Chapter 39 Orders In The Dark
The traitor council members gathered in a disused granary on the eastern fringe of the northern keep, far from patrolling guards and watchful eyes. Vargus and the cloaked man waited in the shadowed interior, surrounded by the faint scent of old grain. Corvin, Sabine, Rolf, Mara, Halric, and Veyne entered one by one, their faces set in grim determination.
Vargus spoke first. “The time has come. In two days, we take the keep. Each of you will provide soldiers. I want them positioned precisely.”
Corvin crossed his arms. “How many and where?”
Vargus met his gaze. “Captain Halric, you command two hundred of your border guards. Station one hundred at the eastern gate. The rest hold the inner barracks. When my forces arrive, your men open the gate and secure the armory.”
Halric nodded. “It will be done.”
Vargus turned to the others. “Merchant Veyne, you have fifty private guards. Position thirty near the stables and twenty along the western wall. They prevent reinforcements from reaching the central keep.”
Veyne replied. “My men will be in place.”
Vargus continued. “Sabine, you control the northern patrols. Withdraw fifty wolves from the outer ridges and station them at the granaries and supply depots. They ensure no reserves are distributed.”
Sabine’s single eye narrowed. “Understood.”
Rolf spoke next. “What of the remaining forces?”
Vargus’s voice hardened. “Corvin, you command the elders’ personal retinue. Forty wolves. They take the council chamber and detain Darius. Mara, your household guards, thirty strong, secure the infirmary and prevent Mira from aiding any resistance.”
Mara nodded. “They will hold the healers in check.”
Vargus leaned forward. “Every wolf you command must be in position by dawn. When the signal comes, your forces join mine without hesitation.”
The cloaked man stepped forward. “The path will be cleared from within. The weakening agent has already been distributed. Patrols that drank from tainted streams and storehouses that received the tainted rations will find their strength fading. Reflexes slow. Muscles fail without visible cause. By the time my vanguard breaches the walls, the defenders will be crippled.”
Corvin’s voice cut through the murmurs. “And Fernando? He is not a force to overlook, even weakened. What is your plan for him?”
Vargus laughed, a low, rolling sound. “Fernando has been taken care of. He has removed himself from the keep. He left for the ancient home in the high valley, accompanied only by a small escort.”
Sabine’s brow furrowed. “He would not abandon his pack without reason.”
“He did not abandon it,” Vargus replied. “He went to recover from the soul bond that nearly destroyed him. His wolf fights the connection, and he believes isolation will stabilize it. By the time he learns of our victory, the keep will be mine.”
Rolf asked, “Will he attempt to return?”
The cloaked man answered. “The ancient home is three days’ hard ride through treacherous passes. Even if word reaches him, his condition will prevent him from mounting an effective response. The pack will be ours before he can act.”
Corvin nodded slowly. “Then we proceed.”
Vargus fixed each of them with a hard stare. “There will be no hesitation. No second thoughts. Once the eastern gate opens, there is no undoing it. Any wolf who falters will be treated as a traitor to both sides.”
Halric spoke firmly. “We understand. Our forces will be in position.”
Vargus stood. “Two days. Dawn. The signal will come. Be ready.”
The council members departed one by one, slipping back into the night.
Later that night, Alberto met Samael in the eastern training yard. The gamma waited with two wooden training swords and a pair of blunted daggers. Alberto arrived stripped to breeches and boots, his body marked with fresh bruises from previous sessions.
Samael tossed him a sword. “We train until you drop.”
Alberto caught the weapon and took position. They began immediately, Samael launching a series of controlled strikes that forced Alberto to block and counter. Alberto parried a thrust to his ribs but left his shoulder exposed, and Samael drove the wooden blade into it hard enough to bruise.
“Again,” Alberto said.
They reset and continued, Samael pressing him without mercy. Alberto blocked a low sweep and riposted with a strike to the thigh, earning a curt nod from the gamma.
After an hour of relentless exchanges, Alberto lowered his sword, breathing heavily. Samael set his own weapon aside.
“When Fernando left for the ancient home, how did it feel?” Samael asked.
Alberto wiped sweat from his eyes. “It felt wrong. He should not have to bear the burden of saving me, then leave because of the weakness I bring him.”
Samael watched him closely. “You think yourself unworthy of what he has done.”
“I am unworthy,” Alberto replied. “He bound his soul to mine to keep me alive. He bleeds for every wound I take. He weakens because of the barrier inside me. I have received more care and loyalty from him than I deserve.”
Samael handed him a waterskin. “And what will you do about it?”
Alberto drank deeply, then met the gamma’s gaze. “I will pay him back. With my life, if necessary. I will learn to defend myself so I am no longer a burden he must protect. I will break through the barrier that makes the bond unstable, even if it tears me apart.”
Samael nodded. “The draught will help you reach your wolf spirit. It will hurt, but it will give Fernando’s wolf the connection it needs to stop fighting the bond.”
Alberto gripped the hilt of his training sword. “Then I will endure it. I will not let him continue paying for my survival.”
Samael picked up his sword again. “Words mean nothing without action. If you intend to repay him, prove it now. Attack me.”
Alberto raised his weapon and struck without hesitation. Samael blocked and countered, forcing him back across the yard. Alberto adjusted his footing and pressed forward, chaining a series of strikes that kept the gamma on the defensive.
“Better,” Samael said as he parried a thrust. “You are starting to control the distance.”
Alberto drove another attack. “Teach me more. I need to be able to fight without relying on anyone else.”
Samael swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the dirt. “Then learn to anticipate. Do not commit everything to a single strike.”
Alberto rolled to his feet. “Again.”
They continued through the night, Samael drilling him on footwork, counters, and weapon retention. Each fall and bruise Alberto took without complaint, rising immediately to resume.
As the first hints of dawn appeared, Samael lowered his sword. “Enough for tonight.”
Alberto stood breathing hard, hands on his knees. “I will keep training. Every moment until the draught takes effect.”
Samael regarded him steadily. “You mean to repay him with your life.”
Alberto straightened. “Yes. He has given everything for me. I owe him no less.”