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  The Centurions:

  The Werewolf’s Gift

  By

  David W. Noel

  Copyright © 2019 David W. Noel

  Alethe Publishing

  Dedicated to:

  Everyone fighting a spiritual battle in their life right now. Put on the full armor of God so that in the end, you may stand.

  Soli Deo Gloria

  Special thanks to:

  My daughter Melody, who got to put her English degree to work, helping me revise and edit this book.

  Leonardo Guinard, who created the book cover.

  The World of the Centurions: 946 A.D.

  Charlemagne’s Empire of the Franks is falling apart. His vision of recreating the western Roman Empire under the leadership of the Frankish people has faded in the century since his death, and Francia has split into smaller kingdoms. Moors to the west, Vikings to the north, and Hungarians and Bulgarians to the east all threaten the Christian kingdoms of central Europe and the Eastern Roman Empire. Trade with China is thriving on routes that go through Constantinople and India, pirates infest the seas, knights fight battles for conquest and glory, dragons rule the wild places, and werewolves haunt the forests. This is the world of the Centurions, a Christian, military order that seeks to protect Christendom from all its external threats and to help stabilize the kingdoms against internal strife.

  Castle Nordhaven

  Castle Nordhaven is the home Lord Paschal, the Duke of Saxony and the highest ranking member of the Order of the Centurion. He is the father of Lady Evelyn and the grandfather of Miss Portia and Miss Marcia. Nordhaven sits on the Elbe River north of Hamburg and protects the city from Viking raids. The knights and shieldmaidens of Nordhaven are known for their seamanship as they patrol the river and those parts of the North Sea that are closest to the mouth of the Elbe. They maintain a standing force of 80 knights, shieldmaidens, squires, and handmaidens and two dozen boats. These forces are supplemented by 80 men at arms and a support staff of 70. Additional forces of about 3,000 can be marshaled if given enough time. The castle is one of the Order’s oldest castles built in the “Motte and Bailey” style with a wooden palisade. It is surrounded by a water-filled moat and has a fortified harbor with stone walls to help it maintain control of the river.

  Preface

  Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, this book is, first and foremost, an adventure book written for young people. Set in 946 A.D., near the end of what would be considered the "Early Middle Ages," it is a time of knights and castles, mythical creatures, and foreign invaders. Technological innovation is once again advancing, and Christianity has been established throughout Europe.

  The Order of the Centurion is a Christian military order created by Charlemagne's Twelve Peers to protect Christendom. It is built around families so that both men and women serve as knights and shieldmaidens. The story is told from the perspective of its Christian characters and asks questions about faith in times of crisis as the characters fight a dangerous war against an army of werewolves.

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  Thank You!

  Chapter 1 – Thorliek

  December 946, A.D.

  Beware of power, it corrupts more thoroughly than wealth or pride of place. Follow the example of Christ, who was Lord above all, at the right hand of the Father, but who chose to descend into the mud and flies with us and to wash our filthy feet.

  The Centurion’s Guide To Practical Advice – Chapter 2: Proverb 1

  Thorliek tore a prime piece of meat from the carcass; the blood was still warm and steamed a bit in the chilly December air. He tossed it to the wolves that stood waiting expectantly. The other wolves made a move, but the alpha male stared them down with the quietest of growls. It looked up at the man, and when he nodded, the alpha male took the piece for itself. The big man tore off another prime piece and tossed it to the alpha female who also waited for his permission before claiming it. The rest of the pack looked longingly as the two alphas ate their meal. He would make the weaker ones wait a few minutes longer to show them who was the alpha of the alphas.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, there was something about the interplay between the metallic smell of fresh blood and the earthy notes of the forest clearing around him. The leaves were gone from the trees, but the sky was blue and clear, making it a beautiful winter day. There was no snow on the ground yet, but it would be coming soon. He savored the moment of stillness while his companion stood motionless, waiting. Finally, he opened his eyes but continued to watch the wolves rather than look at her.

  “You worry too much about your reputation,” Thorliek said to the woman beside him. “The petty graspings of humanity are beneath us now. They focus on meaningless ideas about right and wrong, or honor and shame. They obsess about wealth and security, or, like you, their reputation and standing. You must fully embrace who you are, Umma, we are beyond human concerns now.”

  “Am I your right hand or not?” The woman asked, refusing to be sidetracked into his philosophical discussion.

  “We follow the philosophy of the wolf; power is the only thing that matters. All other moralities are empty delusions in the end, a way for the weak to try and entangle the strong and drag them down. You are strong, or you are weak, and weakness is the mark of the prey. You are my right hand, Umma, for as long as you are strong enough to be so.”

  “Then why are you meeting with Reyna? I don’t trust her. She is not one of us.”

