Chapter 191: The Pack That Would Not Surrender 2

The Tigers did not move. Tavren Raukhan stood at the front of his remaining warriors, flexing his claws at his sides. The death of his right-hand man had caused him to lose what little patience he had left. He was not impressed by another promise of an investigation from a King who had failed him twice.

As Aldren approached he raised his hand to stop his warriors talking. He turned to face the Wolf King. “We have had enough.” Aldren met his gaze. “I understand you are upset however killing someone will not bring your sister or aide back. We have reason to believe someone is deliberately causing this conflict and we will find them.” “Yes.” “I will say it again until we know the truth.” Tavren gritted his teeth.

“My sister was murdered and the girl lying next to her body is still under your protection. We asked you to hand her over and you refused. Now my trusted aide has been killed and you want us to wait whilst your guards investigate. How many of my people need to die before the Wolf Crown realise they can no longer protect us?”

Aldren did not answer straight away. The Wolf King had spent decades keeping the fragile truce between the main peoples of Bravelm. He knew how dangerous it would be to let one King’s emotions turn into a reason for war. Whilst he could understand Tavren’s anger, he could not agree to his request. The increasing amount of bodies suggested someone was trying to manipulate the conflict for their own reasons. However this would not stop the Tigers from pulling their weapons.

“We will investigate these murders and find whoever is responsible. Until then, Lynessa will remain under the protection of the Wolf Crown. I will not hand over a prisoner to an angry crowd.” Tavren stared. “So we have no choice.” He turned to his warriors. “We will not give in to the judgement of the Wolf Crown whilst our dead remain unanswered for. We would rather die standing than live on our knees waiting for another ruler to decide when we are allowed to grieve.” A few Tigers pounded their weapons against the ground.

Tavren turned back to face Aldren. “You have until sunset tomorrow to hand over Lynessa to us for judgement by the Tigerfolk. If you refuse, we will no longer be under the authority of the Crown. We will take our grievance to the other recognised rulers of Bravelm. Any force sent to stop us will be seen as enemies. You have one day to prove that your rule means something.”

The courtyard fell silent. Aldren could order the Tigers to drop their weapons, however this would only confirm their belief that the Wolf Crown wanted to control them with force. He could also agree to their demands and hand over Lynessa however this would mean letting her fate be decided by fear and politics. Neither option was easy.

“We won’t hand her over.” The Wolf Crown guards answered first. A dozen warriors stepped forward to create a barrier between the Tigers and the prison entrance. More joined them, standing behind their King with their weapons lowered. They were outnumbered however they did not back down as Tavren’s warriors moved closer.

The Wolf Crown had gained their power through force, organisation and the promise that they would never leave those under their protection to defend themselves. Aldren had no intention of letting this promise become meaningless due to the fact he could refuse the Tigers and cause war. Looking at the soldiers who had chosen to stand by him he spoke calmly to Tavren.

“We would never leave those under our protection to please another ruler. You have until sunset tomorrow to rethink your request however until we have finished our investigation, the prisoner will stay here.” Tavren’s ears flattened. “Get your warriors ready.” He turned and led his warriors away. The Lions followed Garrath to their own quarters. The Foxfolk backed away heavily guarded, unwilling to trust anyone after their Matriarch’s death. The other clans agreed to wait for the Wolf Crown’s findings however none could say how long they would wait if another body turned up.

Tanaka stayed by Lynessa as the courtyard began to clear. She had been watching the whole thing, her fingers still wrapped around his coat. He could feel how much she was shaking. Her amber eyes were wide with a mix of fear and shock as she finally looked up. “They’re going to fight because of me.” “No. Someone is causing them to fight and they are choosing to let them decide what happens.”

“But the Tigers will attack tomorrow.” “They may.” Tanaka did not try to reassure her and she seemed to realise this. Looking at the Wolf Crown guards he saw they were reinforcing the entrances to the prison. He also looked at the distant smoke coming from Varghelm. Although they had failed to kill Lynessa, they had managed to push the Beastfolk closer to war between all the major territories.

Using the Dominion Nexus, Tanaka sent a message to Eldoris telling them to prepare for the possibility of the fighting spreading outside of Varghelm. He also told them not to attack the Tigers unless they were directly threatening lives. He didn’t want them to become another faction in the conflict. A moment later Sora appeared by his side. His face was unusually serious as he looked at the damage around the prison. “What happens now?” Tanaka watched the Wolf Crown guards position themselves. “We find out who is responsible before sunset tomorrow.” “And if we don’t?”

Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. “Then I will have to stop a war.” Looking at Lynessa he thought about how her sealed mana was a mystery. Maybe her identity was why they had gone to such lengths to silence her. The enemy had stolen techniques from the Foxfolk, killed multiple people from different clans and used the Wolf Crown’s own laws against them. He could not prove who was behind the attacks however he knew that another day of hesitation would cause more lives to be lost. Tomorrow’s sunset was approaching quicker than they could afford. And the pack would not give in.