The Prophesy: Book 1 - Cave Lupus

 

The taking of Loren and Hamburg went without a hitch. Those in Hamburg tried to raise the drawbridge but the dogs prevented them from doing so; the wolves, noticing the slow raising of the drawbridge, jumped on it at full speed; about two hundred made it inside to give a hand to the dogs that were trying to displace the elves that were manhandling the pulleys. Shortly afterwards, the first legionnaires arrived on site and slowly lowered the partially raised drawbridge, to make sure no one got caught under it.

"Should we raise the royal colours, Harold?"

"Not yet, let's wait until your dad is in Sophia to do so here; we will also need to finish off the cleanup. I promised your dad the final fun."

"Ah, yes, ridding the place of the crocodile priests. I wonder what we will learn from this; we know there is a temple in Sophia, but I do not know if there is one in Loren and Hamburg."

"Just ask the dogs, Enron. They probably know every dark alley in each city."

"Quite right! I keep forgetting about the dogs."

«We have taken control of the place the men on horseback call Hamburg. That sounds appetizing! I wonder where they keep the ham and burgers!»

«Probably in the treasury, my friend. Do not worry, we know you are hungry, and there is food coming for you as we speak.» Harold replied.

«Thank you. Yes we are hungry; it's been since this morning we had a meal. I have just been invited by a group of dogs to share their meal at their home. Should we accept?»

«Yes, but verify with your nose and taste buds if the food is proper. The family of two-legs with which they share their den may not like the idea of wolves coming into their home, especially if they have pups.»

«We understand. We will be polite and see to it that their pups are undisturbed.»

«Good, please call one of us back for proper human-canine etiquette when you reach their den.»

«We will, Alpha!»

As this conversation was finishing, Enron was holding a similar one with another wolf, reporting from the side of Archduke Volant, from inside Loren.

«We have entered a huge place, young pup. I think the one that leads the two-legged would like to give you a verbal report, but doesn't know how. I will sit in front of him and lean my head on the side, as if I was listening to what he is saying; maybe he will understand that he can do it that way.»

«OK. Let's see if the two-legged is as bright as I think he is!»

A few seconds later, Enron, using the wolf senses, could listen to what was going on inside what turned out to be a palace.

«Are you listening to me, your Highness? I have news. Can the wolf lift the left paw to signal you are listening?»

The wolf, Blackie, obediently lifted the left paw.

«This is marvellous! OK. We are in the ducal palace, and we found the family of the previous archduke. There are three children, two boys and a girl; and the archduchess. I had to dispose of a couple dozen hard-nosed palace officials, including the captain of the guard, and the baron. Also dead are their chief of protocol, a count Robertson, and five or six diplomats, including the ambassadors from Sophia, Frieburg, and Ultrech. We also found an ambassador from Munster, and consuls from Gdansk and Alamein. It may be that they had their family with them that made these later diplomats more cooperative. It seems that there is a diplomatic corps from Vicksburg as well, but that their ambassador was recalled a short time ago for consultation. I suspect some dirty tricks happening in Vicksburg, as we know their head of state is shorter now. I have sent a hundred elves to take control of the compounds. The number of diplomats in each corps is relatively limited. I have ordered that our rules of engagement be followed: gut any resistance. So far, I have not heard any news from them, but they are to send them back here under wolf escort. I figure the wolves will understand, and if not, do like this one, ask for your help. I wish this were a two-way communication system. I need further instructions. The following questions need be answered. First, what to do with the ducal family? Second, what to do with the diplomats? Third, what to do with the families of the palace officers and courtesans that have been disposed of? Do you have a means to tell me what to do, your Highness?»

Blackie lifted his left paw.

«You do? This is even more marvellous! But wolves do not talk. How do you plan to tell me? Oh, I get it. I'll give suggestions and the wolf will lift the paw when the suggestion is correct?»

Again Blackie lifted his left paw.

«Fine. I should send everyone to you? No, that's not it. You will send detailed instructions by writing, using the Royal Canine Mail?»

Blackie lifted his left paw, signalling it was what prince Enron wanted to do.

«Fine, your Highness, I will wait for the mail. Thank you, wolf, you have been a precious ally.»

"Harold, Blackie, the alpha commander of the wolf pack that went in Loren with Volant, acted as conduit for his verbal report. He requires instructions as to what to do with the families and prisoners he holds. I managed to get across to him by posturing and body language that he is to expect written instructions from us. What should we do with them? For now, he is grouping all the diplomatic corps in the ducal palace, under wolf escort."

"This is a good question. In fact, I am surprised Yamato hasn't asked me the same question yet. I think it's best to regroup everyone in a single place, easier to defend, should there be trouble. Write to Volant, I'll write to Yamato. This also raises another question. Is there a diplomatic corps in Sophia and Hamburg, and if so, where is it hiding?"

"I am sending a request to all dogs in Hamburg and Sophia for any indication that their den sharers are not from this place. It should reduce the number of houses to search for diplomats considerably." Sitar replied.

