Chapter 4:Den of Vipers

The massive black iron gates of the Fortress groaned as they swung open. I kept my chin high, as my boots continued clicking on the stone floor of the courtyard. The air inside these walls was different from the Red Valley. It smelled like stone, fancy perfume and blood.

"Keep your hand near your sword, Vance " I whispered with my lips barely moving.

"I haven't taken my fingers off it since we crossed the drawbridge, Commander," Vance whispered back. His voice was tense, vibrating with the natural panic of a human surrounded by a pack of pureblood wolves. "The way they are looking at us... it feels like we walked right into a slaughterhouse."

"It’s not a slaughterhouse yet," I said, looking straight ahead. "Right now, it’s just a theater. And we are the main act.”

All around the courtyard, royal guards in polished silver armor stood like statues, their yellow wolf eyes tracking my every move. They knew who I was. I was the rebel who had spent three years breaking their supply lines. But today, because of the paper tucked against my ribs, I was something else. I was the King's fiancé.

We walked up the grand stone stairs. Toward the big oak doors of the great feast hall. The sound of laughter, glasses clinking and loud music came through the wood. When the guards opened the doors the noise stopped.

The hall was huge. Hundreds of ranking wolves sat at long tables with roasted meat, wine and gold plates. At the end of the room Lucius sat on a raised platform. He wore a fancy dark velvet tunic with thread. He had a cup in his hand.

When he saw me walk in, his eyes flared with a dangerous, sharp light. He had expected Brenda to bring him my head in a sack this morning. Instead, I had walked through his front gates alive, untouched, and smiling.

"Ah the guest of honor has arrived!"

The voice cut through the quiet hall like a whip. It came from the center table.

Brenda stood up, a mocking smile plastered across her face. She was dressed in a sleek, dark gown that did nothing to hide the heavy muscles of a warrior. Her yellow eyes locked onto mine, burning with a mixture of lingering shock and pure hatred. She was still furious about the empty wagons in the canyon.

"Come in Commander Tiana, " Brenda called out. "We thought you had lost your way. Or maybe the journey was too scary for a human?"

Some of the lords chuckled. I didn't smile. I walked down the aisle. My eyes never left Lucius. He watched me quietly. He wanted to see how I would handle Brenda.

"The journey was nice, General Brenda, " I said. "The canyon paths are quiet at night. No distractions."

Brenda's face tightened. She knew what I meant.

"Well we must feed our ally " Brenda said. The word “ally” sounded like poison. She gestured toward a tiny, rickety wooden table placed at the very edge of the room, far away from the warmth of the roaring hearth and the high lords. It was a table meant for servants, or dogs.

Vance let out a breath. "Commander, this is an insult. They are treating you like an animal."

"Stay back Vance " I whispered.

Brenda leaned against the table grinning. "I hope the rebel appetite isn't too delicate. In the pack we eat according to our status.. Right now a human who sues for peace takes whatever scraps the wolves leave behind."

The lords laughed. They thought they were breaking my pride. They thought I would cry or start a fight.

I walked slowly to the table. I looked down at the bones. Then I looked at Brenda. Her face was close to mine. I turned my back on her.

I walked past the table. I marched up the stone steps of the raised platform. The royal guards stepped forward. Their spears blocked my path.

"Hold" Lucius commanded. The guards stopped. Lucius leaned forward. "Tiana. My general has provided a space for you. Why have you left it?"

"Because a general does not dictate the protocol of a kingdom, Lucius " I said. I used his name without his title. Some of the lords gasped.

"Careful human, " Lucius warned with a low and dangerous voice.

"I am not a guest, Lucius, " I said as I stepped closer. ". I am certainly not a servant to be fed scraps in the dark."

I pulled out the rolled parchment. The treaty.

I held it up high. The heavy golden wax of the seal caught the light.

"Three days ago the Alpha King signed this document " I announced. "This is not a surrender. This is a marriage contract. By the laws of the courts the moment the bloodline King puts his mark on this paper the woman named within it ceases to be an enemy."

I looked at Brenda. Her face was rigid with rage. Then I looked at Lucius.

"The woman named in this contract is the Luna of the Obsidian Court " I said. "She is the co-ruler of the Red Valley. She is the woman who will hold the keys to your fortresses by the end of the week."

Lucius didn't move. A small muscle twitched in his jaw. He knew I had him trapped.

"So I ask you, Alpha King, " I said. "Does the future Luna of this kingdom sit at the servants table?. Does she take the seat that is rightfully hers?"

