Tuesday Teaser March 5, 2019: Gina’s Wolf Part 37

Yes, it is still winter. You’re probably getting sick of hearing that. I’m pretty sick of saying it. Or actually, I’m sick of having it. For some reason I think March means spring. But of course it doesn’t. We’re getting possibly 12″ of snow or more over the weekend. Some of the worst blizzards in history have been in March. The last really bad March blizzard in Fargo was in 1966. The drifts were so big that trains were completely buried. Men stood on top of snow and their heads were level with power lines. You can read a little about that blizzard here

This snip is a bit short, and a little confusing, because I keep changing the name of the young wolf warrior with Wolf’s Howl. It was Looking Glass, but I thought that sounded a bit feminine so I changed it to Owl. But Owl and Wolf’s Howl are too much alike so I’ll probably change it again. Any suggestions?

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

“I have to<” Gina insisted. “I can’t sit around waiting. Todd is probably already torturing Cole. Besides, I am the one who knows where Cole will be held and how to get through the camp without being seen.”

The second man said, “We’ll go with you.”

Gina blinked. “What?”

Wolf’s Howl grinned and pounded a fist into his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, great idea, Owl.” He turned the grin onto her. “We will be your escorts. You shouldn’t be out here on your own.”

 “No. Aren’t you patrolling? That’s your job. You need to stay here and do it.”

Her brother in law’s face turned stony. “You’re not going anywhere alone. Dad wouldn’t like it.”

She almost blurted that Taye wouldn’t like them going with her either. They would get in trouble for abandoning their patrol. “You can’t.”

He cocked his head like a dog. “Cole could be hurt. How will you bring him back if he can’t walk?”

That stopped her. She should refuse. But he made a good point. And they were tall and strong, and with them along she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. She sighed. “Okay, but we better get going. It’s a long walk to the camp.”

She ended up not doing much walking, since the men took turns carrying her at a ground eating lope. One turned into a wolf and ran ahead while the other carried her like a baby. They switched off every half hour or so. Gina felt awkward. She didn’t know them well. Wolf’s Howl was her husband’s brother whom she had only just met. Owl was a complete stranger. They were naked. Didn’t running naked hurt their dangly bits? She almost giggled at the thought but kept it to herself. It didn’t seem to bother them. The breeze created by their speed cut right through her, but they were warm, so she ignored any thoughts of their dangly bits and held on.

“There,” murmured Owl as he slowed his pace. “I can smell the camp ahead.”

She sniffed as he set her down. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Fire. I smell fire, maybe for cooking.”

What time was it? Much too late for supper, too early for breakfast. She squinted up at the sky, but she didn’t know how to read the positions of the stars to tell time.

“It’s about two hours after midnight.” Wolf’s Howl’s low voice startled her. He must have returned from scouting and changed back to a man without her even noticing. “Where is he?”

Gina was silent, gazing in the direction the camp must be. She was pretty sure Cole would be in one of the cages the army travelled with to punish soldiers. Those were usually on the back of a flatbed truck parked near the mess tent. That location was one the entire army would see regularly. Todd liked to remind his men what happened to troops who displeased him. But it might be different with Cole. Todd might keep him somewhere close to his own tent.

“Sister, where?” Wolf’s Howl was insistent. “Tell us so we can go and get him.”

She jerked her head to around to stare up at him. “You can’t go.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Did you think you would go alone?”

“Yes. I know the camp and if I get caught, I won’t be …” She trailed off, not wanting to say ‘tortured’. Because her stepfather wouldn’t cut her or experiment on her but what he would do wouldn’t be pleasant. “Hurt. You stay here. I’ll go find him and bring him out.”

Wolf’s Howl folded his arms over his chest. “No.”

“No?”

“Keep your voice down,” Owl hissed.

Gina swallowed. “No,” she said again, more quietly. “It’s too dangerous for you to go.”

“You can’t go. What if you can’t find him? I will be able to sniff him out. And if he is chained, are you strong enough to break him free? And if he has to be carried, will you be able to put him over your shoulder and run?”

Fists clenched, Gina glared. His argument was unanswerable. Owl put one hand on her shoulder and one on Wolf’s Howl’s. “The longer you fight, the more time we lose. I will stay here. You will both go. If something goes wrong, I can go for help.”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Gina closed her eyes briefly. Please, don’t let anything go wrong. It might have been a prayer, but she wasn’t a religious person. On the other hand, if they got Cole safely away, she’d be willing to go to church every week.

“Nothing will go wrong,” Wolf’s Howl affirmed. “If we aren’t back by dawn, go back to Omaha.”

While the men clasped forearms, Gina turned and marched toward the camp. Her brother in law caught up in a flash. “I will go first,” he told her firmly. “I know where the sentries are and how to get past them.”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

She followed him, stepping carefully over the muddy ice. This was really happening. She was going into her stepfather’s camp. A tiny voice screamed she was an idiot, and for a moment her stomach felt like it was filled with cold lead. But she had to find Cole and get him out. She wasn’t completely helpless. Her hand strayed to the hilt of the knife at her waist. She had to do it.

She fixed her eyes resolutely on the broad bare back in front of her and went to rescue her husband.