"I found were the temple is in Sophia, dad. As we expected, it is on the shores of the river, between the two bridges leading to Loren and Hamburg. The dogs in Loren and Hamburg do not report a similar structure. I think the priests did not want to attract attention more than necessary in the Elven kingdom," Paschal informed them.

"Good. Things have settled enough that we can have Samson and the mage brought in under escort with relative certainty that things will go well."

"Agreed. I will handle dad. King Harold, can you please handle the mage? Harp, please handle Greywolf."

***

It was sext before King Samson made his way to Sophia's ducal palace, under very heavy wolf escort, as most elves were busy occupying strategic positions or searching for the missing diplomats. He was accompanied by the mage and the horse train carrying the rest of the luggage an army on the move requires.

"Ah, King Samson, how are you feeling today?" Harold enquired.

"It seems the period of rest we had to take has helped me considerably, my friend. I have not had a single bout of vertigo or dizziness this morning, which has let me enter the town on horseback."

"Do you want me to hand you the reins of power dad?"

"No Enron, you have been doing a marvellous job so far, and I see no reason to rush into saddle before I have finished recovering! Had I known you were so versed in politics, son, I would have taken vacations a long time ago! So far, your battle run has been a no fault, and you cannot imagine how pleased I am of the results!"

"Are you fit to handle the priests? So far, we have found where their temple is, but we have seen none of them. I have asked that the river be monitored from both bridges in case they try to use it as an escape route."

"And I they try to escape by this means?"

"I am considering having the horses pull carts filled with big rocks on to the bridges, back them up on the side and have the contents thrown over in the river. What do you think of this plan?"

"And why not use archers?"

"For two reasons, dad. One we know their back is naturally armoured. Second, ever tried killing a fish with a spear or arrow? The position of the fish is never where you think it is. Now these priests may look like crocodiles, but they still need to breath air. If we have them nailed to the river bottom by big rocks, they will drown."

"You just proved to me again that you are the man for the job, son. I would never have thought of that and the solution you propose is proper, as long as there is light."

"That is why we will be going to deal with them in an hour. We have about six hours left of light, and we must force them out of their temple before sundown. Are you joining us?"

"Oh yes! I want to personally contribute to the eradication of that varmint from my kingdom!"

"Then eat, dad, before Harp eats the town out of food!"

***

About a quarter to one, an individual walked into the palace grounds and was stopped by the elven guards.

"Identify yourself and state your business!" ordered the centurion that held station at the entrance to the outer courtyard.

"I am Saskatoon, Priest of the Order of the Atom. I seek to meet with Franz of Sophia. He has been absent."

Greywolf smelled the priest's nature even before he identified himself, and signalled its presence to Harold.

«My lord, one strange-smelling two-legs is at the entrance to the den. I think it is one you call crocodile?»

Harold, who was getting ready to move out from the inner courtyard with the legions, and the elven army, accompanied by the princes and King Samson, immediately replied.

«To all Canines! Block the exit at the den! Stop the crocodile from escaping at all costs!»

Immediately wolves, dogs, coyotes and foxes filled the outer courtyard. Dogs from the city, as well as wolves, which had been patrolling the immediate area outside the castle, invaded the drawbridge that went over the castle's moat. Credit must be given to the elves and legionnaires: They reacted instantly to the alertness and mad dash of their four-legged allies and followed suit, coming from the city to support the canines in their blockading of the castle's exit. A thick wall of elven archers and a full centurie of legionnaires pilum down stood firm behind the wolves. Inside the outer courtyard, the legionnaires formed a square blocking any entrance to the castle, while elves appeared on the courtyard's walls, bearing bows, arrows ready to fly.

"What is this? I have never been so badly received at this hatchery before!"

The centurion had backed away six steps and drawn his sword at the reaction from the wolves and dogs in the castle, understanding immediately this was a concerted and ordered reaction by order of the Legate, King of the Wolves.

"I obey to orders. I do not explain them."

Greywolf shook his head up and down thus giving the legionnaire a signal that Harold was approving what he was hearing.

"A message has been sent. Wait here and do not act aggressively or try to escape. He will join us." Again Greywolf approved.

"If I wish to leave, I can, but I have come and will stay to get payment Franz owns us for the peace we brought him!"

As the priest was finishing this, Harold walked besides the legionnaire, who immediately took a kneeling position in front of him with a shield, ready to stand up at any sign of attack.

"And what is this payment, priest?" Harold enquired.

"According to our treaty, he is to supply us with females and living food. We have been waiting for the past month, and the last delivery is finished. We want more food, more females!"

«We could use this one to enter their den, King of wolves!»

«Spoken like a true fox, Bushy Tail. We will try to do so!» Thinking fast, Harold decided to find out more about the Temple and use the Priest as the key to the front door. «Follow my lead, and do not be surprised by what I say.»

He winked to the centurion, who could not have followed the silent exchange, giving him cue that something was up.

"I have to inform you that Franz had an unfortunate accident. However, not all was lost for the Temple. His body was fed to your younglings and we will maintain the contract between your Temple and the House of Sophia. I am the new heir to the house. Can you remind us of the terms of the contract?"

