The Wolf's Queen Vows

Chapter 186: Fifty Thousand Soldiers

Zeph stopped a few yards away from the house before turning to face Zuri. "This is doable, right? FireEmber is far, but it’s not impossible. Leaving him here to find the plant is not an option. We should bring him with us. Get the plant and then save him."

Zuri was silent.

"Zuri?" He called her name, but she still did not respond. He snapped his fingers directly in front of her face, once, twice, and she jerked back.

"What?" She blinked.

"What’s wrong?" Zeph already knew what was wrong, but he needed to hear her say it. Needed her to put words to whatever was coiling inside her so that they could face it together.

"Nothing." She shook her head too quickly and then tried to pull her wrist free. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Zeph did not let go. "Don’t do that. This is not the time to shut me out." He said.

For a long moment, they just stood there. Zeph watched her chest rising and falling too fast.

"You heard her." Her voice came in a tight whisper. "The plant only grows in FiraEmber, which means we have to go to FiraEmber." She swallowed hard. "Which means I have to go home."

"Is that such a terrible thing?" Zeph asked. However, he had known her long enough to notice the shadow that crossed her face whenever the topic arose.

"You don’t understand. I didn’t just leave because I wanted to see the world. I left home because I couldn’t stay. And now—" She stopped, pressing her lips together as if trying to hold back the words.

"Now you have to go back for Lucien." Zeph completed her intended statement.

She nodded.

"Are you scared of going home?" He asked. His voice was low and gentle now. "Or are you afraid of what you’ll find when you get there?"

Zuri pulled her wrist free again, and this time he let her go. She wrapped her arms around herself again. Zeph had seen her make the protective gesture a hundred times in moments of stress or pain.

She stared at the ground. "If the plant is all we need, then we should head to FiraEmber as soon as the potion is ready."

It was not the answer he needed. But Zeph nodded. "Then I’d better go find that deer. You stay with Lucien." He turned towards the path leading to the woods.

He had only taken a few steps before he stopped and looked back at her. "Zuri. Whatever it is, we’ll figure this out. Together."

Zuri did not respond. She just stood still like a statue in the clearing while she watched him turn and walk away.

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"Your Grace, we should have a plan in place."

King Elarion rubbed his temples as he listened to Elder Marcius rattle on about tariffs. He had stopped tracking the conversation somewhere around the third mention of storage rotation for grains. His free hand drummed against the armrest of his throne. A small, impatient sound that the elder had learned to ignore.

Then the doors opened. A messenger walked in, his breath ragged and tunic soaked with sweat. He tried to speak, swallowed words, and tried again.

"Your Grace. Lycanthria Riders." He breathed out heavily. "They’ve arrived at the outer gate not too long ago."

Elarion’s drumming fingers went still. A ripple of murmurs passed through the elders. "Why?" He asked.

"Your Grace—"

"Why are they in Lythorien?"

The messenger shook his head. "They would not say, Your Grace. Only that they request an audience with you."

Elarion cleared his throat. "Bring them in." He said after a long moment.

The messenger left the hall. The elders kept whispering to each other. Not too long after, twelve riders walked into the hall. At the front walked a tall, scar-faced woman with blonde hair, and a younger man whose left hand remained on the sword at his hip. They knelt in unison.

"Your Grace." The scarred woman said. "Lady Alania from Lycanthria." She held out a scroll, the wax seal stamped with the Lycanthria sigil.

Elarion flicked two fingers toward his personal guard. He crossed the room, took the scroll, and brought it to him. He cracked the seal open, his eyes moving across the parchment.

"The Dark Shadows stir within our borders. They gather strength we cannot match alone. I ask for Lythorien swords. I ask for an alliance."

Elarion’s jaw tightened as he lowered the scroll. "First, your kingdom takes my Queen," He said, the words coming out cold and quiet. "And now you want my army."

The scarred woman opened her mouth to respond, but Eladion was already shaking his head, already gathering the weight of a refusal on his tongue. He had lived in the shadow of Lycanthria’s influence for too long. First, Velkynara had been sent there as part of some sisterhood Elarion had never fully understood, and when she returned, she was different. And now Alaric expected him to send Lythorien soldiers to die for a land that had given him nothing but headaches and grief.

He was halfway through forming the words of refusal when the door opened again.

Queen Velkynara walked in. She did not look at Elarion at first. She looked at the riders in their kneeling forms, then at the scrolls still clutched in her husband’s hand. She walked closer to him and took the scroll from him. He didn’t resist. She read through the parchment quickly. And when she finished, she rolled it carefully and turned to the riders.

"Fifty thousand soldiers, that’s what we will send." She declared.

The scarred woman’s eyes widened for a second before she composed herself. She bowed her head. "Your Grace is most generous."

Velkynara looked at her husband’s personal guard. "See these riders to comfortable quarters. Give them food and a warm bath. They’ve ridden far."

The guard hesitated. He looked at Elarion, who gave a single sharp nod. Not because he agreed with what was happening, but because he would not undermine his Queen in front of strangers.

As the riders filed out, Elarion dismissed the elders with a wave of his hand. Murmurs echoed in the space before the door shut again, leaving Elarion and Velkynara alone in the room.

Elariom stood up from his throne. "You just made a fool of me." He said, his voice low. He had learned long ago that shouting always gave her the upper hand. "In front of the entire council. My court. The riders. You declared war because that is what this is. An alliance for war without my consent. Without so much as a glance in my direction."

"I am Queen. I can make such declarations." She said.

Elarion’s expression turned sour. "Because it involves Lycanthria? Now you are Queen?"

For a moment, she said nothing. She stepped close enough towards him.

He let out a short laugh. "Of course, to you...Lycanthria matters more."

"We owe them a debt," She said.

"What debt?" He scrunched up his face.

"Lycanthria took me in when I was with the sisterhood. I made mistakes, errors in judgment that should have cost me everything. But Lyra protected me."

"Enough! Enough with Lyra! Lyra! Lyra!" He gritted his teeth.

Velkynara didn’t flinch. Instead, she held his gaze. "An elf always repays her debts. You know this."

Elarion turned away from her. "Fine. Do whatever you want." He said quietly. "You always do." He closed his eyes.

Velkynara has never really needed his permission to get things done. She always made her decision.

"I have already informed the girls about going to Lycanthria. The twins are excited." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Elarion opened his eyes. He faced her. "And Lirael?" He asked.

"I promised to let her return in a month if she doesn’t want to stay anymore," Velkynara replied. "We will leave with the riders." She added.

Elarion looked straight into her eyes. Her expression was unreadable. All he could see was the stranger she had become, loyal to a ghost and obligation that he would never fully understand. "I’ll send the soldiers when it’s time."

"Thank you." She pulled back. "Truly." And she walked out of the hall.