(Ivan)

The following morning, Ivan joined the City Council meeting. He stood at the back of the great hall. The city leaders, military commanders, and guild masters were seated around a redwood table, on a raised platform. Wealthy and distinguished townspeople sat on benches facing the dais.

The meeting started with the Prime Healer’s report.

"We have over two hundred injured and forty-nine dead.” Clara Hale rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before continuing, "We had plenty of medicinal supplies, but after the fire on silo seventeen, we’re running short on subsidium salve. The apothecaries are working overtime to replace what was lost. We’ll be short on those remedies for the next few days."

"Thank you for the report, Clara," said Lord Tepi. "The number of injured and dead could have been much worse. Guild Master Dune, tell us what’s going on with the citywide repairs."

"We’re currently patching up tier one city structures. Our highest priorities are silos five and seventeen. We’re working to replace the collapsed roofs. Our losses from the fire were negligible, but the potential risk from water damage could be significant. We’ve relocated approximately nine hundred bags of grain and should have the silos repaired by the end of the day. We’re also rebuilding the fletcher shop on Austen Street and the Apothecary on Milford Road. Glassmakers are working overtime on the damaged windows throughout the city.” He paused and looked at Lord Tepi.

“If we had a hundred extra hands, we could start working on the tier two buildings in the next couple of days. The tier two priority is the marketplace structures. We have enough timber, stone, metal, sand, clay, and flux. Though as I said before, we need more laborers."

“Lord Commander Stone, can you spare some of your men to help out with the repairs?” asked Lord Tepi.

“We’ll get you a hundred men. Guild Master Dune, reach out to Commander Craw and he’ll get you what you need.”

“Excellent,” Lord Tepi replied.

“What about the Dark Tower?” an outraged voice demanded from the gallery. “That magnificent structure is a national treasure. We need to prioritize its repair with the tier one buildings!”

Ivan knew the angry scholar by reputation. Amin Ceton was a fervent historian and had written the Rise of the Dark Tower volumes one through eight. He was consumed by his obsession. Ivan had overheard a chronicler in the library describing Amin as someone who was known to – “eat, sleep, and breathe the Dark Tower.”

Ivan listened to his ongoing diatribe. The scholar was outraged that the tower had been damaged, and he was squarely placing the fault on William’s shoulders. Amin blamed William for choosing the structure with no regard to its cultural, historical, and architectural significance. He went so far as to proclaim that this was an attack on the Nature Kingdom’s heritage.

“Even the Shadow Queen didn’t dare strike the Dark Tower when the storm started.” Spittle flew out of his mouth. “That boy should be arrested.”

The scholar ignored the explanation that the young shifter had saved countless lives and hundreds of buildings. Amin had to be restrained and escorted out of the hall after his tirade had escalated into hysterics. Ivan was shocked by the spectacle and took a mental note to warn his brother to avoid the library and especially Amin Ceton.

The meeting resumed after the unstable man had been removed from the great hall. Ivan saw a few eyerolls and some bemused expressions. The only person that was not amused was the Prime Healer. She was outraged. Clara Hale stood with her arms crossed and fire burned in her eyes.

“Amin might be a bit eccentric and obsessive, but he’s a knowledgeable youth,” Lord Tepi explained.

“Putting a pile of rocks before lives is preposterous,” Clara snapped. “That man is a fool.”

Lord Tepi cleared his throat. “Right... Let’s continue from where we left off.”

After the interruption, the City Council meeting wound down and folks filed out of the great hall. Lord Tepi, the military commanders, and Ivan convened in a nearby private chamber. It was time for the War Council meeting.

They gathered around and reviewed the city defenses. Buildings resistant to lightning strikes were identified and marked. The positioning of soldiers throughout Stoneridge was reevaluated to ensure proximity to the marked buildings.

The deployment of additional smashers along the walls was approved.

Commander Clay presented the improved pulley for the new smashers, which Ivan piqued Ivan’s curiosity. He knew that smashers were effective against ladder units.

The meeting was adjourned after Lady Yana provided the latest update on enemy troop movements. The Shadow Lands continued to build rams, bridges, catapults, and other siege engines. The consensus was that the enemy would be ready to launch the ground offensive within days.

Ivan stayed behind after the meeting was adjourned. Rob wanted to talk to him privately.