«You lie as well as a tooth-puller⁶¹⁶¹ ("Dentist."), Harold!» Samson sent, «I shall have to remember this!»

«Don't make me laugh, it's not the time!»

"We are twenty in the temple. Each of us is nearing mating season, so we will need twenty females in age to procreate. Each of us also requires one full grown male for food each month."

"Could we see the feeding? Franz told me it was quite a show; I would like to see it with my own eyes."

"Yes, I was there when he visited us with that young male. It barely lasted us three days. What a loss of good growth potential, but the Curie ordered he should be fed to the feeding pool."

«The fucker is talking about Germanicus' boyfriend, dad!»

«I know, Paschal, I know! Hold your blade, we need him alive!»

"I will have twenty females readied. As for twenty males, I have them already. Lead us to your Temple."

«Do we have twenty traitors? As for the females, ask twenty female legionnaires to come forth, they will be armed, under their apparently civilian clothing.»

«We have more then twenty traitors awaiting judgement, Harold. But you aren't planning to feed them to the crocodiles are you?» Samson asked.

«Not hardly, but they have to believe it for them to act the part. It is a deception for the priest, and if they trot there without a fight, he will smell the trap.»

"Get the traitors from the dungeon! Pick the twenty most meaty of them so our friends the priests are well fed this month!" ordered Harold.

"We also found you twenty matrons for your reproduction park. As you did not specify anything about size, we figured you would like them big and healthy," added Yamato.

"Well, thank you. Franz was never so attentive to our needs. We suspect we got what or whoever survived his pleasures."

At that moment the twenty traitors taken out from the dungeons walked in and spotted the priest, quite recognizable with his black robe and steel mask. Pandemonium broke loose and some tried to make a run for the drawbridge, only to be met by the wolves baring teeth and growling.

"Strip them, collar them, and tie them with a rope. Food doesn't need clothes!" ordered Harold, looking at the very green-looking prisoners. "And here come the females. I hope you will find them to your satisfaction, Priest."

"It is not I who shall decide, it is the hatchlings."

«I wonder what he means by that? I know crocodiles lay eggs, but, certainly, they have not regressed that far?» Sitar asked, curious.

«I have no idea, maybe we will find out.»

"Lead the way, priest, we will follow you. Do not be alarmed by the size of the escort. First, there are a number of traitors still roaming free in town, second, we are escorting their leaders, and I want to discourage any stupid attempt at rescuing them."

«Samson, the boys, follow us, but make sure to stay out of sight. If he feels he is leading an army to the Temple, he will realize he is being tricked!»

A centurie of legionnaire ostensibly accompanied the priest, King Harold, the twenty prisoners and the promised twenty females. The prisoners grew ever more desperate, pulling on their ropes and collars ever more frantically in vein attempts at escape.

"I am tired of hearing their wails! Centurion, cut their tongue off!" threatened Harold.

"Please abstain! It is the cries of the sacrificed that attract the young to the feeding. If they are silent, they will not come!"

"Is that why only adults fed on Franz?"

"Yes. We have learned that food is food, and need not be alive to be edible, but the young must learn and be weaned of live food gradually."

It took twenty minutes to walk to the Temple. The priest knocked on the door and exchanged a password with the doorman on the other side. A series of clicking and scraping sounds were heard and the heavy door opened to let the priest and his suite in. The legionnaires took position and pushed the prisoners in, to redoubled wailing. As the priest was leading the first by the collar and leash down a dark, wet hallway, the legionnaires took position both inside and outside the door. As soon as the leading priest turned a corner in the hallway, the trap closed.

«Kill the doorman silently!» ordered Harold, who was following the priest as if nothing was up.

Greywolf jumped and closed his jaws on the doorman's neck, breaking the windpipe and preventing any cries of alarm from the acolyte.

«Done!»

« Samson, the boys, canines! Charge the temple! The door is open and the doorman is dead.»

«On our way, Harold!» Samson replied, «A minute to entry!»

As they were moving ever deeper into the temple, twisting and turning, a legionnaire stayed back at each change of direction.

"This is a labyrinth!" commented Harold, as they progressed ever further down and deeper.

"It is intentional. We need to protect our younglings from attack, and the difficulty of finding us is one of the many defences we have implemented."

"Are there many?"

"Most passages are booby-trapped. We follow the smell of the hatchery to travel safely."

«Make sure you do not explore the temple! Follow us precisely!»

«We understand, Harold! About six hundred of us are in. Two hundred elves, two hundred legionnaires, and two hundred wolves are following you.»

«Send me about fifty legionnaires on the double. I am thinning out on the escort!»

«Sent!»

As the new legionnaires were catching up on Harold and the priest, the group emerged in a vast room with a pool in the center. Around the pool were a series of cages hanging on cables; apparently, a complex system of pulleys let the cages be brought to the middle of the pool and the floor of the cage would open dropping the food in the middle of the water.

"There must be quite a fight for the food when it is dropped!"

"Yes, it is so. It is the fittest that feed first, and the rest is for the weaklings. If a weakling becomes too sick to feed himself and win his own meal, he becomes food himself."

