Wendigo Wars Read Online Free

came from another side. Our lookouts thought that it was a co-incidence but then more wendigo appeared until there were six of them. They kept pouncing at the walls and trying to climb over them but our archers kept them back. They almost made it over the wall a few times. The fight went on for many hours but eventually the wendigo stopped attacking. They were all dead. We left them for a day before we made a move and then our Protectorate dragged them into the settlement to burn them”
    “It’s unheard of,” said Mathilde aghast. “It goes against their natural behavior.”
    “That wasn’t the worst of it” said Violette “When they were dragged into the settlement we saw that there was a message carved into their backs”
    “Who would do that? How would they do it? Hang on, carved? You mean written right?” Mathilde looked confused as the tale grew stranger.
    “No. I mean carved. Someone had carved the same message into the flesh on the back of each wendigo. They were so thin that we could see bone underneath the cuts. There was no blood. The edges of the letters were frozen, as if they had been carved with wendigo claws.”
    “What did they say?” asked Fleur in hushed tones.
    “It was a letter of sorts, or a declaration of war? I’m not sure how to describe it. It said ‘ We will tear and slash and eat. Your blood will run and the snow of this world will be stained red. This world is for the wendigo. In anticipation, General Zhu. ’ ”
    “What?”said Mathilde, sharing a confused look with Fleur
    “I know! No-one knows who General Zhu is or how he managed to get the wendigo to work together.”
    “How did he even get to the wendigo without being torn to pieces?”asked Fleur.
    “No-one knows. No-one knows what to do, no-one knows who General Zhu is, no-one knows... no-one knows anything. We are just waiting for something to happen but nothing does. It’s been silence since then. As if this General Zhu is trying to drive us mad. We are running low on food and need to send the Protectorate on a hunting trip but the Protector Superior doesn’t want his group to go out until we know what’s going on. It’s too dangerous. What do we do Tilly?”
    Violette looked pleadingly at Mathilde. She had never before needed to ask Mathilde’s advice and it felt strange for either of her sisters to be asking for her help.
    “Does your Protector Superior not have a plan? Paul has been a Protector Superior for over twenty years. He has far more experience than I have.”
    “You know experience isn’t everything Mathilde. He is at a loss about what to do. He told me to ask your advice. This is in your blood. You are the daughter of Jean Louis and the descendant of Joseph Fiddell, the first of our Protectors before the world could even imagine that the wendigo were anything more than a legend.”
    “So are you”
    “Don’t be difficult Tilly. You have a sixth sense for what to do in battle. It is what you were born to do. No amount of experience can top that. He knows that and trusts that you can help us. We all do.”
    Mathilde raised her eyebrow to give Violette a cynical look.
    “That wasn’t your fault Tilly. You trained Jack well and you gave the right commands. You know what to do in battle but you cannot control the actions of other people. That is not in your power. And besides... there is the prophecy”
    Mathilde sighed and nodded in acknowledgement. She knew in her head that it was not her fault she was just having trouble convincing her heart of that. The prophecy? Now that was a different matter but now was probably not the best time to start on her usual rant of the prophecy being pointless nonsense.
    “I need to come to Bucharest - to meet and plan with Paul. Tell him to prepare for my arrival and you work with the community to make your food last. We’ll be there in a fortnight.”
    “I will tell Father,” said Fleur, knowing that this was the most she could do to help.
    The sisters gave