An Arrow's Flight - Chapter 1: Rebellion (II of VI)

Winter in the north was notorious for its harshness, but folks had long ago grown accustomed to it; it merely took a blizzard, however, to send them running for the warmth of their homes. How people could therefore live even farther north than the territories of the Gràwolf and Àlbear Clans was beyond Canis, for even whilst wrapped in three layers of blankets, he could not keep the chill from his bones. The fact that he lived in a stone castle did not help much, either.

Normally, upon waking up, Canis would walk out onto his balcony and admire the view, but outside, the wind still moaned like a malicious spirit, demanding entrance to the room. That morning, the balcony doors would remain closed.

Canis noticed that where a fire was supposed to be crackling merrily in the hearth, there was naught but ashes, so he disentangled himself from the blankets, pulled on as many furs as he could, not caring whether or not he looked ridiculous, and attempted to revive it.

‘Could you not have waited for the blizzard to be spent before waking up?’ a voice complained from beneath the blankets at the lower end of Canis’ bed.

‘You at least have fur,’ Canis replied, still trying to rekindle the fire, ‘I don’t. Anyway, Ice, you’re probably the only wolf who has the privilege of sleeping under blankets; all the others have to make do with what shelter the Grà Woods have to offer.’

‘The difference being I’m not just an ordinary wolf,’ the voice retorted drowsily.

‘Spoilt creature…’ Canis muttered.

A white head poked out from beneath the blankets. ‘I heard that!’

‘You were supposed to!’ Canis chuckled, finally succeeding in getting a few flames to reluctantly come to life.

A maid with a serving trolley walked into the room, greeted Canis, and served breakfast. Canis thanked her, and as he sat down, she dismissed herself.

The breakfast consisted of some poached eggs and a few slices of barley bread served with warm butter and lemon marmalade, as well as an assortment of fruit.

Canis had already eaten some of the bread and a few eggs, and was half way through an apple when a knock sounded on the door.

‘Come in,’ he called. In response, a man dressed in the formal robes of the castellan entered the room. ‘Charles, my friend! Please, do sit down.’

The castellan was an ox of a man. When he entered a room, one immediately sensed his presence; not only because of his size, but also because Charles had an air of authority about him. He was by no means domineering though, for Canis knew him to be gentle and caring. It was best not to anger him, however – Canis had had the privilege of fighting alongside Charles during their previous skirmish with the goblins, and he vividly remembered the trail of bloody corpses left in his friend’s wake.

‘Keeping warm, are we?’ Charles asked as he sat down.

Canis smiled, but upon seeing the change in Charles’ countenance, his smile faded into an anxious frown.

‘You aren’t here to exchange pleasantries, are you?’

‘No, I am not.’ Charles rubbed his temples. ‘Canis, there is no subtle way to say this: you are to be overthrown. Today.’

Canis sensed the bundle in his bed tense, but he himself felt oddly numb. It was a full two minutes before he responded. ‘By whom?'

‘Aleksandrei.’

The Captain-of-Guards. Canis had always known him as ambitious and proud, and neither liked the other much; Canis thought Aleksandrei vainglorious, and Aleksandrei thought him soft. Nonetheless, he would never have expected the man to be capable of treason.

‘If you are so certain,’ Canis asked, slightly agitated, ‘why has he not been arrested yet? And I do not believe for a second you share his intentions, so why do you state it as if the result is inevitable?’

‘I do not have sufficient proof.’

‘Then how are you so certain?’ Canis responded dubiously.

‘The previous Pack Leader, Robert the Old, did not die of pneumonia; his epithet was well-earned.’

‘You imply that Aleksandrei poisoned him?’

‘That he did.’

‘I suppose you do not have any proof for that, either,’ Canis remarked sardonically.

‘I do not, but Aleksandrei and I both know the old leader’s death was not due to some disease,’ Charles insisted. ‘Robert knew it as well.’

‘Robert knew he was being poisoned?’

‘Yes, and that, along with the fact that he had no heirs, is why he appointed you to succeed him. Had he not, Aleksandrei would have claimed the position his, even though I am the castellan, and as more than half of the military idealised him, he would have won the resulting conflict.

‘Not many of Aleksandrei’s followers knew of Robert’s poisoning though, as they would not have supported him if they had. Therefore, by putting you in command, Robert ensured that the odds were more balanced; Aleksandrei could not dispose of you too, not immediately, at least, since that would have made his machinations apparent and would turn those still loyal to Robert against him.’

‘And if you had accused him of the poisoning?’ Canis asked, still sceptical.

‘He would simply have denied any involvement. In fact, he would have reflected the accusation onto me, saying that I wanted him out of the way as well, leaving me free to rule. The populace could then easily be persuaded into believing his story. After your ascension, our military influence might have been even, but neither party could afford having the public oppose them. Hence, the deadlock.’

‘I think I understand, now,’ Canis relented after a moment of contemplation, ‘but you have not yet explained how you know of Aleksandrei’s imminent betrayal.’