"Where are the others?"

"They are waiting under the ledge there, see? They are aware of our presence, and the race for a good starting position is already on. I can smell blood already, as some of the weakest are being devoured by other weaklings as we speak."

"Aren't the younglings at a disadvantage relative to adults?"

"We have our own feeding time. It is not rare for a youngling that comes to the feeding with adults for the first time to be eaten. A youngling must learn to choose his time or he will not make the same mistake twice."

"What about the mating? Can we see that too?"

"You are as curious as Franz. Yes you can see that. We do not attach much importance to privacy when it comes to mating. We are very close and at least two or three of us are ready. I am not, yet, but I should be within the next few days."

At this moment a horrendous cry was heard in the depth of the temple.

"You are very lucky. Franz so wanted to see a birthing, and there is one. Come, the food can wait! Even the younglings are headed this way. They may gain something from it, if the adults let them close."

"Yes; please lead the way!"

As the procession proceeded towards the birthing place, the nest, the horrendous cries increased in intensity and volume. It took a couple of minutes to walk around the pool and enter the birthing room.

In the middle was a raised slab of granite, darkened by streaks of rust. A female elf was tied to four iron pikes driven in holes on the four corners of the slab. The back was arched and the arms pulled back, the legs spread wide, revealing the anatomy of the female in full view from the observation deck. Just about every adult priest was present, and seemed to be fascinated by the ongoing birth.

"I will join my peers, if you do not mind. Wait here, you are safe. The smell of the ban protects you. But do not come closer!"

"Please do."

The priest rapidly retreated and ran down a side hallway. Shortly, he emerged in the lower rotunda, stripped and took his place beside a big crocodile priest, apparently, the Curie.

Harold watched, fascinated, as the female cried out again, agonizingly. Samson, and the boys caught up to him at the fourth cry.

"What is happening?" Samson asked, as he watched.

"I know giving birth can be painful, dad, I saw Annabelle give birth to Ian, and the birth of Silver Moon was far from a party for the mare, but this seems strange!" commented Sitar.

As they watched, it became apparent something was going terribly wrong!

"Dad! Dad!" exclaimed Harp, feeling sick suddenly. "I understand! The hatchlings are eating their way out of the female elf!"

"What are you saying, son? Eating their way out? "

"Exactly dad, these aren't contractions! They are the throes of agony of someone being eaten alive! That woman is being eaten inside out!"

"Harold, Harp is right! Look at the blood! Its not what one would expect from the release of the placenta, its more intense, and continuous. The hatchings should have been out if it was the placenta, the process seems reversed! The woman is being clawed out!"

At that moment, the first hatchling could be seen emerging from the female's body, quickly followed by a dozen others. By then, the woman was dead, and the hatchlings fell off the altar heading for the feeding pool in a race to feed and escape the adults who were charging on to eat the still hot female.

"Now I understand why they need a constant supply of women! They never survive a birthing!" Harold told the others, who were puking their sext meal liberally on the floor.

"Archers! Target their red throat marks." Samson ordered. Those that had regained their composure fast enough took position, about fifty in total. "Fire on my signal!"

A few minutes later, as the feeding folly reached its peak, Samson ordered "Fire!"

Fifteen adult crocodiles died instantly, to be attacked by the surviving five, too engrossed in their feeding to notice something was wrong. Another volley of arrows terminated their life. Immediately the younglings came into the fray, eating what was left of the woman and the still warm body of the adults. The younglings' carapace was less resistant than the adults and many died with arrows striking them from behind. A later body count revealed twenty adults, and eighty younglings died that day. The twelve or thirteen newly born that waited in the feeding pool were disposed of quickly with arrows, as the strongest fed on the newly killed, unaware they were next in the sight of the archers.

An exploration of the immediate vicinity of the birthing room revealed two more women present waiting their turn at giving birth. They were apparently kept asleep by some drug in their food, as the hatchlings grew inside them. Given what they had seen, Harold ordered them killed. No use waiting for another ugly scene.

"Let's get out of here, Harold. I have seen enough blood for a day, a week, a year!" commented Samson.

"Agreed. What are we to do with this building?"

"I will have it demolished. I want nothing left of this building. The stones are to be thrown in the river. If we had a volcano near, I would have them thrown into the lava pit."

"I understand. Call back everyone to the entrance. We will follow back the trail left by the centurion watch!"

It took twenty minutes to get back safely out of the Temple, as each path change was marked carefully.

"We still have not verified if it is possible to reach the temple through the feeding pool from the river, or by any other means, Harold."

"It is true, and I wonder how we could do so. We could always try to explore the river bottom for anything that might indicate an artificial entrance, however, the water is murky, and I suspect the crocodiles use smell to trace the entrance to the temple from the river, as they do with the hallways we followed. As wolves we can do the same above water, but in their element, we are at a disadvantage."

"We will start demolishing the temple tomorrow, dad. I think Paschal and I will supervise the demolition. We will take careful maps of the temple labyrinth, the types of traps, and try to locate the additional exits."