“Great job with organizing and training the new recruits,” Rob commended him. “I’ve heard good things about the new arena setup. Just the other day, Hark Bolt pulled me aside and gave me a glowing account of what you’ve done with the coliseum’s training grounds. He said that there were too many recruits dumped into the arena together and they were tripping over each other.” Rob smiled. “Turning the arena seats into an uphill obstacle course and converting the perimeter walls into a scaling exercise was nicely done. Thanks for stepping up. Hark, Clay, and Craw have a lot on their plate.”

“They’re giving me too much credit.”

“Well, you keep exceeding my expectations, so naturally I’ve got another job for you. Let me know if it becomes too much. I don’t want to keep your nose to the grindstone all the time.”

“I’ll have plenty of time for rest when I’m dead.” A smiled tugged at the corner of Ivan’s mouth.

“That’s the spirit.” Rob clapped him on the shoulder.

The Lord Commander explained the new job and Ivan jotted down a few notes.

Ivan liked Rob’s straight forward approach. Some people thought that the Lord Commander was terse, but Ivan knew him better. Rob was a very busy man, so out of necessity, he was often abrupt.

Rob gestured for Ivan to sit down and crossed his arms.

“The Snow Brothers…” Rob shook his head. “I wish we had more like you. Just yesterday, William singlehandedly countered the magic of the Shadow Queen, and by all accounts, she was using a powerful relic. And you…” Rob gestured to Ivan. “Your unorthodox plans have saved countless lives.”

Rob stroked his beard.

“I’m not a superstitious man, but I thank Tor’Sal for the two of you.” He paused. “You know, you remind me of my son. By the time he was seven, he had his own training routine, just like you do. He loved sword fighting and books, just like you. I was off to war when he died, and I wasn’t around much when he was growing up. I was often away from home after the invasion.” He leaned back. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you this... Both of us have lost family. You lost your parents, and I lost my son. Just know that you’re not alone and if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

Ivan did not know how to reply. He knew that Rob’s son had died a few years ago, but he did not know the specifics surrounding his death.

“Thank you, Lord Commander… That means a lot to me.”

“Very well.” Rob nodded. “You’re dismissed.”

Ivan stood up, saluted, and headed out of the west wing of the palace.

His next stop was to check in on his brother. William’s room was located on the east wing, so Ivan had to cross four hallways and climb up three staircases to reach him. He entered his brother’s room without knocking and found William in bed, awake, staring at the ceiling.

“Hey, good morning.” Ivan sat down on the edge of the bed. “Everywhere I go today, people are talking about you. On the streets, at the War Council, and even in the castle privy. People think that you’re a hero.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Bah…” William sighed without making eye contact. “I’m no hero. When the storm started, I was scared. I kind of panicked and I froze.” William’s eyes remained glued to the ceiling. “Toby had to drag me to safety… You should’ve seen Aunt Lisa. She was so brave. She acted immediately, flying into the storm to help others.”

“Everyone was scared.” Ivan waved his hand. “Fear was the natural response. I saw a grown man pee himself when a lightning bolt struck nearby.”

William snickered.

“So, stop sulking.” Ivan nudged him on the shoulder. “You weren’t the only one that was scared. What’s important is that you overcame your fear, came up with a plan, and executed it. I’m proud of you.”

William looked at him and smiled. “Scraps, when you put it that way, I guess I didn’t do as bad as I thought.”

“You should’ve seen yourself from the distance. You were standing under the crown spires of the Dark Tower, with your hands spread wide. A barrage of lightning strikes blasted the dome above you, but you stood there, unyielding. You and the Shadow Queen were like two primordials clashing in the land of mortals.”

William’s face lit up.

Ivan shook his head. “Still, don’t let it get to your head. You’re still the same goofball who can’t match his own socks.”

“He-he, you call it a mismatch and I call it fashion,” William countered. “Do you think my heroics will make me more famous than you?”

Ivan raised an eyebrow. “You can have all the fame. If I had my choice, I’d live a quiet life on a farm surrounded by my family and plenty of books. Fame is a greedy creature that likes to take more than it gives.”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that.” William shrugged. “I’ve been getting a lot of free bonbons, chocolates, and pies since the Spirit Competition. So, I like it. Even girls are no longer chasing me to beat me up.”

