Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  Karsam sat at the table before me looking frustrated at his treatment. Lathian stood behind him with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Stephan, along with Sergeant Iglias and a room full of guards looked tense; my arrival only added to said tension.

  “Karsam, I will be very direct and blunt with you, and I expect a very direct and blunt answer,” I said in way of greeting as I took a seat across the table from the man. I then looked over his shoulder to address the elf standing there. “Lathian, if you so much as grab the hilt of that knife on your hip while we’re in here, I’m going to feed it to you,” I added.

  “You’ll have to pull the blade out of your heart first,” Lathian muttered under his breath. It was just loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

  “It won’t be the first I’ve had to pull free of my body this week. That is why we’re here,” I said as I let my anger slip through the stoic expression on my face. Everyone was suddenly poised to strike as my aura filled the room.

  “I came as requested. What has happened?” Karsam said in a concerned voice, interrupting Lathian’s and my exchange. When I looked him in the eye, he looked almost desperate. I suspected that he knew what I was about to tell him but was hoping it wasn’t true.

  “Young Aaryn and Maxon, in their capacity as house heir and betrothed, requested that I be killed as an early wedding present. Princess Emilia, being the generous person she is, obliged them by having Sir Leonis make the attempt during our mission together. It went poorly for him,” I said, trying my best to keep my anger under control.

  Karsam paled at my explanation. His shoulders sagged, and he looked much older than I’d ever seen him. “I swear upon my life and Silvanti House that I did not know of this. Even now, I didn’t more than suspect until you told me,” he said in a defeated voice. In that moment, I pitied him. Even Lathian broke the stoic manner he had in front of others and placed his hand on Karsam’s shoulder in support.

  Seeing someone I respected and admired brought so low, every bit of the exhaustion of the last couple of days settled on my shoulders. “I know that their betrayal comes as quite a blow. I’m sorry for the situation in which we find ourselves. It is only because of my respect for you I do not end the threat now. Make no mistake though, if they should continue on this course, I won’t hesitate to express my displeasure,” I said as I stood from my seat.

  “Stephan, please see to our guests and help them in any way we can. The time table for our actions have been accelerated by Emilia’s boldness. The festivities need to start tomorrow around lunch,” I said to the shocked noble before me. He’d grown up with the two people who’d tried to have me killed after all. No doubt, he now saw things in a different light than he once had. I noticed Lathian’s interested look at my statement as I left the conference room. I needed to rest before plans fell into place.

  I slept four full hours after my meeting with Karsam, the longest I’d slept since my ascension to noble status. Upon my awakening, a weight I hadn’t known I carried lifted from me. My mind seemed clearer. I felt refreshed and ready for the next day’s activities, which I set in motion before I left for the scouting mission.

  My stomach growled, and I decided that I needed food since I didn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Dressing in the clean clothing in my room, I equipped my armor and a set of temporary weapons that Tristan had acquired for me. My armor remained the nicest set I’d ever owned, but it was starting to show noticeable wear from my recent battles. Someone had cleaned and polished it while I slept, but the scratch marks that saurian claws and teeth had left behind remained visible.

  As I stepped into the hall, I noticed more people up and moving than I would have expected for the middle of the night. A nervous energy saturated the air. Several of the soldiers looked in my direction as if looking for answers, but they didn’t dare approach me.

  That wasn’t the relationship I wanted with my people, so I addressed those looking my way. “What seems to be the issue?” I asked. Despite my calm demeanor, I worried about what might have happened.

  “What’s going on here?” someone yelled from further down the hall. Looking up, I saw Sergeant Iglias rounding the corner. As soon as he saw me, he cursed loudly at every soldier in the immediate vicinity until most had cleared the area.

  “That was an interesting wake up call. Mind telling me what’s happening?” I asked as Sergeant Iglias covered the rest of the distance down the hall to see me.

  “New activity from the saurians, sir. They’re massing just outside of bow range in front of the western gate. The latest report estimates tens of thousands. They’re banging some gods-awful drums. You can hear it as soon as you step out of the building,” he said in his customary blunt manner.

  “I wouldn’t worry about tomorrow’s schedule. They won’t move tonight, sir. Even if they had millions, you don’t tackle these walls on a whim. I think their activity will actually help our cause,” he said confidently. Other than praying to the ancestors that they didn’t have millions, I agreed with his assessment.

  Chapter 21

  Just as Sergeant Iglias predicted, nothing more happened during the night. In the light of day, several sources confirmed a rough count of fifty thousand saurians. It was just over five times the total number of troops housed in all of Fort Granas. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the hammer to fall.

  The threat outside the fort was only slightly more worrisome than the new development that happened at dawn inside the fort. Word reached all of the noble houses that the imperials had shut and locked the inner gates leading to the fort. The official reason given was that Princess Emilia had decided the measure was necessary due to seditious plots among the noble houses. I wondered if the move didn’t have something to do with a certain dead knight.