"I understand, son, but we have very little time to focus on this issue, we have a war to bring to the priests and orcs up north." Samson replied. "And as regent, you have other priorities. Please assign someone else to the management of the demolition site."

"Not to mention re-establish the Royal prerogatives to Munster, Gdansk, and Vicksburg." Harold added.

"OK, dad. I will ask artisans of the city which ones would volunteer to help dismantle and map the temple. Since we may meet other temples, I will ask that the map and observations be sent to us up north by Royal canine Postal Services. As for Vicksburg, Harold, maybe Annabelle could handle it?"

"I thought of it, but it would leave Elven Woods completely open to attack. They are already thinned out considerably, and we have no idea of what some might try if given the occasion. After all, many may see this as an opportunity, and quite a few elven leaders have yet to pass the Mitsuko Test."

***

As they returned to the ducal palace, the mood was sombre, even the still alive prisoners kept silent, for they had been told of what the others had witnessed. They were brought back to the dungeons to join the other prisoners, who were surprised to see them alive and intact.

The news of the events in the temple transpired first through the legionnaires and the elves that had accompanied the Kings and princes to the temple; by vespers it reached the general troops, and by compline, the news reached the general public. By then the rumours had inflated the horrors found in the temple a thousand-fold, as if they needed to be ballooned in any way. By matins, the town was agitated enough to raise alarm in the wolves and dogs, and their behaviour in turn got the attention of the elves and legionnaires patrolling the city. At lauds, Greywolf called in reinforcements from the periphery, and woke up Harp, who was the royal in command for that tour.

«Yes, Greywolf? What is the problem?»

«There is a lot of action and talking in the two-legged dens, I suggest you listen to what is said.»

«Do you have a specific target in mind?»

«Yes, there is a lot of action near the river, in what you call the seedy part of town.»

«Give me a few minutes to assess the situation. Go wake up Blackie Dog and Cleopatra.»

«We do not need to be awoken, Harp. I am accompanying Blackie Wolf tonight, and Cleopatra and the pups are already awake, they smelled the growing anxiety.»

«OK. Where are you now?»

«We are headed towards the river, leading a combined canine pack of about three hundred. The elves and humans allies are following more slowly.»

After a few minutes of listening to the talk in one pub, Harp decided the situation was serious enough to warrant waking up the other royals.

«Wolves of the immediate guard! Wake up your charge. We have a brewing issue warranting their help.»

The first awake was Enron, who immediately enquired as to why the shortened night.

«We have a problem brewing in the lower quarters of town. I need assistance.»

«Fine, I am getting up! So is Sitar and Paschal, who were sharing my couch tonight. And I hear dad grunting his displeasure through his mind link; ah, now it's a duo! Harold isn't a morning man!»

«I have sent Cleopatra to wake up Yamato. We will need the legions to keep things under control.»

«From what you told me, I agree.»

«What is the problem, Harp?»

«A brewing revolt in the lower parts of town. It seems they think we are responsible for the horrors in the Temple. We must squelch this before it blows out of proportion. I have ordered two centurie to the area, accompanied by the same number of elves, and Blackie Wolf is taking the lead from the north bridge, following the streets while Greywolf is taking another three hundred wolves from the periphery to the center of town to assist the legionnaires and elves in maintaining control. The horses just reacted, dad, and are offering assistance as well. I have agreed and just sent a messenger to the stables to let the horses out to assist.»

«Will Yamato's cavalry be needed?»

«I am keeping Yamato in reserve. The horses are our packhorses, and they will follow a stallion, Black Night, and use their body mass to push the people back into their house. Your destrier is waiting for you and is being saddled.»

«OK, I am going to the stables.»

«I will be joining you, Harold.»

«Are you sure its reasonable, dad?»

«I feel OK. I need some exercise.»

«OK, but dad, I want you to stay safe. I will lead the elves into this, and I do not want you trampled.»

«I will be with Yamato as relay, Harp,» Sitar offered.

«And I will act as relay to collect information and feed you what we learn from the canines.» Paschal added.

«Harp, since it's your watch, you are in command!» Harold added.

«Thanks for your vote of confidence, guys! By the way, do you know if this town has city elders, a mayor, or aldermen?»

«I have no idea, Harp,» replied Samson.

«I will send for a merchant. What kind of trade is this town recognized for?»

«Apart from producing cutthroats? There is a flourishing weapons trade; I would suspect that they are well viewed by the others since it is they that sell them their blades, starves and bows that they use to protect their property and lives.»

«As I was patrolling the street with Greywolf, I noticed a closed-down shop showing crossed swords.» Paschal informed them. «It seems to be in a rather posh area of town at that, not too far from the ducal palace.»

«Can you describe the road to the shop, Paschal? And Greywolf, can you try to help Paschal remember the evening's round?»

«Yes, I will do my best.»