‘Even before Robert’s death, Aleksandrei and I had informants among the others followers. It is one of these informants who relayed to me Aleksandrei’s intentions.’

‘And you trust this informant?’

‘Implicitly.’

‘Alright then, what did he say?’

‘Apparently, Aleksandrei’s scouts have recently discovered a hidden goblin cave complex. He means to convince you to send me, along with all those loyal to me, to assault the caves in a pre-emptive strike against the goblins.’

‘And how does he think he can do that?’

‘I don’t know, but you must agree to do so.’

‘What?! I would never send you and your men into an ambush!’

‘Canis,’ Charles said calmly, ‘I have been planning this ever since your rise to power; as the situation stands, it could not have developed better. On the way to the caves, my men and I will purge our ranks of Aleksandrei’s spies, head north for three miles and then head east, for Hunter’s Moon.’

‘Isn’t Hunter’s Moon an Àlbear village?’

‘Though it is technically in the Àlbear portion of the Grà Woods, at least half of the village’s population is of Gràwolf descent, so we have been able to prepare them for Aleksandrei’s rebellion, secretly, of course – Lord Ioreck may be your friend, but he does not need know about this, not yet.

‘Upon my arrival there, the inhabitants will get their affairs in order and we shall wait for you to join us. After that, we shall make our way to Albaster, inform Lord Ioreck of the situation, apologise for the deception, and then plan our counterattack from there.’

‘Why must I remain here?’ Canis asked, uncertain.

‘I need you to unearth as much information about Aleksandrei’s motives as you can. If we are to retaliate, we need to know what he plans on doing after seizing control.’

‘I assume you have a suggestion?’ Canis asked resignedly.

‘If anybody knows what Aleksandrei is planning, it will be the Treasurer. Interrogate him, collect any evidence you can, and then leave.’

‘If you are so sure about his involvement, why haven’t you interrogated him yourself?’

‘Whilst on patrol, some of my men have reported seeing an increased amount of Aleksandrei’s guards at the treasury. There is no way we can gain access without raising suspicions and having any evidence subsequently destroyed.’

Canis was frustrated. ‘Then how am I, the person who is to be overthrown, supposed to investigate? Don’t you think Aleksandrei will keep me locked away in a cell somewhere? Or even execute me?’

‘You aren’t the only one who is uncertain of what you should be doing,’ Charles retorted impatiently. ‘Do you think I enjoy gambling with people’s lives, yours and mine included? Everything could go wrong; there are so many things I don’t know, and I have no idea how to begin explaining to you the things that I do know.’

‘You’ve explained the events leading up to Aleksandrei’s rebellion thoroughly,’ Canis said gently, finally understanding his friend’s position, ‘but not those occurring thereafter; try starting there.’

Charles noticed the change of tone and nodded. ‘Alright. Aleksandrei seems to have some sort of grudge against you, heaven knows why, so he’ll want to execute you, but you are too well liked for him to do so publicly. He must therefore spin some story that you have also fallen dreadfully ill, but this time, he’ll most likely say you are in your room and deny anyone access, probably saying you need to rest.

‘The dungeons have been cleaned sometime during the past week, so I assume he’ll keep you there until you have officially “died”. Then, he can do with you whatever he pleases.’

Canis did not find that a very reassuring thought, and said as much.

‘If all goes well, you’ll be on your way to Hunter’s Moon by nightfall. We need to get you out of the dungeon first, so I have devised a plan. Take this.’

Charles produced a brass locket and Canis took it from him.

‘How is this supposed to help me escape?’ he asked doubtfully.

‘There is a cupboard spider inside,’ Charles answered. ‘No, don’t open it! The guards will remove your weapons, but they are likely to ignore a flimsy piece of brass jewellery. Once you are in the cell, wait for an hour before opening it – let the spider bite you, but be sure to let them see it.’

Canis eyed the locket suspiciously.

‘Don’t worry,’ Charles reassured him, ‘you’ll only experience a slight burning sensation and malaise for a day or so, but to the guards, it will look like a black widow. When they rush you to the infirmary, naturally trying to keep your bite as secret as possible, soldiers still loyal to you will ambush them from a concealed position.

‘Once you are free, collect only your weapons and head for the treasury. Aleksandrei will require all his men to secure the castle, so he’ll have to leave the treasury unguarded. Gather what information you can, but don’t attempt to search any other areas of the castle; you must depart immediately afterwards. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, but how am I to leave the castle?’

‘The men who are to free you know of a hidden passage which leads out of the city.’

‘And if we are pursued?’

‘They are aware of the risks and are willing to lay down their lives for you; if you are pursued, they will do what is necessary.’

‘How many of your other soldiers know of your plans?’ Canis asked gravely.

‘None. If the subject of this conversation is to be kept secret from our foes, it must be kept secret from our friends as well.’

‘So those who are to remain at the castle…?’

Charles bowed his head. ‘May it be swift.’ He rose from the chair and sombrely strode to the door, but turned when he was addressed.

‘What will happen if we fail?’ Canis practically whispered.

Charles’ expression reflected the gravity of his words. ‘We cannot afford the consequences of failure.’