Free Death Angel's Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner Page A

bolt, whipping around with blade swishing!
    The werewolf glared at him balefully, its bloody tusks gnashing hideously! A low snarl rumbled in the creature's threat. Taller than Kane it stood, and under its white fur rippled bands of steel-like muscle.
    Before Kane had a chance to do more than recognize the beast's awful presence, it sprang for him! Putting all his tremendous strength behind his stroke, Kane smashed his blade full against the lunging werewolf!
    Had his attacker been a man, the blade would have sundered him to the waist. But from the werewolf's shoulder the sword bounded back as if it had struck slightly resilient iron! The sound was a dull thunk, and no other evidence was there that the blow had landed--the werewolf's spring was not even slackened! Yet Kane's arm ached to the marrow with the force of the resounding blow, and his sword bounded from numb fingers!
    In a split second the creature was on him, fangs slavering, fetid breath in his face and taloned hands clutching for his throat! Kane had no chance to dodge! The snarling force of the creature's lunge smashed him onto the floor! His head cracked against the stones, and consciousness mercifully left him, as those burning eyes bored into his mind!
    Sometime later he regained consciousness. Kane rolled to his knees weakly. His head was in agony and his mouth was full of blood. Then with a start he realized two things. One, that for some reason he was still alive. And secondly, he was no longer by the tower stairs, but lying beside Lystric's corpse. In disgust he recognized that the blood in his mouth was not his own!
    He spat in revulsion and groggily stood up, staggering to the doorway.
    "Don't move another step! I'll skewer you for sure!"
    Kane saw, with sudden awareness of his situation, that Evingolis was standing in the doorway--a crossbow aimed at the other's heart.
    Running feet and shouts sounded from the hallway.
    "Well, Kane," said the minstrel in awe, "you played it cleverly. I'll admit I never thought you'd be the werewolf!"
IX. Impasse
    The surprising thing was that they had not killed him immediately. Kane's fast tongue was some help in postponing matters, but he suspected Breenanin had been more effective. The baron had not completely forgotten that Kane had rescued his daughter from almost certain death.
    Evingolis had spelled it out, point by point. The first death had occurred right before Kane had ridden out the storm. A search after the storm had disclosed the mutilated remains of another band of travelers--abroad in the blizzard with Kane. During the hunt it had been Kane's party that the wolves had attacked, and only Kane had been witness--himself miraculously unscathed. And when the werewolf and its pack murdered the soldiers in their lodge, Kane had not come upon the scene until late. Finally, this last attack had come while Kane had prowled the hallways alone. And when Evingolis had discovered him, he was crouched beside the torn body of the old astrologer--a man who had claimed to have damning knowledge of this mysterious stranger.
    But they had not killed him yet. Instead they had taken Kane and thrown him in a cell in the castle's cellars. Now a thick wooden door fastened by a stout bar stood between Kane and three menacing guards. Through a narrow grilled aperture in the door, Baron Troylin regarded his prisoner.
    "You know you're making a mistake in this," offered Kane.
    "I suppose you killed Lystric because you knew he'd unmask you. And to think you even had me suspecting poor man!"
    "Damn your thick skull! That old fool couldn't count his fingers and get a correct answer! I told you I found him like that before the werewolf knocked me senseless by the stairs!"
    "Strikes me as a bit odd this werewolf didn't kill you--even went to the trouble to drag you across the room. Didn't know such a thing had that much restraint."
    Kane pounded his fist on the wall in frustration. "It may be a monster, but the creature's as cunning as