Paschal gave a fairly terse description of the road from the ducal drawbridge to the shop, which was confirmed by Greywolf. Shortly thereafter, a decade of legionnaires, taking the description from Harp, went off to wake up the shop owner and bring him to the palace. The rather grumpy swords smith was introduced to the ducal throne room, escorted by the legionnaires and a team of wolves. To his surprise, he found a young five-year old boy sitting at the head table, apparently giving orders left and right, and being obeyed instantly.

"I am sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, Sword Master, but we need your help. Is there such a thing as a mayor, or aldermen in this town? Trouble is brewing down near the river, especially on the docks."

"There are some that used to be such, before Franz went nuts; most were killed. Our order is one that survived the best because Franz needed our expertise."

"I should have known. Dad is a member of the Order of the Iron Smith, as you are, and bears Excalibur. If you look to your left, I have Mitsuko, the Sword of Light, in custody until he returns. Do not underestimate my ability at using it; it may be taller than I am, but I can use it very effectively! As for dad, he is now leading the legions into the troubled areas, and I need your assistance in preventing a bloodbath. Who can you contact to assist us?"

The merchantman was no fool, and the mention of Excalibur, the fabled blade, ticked him off considerably. He decided, wisely, to take things as they come rather than be guided by prejudice and misjudgement. Maybe that little boy was really more than he looked like. Just the behaviour of the wolves was intriguing. They kept coming in with satchels, depositing them on the table on the left of the boy and taking another out from his right, as he seemed to write orders and seal them with a seal in the shape of a wolf. To complicate matters, elves and humans were coming in and doing exactly the same thing, with an occasional Prince Harp here and there.

"Let me see, there is the captain of the port, there is the Master of my order, there is the Weavers' Master, and let's not forget the Masons' order. There are the Carpenters and Healers orders, and the Traders, also known as the Masters of the Road. The marine merchants have a chapter here as well. That is about it. The others were decimated. Ah yes, I forgot the apothecaries, and the brewers. The pubs would go out of business without the last ones! There is a farming cooperative outside of town, but I doubt they would be of much assistance on short notice."

"Do the taverns, pubs, and other public meeting places have an association of sorts?"

"No, they are individual entrepreneurs. It is their major weakness. There is another group of enterprises that are left alone by Franz, it is the public houses."

"Public houses?"

"I wonder if I should tell you about these places, Prince."

"Oh! You mean brothels, and other places of pleasure where sex, and sometimes, other things, are being enjoyed by a group of individuals?"

"Yes, Prince, they go by many names, brothels being one of them; public baths is another. We have a wide range of these, catering to different tastes."

"Perversities, you mean. I have been in there and I have seen enough to get the picture!"

"You have been in these places, Prince? Where is the world going to if children are allowed in these horrible places?"

"Where it always has been, merchantman: to the sewers. Just in case you are blind, quite a few children are in those places, sold by unscrupulous parents or downright born in there to mothers who were selling themselves for a living. And if you think it only happens in these places, you have a long way to go to learn about how hypocrite some of your so-called well thinkers really are. We will deal with this later, for now we got civil unrest to put down. Give me these names so I can write the convocations. They will be delivered by the legionnaires across town, accompanied by an elf and two wolves, under the Seal of the Wolf Throne!"

The next twenty minutes was spent writing convocations under the dictation of Harp, whose tone of command transpired clearly in the form of the letters the scribes were writing under his terse dictation. As soon as the parchments were finished, Harp used red wax and the Wolf Seal to authenticate the order under his signature. The firm handwriting of the boy surprised the most blasé in the scribes, and amazed the merchantman.

"Had I received that convocation, I would have jumped out of bed rather than balk at my own convocation."

"They better not, because Mitsuko is feeling thirsty! Chamberlain! Get the kitchen going we are expecting visitors in an hour! Have the table set in this room, with hot drinks and finger foods! I expect twelve, but have them prepare for twice that number. "

"Yes, Prince Harp. Right away!"

«Sitar, inform Yamato we are expecting visitors from the merchant guilds or orders in an hour. I want them escorted to the throne room.»

«Done. He has sent a legionnaire to inform the sentry and get about forty escorts ready. They will be boxed in.»

"It is still two hours before prime, merchantman. And the meeting will start in an hour. Do you wish to refresh or restore yourself before the meeting starts? A legionnaire will accompany you to a water room and give you the needed material for a quick cleanup if you wish. I, for one, will get myself coffee from Franz' reserve. The bastard knew how to live!"

"Thank you. I will do so. I should be back in fifteen minutes. And yes, I would greatly appreciate some hot drink when I come back. I got woken up rather early!"

"OK. Terminus! Accompany this elf to the washroom and give him what he needs."

Terminus led the elf out of the throne room and led the elf to a vast water room where a basin of hot water was available for use, as well as cold water to wake up.

"Do you wish to take a quick bath or anything else?" enquired Terminus.

"I will contend myself with relieving my bladder and wash my face and hands with the cold water. I need to wake up, not fall asleep in a comforting bath."

"Fine, There is a washcloth, soap, and a hand towel. I will wait outside while you do your business."

"Thank you."

Ten minutes later the merchantman emerged from the water room and decided it was time to ask questions.

"Before we go back to the throne room, can you clarify things for me?"

