UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS.

CHAPTER 76: UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS.

At the palace in Talvor, the atmosphere was gloomy and tense. Everyone there felt it.

Lord Kerrigan was in his chamber, in deep contemplation, as he sat in his chair. A lot ran through his mind. They were mostly feelings of rage. But at who?

He had poured himself a cup of wine as he sat there, holding the cup with his right hand. As he kept brooding on his thoughts, he unconsciously began clenching his fists. He clenched them until the cup broke, piercing his palm. He reflexively released his grip, wincing in pain.

"Stupid cup!" he said angrily. He removed the shards of glass that pierced him, and then he got a napkin and wiped off the blood from his hand. In anger, he forcefully tossed the side stool upon which the cup was placed, slamming it to the wall.

The Captain of the Lord's Guard and the two soldiers who were with him heard the sound of the stool's impact against the wall. The Captain sighed softly.

Lord Kerrigan looked at his hand and saw that the wound had begun healing. Then he heard a knock on his door, but he didn't respond.

"My Lord? My Lord? Lord Daveen seeks an audience with you," the Captain announced. But there was no response this time as well.

"My Lord?" he knocked once again.

"Have you a burning desire to have your head on a pike?!" Lord Kerrigan yelled from within his chamber. So the Captain of the Lord's Guard kept mute at that point.

After a while, lord Daveen and the Captain heard the sound of the door being unlocked, so they straightened up. The door slowly swung open and they met the cold stare of Lord Kerrigan.

"My Lord," lord Daveen greeted, bowing. "The council awaits, my Lord."

Lord Kerrigan sighed. "Head on. I'll join you shortly."

"Alright, my Lord," Lord Daveen nodded and began heading off.

He furrowed his brow as he walked off. He noticed how Lord Kerrigan kept his right hand behind him. He suspected something was wrong but chose to mind his business.

Lord Kerrigan walked back into his room, checked the palm of his hand, and saw that he was almost completely healed. He shrugged his shoulders twisting his neck. He then sighed, comporting himself, and then he walked back out.

The Captain of the Lord's Guard stood alert as he saw Lord Kerrigan.

"Get a servant to clean up the mess in my Chamber," Lord Kerrigan instructed the Captain.

"Alright, my Lord," he bowed. Lord Kerrigan then headed to the council hall and was accompanied by the other two soldiers who were with the Captain while the Captain went on to carry out Lord Kerrigan's instructions.

Shortly after, Lord Kerrigan arrived at the council hall. Just as lord Daveen said, the council was there. All but one; Marcus.

As he walked over to the council table, the lords stood up as per their custom. When he sat down, they all sat down as well.

He sighed, as his eyes darted around.

"So, was there no one who could have stopped Marcus from destabilizing things while I was away? Could none of the lords of Talvor protect the order of things?" he asked, looking around.

They all kept mute for a bit.

"My Lord, Marcus is your son and future Alpha. We did our best," lord Finn said.

"Well, your best wasn't good enough! You couldn't hold the fort down in my absence," Lord Kerrigan retorted.

"He was already at it before we realized what he was doing. It was already too late to do anything at that time, My Lord. But on the bright side, his disobedience turned out to be fruitful. I was right all along," lord Daveen said.

"Of course. You'd see nothing wrong with what he did since it proved you were right. This has sowed a seed of uncertainty in the hearts of the Lycans. It will begin to make them think we perceive them the same we do as the humans," Lord Kerrigan said.

"We are leaders of Talvor. We must ensure that our society is safe. If there are traitors within our ranks, then they would suffer a far worse fate. So we must make certain hard choices," lord Daveen responded.

"My son's intent wasn't for the good of the land. It was rebellion, to prove a point to me."

"But it availed us the result we were looking for, no matter how unconventional it was. And this exonerates the humans."

"I wouldn't be quick to rule out the humans' involvement in this matter, lord Daveen," lord Tally responded.

"Nevertheless, we have what we need, for now. Any other discovery that comes up later will be dealt with appropriately. But for now, I think Marcus should be shown mercy," lord Daveen replied.

Lord Kerrigan kept quiet for a bit as he mused.

"So, who is the culprit who's in cahoots with the Shadow cloaks?" Lord Kerrigan asked.

"He is a merchant and goes by the name Craffen. He has never constituted a nuisance to society, no bad record whatsoever," lord Finn answered.

"All qualities that make him the perfect agent for the Shadow cloaks," lord Tally observed.

"Indeed," lord Finn acknowledged.

"Where is he now?" Lord Kerrigan inquired.

"In the dungeons, my Lord," lord Daveen answered. Lord Kerrigan then stood up, fuming.

"I need to have a word with him, personally," Lord Kerrigan said and began walking out. The council quickly followed after him.

Stepping out of the council hall, Lord Kerrigan saw the Captain of the Lord's Guard at the door. The Captain bowed as he saw him, but Lord Kerrigan walked past him. He quickly followed after his Lord, having no idea where he was headed.

After a bit of walking, they arrived at the dungeons, below the palace. They were greeted by an awful smell. The anger that welled up in Lord Kerrigan made him ignore the stench. The guards at the dungeons were surprised to see Lord Kerrigan there.

"My Lord," they greeted, bowing.

"Take me to the traitor," he instructed.

"Are you sure we shouldn't bring him to you instead?" the guard in charge of the dungeons asked.

"No. I'll see him in his holding cell."

"Alright, my Lord," the guard bowed and led Lord Kerrigan in.

He heard light sobs and the shuddered breaths of some of the prisoners. The place was dark and dingy. A very awful place to be.

"He's in here, my Lord," the guard said as they arrived at the cell.

"Open it," Lord Kerrigan instructed. The guard nodded at the soldier who had the key, and then he opened it.

Lord Kerrigan stepped in and saw that his face was bloody, but there were no wounds. He had healed.

"Leave us," Lord Kerrigan instructed, the guard bowed and walked out.

"I mean everyone," he said further. So the lords of Talvor bowed and walked away. When they were gone, he turned to Craffen, looking wickedly.

"You and I are going to talk, and it'll be in your best interest if youaree cooperative with me," Lord Kerrigan said. Craffen smiled as Lord Kerrigan said that.