Behind the Veil

*Sybil*
The howls came from outside, my father rising from his seat at the dinner table.
“What is that?” my father asked, turning to the Grand Vizier, who looked equally perplexed.
“I don’t know, Your Eminence. I—”
A guard burst through the doors, his breath ragged and his armor covered in blood.
“The wolves. They’re here,” he panted. “They’re attacking the castle.”
“But we’re not at war with the wolves…” my mother retorted. “Why have they come here?”
Her question went unanswered as the guards quickly rushed out of the room and prepared for battle, the steward bringing my father his sword and his armor.
“Get the children to the tower, and stay there until I come get you,” Father instructed, pointing his sword to the eastern tower and handing my mother a lantern.
“Father, please don’t go!” I begged, my father’s eyes softening behind his mask.
“Follow your mother and brother to the tower, and stay by their side. I promise I’ll come get you when it’s safe,” he whispered to me, turning to two of his knights. “Keep my family safe.”
The knights ushered us out into the hall, pulling their swords from their sheaths.
“It’s all right, Sybil,” my mother murmured as she lifted me into her arms and handed my brother the lantern. “Just close your eyes.”
Donovan held onto Mother’s hand as we ran down the labyrinth of corridors to the eastern tower, hiding in the shadows as several screaming maids and charging knights rushed past us.
“Mother, I’m scared,” I whimpered, clinging to her arm.
Reaching the kitchen, my mother paused to grab a handful of ashes from the fireplace.
“Your Majesty, we haven’t the time to stop!” one of the knights protested.
My mother, however, smeared the ashes on my clothes and face and began tearing at my fine silk robes.
“They won’t recognize them like this,” my mother explained, doing the same to my brother.
Once she was sure no one would recognize us as the sultan’s children, my mother grabbed each of our hands and followed the knights. Fire and chaos thundered through the courtyard as we ran between the pillars, large wolves attacking our knights and the staff.
As we rounded a corner, a white blur pounced out from the shadows, knocking my mother and me over onto the cold stone floor. To my horror, a half-man, half-wolf creature stalked towards us, his teeth bared as he snarled at us. He stood on two hind legs, white fur covering his face, arms, and torso — but his most terrifying feature was his eyes. They were like glowing embers, beautiful but capable of consuming everything in their wake.
The knights rushed at the werewolf with their swords held high, but they were no match for the wicked creature as it grabbed each of them and slammed them against a wall. The sounds of cracking bones made my stomach churn as they lay limp on the stone floor.
“Run, Sybil! Run!” Mother shouted, pushing me out of the way as the werewolf pinned her to the ground.
Donovan grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to my feet, my eyes glued to my mother as the wolf ripped out her throat.
“Come on!” he screamed, my brother dragging me away.
We raced towards the tower with the wolf at our heels, though I struggled to keep up with my brother’s pace. Just as we reached the entrance of the eastern tower, I felt a pair of claws sink into my ankles, a scream ripping through my throat as I fell onto my hands and knees.
“Donovan!” I cried out, the werewolf dragging me back into the hall.
The wolf flipped me on my back, and I let out a piercing shriek of fear as I looked into his violent, red eyes. Enraged, the wolf swiped his paw against my face, his claws tearing into the flesh of my lips and cheeks. Before the beast could claw at me again, Donovan slammed the lantern on the wolf’s shoulder, the candle inside igniting the werewolf’s back in flames. The creature howled in pain and danced in agony, Donovan pulling me out from under him to safety.
Blood dripped down my chin as Donovan led me to the tower, slamming the cold iron door behind us and locking it.
Not a word was said as we climbed up the stairs to the little room at the top of the tower, both of us still in shock about all that happened. Upon reaching the top, Donovan locked the door and tended to my wounds, removing his shirt and pressing it against my bleeding cheeks. I squirmed in pain but didn’t make a sound out of fear that another werewolf might hear my cries.