"I will do my best, according to my understanding. Ask away."

"First, who is he?"

"Who, Prince Harp? He is the one of the four sons of King Harold of the Wolf Throne. Never underestimate him, I have seen how he uses a poniard, and it sends shivers down my spine, this from a veteran legionnaire!"

"I never heard of a King of the Wolves before?"

"Very unlikely indeed, but the throne is recognized by the Throne of Nature who is vassal to the Throne of the Wolf. That is more than enough to justify giving it all the respect you can muster. To further affirm this, have you noticed the behaviour of the wolves? They obey the members of the throne as if they could speak to them."

"This has been intriguing me a lot. Is there anything else?"

"Apart from the strange behaviours of the horses you mean? No, nothing that I noticed right away is worth mentioning. Yes, Mitsuko heals, and I have heard from the Master healer that the boys have the healing touch."

"What strange behaviour?"

"Oh, there is that silvery horse, a mere colt, that follows Harp like he was a god, and the behaviour of the horses around the royal family resembles that of a herd around a leading stallion. I have seen them ask something a horse was untrained for and get it right away."

As they walked into the throne room, they could hear Harp's voice, sharp as a knife.

"I will not be intimidated by you in any way, magician. Try any trick on me and your head decorates the pike at the door, is that clear?"

"But you are too young to command!"

"Get off your high horse, asshole! I am in command, like it or not!"

"And I say you are too young!"

Harp was standing face to face with the mage, really pissed off, and handling Harold's staff like he was likely to hit the mage on the head with it.

"And you are too old to be such an incompetent fool if you judge value by container rather than contents!"

"You little twit! I will show you!" The mage sent out an electric bolt of electricity that would have killed Harp had he not used the staff to absorb it. Harp's hair stood on end and a thunderous sound was heard as the staff replied and slammed the mage hard across the room, cracking the wall in the process and rendering the mage unconscious.

"Get some water to wake up this fool!" ordered Harp.

Shortly, buckets of icy water were dumped on the mage, who woke up after the third bucket. As the mage woke up he saw Harp standing in front of him, eyes bright red from rage.

"Marlin, try to move a little finger, and I will show you magic like you have never seen before!" Harp thundered. "Blindfold the fool! If he can't see, he can't hit!" he ordered to some legionnaires. With that he slammed the staff on the floor hard, cracking the granite blocks in a star pattern around the impact point. The sound of thunder shook the entire ducal palace, raising alarms.

"You didn't mention there was a mage with you?"

"Oh, he has been more trouble than his worth. I suspect he will be in deep shit when Harold comes back."

"He is in deep shit, Terminus," replied Harp from the far end of the throne room. "I do not need anyone to decide if I shall dispose of this dead weight. He has been a nuisance far too long, and a stubborn prick to boot. Mage, I want the name of your Grand Master to which you report so faithfully every two or three days, now!"

"Why should I give you this information?"

"Because if you don't I will use a buttering knife to skin you alive, that's why!" Harp replied, in a very icy voice. «Anyways, fool, I read the answer off your mind the moment I asked the question, but I still would skin you alive for the fun of it if you force me to. I want my capacity to read minds kept secret and if you do not give me that answer it could blow my cover. What will it be?»

The mage had to admit defeat, and gave verbally the name of the Grand Master of his order.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Marlin. Gag him and make sure he hears nothing. Chain him to that chair."

"You sure are decisive, Prince Harp."

"I just can not stand fools, and he has proven himself one more than occasionally. Please do not test my temper by acting like he did."

"I have no intention of doing so. However, I will talk to the incoming visitors before they enter the room; we need their help, not their acrimony; some might not be willing to take things at face value if they weren't warned of what just happened."

"Agreed, merchantman. Terminus, please assist the swords master in this endeavour."

"Yes, Prince Harp."

The two men walked out of the hall, taking some finger food and hot drinks with them to await the visitors, who were beginning to arrive.

«Dad, Samson, brothers! I have placed the mage under arrest. He tried to take over.»

«Approved!» came from all those involved.

***

The guild masters each trekked into the courtroom accompanied by an assistant and framed by four guards. Terminus and the merchantman, who relayed to the guests the previous events and who should be there, met each delegation at the door. At precisely an hour before prime the throne room slammed close, as everyone had been on time.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I am Prince Harp. I am presently commander of the Watch. There is growing disturbances in some quarters of this town. We need your assistance to prevent a bloodbath, as the Throne of the Wolf will not put up with civil unrest of any kind!" Turning towards the immobilized figure against the sidewall, which showed signs of a violent impact, Harp continued. "You see sitting there, Marlin the Mage; he tried to shove me aside to take command. Look at the wall behind him, and the floor at my feet! See what happens when I am underestimated by fools!"

The visitors, visibly shaken by the show of power this boy had used, stayed quiet, waiting for the next part.

"I will now ask you to swear fealty to the Throne of the Wolf. Do not be alarmed, it will not break your bond to the Elven Throne in any way, since the Elven Throne is vassal to mine! Let me present to you Mitsuko, the Sword of the Light! I am its guardian until my dad returns! It is on this blade that you shall swear your oath. For those who do not know the Sword of Light, it is a potent detector of lies and false oaths. Quite a few elves lost their head to its cutting edge!"

