I finally reached thirty! I kind of wish it was a little more special, but this is where it landed. Anyway, this one's a little shorter, but it was where the previous chapter was supposed to end if it didn't go so long.
 



Wolfen - Part 30

“This wasn’t the kind of welcome I was hoping for, especially considering how well the first meeting with the king went.” Verik huffed and crossed his arms, his tail twitching impatiently.

They had been waiting there in the empty room for at least a few hours now. The only light in the room was a single torch in the corner that the captain left with them. It was more than enough light to illuminate the room for the wolfen’s nocturnal eyes to see clearly, but its dull orange light cast a gloomy atmosphere over the place.

The dust that covered every surface was stirred and whisked into the air around them by their movements, making breathing a chore. Every one of them sat on the floor, sitting as still as possible. The longer they waited on the stone surface, the more signs of impatience the wolfen were struggling to contain were unintentionally showing.

There was the sound of human movement outside of the door, along with several unhappy voices. Every wolfen in the room looked towards the door, in anticipation, hoping that they were coming for them, but just like the groups of people they heard every time prior, they passed by without slowing, leaving the castle.

“Maybe they forgot about us?” Lyan suggested.

Keil shook his head. “Would you forget if we had a human waiting at our camp? There is no way that humans can be that forgetful. They are keeping us here intentionally.”

Lyan shrugged. “And why is that?”

“I believe that they are most likely testing us, making sure they can actually trust us. We just need to be patient.”

Lyan scowled and looked towards the door. “There has to be better ways to confirm that without insulting us and trying the strength of our friendship.”

Another set of footsteps sounded from the other side of the door. They all looked up, expecting it to leave, just like the others, but instead it stopped just outside. When they heard the sound of soft iron clanking of the door’s locks, they all quickly got to their feet.

The door opened and flooded the room with light bright light, causing a slight breeze that kicked up the dust all over the room, leaving several of the wolfen coughing. It took a few seconds for Verik’s eyes to adjust to the brightness, but eventually, he recognized that in the open doorway was the captain again. Not wasting any time, he nodded toward Keil. “The king will speak with you, now, though only to the leader and his interpreter. The rest will remain here.”

Verik told the wolfen what he said and instantly, all the other wolfen besides Keil dropped their tails and their ears lowered slightly in disappointment.

Keil turned to them. “Don’t worry, it should not take long to say what we need to say.” He reassured them. He joined Verik at the doorway and the captain silently led them away towards the large throne room doors. Behind them, the guards outside of the door closed the door and locked it.

Ahead of them, there were more soldiers with weapons at the ready standing evenly-spaced along both walls. They just stood there as still as they could and faced directly ahead. Through their helmets, Verik could tell that they were following them with their eyes, watching their movements closely.

Once they reached the purple doors, two well-dressed men, who couldn’t quite hide their uneasy emotions, exchanged a few looks before grabbing the thick handles and pulled the doors open, revealing the huge throne room.

As they were led forward into the room, Verik glanced around in awe at the imposing architecture. Along the walls were many stained glass windows that brightened the whole room with many bright colors. Pillars stood on either side of the room, each one intricately carved with detailed designs. The tall structures rose up until they reached the top of the rounded ceiling.

Directly ahead at the end of the room were several steps that led up to a large gold and red throne, on which sat the king. Adjacent to him, several more humans sat, staring at them and fidgeting a bit in their seats.

When they arrived at a respectful distance from the king, they kneeled down on the ground as they had the last time they met. The king waved for them to stand up. “I apologize for the way you were treated earlier.” The king told them. “Many of my advisors and allies were uncomfortable with the agreement we made. Since you walked into our gates, we were testing your loyalty. You must understand, I still value you and your kind as an ally.”

Verik, acting as interpreter, repeated the message to Keil.

Keil nodded. “I understand. These are difficult times and you need to be sure of your friends, especially before inviting them into your own fortress. I also apologize that we were not able to make ourselves presentable before seeing you.”

The king smiled and then clapped his hand. “There’s no need to apologize. That was mainly our fault, after all. Anyway, what brings you to our city this day?”

“There are several reasons, unfortunately.” Keil retold the story of everything that happened this last day, with the demons showing up and kidnapping their packmates. “So we came here to start working with you…also in hopes that maybe, with your help, maybe we can rescue before it’s too late.”

Keil finished, the king rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. “That is a most unpleasant situation.” He said sympathetically. “Do you know where they are held?”

Keil shook his head. “No, but we can find out. We have one of the demons as a captive. Another one of our pack, who is tending to him now, can enter his mind and find out any information we need: where they were, how many there were, what to do to keep undetected.”

“I will do what I can to help you save your packmates, but I cannot risk the lives of any of my people for that cause. You understand this, right? As you may have witnessed when coming here, that my people do not trust your kind.”

“Yes, of course.” Keil responded.

“Unfortunately, I cannot do anything for you right now. I will send someone for you tonight when we can make a plan of action. Until then, you can stay in the barracks and get some rest. We have an unused room with plenty of beds for your whole pack.”

Keil bowed his head respectfully and said, “We appreciate the offer, but if there was any place where we could rest that wasn’t indoors, that would be much better for us. We are not accustomed to the way you humans do things.”

The king chuckled. “Of course, as you saw, there our courtyard has more than enough room for you all. Will you need anything out there?”

“Just something to place over our bodies to keep us out of the weather in case of rain or snow. And maybe some food, as well, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem. I’ll have the soldiers escort you to our clothworkers. They will be able to provide you with some simple military tents. I will also have the butcher bring something to the courtyard as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, your majesty, but I have one more thing to ask of you.”

The king held out his hand, signaling him to continue.

“I don’t know if you are aware of this yet, but your people have one of our friends in your dungeons. He is a demon, but he is not with the enemy. He played an important role in planning our attack against Erebos. We would like him released as soon as possible.”

“I can’t make any promises, but I will see what I can do. Now, if that is all, there is much I need to do.”

Keil bowed his head again and took a step backwards. “Yes, your majesty. Thank you again for everything you are doing to help.”

The captain and a few other soldiers walked them out of the throne room and over to the dusty room where the rest of the pack waited. The captain looked at Verik and told him, “Get the others and we’ll head to the clothworker.”

Verik acknowledged him and opened the door. Behind it, all the wolfen were already standing up, leaning against the tables and waiting for them.

“You’re done already?” Lyan asked. “What did he say? Will he help us rescue Lu and Thorren?”

“Not yet, but just come with us. We’ll tell you what happened on the way.”

Brushing all the dust off of their fur, they exited the room into the hallway. All of them looked very relieved to finally leave. As the pack the captain to through several hallways, Keil told them everything that the king had said.

To Be Continued…