Chapter 185: The Council Meeting Again

By morning, Varghelm was no longer a celebration. The decorations were still there, but nobody cared. Lanterns of Mana floated through the streets, untended and flickering low. Banners hung limp from rooftops, and the competition arenas that had littered the royal district stood empty, their sand raked but unmarked. The excitement that had filled the air during the previous nights had been replaced by something colder. Suspicion. Fear. And the constant, heavy tread of armed patrols.

There had been another murder. Then another. And another. By the time the sun rose, all of the major Beastfolk delegations had doubled their security. Smaller rulers had begun restricting their people from moving between districts. Stalls had been shuttered, their owners hiding their goods and their children. Several families had tried to leave Varghelm entirely before the Wolf Crown restricted access to the teleportation network. No word of peace had been heard yet. But it wasn’t far off.

Tanaka had gathered the Eldoris group together in the guest residence. Sora was sitting beside him, unusually quiet, his legs pulled up onto the chair. Raishin stood near the wall with his arms crossed, his face unreadable. Raizen stood near the door, as if already expecting someone to try to come through it. Relia, Raveana, Razer, Drakar, Sylva, Ryuken, Rogan and the others were all present. Nira stood by the window, watching the patrols pass below. Kaelith and several others remained outside to help keep watch on the district.

Tanaka looked around the room, letting the silence settle before he spoke. "The Wolf Crown have called a second council meeting." Raveana frowned, her tail flicking once in irritation. "Again?" "This one is important." "All of them are." "True," Tanaka said. "But this one might decide whether Lynessa lives today." Everyone fell silent. Sora’s face changed, color draining from it. "So they’re really going to kill her?" "They’re considering it." "Why?" "Because they’re scared."

Sora looked angry then, in the raw, honest way only he could. "That’s stupid." Raishin replied calmly, without moving from the wall. "Fear often is." Tanaka leaned against the table, his hands flat on the wood. "The later murders happened while Lynessa was locked up in the Wolf Crown prison. That should be enough to prove she wasn’t involved personally." "But they feel she has allies," Relia said softly. "Exactly." Tanaka nodded. "Or she’s part of a bigger group."

Razer crossed his arms, his claws clicking against his bracers. "Find them." "We are." "Just not quickly enough." Tanaka couldn’t argue with that. They had found evidence of fake Foxfolk magic, suspicious contracts from the merchants and signs that someone with money and political power was involved. However, it wasn’t enough to identify the enemy. It was a shape in the fog, nothing more.

Nira spoke then, her voice quiet. "I don’t think Lynessa could have done it." Tanaka looked at her. "Why? She can’t use magic." "No." Nira turned away from the window, and the light caught the faint, restless movement in the air around her. "I could feel something around her." Everyone looked confused. Sora tilted his head. "Feel what?" Nira hesitated as she tried to put her thoughts into words, her hands moving slightly as if trying to shape the air. "While she was watching the spell competitions during the festival, I noticed spirits gathering around her."

Tanaka’s face darkened. "Spirits?" "Yes. Small ones. Mostly ambient spirits. Wind, light and a few smaller nature spirits." Raishin frowned. "She didn’t call them." "No." Nira shook her head, emphatic. "They were just there." Tanaka now remembered what he had felt the first time he used his Mana Sense properly on Lynessa. The large amount of mana inside her. All locked up, compressed into a tight, trembling knot in her chest. He knew something was wrong. He just didn’t know what.

"Lynessa’s mana is locked." Nira stared at him. "What?" "There’s a large amount of mana inside her. I’ve felt it a few times. It’s all locked up and compressed so little of it actually moves." Everyone fell into an even deeper silence. Nira’s face changed completely, her eyes widening. "That’s impossible." Tanaka frowned. "Why?" "Because the spirits wouldn’t act like that if her mana was naturally locked."

Tanaka straightened. Nira stepped closer, her voice dropping. "If she had no control over her mana the spirits may have ignored her. If she had a low affinity they would have barely reacted. However, they weren’t ignoring her." She paused, searching for the right word. "They were dancing around her." Sora blinked. "Dancing?" "No." Nira thought for a moment, frustrated with her own description. "Well... some of them were."

More confused looks were exchanged around the room. "The point is, they like her. They were attracted to her without being called. This usually happens to someone with an unusually high spiritual affinity." Tanaka remembered when Lynessa had tried to cast Gentle Wind in the practice yard. How she had closed her eyes, held out her shaking hand, and whispered the words exactly as Nira had taught her. Nothing had happened. Not even a spark. Not even a breeze. "But she can’t cast." "That’s the confusing part."

Nira’s face turned serious, almost frightened. "If her mana is really locked then something must have happened to her when she was born..." Tanaka finished the thought for her. "Or someone locked it." Nira nodded, slowly. They sat in silence for a few seconds, the sound of the patrols outside filling the gap. Raveana finally spoke. "So someone has locked her magic?" "We don’t know that." "But it’s possible." "Yes."