Ivan laughed. “So, I’ve been dying to ask you…” He leaned forward. “How did you manage to redirect the lightning? And how did you come up with the plan to use the Dark Tower?”

“Well, for the first part, I got lucky. When the storm started, I almost got torched by a lightning bolt. Without looking, I kind of felt it coming and I instinctively pushed it away. I’m not sure how to explain it, but the redirection felt like a mixture of Advanced Levitation with an element of Shatter Touch. Kind of like this.” William waved his hands around wildly. “Once I figured out that I could redirect the lightning strikes, I had to improvise. The Dark Tower just happened to be the tallest structure and the crown spires on top looked like lightning rods. It was the perfect place to play with lightning without getting zapped. To tell you the truth, it worked much better than I thought it would.”

“Well done!” Ivan rubbed the stubble on his chin, looking thoughtful. “Choosing the tower was clever. Lightning does tend to strike the tallest objects around.”

“Thanks.” William beamed. “You always know how to cheer me up.” William lifted his head and sniffed the air like a hungry bear. “Well, now that I’m no longer feeling sorry for myself, I realize that I’m starving. I smell something delicious.”

“Hah.” Ivan stood up. “That’s more like you. Go grab some breakfast and try to take it easy today. I know that they’ll need you with the healers once you’ve recovered your strength. We’ll talk more tonight. For now, I need to go back to the wall. We don’t expect another attack for a few days, but things can change quickly.”

Ivan stood up and headed out. As he reached the door, he turned around. “Oh, I almost forgot. Do you know the Chief Scholar? He’s that bald, younger man in the library. His name is Amin Ceton. I’m sure you’ve seen him. He wears a long white cloak.”

“Oh, yeah, I know him. The twins call him the Caped Baldy.”

“Try to avoid him for a while. Amin is upset about the damage to the Dark Tower, and he places the blame squarely on your shoulders.”

“That’s a bald claim.” William guffawed and Ivan rolled his eyes.

(William)

After Ivan’s departure, William walked to the door and shifted his ears. He could hear the guards at the end of the corridor and the receding echo of Ivan’s footsteps.

I hope that no one else comes in the next few hours.

He moved a chair under the door handle and nodded with approval. He walked to the dining table and scarfed down a few pastries that had been delivered while he slept. Once he was done with the food, he sighed with contentment.

It was time to shift and discuss the impending clash with his accomplices.

He wanted to tell his aunt and brother what was going on, but they did not trust anyone else. After all, many of their kind had been killed. William understood their mistrust and deep-seated resentment. He had kept in touch with them since he had discovered the long-range mind communication skill. He had spoken with them daily over the last couple of weeks.

The King of the Wolves, Rulan, had already gathered a few hundred packs. The canine bloodthirst for retribution had steadily increased as the packs moved closer to the vile killers. Every time he shifted, William could sense their primal, savage animosity through the mental link, and their emotions were fierce.

A fang for a fang. William recalled one of the wolves’ sayings and smiled a toothy grin. His wolf buddies were on the path of vengeance.

He took a deep breath and with a soft growl, shifted into a Saberwolf.

#

(Lin)

Lin stood up, stretched her arms, and yawned. She shivered as a cold gust of wind passed through the arrow slit. She had been wrapped in a blanket for most of the night, watching the northern perimeter. The partial owl shift of her right eye allowed her to easily see the distant tents, patrolling sentries, and a line of fires near the edge of the Redwood Forest. Her ocular shift, with its three eyelids, had been awkward at first, but she had eventually gotten used to it. The extra diagonal eyelid had been fun to play with when she needed a break from her sentry duty. Gazing at the stars through the transparent eyelid had felt otherworldly.

For the last few hours, things had been quiet on the northern front. Even the enemy craftsmen had stopped working. She crouched down, leaned forward, and looked up through the tall arrow slit. Based on the position of the Ice Wyvern constellation, it was well past midnight. Sunrise was still hours away. She rubbed her eyes and yawned again.

After a while, her mind drifted and she thought of Toby Clearwater. His skills had already earned him a Sub-Commanding position in one of the archery units. She admired his dedication to perfect his proficiency with the bow. He was always training. Most of all, she really liked the way he treated his sister. He was kind and protective of Claire. Lin even found his peculiar eyes to be captivating. Yet, every time she saw him, for some reason, she wanted to punch him in the face.

