Libraries

"A test? What do you mean?" Aurora's pulse quickened as she thought about all the possibilities. The bite of food she had just taken seemed to lodge in her throat as it tightened.

"The evidence suggests that although the two wolves came in under the cover of night, they did not expect to succeed. They found a weak spot in the wall, one we have been working to fix, and pushed through the stone with great force. However, they did not even try to hide their tracks or cover their hole. Likewise, they left anyone they injured where they found them, not caring if the bodies were found."

"You mean, they had no escape plan?" The Empress could see the picture he was painting. The wolves did not care if they were discovered.

"They had no plan that we were able to discern, unless they had someone on the inside or they were planning to escape through the... you know..." Junayd paused, realizing not everyone knew about the glowstone tunnels.

Aurora understood. "I do not think the royal tunnels would be a viable option, unless they were able to bypass the new barrier that the elves helped design. But if they had been able to do that, then surely they would have come in that way and not under the wall."

It was logical to assume that the rulers had a secret way out of the palace, so the Empress did not feel like she was giving anything away. And the Council knew that the elves had helped to fortify the palace after the gnomes left. King Ithel had worked hard to make a strong alliance between the two kingdoms.

Junayd nodded at the Empress's assessment. "Exactly. And they only sent two wolves. One for you and one for the young prince. They did not even bother to attack His Majesty or the princess."

Aurora held up her hand and stopped him. Her mind had jumped onto a different line of thought. She reached over to the throne next to hers at the table and touched Devrim's arm. "Were you able to get a message to Mairwen and Renat?"

The Emperor was happy to have a little good news. "I was able to send a mirror message, and I have had a response. The pair are safe and reached their destination with the Guardian."

While a few of the Council knew that Prince Alaron was still living, or rather alive again, the rest were kept in the dark. The Emperor and Empress had come to call their eldest son 'the Guardian' to avoid a slip of the tongue.

"Small mercies. But we are not out of the woods yet. We will have to be patient and hope that the wolves did not know where she was headed. Not even her ladies' maids knew for sure." Aurora tried to calm herself.

As if reading the Empress's worry, Devrim voiced the question to his advisor. "Do you think that there was a wolf meant to attack the princess, but it was somehow…diverted?"

While Junayd was still forming an answer, Nurlan broke in. Having worked together for many years to protect the royal family, the men had already discussed this possibility.

The burly General stepped forward and bowed before the table. "We do not think so. Princess Mairwen left rather abruptly, so unless the assailants saw her covert exit, they would still assume she is here. Her absence is not widely known."

Junayd picked back up where he left off. "Because of this, we think that whoever sent the creatures to attack picked the two most impactful targets. They want to see how we will react."

The Empress stroked her chin. "I see. Depending on our response, this hidden enemy will make their next move."

"This is only the beginning. They will be looking for a weak point, so they can strike again," Zan agreed from the far end of the table.

"Then we shall have no weak point," Councilman Ezer answered decidedly. His chestnut eyes were filled with determination.

Some of the Council, including the Dunesman Metehan, rumbled their agreement. Things became chaotic for a moment as each of the members of the group began suggesting ways to defend against the unidentified attacker.

"Double the palace guard!"

"Build another wall and fortify the one we have!"

"We must shut down the castle to the outside world!"

On they rambled, making Aurora's headache. The suggestions, though reasonable, seemed insufficient.

"Or…" Devrim spoke over them even as he was deep in thought. The room went deathly silent. They knew that the Emperor did not speak simply to hear himself talk. If he had calmed the din of discussions, there was a reason.

"What are you thinking?" Aurora coaxed her husband, very glad for the respite from the noise.

Devrim tapped his chin and leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "Or…we create a weak spot intentionally. If we strategically make a place for them to attack, we can close around them like a noose. We will set a trap and catch one of them alive. Then maybe we can get some answers."

"You think those things can talk?" Ezer asked. He had not heard of either of the creatures talking.

Nodding, the Emperor spread his arms wide. "They were not mindless and they seemed to have a plan. Perhaps they only speak the ancient tongue, but I do think they can communicate."

"Ancient tongue? So you do think they are magical?" Zan's eyes widened slightly.

"Do you have a better explanation?" The Emperor queried. He was open to suggestions.

The Chief thought for a moment. In all of his excursions in the land of magic with Lanassa, he had never seen anything resembling a bipedal wolf. However, there was a vast part of the land that had been too wild to explore. These dangerous creatures could have come from there.

After stroking his chin with all eyes on him, Zan breathed heavily through his nose. "I do not have a better suggestion, though if neither I nor Fate Hanna have seen this creature before, we would do well to explore any option that comes our way."

"Wise words," the Empress agreed. "We will have the palace librarians search for any and all mentions of wolf-like people and consult the scholars at the University."

Taking his cue, Councilman Yavar, the elected scribe, began to write two orders to carry out the Empress's desire.

While he was preparing them, Devrim leaned over to his wife and spoke into his ear. "It would not hurt to query the Storehouse as well. Perhaps Hanna does not know everything that is in it."

The Empress cupped her hand around her mouth to answer the man. "I already had that thought. Would you help me after we are through here? I will need someone to help me navigate in my chair."

"It would be my pleasure." The Emperor smiled warmly. He always felt happy when his wife requested assistance. It made him feel needed.

His winsome grin caused the Empress to blush. Something about him still made her feel like the sixteen year old girl who fell in love. She reached out and clasped his hand. The sparks between them were almost visible.

"Your Majesty," Yavar drew the couple's attention. He passed the requests of information up the table to the Empress for her to sign and seal. Aurora made her mark on the documents and returned them.

"There is one more library that might be helpful," Zan said as his eyes flashed silver.

"Devrim and I were just discussing…" Aurora stopped short.

With Zan's excellent hearing as a Guardian, he had surely heard their small exchange about the Storehouse, which meant he had another idea in mind.

A flicker of recognition crossed the ruler's face. "Oh! You mean the other collectors of knowledge that we know. Would you be interested in a trip to the elves, Chief Zan?"

The Chief's eyes opened wide. "That was not my intention, Your Majesty," he answered as he unconsciously wrung his hands.

A small smile touched the woman's face. "I know, but I trust you will find the information we need if it is there. You have the most knowledge and experience in this area of anyone on the Council." She did not elaborate and most assumed that Aurora simply meant that he was the only one who has been to the land of magic.

Bowing his head, agreed. "If it pleases the Empress, I will go."

"Very good. How long do you think it will take to prepare for your journey?" The Empress wasted no time in solidifying plans. "The sooner, the better."

Zan ticked off each of his fingers as he made a mental checklist. "I can be ready within a week. We will have to send a message ball ahead of time to allow the elves time to prepare."

"Do you think there will be another attack within a week?" The Empress asked, looking between Junayd and Nurlan.

The two men exchanged silent glances. "We do not think so," Nurlan answered.

Aurora nodded definitively. "Excellent. In a week's time we will head out. Zan will go to the land of magic, and I think this would be a lovely time for me to visit my relative, Duchess Ashleigh."