The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 63: If No One Else Is Feared ()
Zariah glanced through the map of the Floral Domain, making a mental comparison,
Zariah was relieved to see it was the exact same as the map stored in the archives of the Crimson Moon Pack which meant the knowledge of the territories held by Crimson Moon was still accurate.
Zariah’s gaze snapped up as the doors to the library were opened and in walked King Askel, Lord Kodin and the high ranked wolves of the Royal Lycan Pack.
Zariah ignored how her heart did a flip at the sight of King Askel and she equally ignored the intensity of his gaze on her as he walked into the library.
Perhaps it was because Zariah did not wish for King Askel to see in her eyes that she had been unable to find sleep the previous night, her mind reeling with the final words he had said to her.
So much so that she had eventually come out to the library hours before dawn to peruse through the ancient texts and get a better understanding of the domains,
To know if there was any distinct difference with the records of the Ethereal domain and those possesed by the Crimson Moon.
"Greetings to the Alpha King." Zariah greeted with a small bow as King Askel was the highest ranked presence in the library and the only one she was actually expected to bow to.
Zariah noticed King Askel’s gaze rove over the maps she had spread out on her table and she realized she had come out to the royal library with Allen, Darren and Nile and tampered with the private texts of the Royal Lycans without first seeking permission.
Wolf shifters were territorial to the core and so Zariah understood his displeasure.
"Apologies for invading the royal library without your consent, it was late and I had a few details I needed confirmation for. King Askel was set to have a meeting with your council."
"I went ahead and followed the scent trail of books which led here without observing due protocol, it was an oversight on my part." Zariah explained.
"There will never be the need for protocols Mhíjani, within the Ethereal Domain, you possess equal rights as I do, you may go wherever pleases you." King Askel replied as he took a seat at the head of the large table.
Zariah frowned slightly at King Askel’s words, she would have much rather preferred he lectured her for taking liberties in the Ethereal Palace than saying words that unsettled her even more and misled others present.
"Head Warrior Zariah, it is good you are here, we intended to send for you." Lord Kodin said in a grim tone.
Zariah quickly forgot her conflicting thoughts when she noticed the grim expression on Lord Kodin’s face.
"The Fairy Queen." Zariah said knowingly, she did not need anyone to say anything for her to know that the only reason King Askel and Lord Kodin could gather at just an hour past dawn was a new development with the situation of the impending war.
Considering the Sea King’s neutral stance, a new development could only originate from the Floral Domain and the grim expression on Lord Kodin’s face further confirmed Zariah’s thoughts.
"The council received urgent news from the border, Queen Heveneth has rallied the battle fairies, they marched for the border through the night and arrived at the shores of the East Sea before the Sea Kingdom could even realize it." Lord Kodin revealed.
Zariah’s eyes narrowed slightly, she could not believe the Fairy Queen was so eager for chaos and bloodshed that she had declared war just the previous day and had launched the first aggression without awaiting the decision of the supernatural council.
"How many?" Zariah asked,
"Three thousand battle fairies led by the Battle Lord of the Floral Domain." Lord Kodin said with an annoyed sigh.
"Led by the battle lord himself?" Zariah asked rhetorically.
"The battle lord is the fairy queen’s mate and most trusted aide, to send him out in person shows the Fairy Queen is in no way willing to accept a compromise or back down." Luther, King Askel’s second in command said.
"If the Fairy Queen refuses to be pacified, war is unavoidable. In which case, which amongst the two domains would have the upper hand?" Darren asked from where he sat.
"It is hard to tell, the Floral Domain have the advantage of their great numbers and ancient magic, however the Sea King is not a man to be underestimated either." Zariah murmured as she traced a finger across the border markings on the map.
"The Sea King is a renowned warrior and the merfolk are skilled in battle, if the other domains do not intervene, could the Fairy Queen truly hope to overcome him all on her own?" Darren pondered,
"Each side has their strengths and weaknesses, while the Sea Kingdom has grown accustomed to peace and serenity, the Floral Domain is ambitious and have long prepared for war."
"You saw for yourself the impeccable barrier of the battle fairies, they are a well oiled fighting force. The Sea Kingdom may not be fully prepared for what they have coming at them." Zariah said with a shake of her head.
"The best solution would be to avoid this war, both sides will suffer irrecoverable damages. Do they not see this is a battle of which they cannot afford the costs?" Nile who had been quiet all the while asked,
"I fear he is right. I know Queen Heveneth too well, this was precisely the time she would play the victim in order to win sympathy and ensure the other domains would not intervene or would chose to side with her."
"She would never launch the first aggression and be deemed the perpetrator, she would instead use underhanded methods to spur the Sea Kingdom into attacking first."
"Queen Heveneth may be power hungry and greedy, but she is wise and scheming, she would never place herself at a disadvantage by attacking first."
"The only reason Queen Heveneth would take such a drastic action and even dispatch the battle lord is the fact that..." Lord Kodin trailed off,
"This is not a scheme, Princess Eloneth truly was abducted." King Askel completed instead.
"But how is that possible, the Sea King insists to have no knowledge of it and apart from the fairies’ word of mouth, there is no evidence that confirms this was truly done by the merfolk." Dechlan said doubtfully.
"The two maintain their stance unyieldingly, between the two, they cannot both be telling the truth."
"The fairy queen’s thirst for vengeance seems to be real yet the Sea King is not one to engage in such underhanded tactics. Between the two, one has to be lying...but who?" Luther said with a shake of his head.
"Indeed, it just became a whole lot more difficult to ascertain who is the victim and who is the perpetrator. However untrustworthy Queen Heveneth is, the council would not want to do her an injustice."
"Princess Eloneth is her treasured child and if truly her life is in jeopardy at the hands of the merfolk, then the Sea King must answer for it." Lord Kodin said in a dark tone.
"We should not limit our suspicions to the two domains involved, perhaps this is indeed a scheme but by a party we have not considered yet, a party that stands to gain the most if the supernatural realm is at war." Zariah pointed out,
Lord Kodin nodded in agreement.
"In whichever case, we cannot let this war happen and our only solution seems to lie with investigating the events surrounding Princess Eloneth’s disappearance, only when we know her whereabouts can we say for certain." Nile said.
"The council will depart for the Floral Domain immediately, we cannot afford any further delays, we will try our very best to stall the Fairy Queen whilst I will dispatch my men to look into Princess Eloneth’s disappearance."
"I will personally look into the exact location in the Floral Domain where Princess Eloneth was last seen and we will proceed from there, as for the Sea King..." Lord Kodin trailed off,
"Lord Kodin should focus your efforts on finding Princess Eloneth, I will have Darren and Allen go with you, if anything, they will order a cease fire in the name of the Crimson Alpha."
"If there is no one left the Fairy Queen fears, there is still the Crimson Moon and when we speak, she must listen or face the consequences." Zariah decided.
"You have my gratitude, Head warrior. The Fairy Queen may be daring but not enough to directly aggravate the Crimson Moon." Lord Kodin said in a relieved tone.
"As for the Sea King, I believe he will not attack, he knows clearly this battle will be as tasking on the merfolk as it will be for the fairies, he will not play a party to war unless absolutely necessary." Zariah said with certainty.
"Whatever the Sea King decides to do, there is one thing for sure... the Sea King is hiding something." King Askel murmured thoughtfully.
"I have spoken with my council, I will lead a team to the Sea Kingdom on the morrow to honor the Sea King’s invitation."
"If the Sea King fears no one else, he would not dare incur the wrath of the Ethereal King." King Askel decided, his tone cold and deadly.
