure up the gold itself. The fact that Frode says the gold is littered around their home seems to be leaning towards the latter. Or it's a bag of holding that is leaking? Is that even possible?

Regardless, it might come in handy down the line after their encounter with Prevarius if not in the actual encounter itself.

[Alzrius]

11004370 The mystery is compounded by the fact that the winter wolves seem to have comparatively little understanding of magic, as evidenced by the fact that they have to keep using a loanword from another language just to describe it. As such, it's entirely possible that there's a mundane explanation for what's going on, though the fact that Lex seems surprised suggests that there's at least a little more to it. Hopefully it's something helpful; wouldn't that be a nice change of pace, given how his luck usually goes?