20 An Unexpected Plan

It would cost them twice as much power to fight such a person, because of the dark power that person might be wielding. But they should be thankful for being unable to meet such a person in a time where their powers do not take action. They are only powerful at night when the full moon is visible in the sky. Mephiles often keeps his power locked inside his soul until a mighty encounter takes place in his kingdom. He had nothing left but the body of a man he consumed after he fought against King Harald.

Then, Mephiles looked down at his hand to have something important for his war council to accomplish. All he could see was his hand with veins showing and never leaving his sight; he felt as if he had done nothing to please his servants. He then looks back up at Godbrand, Naberius, Vector, and everyone else who was in the throne room. They were all the only creatures he trusted to carry out his plans to make every nation of the world bow before him. He stayed still on his throne and had something he had in mind, but he wanted to save it for the night.

"I got nothing else. All of you can do whatever you want. If you understand what I need from you, you can be on your way," Mephiles said. He knew they were all shocked by the news that King Malcolm was killed by someone they did not expect.

Mephiles did not know his daughter was roaming around in the world, and he never got the chance to apologize. He would never find it in his heart to leave the throne and search for Lagertha to right past wrongs. Then, he rises from his throne and walks away from his war council to prepare for the night. Godbrand did not see it in his mind that the king would simply walk away from the ones who trust him. He always knew that a great king would never leave his throne and never make his servants wander off.

"What is this? Where is the king going? Why leave when it is only the afternoon?" Godbrand asked.

Then Lenora answered him, saying, "Godbrand, he usually does this when he gets exhausted from the nights. He is no ordinary demon king to do everything you ask. But you stand in his kingdom and his word is the law. For a man of your valor, I expected you to understand that. There will never be a day where the king abandons his throne and dishonors his people. You mistake him for kings who once ruled the earth and had their kingdoms."

All of them had only one belief that would make them all feel mighty in the days to come; they put all of their trust into the king of Midland. At that moment, Godbrand knew this was no ordinary war counsel to be bargained with, and they would never back down from him. However, Naberius was thinking about something else that he believed Mephiles should answer. If he went to Lenora to say this request, the vampire will do something to him that will remain with him forever. Naberius also understood that Godbrand will convince him to go the other route.

Without expectations, Godbrand walked before Naberius to speak with him about a person he may have known. The brooding demon had a sharp tongue and sharp knowledge about the well-known hunters of terror. The Viking demon could sense that Naberius was thinking about something that may cause a stir and split the counsel in two. As everyone walked away from the throne room, Godbrand found Naberius looking at one painting in the hallways. He was in the strangest of moods, yet some unspecified force sparked a fire in his darkened soul.

"Naberius, is it? Life in the castle shouldn't be that bad. Why so sad?" Godbrand asked.

"You know, you didn't need to let the king know that. You shouldn't have brought up his wife. He was once a human who became a demon king. Everyone here knows that," Naberius answered.

"I'm sure you know secrets cannot be held in one's heart forever. There will always be someone who will pluck it out of you and share it with everyone here. I dared to make him know this, and now I believe you have something to say to him."

"I do. But I don't know the day nor the hour in which I should speak to him in private. He always has Lenora look after him if he has nothing to say to us. But… I know of someone who has been spoken about in tales, taverns, and mead-halls. Somebody who is a potential threat to all of us. I suppose you might know her since you travel more often than we do."

"It's a woman? No man of such strength took over Malcolm's kingdom and killed the king? No man of such honor that his tales are told even by bards?"

"No. This woman is no ordinary mortal. Her name is Lagertha of Stockholm. They call her the Wolf Queen, the hunter of the night, and a powerful demon slayer."

Naberius had all kinds of knowledge about Lagertha, but he did not know when she would come to the castle and defeat Mephiles. Nobody told anyone that Mephiles was Lagertha's father, and none of them knew how powerful she was. Naberius was the only demon general in the war counsel who knew of Lagertha's existence and whereabouts. He just needed a trusted ally to defend the castle against the Wolf Queen; their defenses were high, but might not be high enough.

"A demon slayer. I have heard of their kind before. They say they are fearless against every night creature, and they claim themselves to be higher than anyone else," Godbrand said.

"Yes. But she has killed more demons than the average hunter. It is even said that she has killed a monster wreaking havoc, with her bare hands," Naberius said.

"You seem to know a lot about this mortal. Why have you taken so long to open that up to anyone in the castle? You could talk to Lenora about this person. She sounds like someone who knows how to keep secrets."

"I have already spoken to her. She merely told me that this person will meet her doom when the time comes. However, we don't have any plans to spread to the war council. The problem is the fact that everyone needs to agree with the plan. Otherwise, there would be a riot in Mephiles's castle. And if there is a riot, the people of this world will believe we don't know how to control them, and they will take everything away from us."

"Naberius, I have a plan that just might work."

As he said this, Naberius took a single step backward, and he became filled with envy and surprise. He understood Godbrand was a wanderer of the night and came across many things some people would consider unnatural. Godbrand carried more power than any demon of the war counsel; his brute strength was enough proof to show the night creatures he could take on the Wolf Queen. Just like Mephiles, Godbrand was once a man who became the very thing he swore to drive out from the world. The thought alone made Naberius intrigued about what Godbrand has in mind and what he wishes to do.

"What is this plan, Godbrand? What shall I do for this plan to unfold?" Naberius asked.

Godbrand replied, "Like King Mephiles, I have my army. I have a band of servants who are loyal to me. They will carry out my order and make anyone who crosses us be put to the sword. They fight and die for my power to be announced in every tavern and every mead-hall. A single woman will never make it to this kingdom and expect to send every single demon back to where they came from. She will bow before the king, and she will serve him for all eternity."

"And what do I gain in this bold request?"

"The army's loyalty and respect to the king of Midland. There is a debt to be paid and the queen of the wolves will pay it."

From a short distance, Lenora could hear Godbrand's plan to kill Lagertha, and she was looking at the Viking demon from the throne room. She thought the plan sounded impressive, yet not everything about the plan seemed like it would succeed. She did not know that Godbrand had his army at his side to join Mephiles's army; she felt the idea strike in her mind like no other. Lenora leaves the throne room and heads back to Mephiles's chamber until everyone else is prepared for the night.

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