  While her actions helped my own plans, it also shut away half of the six thousand imperial troops housed in the fort. That only left the three thousand imperials stationed at the outer wall and three thousand house troops to oppose the enemy. Even worse, the houses were broken up into separate commands with no clear leader. While I had faith in beast-kind discipline, six thousand vs fifty thousand was a steep competition.

  I didn’t have much time to worry over such things yet, as events I’d set in motion over a week ago were coming to fruition. I sat in my conference room office, reading reports on every noble house present for this campaign. All the house heads would be attending a meeting here in the next hour.

  While I’d been traipsing around the countryside with Sir Leonis, I’d given my people a daunting task. I had charged them with gathering intelligence on the others here in the fort. During my summons by the princess, I’d noticed how much intelligence we’d lacked on the players involved in this campaign. I’d sought to remedy the situation.

  I would have stopped at information gathering, but the Ferrun House had slipped me a note telling me that my life was in danger as long as I openly opposed Princess Emilia. The message then detailed how she had certain houses under her thumb. She used those houses to perform many unsavory deeds without being tied to the actions. Her favorite methods of retaliation were kidnappings and assassinations.

  Kidnapping didn’t worry me. I was too new to have any real attachments, and they’d just as soon kill me as lock me away. The issue I had was that using the houses in this manner led to division and isolation among the nobility. We were supposed to be working together to defeat the saurians. I tasked Stephan with fixing the issue.

  What he’d come up with was a unification of the house armies. That would require that everyone meet and come to a common understanding. It also meant we had to deal with certain elements. Once we finished, the princess wouldn’t be able to destabilize our efforts any longer.

  While I’d been away, Stephan, along with my sergeants, did surveillance, made connections, and put together reports detailing the various house dispositions between one another. At the end of all of that, they’d gotten all the house leaders to agree to a meeting
. Each leader even agreed to bring only one bodyguard.

  It was that meeting I prepared for now. In order for my plan to work, everyone had to see the benefit. They also had to be secure in the idea that Princess Emilia wouldn’t punish them for going along with the plan I proposed. Each of those attending was a colonel or house leader, so they all had a mind for the politics that kept action from being taken.

  A knock at the door signaled the arrival of my first guests. I stacked my reports and stored them in a nearby bin so that others couldn’t read them before answering the door. Colonel Karsam arrived first. He was much improved from how I’d seen him the previous night. Lathian followed behind him. I greeted Karsam by grasping forearms, but, other than that, we said nothing to one another. Without an army at his back, his invitation was more of a show of respect. I also hoped that he’d be able to help persuade any holdouts in the group.

  Droka Ferrun arrived next with, who I now knew to be his son and heir, Enoch acting as his bodyguard. They had one of the largest armies in attendance at four hundred and fifty soldiers. Their support was essential if I wanted to rally the other nobles. Since they’d passed me the note, I knew their dislike for Emilia’s tactics would be in my favor.

  Over the next several minutes, each of the ten house leaders on the campaign arrived with a bodyguard or second to stand behind their position. Several wore looks of open curiosity while others seemed just short of hostile. I greeted all of them the same way without saying much else.

  As the last of them took their seats, I stood to address the group. It would be a challenge to hold the attention of so many strong personalities. I planned keep the momentum with me by not allowing us to get off topic. There was no going back from this point forward. Either I’d succeed, or make enemies of all the political powers in Tor’s Rest.

  “Welcome, and thank you all for coming today,” I said to the room while using my aura to get everyone’s attention. I didn’t want to overwhelm them like Lady Emilia tried to do in her audience hall, but I wanted them to respect my position.

  A surly looking older jaguar-kind interrupted me, “And just who are you to arrange such a meeting among the houses?” he demanded. The man who spoke was one of my ‘guests of honor’ and a part of my special arrangements. His attitude made it much easier for me to do what I needed to do. It was time to shake up the status quo.

  “I’m glad you asked that question Samuel Taedas, colonel of Taedas House’s one hundred and fifty troops here at Fort Granas,” I said in a pleasant tone. He looked uncomfortable at my use of his name, title, and troop count. I continued as if I didn’t notice his discomfort. “My name is Valian Fero, leader of Fero House.”

  “While I appreciate you prompting me to introduce myself, you yourself need no introduction. You and Griffon Aquila, the coyote-kind seated next to you, are well known among the other houses. Your notoriety comes from your roles as informants and assassins for the imperial family here in the fort and in Tor’s Rest,” I said and paused for dramatic effect.

  “While it isn’t illegal to act as informants against your peers, assassination is altogether different. Personally, I find such behavior distasteful and reprehensible. I prefer using strength to overcome my enemies. Luckily, several of your younger nobles agree with my view. They’ve become disenfranchised with your abuse of station, and would prefer a change in leadership,” I said. At my last words, the nobles behind the two leaders in question smoothly drew their swords and stabbed forward.

  No one thought anything of the two nobles stepping forward while I spoke. Everyone assumed they were preparing to defend their leaders should anything happen. After all, that was the purpose of bringing a second or bodyguard to this meeting. The attack caught Samuel off guard, and he died instantly. Griffon partially stood, making the stab enter lower than intended but still piercing vital areas around his heart. He fell to the floor amid the utter silence of the room and died seconds later.