Relia looked worried, her ears flat. "Could it be Mereth?" Tanaka instantly shook his head. "We don’t have any evidence." "It’s possible," Relia pressed. This worried him more than he wanted to admit. Mereth had owned Lynessa for years. If she knew that Lynessa had locked up mana, a hidden reservoir of power that no slave should have, then her murder could be related to more than just contracts and debts. It could be about what Lynessa was, not just what she saw. Or maybe not.

Tanaka hated how many possibilities were opening up. Every answer brought three more questions. Sora looked at him, his small fists clenched. "Can we unlock it?" "Not yet." "Why?" "Because we don’t know what it’s locked by or what will happen if we unlock it." Nira nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If it’s locked on purpose then it could hurt her if we force it open. A seal like that, if it’s been there since she was a child... it would be woven into her. Breaking it wrong could kill her."

Raizen finally spoke from the door, his voice low and rough. "And it doesn’t prove she didn’t kill Mereth." Everyone fell into a heavy silence. Nira looked at him, but she didn’t argue. "No." "But it gives us another reason to believe there’s more to her than we know." Tanaka nodded, his gaze distant. And possibly another reason why someone wants her dead.

The plans for the meeting were quickly decided.

Tanaka would be attending. Sora insisted on coming, and this time Tanaka didn’t tell him no. Raishin was coming as well, because Tanaka wanted a level-headed person with him who wouldn’t be baited. Raizen refused to stay behind. Nira was coming as her knowledge of spirits could come in handy if the copied Foxfolk magic was mentioned.

Everyone else had a task. Relia and Sylva would be walking around the Rabbitfolk and civilian districts to listen for any new rumours or suspicious activity. Raveana, Rogan and Ryuken would be patrolling the outer streets with a few Wolf Crown guards who Garric had personally vouched for. Razer and Drakar would be checking the storage districts and merchant routes where two of the murders had happened. Zephyr and the Mana Birds would be keeping watch from above, unseen. No one would be going alone.

Tanaka looked around the room one last time. "If anything happens let me know straight away. Use the birds if you have to." Raveana smiled, sharp and eager. "If I find the assassin?" "Don’t kill them." Her smile faded into a pout. "That wasn’t what I wanted to hear." "I know."

More people were present in the council chamber than before. All of the major rulers were there, along with several smaller nations and clans who had demanded a seat after the fourth body was found. No one was being casual with their greetings. The great round table, which had once been a place for toasts and trade arguments during the festival, now felt like a tribunal. The Beastfolk Festival had brought them together as allies, rivals and neighbours. Now they sat around the table wondering if one of them was involved in the murders.

Aldren Greymane stood at the head of the table. He looked older than he had three nights ago. "The reason we are here is simple," he said, and his voice echoed around the chamber, silencing the low muttering. "We are deciding what to do with the prisoner." Tanaka’s jaw tightened.

Tavren Raukhan sat stiffly on one side of the hall, his orange fur bristling. His claws had scored deep lines into the armrests of his chair. "There’s nothing to discuss."

Garrath Goldmane turned to face him, his mane catching the light from the mana lanterns above. "There is." "My sister is dead." "And one of my warriors." Tavren glared. Garrath remained unfazed, his voice even. "But I’m still able to think." A few of the Lion representatives shifted uncomfortably behind their king. Not all of them agreed with Garrath’s restraint. Some wanted blood to answer blood.

Queen Elowen sat nearby looking exhausted. Her usual bright, soft presence was dimmed. The Rabbitfolk murder had affected her more than she wanted to show. Mirella had been one of her handmaidens. Aldren raised his hand. "Enough." Everyone fell silent.

Garric stepped forward and summed up what they had found out, his tone clipped and professional. Lynessa was found at Mereth’s body. A key was found in her pouch that did not belong to her. The murder weapon came from the servants kitchen and had her fingerprints on the handle. A private ledger was missing from Mereth’s desk. However, later murders happened while Lynessa was imprisoned in a cell with no windows and two Wolf guards at the door.

Plus traces of spirit magic were found at multiple scenes and appeared to be purposefully copied from Foxfolk methods, but without any of the respect or pattern a true Foxfolk caster would use. Murmurs erupted around the table like a startled flock.

One of the minor rulers, a Badgerfolk chieftain, stood. "It just proves she has accomplices." Tanaka instantly looked at him. "Or it proves someone is framing her."

The chieftain shrugged, indifferent. "It could be either." "Why are we keeping her alive if people are still dying?" Sora stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the stone floor. "Because killing her won’t stop them!"

A few rulers looked at him, surprised by the outburst from a child. Sora didn’t care. His face was red. "She’s been locked up and people are still dying. If we kill her and someone dies tomorrow what then? Are we just going to keep killing people until the murders stop?" No one answered him.

One of the Tigerfolk representatives spoke, his voice cold. "We take out a piece of the conspiracy." Tanaka’s face darkened. "You don’t even know there’s a conspiracy involving her." "We know she was found next to Lady Mereth’s body." "You know she found the body." "With the key." "The key was planted."

The room began to get louder, voices overlapping, accusations being thrown across the table. Aldren slammed his hand on the table, the sound like a thunderclap. "Enough!" Silence fell again, heavier this time.