Brenda marched up the steps. Her face was flushed with anger.

"Sire! Do not let this human disrespect your court! She is a rebel! She belongs in the dirt, not at the table!"

The lords began to shout.

"Throw her out!"

"Execute the human!"

"She has no right!"

The tension in the room snapped. Vance moved up to the base of the steps. His blade was out of its sheath. Brenda’s hand went to her dagger. Her wolf fangs lengthened. Her eyes turned yellow.

"Silence!" Lucius roared.

The power of his alpha voice slammed through the hall. The wooden rafters groaned. Some of the lords dropped their heads. Even Brenda stepped back.

Lucius slowly got up from his throne. He was a head taller than me. His big frame cast a shadow on my face as he walked around the oak table. He stepped down until he was standing in front of me. The air between us got really cold.

"You talk a lot about laws and seats, Tiana " Lucius said softly. His voice was low and scary. ". A seat at this table isn't given. You have to take it by being strong. You have a piece of paper.. You don't have the power to sit with wolves."

He smiled. It was a beautiful smile. It looked like he was promising something. He was daring me to move. He was waiting for me to be scared. He was waiting for me to realize that my body was no match for the monsters in the room.

I looked into Lucius's eyes. He was the man who had ordered my head to be cut off. I felt the coldness of the blade. I felt my own blood soaking the dirt. At that moment I wasn't scared anymore.

My hand moved fast. The wolves didn't even see it coming.

“THUD.”

A heavy silver dagger hit the King's table. It went three inches into the thick oak wood. The silver vibrated under the light as it made a metallic sound that echoed through the hall.

The dagger was an inch away from Lucius's cup.

Everyone in the room froze. Brenda gasped. She put her hand on her sword. Vance stopped breathing. No one had ever put a blade into the Kings table before. It was like saying I didn't care.

I kept my hand on the dagger, leaned over the table with my face inches away from Lucius's face.

"I didn't ask you if I could sit, Lucius, " I whispered. My voice was quiet and scary. It made his eyes widen in shock. "Move your general. I am taking my seat.”

Chapter 5: The Poisoned Lace

The heavy oak door of my quarters clicked shut, and the silence in the room was so loud it made my ears ring. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at the girl looking back at me. Tiana. Same face, same dark skin, but the eyes? The eyes belonged to a woman who had already been to hell and bought a souvenir.

"Commander " Vance whispered. He was standing near the balcony. He looked like he hadn't slept for ages. "We do not have a lot of time. The court is already gathering for the evening assembly. Are you sure about this?"

"Vance, if you ask me if I am sure one more time I am going to get really angry " I said. I did not take my eyes off my reflection. I adjusted the collar of my leather tunic. "I know what I am doing. We played their game the last time and we got cheated. Not today."

"But the poison "

"I have the antidote here, " I said. I tapped the silver ring on my right middle finger. "I spent three hours this morning crushing ghost- roots. It tastes bad but it blocks the poison. I am fine."

There was a knock at the door. Vance's hand flew to his sword hilt and his body became rigid.

"Relax, " I said. "Act normal. Let Brenda in."

Vance took a breath and opened the door. Brenda was standing in the hallway with two set guards. She was dressed really nicely. Her eyes were still mean.

"Lady Brenda, " I said. I turned around slowly. I let my shoulders drop as i acted really meek. "Why are you here?"

Brenda stepped into the room. Looked around like he lost something."Tiana, I see you are adjusting to our hospitality. You look really tired. The mountain air can be tough on humans."

"I am managing, " I said. With a soft voice "It is different from the valley."

" Of course it is, " Brenda said. "I came to bring you a gift. The Alpha King is busy with merger and marriage preparation, I wanted to welcome you."

She signaled one of her guards. He gave her a small box. Brenda opened the box. Inside was a beautiful lace choker. It was made of silver threads and it had a deep-red stone in the center.

The moment the box opened the room filled with an aroma. It smelled like strawberries and rain.

Behind me, I heard Vance take a sharp breath. He didn't know what it was, but his warrior instincts were screaming. I knew exactly what it was. Wolfsbane-Rose. A highly restricted, slow-acting toxin. To a human, it didn't kill you right away. It just slowly ate away at your nervous system. First, your hands start shaking. Then, your vision blurs. Within a month, you're so weak you can barely stand up, let alone lead an army or swing a sword.

Brenda wanted to turn the fierce Rebel Commander into a helpless invalid before the wedding bells even rang.