  The two nobles standing over their dead ex-leaders removed their old tabards, revealing the Fero House colors beneath. They wiped their swords clean on their old colors and sheathed them before dropping the discarded fabric on the fallen leaders.

  Without saying a word, the two nobles drug the executed men towards the door. Soldiers waited in the hallway with sacks, but for the drama of the moment, the bodies were carried out by those that killed them. No one spoke as the two left the room with their gruesome cargo in tow, and all eyes were on me as the door closed.

  The two armies easily turned against their leadership. The senior nobles ran the houses like street thugs. They made younger nobles do things against their morals and values just to find acceptance, while they used common soldiers as disposable pawns. It had only taken the promise of valuing the soldiers’ lives and honor to convince them to defect.

  “As of this morning, Taedas House’s one hundred and fifty troops along with Aquila House’s one hundred troops have disavowed their allegiance to their houses due to corruption in their senior leadership. Both their common soldiers and remaining nobles have sworn themselves to Fero House and are now under my command,” I said.

  Including those two houses’ troops, six hundred and sixty soldiers now followed me at Fort Granas. Only House Ferrun had the numbers to challenge me directly. It was also notable that many beast-kind held equal rights within Fero House. Multiple species standing together in one house was almost unheard of across the empire. It was engrained at an almost genetic level not to submit to the leadership of other species. Not since the time of the Founders War had there been noble houses made of different species. No one could have guessed that I’d make such a bold move.

  The conference room grew silent at my announcement as everyone processed what had just happened. I catalogued the faces of those in attendance. Most were pale with a visage of shock and horror at the drama that had played out before them.

  Even if a noble was corrupt, things were typically handled in a certain fashion. It was the only reason that Emilia had been able to have spies and enforcers in the fort to begin with. That I was willing to disregard convention in such an open and public display spoke volumes.

  I imagined the faces of the house officers wouldn’t have been much different if I had suddenly unleashed venomous snakes in the room. Of course, there were exceptions. Several of those in attendance looked furious at my actions. Those would be the ones to watch moving forward.

  Even if some were angry, no one would be bold enough to act without planning. After my consolidation of troops, I was too strong to target without serious help. If Droka and his house stood with me, it would align roughly one third of all house forces to my cause. That Droka was content to watch things unfold without interfering solidified the view that he supported my actions.

  Many of the attending houses were rivals; none would take the risk of being left on the wrong side of a partnership among houses. A miscalculation like that would lead to them being an easy target to be attacked with impunity. And just like that, I brought the house nobles at Fort Granas in line.

  The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Those houses that were rivals couldn’t resist taking shots at each other as we discussed possible defensive strategies and scenarios, but that was to be expected.

  Despite the security of our walls, I ran the meeting with the assumption that the saurians would gain entry. If such a thing happened, feuding houses would be expected to stand together. By the end of the meeting, those in attendance at best respected each other, and at worst agreed on a mutual protection pact.

  As the attending nobles filed out, Droka and Karsam both stayed seated. This wasn’t a surprise; I had done a lot behind their backs while expecting their good will. I stood by the door and shared parting words with each of the house nobles as they left and ignored the looming storm. After several minutes, the last of the of the other nobles in attendance left. It was just me, House Ferrun, and House Silvanti left in the room.

  “You seem to have been busy
these last two weeks, even as you were out with the imperial scouting force,” Droka said with an intensity to his voice. “There is a fine line between a strong ally and a threat. The enmity between you and Princess Emilia serves Ferrun House’s objectives, but your ambition and consolidation of power may make you the more dangerous of two threats. How can we be sure you do not plan to lord over the houses in the same manner?” he said in a low voice. I understood his view, but I didn’t see a better way to accomplish my goals.

  “Lord Droka, while I apologize for the surprise, it was the only path to take. Even with your troops here in the fort along with my own, we didn’t have the numbers required to make the other noble houses follow our lead. Beyond that, leaving the two imperial pawns in play would have had us all constantly looking over our shoulders. No matter how well disciplined and trained your soldiers are, it matters little with a dagger in your back,” I said with conviction. I wanted to try my best to make them understand the truth about our situation.

  He still looked angry, but I could also see the wheels turning in his head based on what I’d just said. There was a simple truth to all of this: beast-kind respected power more than anything else. What he was angry about was my grabbing so much of it without his knowledge and the possibility I could abuse it.

  Karsam thought for a long moment and chose his words carefully before joining the conversation. “Valian, I originally thought you could be a powerful member of House Silvanti to oppose the greed and decay that has infected the empire these last years. I realize now we could have never contained you. I still believe you are an agent of change, I just hope that some of the empire is left standing when you realize your full potential.” I heard the warning in his voice.

  His statement appeased whatever reservations Droka still held. Looking past Karsam at Lathian, I saw a conflict in the elf’s eyes. I desperately wanted to ask what he was thinking. I’d seen that same look regarding me on multiple occasions now. Asking a slave for his thoughts would send the wrong message, however, so I remained silent.