Free Turned by Kessie Carroll

said Charlotte, "are you going to
strip me of my humanity, too?"
     
    Allard smiled, but his eyes were hard. "I
don't understand what you mean."
     
    Charlotte's fingers curled into claws. "You
tried to burn Bernard alive when your staff did not immediately
harm his mind. Will you seek to destroy me, as well?"
     
    The room was silent. The other mages stared
at Charlotte and Allard.
     
    But Allard smiled. "He threatened me. What
else could I do? If you threaten me, I will restrain you as
well."
     
    Charlotte suddenly was aware of how tall she
was, of the sharp tips of her teeth, and the strength of her
muscles. She could rip Allard into bite-sized pieces.
     
    But that would not help Bernard.
     
    She drew a breath and restrained her
murderous urges. "Take me to Bernard. And if I can return him to
his senses, you will destroy these accursed staves."
     
    The mages murmured dissent.
     
    "Very well, my lady," said Allard, the words
mocking on his lips. "I will escort you to the pens. If he tears
out your throat, we will keep our staves."
     

Chapter 10: Confrontation
     
    An empty reservoir had been converted to an
enormous holding pen for werewolves. Twenty feet deep and spanning
several acres, its edge was lined with wooden fencing angled
inward.
     
    Inside, wolves paced everywhere, restless.
From this distance they looked like mere animals. Charlotte stood
at the gate and tried to identify Bernard, but he was lost in a sea
of gray fur. Her heart quailed.
     
    "Well?" said Allard. "Go find him."
     
    Charlotte cast him a sidelong glance, ears
laid back, the hint of a snarl tugging at her lips. "I shall. And
when we return, you shall be shown for what you are."
     
    Allard smirked and opened the gate with a
half-bow. "Certainly, madam."
     
    Charlotte drew a steadying breath and jumped
into the pit.
     
    Several wolves nearby backed away, then
raised their hackles and bared their teeth. Charlotte summoned all
her courage and snarled back. "This isn't the time! I need
Bernard!"
     
    At the sound of her voice, the wolves
flinched and backed away. Their snarls took on a hint of
desperation.
     
    They were afraid of her?
     
    Charlotte's fear faded a little. Perhaps they
would not attack her. She could move among them, find Bernard, and
they could escape.
     
    An iron ladder led up to the gate, but it was
too narrow for a wolf to use. They had chewed it anyway, leaving
bright scratches in the metal. Charlotte examined it. Perhaps she
and Bernard could navigate it, since they possessed their human
intelligence.
     
    Then she set out into the throng, sniffing
and peering about for her husband.
     
    Excrement covered the reservoir’s dried mud
floor. There were also gnawed bones and dead wolves--they ate each
other after a while. The mages had mentioned nothing about feeding
them. The smell would have sickened a human, but to her animal
senses, it carried messages. Hungry. Sick. Frightened.
     
    They stared at Charlotte, and some bared
their teeth and postured, but as long as she avoided eye contact,
none of them interfered with her search. Indeed, her fear of them
was replaced by horror and pity.
     
    The male wolves were larger than the females,
and many females had children with them. Charlotte tried not to
stare, and her heart ached. The children were quite small, with
short muzzles and round ears, and stayed close to their mothers.
Some wrestled and played like puppies.
     
    These were the people of Lyedyn City, and
even the curse had not broken the bond of mother and child.
     
    Perhaps it would not break her bond with her
husband.
     
    A familiar smell touched her nostrils, and
Charlotte followed it eagerly. The wolves parted before her, and a
little further on, she found Bernard.
     
    He lay with his head on his paws and ears
flat, the picture of dejection. He'd turned his back on the other
wolves and stared at the wall.
     
    "Bernard!" Charlotte bounded to his side.
"Bernard, I'm here! Are you all right?"
     
    He lifted