  “What do you mean when you say ‘us’? I’m not interested in the old tribal view of life. I have been shown greater things; the Father has laid out a broader perspective before me. Reyna has useful knowledge and skills, her goals align with ours, at least enough for us to work together, and she shares our gift. Best of all, she is fueled by an anger that is easily manipulated.”

  “And will she be rewarded like the rest of us?”

  “You always reward loyalty, Umma, the pack is stronger than the individual, and the pack remains a pack as long as the members are taken care of.”

  “She is not one of us,” the shieldmaiden repeated stubbornly.

  “She is as long as she remains loyal. Our plans are too grand, and she is too useful to be discarded needlessly. If she proves unfaithful or weak, I will deal with her then. For now, we need to start moving west. We have eaten all there is to eat in this area. Now we need to grow our numbers before we reach the Elbe.”

  He looked down at the pack members who were still waiting for their share. They had waited long enough. He tossed the rest of the farmer’s body to them, and they tore into it.

  “Tell the betas to pack their gear and to prepare the wagon for transport.”

  Chapter 2 – Brendan

  “What human beings see as coincidence is actually careful planning on God’s part. Unless it is teenagers in love who are claiming that their meeting was just coincidence, then you may be assured that it was actually careful planning on the teenagers’ part.”

  The Centurion Guide to Practical Advice – Chapter 6: Proverb 9

  Brendan and Portia walked into the small library that was maintained in the backroom of Dr. Sheraton’s workshop. Being from Co
nstantinople, Brendan had visited the public library there, and this was a very tiny thing in comparison. By the standards of a frontier castle, on the other hand, it was large and well-stocked. The Order of the Centurion encouraged literacy, and it was open for anyone in the castle to use, though there were probably only a dozen or so people who made regular use of it.

  In the middle of the library was a table with an ornate chessboard that had light marble and dark granite pieces sitting on it. Two teenagers were sitting in the low backed chairs on each side of the board, a huge, Hercules of a man, and a tall, slender woman of mixed Frankish and Asian descent.

  “I thought we might find you here,” Brendan laughed as he rubbed his hands for warmth. There was a small fireplace in the corner, but Dr. Sheraton prohibited fires from being built in it because of the shelves full of flammable books. “How’s it going?”

  “I am losing, as usual,” Camden replied in his thick German accent and stiff grammar, “But I am getting better, the games are lasting much longer now.”

  “He actually beat me last week,” Aurora added. “He’s improved dramatically over the last few months.”

  “I won once last week, while she won at least five times. Still, I am becoming a challenge to defeat, so she must spend more time with me to claim the victory. I think that means that I am the one who is really winning.”

  “He’s also learning Chinese,” Aurora said as she glanced coyly at him across the table.

  “Just like Portia is learning Greek,” Brendan chuckled as he rubbed his betrothed’s shoulders.

  “Right there, thank you!” She responded to his little massage.

  “Everyone finally gets a day off from training, and she goes out before dawn, in the freezing cold, and trains for two hours anyway. Who does that on a day off?” Brendan asked.

  Aurora pointed at Camden, “He does.”

  “Actually, we trained together,” Portia clarified, “he’s the reason I pulled that muscle in my shoulder. Fighting him off is like trying to stop a mountain from falling on you. It was a great training session.”

  Aurora shook her head. “What were you two even working on?”

  “I was working on techniques for fighting people much larger and stronger than myself,” Portia said. “How to plant my feet, how to apply leverage, how to maximize my strength and minimize his. That sort of thing. I like a challenge. It was like David fighting Goliath.”

  “Yes, none of the handmaidens or shieldmaidens in the castle are a challenge anymore, so you have to sneak off to work out with the men,” Aurora nodded. She raised her eyebrow at Camden, “And what were you working on?”

  “She is the best left-handed warrior I know. She has many surprising moves which she uses to catch right-handed fighters off guard. She was a good ‘David’ for me, helping me anticipate what advantages another warrior might bring to a fight. Perhaps Goliath would have won if he had truly understood the power of a sling.”

  “So, does that mean Portia won?” Brendan asked.

  “Hardly!” The handmaiden snorted. “I’ll bring my bow next time.”

  Portia cocked an eye at Brendan and Aurora, “And what were you two doing while we were training? If I had to guess, you were both sleeping in; resting those far too clever brains of yours.”

  “One thing that I have learned the hard way,” Camden added, “is that the Greeks and the Chinese are both very clever peoples. Since the Greek man and the Chinese woman in the room are both being very distracting right now, I think that this is part of Aurora’s far too clever plan to defeat me.” He reached out and moved his knight but kept his finger on it as he surveyed the board.

  “Actually, Portia and I came to get the two of you; they’re having the drawing now to see who’s traveling and who’s hosting during the Wintering,” Brendan explained.

  “Already?” Aurora jumped up from the table. “I thought they were doing that at noon.”

  “It’s noon,” Brendan pointed out drily. “The two of you have been in here for two hours.”