"It is stunning, " I said. I acted really surprised. "I do not know what to say."

"You do not have to say anything, " Brenda said. She lifted the lace from the box. "It is a piece. Women of the court wear it to show their dedication."

Vance stepped forward. I stopped him. "Vance, back. Let Brenda put it on me."

Brenda put the choker on me. I felt the fine silver threads dig into my skin. The sweet scent of the Wolfsbane-Rose was overpowering.

Soon as the clasp locked into place I felt a numbness in my neck. It was like ice on my skin. My heart gave a thud.

"There it it " Brenda said. She stepped back. Clapped her hands. "Perfect. It suits you. You look compliant."

I turned around. Kept my face blank. "I appreciate it. I will wear it to the assembly tonight."

Brenda Left the room. Soon as she was gone Vance erupted.

"Tiana take that thing off!" he yelled. "I could smell the poison from across the room."

I stopped him. I stood still as the numbness was spreading up my neck. My tongue was feeling heavy.

"Back up Vance, " I said. "Do not touch it."

Vance was really angry. "You are letting them kill you! We need to leave this fortress."

I raised my hand. Pressed my thumb against the hidden mechanism on my silver ring. The small top flipped open. I scooped out the thick paste inside. I shoved it into my mouth. Swallowed it down.

The taste was really bad. It made me cough violently. I leaned against the war table. Gasped for air.

"Tiana, what did you just take?" Vance asked. He grabbed my shoulders to keep me steady.

"The cure, the antidote " I said. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "The ghost-lily root is working. It is hunting down the toxin. Neutralizing it."

Slowly the numbness in my neck began to recede. It was replaced by a heat that flooded through my veins. My vision snapped back into focus. My hands stopped shaking.

I looked back in the mirror. The red stone was still resting against my skin. The venom it was pumping into me was being incinerated.

I whispered to myself a laugh coming out of my mouth. I fixed the lace around my neck making sure the necklace was easy to see. "She really thinks I am that naive " I said to myself.

Vance looked at me. "You risked your life just to prove this point?"

"I did not risk anything, Vance. I knew what she was trying to do." My voice was firm and calm. I turned to face him, my eyes burning with anger. "Brenda thinks she is the one winning here. She thinks she has control over me. Let her think that. Let Lucius think that. The more they think I am weak the less they will expect me to do something."

Vance said quietly "The meeting is starting. They are waiting for us."

" Let us go and give them a show." I said as we left my room. Walked down the dark corridors of the Obsidian Fortress. My boots made a noise on the stone floor. With every step I felt better and more angry.

When we got to the room the doors were open wide. The whole court was there. Many lords and ladies and warriors sitting in rows talking to each other. Lucius was standing in the middle of the room looking important and talking to his helpers.

Standing next to him was Brenda looking very happy with herself.

As I walked into the room everyone stopped talking. They all looked at me. I kept my head down as I walked slowly pretending to be weak. I did it well.

Brenda looked at my neck. Saw the dark silver lace and the red stone. She looked very happy and mean. She nudged the man next to her. Smiled. She thought she had won. She thought I was going to die

I walked up to the middle of the room. Stopped in front of the platform. I slowly raised my head pretending to struggle.. When I looked up, I did not look at the King. I looked straight at Brenda.

For a moment I looked weak. Then I looked her in the eye put my hand to my mouth and swallowed the rest of the medicine that was hidden under my tongue. My eyes flashed with strength and Brenda saw it.

Chapter 6: Midnight Prowl

I stood frozen in a doorway with my heart pounding against my chest like a trapped bird. Every muscle was tight. I wore training leathers. They were soft and quiet against the floor.

I took a breath through my nose. I tried to calm down. Get it together Tiana, I told myself. My fingers twitched against my thighs. You’ve been here before. You know the layout.*

"Man this place is creepy at night, " a voice whispered beside me.

It was Vance. He had followed me despite my warnings. He crouched low. His eyes darted to the end of the corridor. The grand library was there.

"I told you to stay in the barracks, " I whispered back. My voice was sharp but quiet. "If we get caught, Lucius won’t just lock us up. He’ll make an example out of us."

"I'm not letting you walk into the lion's den Commander, " Vance said. His jaw was tight. "You’ve been acting differently since the treaty. You're looking for something aren’t you? Something you haven't told me about."

I looked at him. I saw worry in his eyes. He was a kind man. a friend. In my life, he died defending our perimeter. We didn't know the wolves had hidden reinforcements. We didn't know because we didn't have the paperwork. We didn't have the truth.