She grimaced when she thought of Eel Island. She crossed her arms and her frown deepened as she recalled that she had actually felt a pang of envy when Toby was fawning all over Kala.

Just admit it, she thought. You like him! And… you think he’s good-looking. She huffed.

A shrill hooting sound caught her attention and she stood up. She slowly scanned the Shadow Lands encampment and saw no signs of trouble. The same number of sentries were milling around, and small groups of soldiers were sitting around campfires. She thought that she saw movement at the edge of the forest, but she could not be sure.

She stretched again and was about to sit back down when she noticed something odd. Some of the more distant fires started to wink out. A series of warning cries pierced the night as more fires were snuffed out.

Whaaat? She rubbed her eyes. The fires continued to disappear one after another in a straight line. Soon, the entire northern hillside was plunged into darkness.

Lin ran outside of the tower and dispatched a runner to fetch Commander Craw. He was stationed nearby and arrived with one of his Sub-Commanders in minutes.

“I need more sentries on the wall,” Commander Craw bellowed. “Lady Tinbury, what’s going on?”

“Something is happening on the northern hillside,” Lin replied as soldiers hustled past them toward their positions on the wall.

The northern hills were now completely shrouded in darkness. Bloodcurdling howling drowned out the distant cries of alarm. Commander Craw leaned over the embrasure.

Lin turned toward the east. “I see Shadowcloaks scrambling to get into formation over there. It looks like they’re preparing to send reinforcements toward the northern encampment.”

The distant cries intensified, becoming louder.

What in Cea’Nia’s name is going on? she thought.

A Lightning Strike briefly illuminated the edge of the forest and Lin’s eyes widened. A throng of wolves had swarmed the enemy’s northern encampment. A second Lightning Strike flashed across the clearing, revealing another wave of moving shadows.

Lin gaped. “An army of wolves is tearing through their encampment…”

Where did they come from? What’s going on?

“What?” Commander Craw frowned. “Are you telling me that a bunch of wolves are attacking the Shadowlanders?”

“That’s what I see,” Lin replied.

“And they’re killing them, right?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“Hah. They’re doing our job!” Commander Craw’s mouth curved into a cruel smile. “Oh, I wish I could see that.”

Flickers of lightning continued to pierce the cover of night, revealing glimpses of the battle. A dozen flaming arrows shot from the east enemy encampment toward the north, creating patches of light wherever they landed. The wolves dashed away from the light, but some of them were not fast enough. Lin gasped as arrows pierced some of the fleeing animals.

Her head snapped to the west. One of the warships had been set ablaze and an explosion had blown away its mainmast. She watched as fiery debris showered the Lonely River.

The soldiers around her cheered and watched in bewilderment.

The howling ceased and the wolves raced away into the cover of the forest. The mayhem ended as quickly as it had begun.

Lin watched the hillside carefully after the wolves had departed. Here and there, campfires were reignited. As the area was slowly illuminated, the aftermath of the attack was finally revealed. A swath of the northern blockade had been demolished. Tents were shredded, bags of provision were scattered everywhere, and mangled bodies littered the ground.

She shuddered and placed a hand over her mouth. She was not sure if her hand was hiding her shock or her smile. Her enhanced vision allowed her to see hundreds of gruesomely mutilated bodies. The torn fabric on some of the tents was stained with streaks of blood. She was conflicted. She felt a savage satisfaction seeing the death of her enemies and yet, was ashamed for basking in their horrific demise.

Is this war turning me into a monster or was the monster always part of me? She shivered.

Startled by the erratic flapping of wings, Lin turned to her left and peered into the night sky. It was then that she noticed the owl. The bird of prey glided straight toward her. She sighed. She knew the boy behind that shift.

William landed next to Lin and transformed. A grin split his face and he had a gaping wound on his left arm. Blood soaked the sleeve of his shirt. He pointed in the distance toward the demolished enemy encampment, laughed deliriously, and fainted. Lin caught him before he could faceplant into the stone walkway, and slowly lowered him down.

“We need a healer,” she bellowed. She removed the band around her hair and tied it around William’s arm to staunch the bleeding.

Oh, William… Not again. What did you do this time?