Page 58 of Chasing Tail
Chapter 31
Guards were spilling out of the palace and blocking the front door. It was different from what we wore to battle in the sea, but they had armor, shields, and weapons. They hadn’t attacked, and I had a feeling that had everything to do with Beck, Callum, and Forrest being there and the sheer number of people they brought with them. I was guessing they didn’t have any intention of letting us inside right now.
“I’m speaking to everyone out here, including the palace guards!” Callum yelled. “All of you know someone who has been convicted of a crime and executed, even the guards defending the palace. I want you to think about those people and everything you knew about them. All of you will have the same story. They were good people. They were loved.
“You never saw it coming when they were arrested for horrible things.Everyonehere will say the same thing, and that’s not common for people capable of true evil. There’s a feeling, a smell around them, that makes you want to keep your distance. Some people can fake it in public, like the king and queen, but not every single citizen in this kingdom that has been arrested.
“It’s been a highly kept secret, but some of you that have seen the queen have guessed she’s sick. All the shifters here have probably wondered why you haven’t been allowed anywhere near the king and queen. It’s because you could smell that she’s dying.
“It didn’t have to be this way. There were surgical and medical options that would have prolonged her life. There wereknownworking treatments for what ails her. It took us a while to figure out what he was doing, and we were trying to gather proof to expose that he was framing people and sacrificing them under the full moon to try to cure her.
“The strangers standing with us are witnesses. My father sent an entire ship of sailors to the deaths to violate the treaty with the mermaids. Before the ship was sunk, they captured a mermaid and several revered sea creatures in the net. They butchered them and tossed them back in the water.
“Some of the Seven Deadly Sins could feel his evilness from far away and came to stop him. They had a plan, but then we realized he’s turned away from sacrifices. He’s moved on to another form of forbidden magic that has never worked. He’s kidnapped a wolf pup in an attempt to steal her magic. It’s not going to work. Druids can’t steal magic from anyone. I don’t need to explain to any of you he’s not going to leave her alive when he’s done to send her pack after him.
“We could have returned Cassandra to her pack and carried out our previous plan, but it would have involved lies and more innocent people dying. I refuse to take the throne on dishonesty or build from what he built. You need to know what he’s done. It’s the only way this kingdom can prosper.
“We’re going to go in there with Harland and get his pup back. I hope the guards standing there listening will do the right thing and let us pass. I know some of you appreciate the life he’s given you and has bought into some of his speeches about druids being superior. Any species that claims to be superior wouldn’t resort to the things he’s done, and they wouldn’t harm a child.”
I’d give it to Callum. The mob was eating out of the palm of his hand, even if they had just heard they had been lied to and sacrificed. They hadn’t become violent just yet. Everyone, including the princes, turned to the guards at the front door to see if they would cooperate.
Mermaids were generally violent, and I had no problem killing any of them if they still chose to stand with the king and queen after that speech. But, I would not get to kill the king or queen for what they did to my sister because the wolves outnumbered me. I had accepted that and thought wolf justice had the right idea.
Still, my sister and Taron’s family were dead, and I needed to stab someone for that. If anyone still supported him after that and wanted to stop us from rescuing Cassandra, I’d happily kill them. Yeah, the druid king would be dead, but it was a little unfair Taron, and I left everything behind and didn’t get to take our anger about the whole thing out on anyone.
I didn’twanta huge fight to break out and any of these good people to die, but we came here to murder the king, and someone who still supported him after all of this would do.
Many of the guards threw their weapons down and joined us, but several of them didn’t. They stayed right where they were but didn’t raise their weapons. Finally, an older man with a wise face stepped forward.
“How do we know you’re telling the truth? Some of us were guards under the old king. The one your father stole the throne from. He was a good man who didn’t fall by the sword but by words. I’ve seen war, boy. I’ve seen good men die so someone could get more powerful. This could just be a power play for the throne.”
“I didn’t put a wolf pup in his chambers, Jorah. She can tell you for herself who kidnapped her and hurt her. You’re the captain of the guard, and you earned that position. Tell your men to step aside and come with us. You’ll see for yourself.”
“If you’re wrong, all of us will be punished for disturbing him.”
“We aren’t, and if you do nothing, a child will die, and you’ll be fighting a war with every shifter in this kingdom. Probably everyone else, too, since it involves a child. You taught us how to sword fight, Jorah. You watched us grow up. So you know we aren’t liars. We’d never orchestrate this if it weren’t true,” Forrest said.
“No one dies,” Jorah said. “Your people don’t attack. I’ll lead you and Harland to the king’s chambers to check for his pup. I’ll make sure no one under me attacks. You need to do the same with your people.”
“A request,” Beck said. “Kishi and Taron lost their home to come here to stop a war with the mermaids. They both lost someone. They will stay with us in the palace when this is over. They are family now. They should be there when he’s arrested.”
“Can they behave themselves and not kill him?”
“I understand justice is owed to the wolves,” I said.
“And your friend?”
Taron just grinned at him with his shark teeth out. I punched him in the stomach, and he started laughing.
“Taron won’t eat them.”
Jorah pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at us.
“I’m only letting you come because the princes vouch for you. I won’t hesitate to throw you in jail.”
I grabbed Taron’s hand and squeezed it.
“We promise not to kill anyone.”