  “Yes, two hours unchaperoned,” Portia added, in a conspiratorial tone. “What would your mother say?”

  “She would say that she trusts her daughter,” Aurora snapped back as she raced out the door with Camden hot on her heels.

  It was a quick jog across the open bailey to reach the castle’s large stone keep. The four teenagers entered and made their way to the Great Hall on the second floor, where all the other squires, handmaidens, and apprentices waited. Lady Evelyn and several other adults were standing at the front of the room behind a large table. On the table was a large bowl filled with wooden disks.

  “Good, we’re all here now,” Lady Evelyn began, “I won’t ask where Camden and Aurora were hiding.” Behind her, Dr. Zhen gave her daughter a steely look. “Those of you who are traveling elsewhere for the Christmas holidays will Winter at Castle Nordhaven this year; those of you who are hosting for the holidays will be receiving squires and handmaidens from Castle Trieste.”

  Brendan smiled to himself; in theory, both the Franks and the Italians spoke Vulgar Latin, but each group’s version of that language had drifted apart enough over the last five centuries that they were basically two different languages. It would be interesting to see some of the miscommunication that was going to take place when the visitors arrived. They might even have to revert to the High Latin used by the church and the courts to talk to each other. That was part of the purpose of Wintering; to help squires and handmaidens work on communication skills and build social networks across the Order.

  “Those of you who have hosted for the last two years will travel this year, and those of you who have gone traveling for the last two years will host. That means that Portia, Julia, Johann, and Camden will travel while Fabricia, Priscilla, and Durand will host. Anna will also stay and host this year; her eyes are still recovering from the attack by the Winter Wolves. Dr. Zhen has told me she is seeing some progress being made, so perhaps she can travel next year. Please keep her healing in your prayers.

  “Remember, half of the squires and half of the handmaidens will stay while the other half will go. Those who stay and host will be expected to show the highest levels of hospitality to our visitors and plan for two weeks’ worth of activities, including the Christmas celebrations. Those of you who travel will be expected to display the highest standards of behavior and to prepare gifts for your hosts. Sir Hidalgo and Lady Esperanza will be the knight and shieldmaiden escorting you.”

  “Dr. Zhen and Dr. Sheraton will also be traveling with you because they will be conferencing with their counterparts at Castle Nordhaven. They will be the chaperones for the artisan apprentices who are going. We will draw for the apprentices after we have finished drawing for the squires and handmaidens. When the drawing of lots is completed, I will be meeting with the hosts here, and Sir Hidalgo and Lady Esperanza will be meeting with the travelers in the stable. Let’s begin.”

  Lady Evelyn began calling out the names as she drew from the bowl. When she got to Aurora’s name, the two girls clasped hands with each other but remained silent. Brendan mused, apparently it was bad form to celebrate too loudly when chosen to travel. When Brendan’s name was called, Camden elbowed him, and Portia gave him a big smile.

  The first six squires and the first six handmaidens that the Gray Lady called were the group that was traveling to Nordhaven. Along with Portia, Camden, Johann, and Julia, that made for a total of eight squires and eight handmaidens. Next, she drew the names for the apprentices and selected eight to make the journey. Brendan took note that Marcia was also chosen to go.

  The crowd of squires, handmaidens, and apprentices stood around waiting while the adults at the front engaged in an in-depth discussion in low voices. Lady Evelyn sent for Sir Gerard, who walked into the room a couple of minutes later and joined in the conversation at the front of the room.

  “Does this usually happen during the drawing?” Brendan finally asked.

  “No, never,” Port
ia replied tersely.

  “They’re unhappy with something about the drawing,” Aurora commented, “and I have a feeling I know what.”

  “Ja,” Camden commented offhandedly. “The drawing of lots has put all of their eggs in one basket, as they say.”

  “Ahh, that explains it,” Brendan said, suddenly understanding the situation. “So why don’t they just rearrange the list of who is going?”

  “Because the drawing of lots for occasions like this is considered sacred,” Aurora explained. “It is how ancient Israel did it because they believed that God was expressing his will through the lots. You and Marcia were chosen by lot just now. The only one not chosen by lot was Portia. On the other hand, to require her to stay for three straight years would be considered unjust and would violate the rules of the selection.”

  Portia was nodding her head sadly throughout Aurora’s explanation, “I should go and tell my parents that I’ll volunteer to stay.” She walked forward and began talking to her mother and father, who both shook their heads, talked with her for a moment, and then sent her back to the crowd.

  “They said ‘no,’” Portia explained. “They see it as a sign that Brendan was selected to go with us. They want the two of us to go together so that my grandfather can meet Brendan and, hopefully, give his approval for our marriage. As the Duke of Saxony, he’s the highest-ranking Centurion in the Order. If he approves of our marriage, then the King will have no grounds to overturn it, and the Duke of Augsburg will have to keep his grubby little hands off me and our family holdings.”