Harp stood, took the huge blade by the guard and lifted it as if it was feather-light. The blade recognized Harp and flashed white, bringing the entire room into full sext light.

"Let us start!" Harp ordered, "We do not have all day!"

A quarter of an hour later, everyone survived the swearing-in, and sat back.

"Now, what do you propose to help us deal with the issue at hand? Most of the hot heads seem to have congregated in taverns and other places which dispense alcohol; there are also some groups assembling in squares."

"First, we need to send messages to all taverns, telling them to stop selling alcohol, while keeping their customers inside," suggested the Master-brewer.

"Noted. Next?"

"All taverns owners will need protection. Drunks are notoriously unruly," suggested the Master Ironsmith.

"Noted. We are already moving in towards these places, since they seem hotbeds of trouble."

"I suggest a twenty-four hour curfew, with the city criers proclaiming it at prime. Arrest anyone found outside of a building an hour after curfew is proclaimed!" suggested the Captain of the Port. "That should be enough for cooler heads to prevail."

"Noted."

"I think the facts need to be re-established in their true proportions. The rumour mill has been going wild, and it is the main cause of the problems we are faced now."

"Noted, and you are?"

"Horace, Grand Master of the Masons, Prince Harp."

"Thank you. Anything else?"

The scribe who was writing the minutes of the meeting asked to speak.

"Certainly! What do you have to suggest, Scribe?"

"I think that the facts need to be posted on public billboards as well, so people can read them. Few can read, but there is usually an assigned scribe-reader for each board. By dictating a report to the scribes, you could ascertain that the story is consistent, cohesive, uniform, and not twisted by hearsay."

"A very good suggestion. How many scribes are we talking about?"

"About thirty. I can write the convocation to the palace and have it distributed before prime, Prince."

"Do so!"

"What about the other suggestions?" Horatio, the Master Apothecary asked.

"I will write the orders as you restore yourselves with the finger food found along the back wall of the throne room. I have also made sure there were hot and cold drinks. I have asked that no alcohol be served. We need dry heads, not ones soaked in ethylic vapours!"

The visitors moved back to the rear of the room, watching Harp write order after order and sealing them with this strange seal shaped like a wolf.

Dunbar, who had slept all night, not being needed for the events, walked in and spotted the increased activity.

"Hey Dunbar, I think you will like to talk to one of these gentlemen, He is grand master of the Road too!" Harp exclaimed, as he took a break from reading reports and writing orders. "Ask Terminus to introduce you to these gentlemen, I am a bit busy, as you can see."

"Yes, Harp, so I see. And I notice that the mage finally met with what he deserved?"

"Yes, Terminus will explain everything. Is Williams up?"

"He was stirring when I passed his room, he should be down shortly."

"OK, please introduce him to the others when he is around."

By then the criers were leaving the palace and readying to proclaim the curfew. More wolves were pouring into town, taking station at every corner, ready to enforce the proclamation with the teeth if necessary. The convocation of the scribes also went on schedule, as each was distributed by the Canine Postal service to the elven and legionnaire stationed across town for hand delivery to the scribes' homes. Others visited each tavern to deliver the order of closure and the stop of sale of alcoholic beverages, accompanied by wolves and elves to reinforce the application of the order and get the unruly customers to cooperate. Some were too far off to realize they were outnumbered and tried to resist, finding their existence shortened by six inches of cold steel.

Harold waited for the criers to proclaim the curfew, and then started walking with his legions on the squares taken over by the mobs. These were a lot harder to control, until the horses from the stables began crushing a few feet and pushing the most unruly to the ground. By and large, there were about the same number of deaths in the square as in the taverns, but by an hour after prime, the streets were deserted except for canines, legionnaires, horses, and elves in uniform.

Meanwhile Harp was dictating the events of the previous day to the assembled scribes who were writing down the story furiously. It took until tierce for the whole report to be written down, to many comments from the gallery.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay in the palace for the duration of the curfew, as you will not be needed during this period. I also have ordered the closing of the gates leading to Loren and Hamburg to prevent any traffic within town. The reason of this is being proclaimed in the sister towns across the bridge so they know it is nothing against them. Please join us at the refectory. The Kings should be back shortly with their guards to enjoy a well-deserved bath and meal. You are invited to share."

The guests followed Harp, Dunbar, and Williams to the refectory. The other princes and royals soon joined them, and a lively discussion ensued about the night's events.

"What leaves me totally impressed is the mastery Prince Harp shows of politics", commented the Grand Master Mason.

"What impressed me most was how he dealt with the mage Master Marlin. I had never seen such powerful magic before. I think Marlin did not expect it either! I wonder what will happen to him?"

The Master of the Ironsmith was even firmer. "Did you see how he handled that huge blade? I was sure he would cut his own head with it, but it was like it weighed nothing in his hands, and he could barely close the combined two around the handle!"