"I'm looking for the slave ledgers, Vance " I said. I put it there plain and simple. "The secret ones. The documents show how many of our people Lucius has been quietly trafficking to the packs."

Vance’s eyes went wide. He stumbled back. His breath caught in his throat. "What? No... The King signed the alliance. He said all human prisoners were being released."

"He lied, " I said. The bitterness tasted like copper on my tongue. "He’s been lying from the start. In my past experiences we find out about these ledgers late. Months from now when half our people are already gone."

". How do you know they're in the private archive?" Vance asked. His hands shook slightly.

"Because that’s where he keeps his dirty secrets" I murmured as I turned my back to him. I looked at the iron-reinforced door at the end of the hall. "The guards rotate in two minutes. We have a sixty-second window to get inside."

Vance didn't hesitate. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers. He nodded. "I'm in. Tell me what to do."

"Watch the staircase " I said. "If you see a torch flicker you tap the wall twice. If you hear armor clinking you get out of here. Don't try to be a hero, Vance. Just run."

"Tiana I'm not leaving you"

"That’s an order Captain " I snapped softly. I used my commander's voice.

I didn't wait for him to argue. I slipped out of the doorway. glided down the hallway. My soled boots made no sound on the cold stone. My eyes were fixed on the iron lock of the private archive.

I reached the door. My breathing was shallow. My hands trembled slightly. I forced them to steady. I pulled out a piece of bent silver metal. It was a tool I had fashioned from a hair pin.

I shoved it into the lock. I tilted my head close to the wood. I listened for the clicks.

Tick. Click.

The heavy iron mechanism turned with a scrape. My heart leaped into my throat. I pushed the door open and pulled it shut behind me.

The private archive was freezing. The air was thick with the smell of paper and leather bindings. Moonlight poured through a window. It illuminated rows of wooden shelves packed with scrolls and ledger books.

I stood still for a second. I let my eyes adjust to the light. “Where would he keep them?” I thought. “Think like a wolf. Think like a tyrant.”

I marched past the history scrolls and agricultural records. Those were for show. I went into the back of the room. The shelves were hidden behind heavy velvet curtains. My hands moved frantically over the bindings. I pulled out books. I scanned the titles under the moonlight.

“Tax records. Troop movements. Mining yields.”

"Come on, come on, where is it?" I muttered. My voice was a whisper. My palms were sweating.

I remembered a conversation I had overheard. Lucius bragging to his ministers about a 'Black Ledger' bound in shadow-wolf hide.

I reached the shelf. I dropped to my knees. The stone floor was ice-cold. I began tearing through the heavy leather satchels.

Then my fingers touched something

It wasn't leather. It was rough and thick. It was completely black. My heart stopped as I pulled the book out. I flipped it open.

The first page was dated three weeks ago. Right in the middle of our peace negotiations.

I scanned the rows of names written in ink.

“District 4: 50 laborers moved to the Northern Ridge.”

“District 2: 30 women transferred to the Obsidian Mines.”

“Price per head: 200 silver pieces.”

My stomach twisted into a knot. Tears of anger stung my eyes. I refused to let them fall. I gripped the edges of the pages. The paper crumpled under my fingers.

"You monster " I breathed into the empty room. My voice trembled with grief and rage. "You were selling us out while I was picking out a wedding dress."

I shoved the ledger into my leather tunic. The cold hide pressed against my skin. It was a reminder of the war I was about to start. I needed to get this out. I needed to show Vance. I needed to show the rebel faction.

I stood up. My knees cracked slightly. I turned back toward the door. My eyes scanned the shadows.

Suddenly a dull thud echoed through the stone walls.

It wasn't the wind. It was a stone tapping against the wall.

Two times.

“Vances signal.”

My blood ran cold. My muscles locked up. “Someone is coming.”

I scrambled backward. I tried to find a place to hide. The archive was at an end. The shelves were flush against the walls. The narrow window was too high.

From the hallway heavy footsteps echoed. They weren't quick. They were slow and heavy. They dripped with authority. Each thud felt like a hammer striking my chest.

Lucius.

I knew that walk. I knew the weight of his stride. He was coming to his room.

I ducked behind the heavy velvet curtain. I pressed my spine flat against the stone wall. I squeezed my eyes shut. My hand flew to my mouth. I muffled the sound of my frantic breathing, My heart was beating loud. I was certain he would hear it.

They stopped. Right outside the oak door.

The iron handle gave a jolt as someone grabbed it from the outside. The metal scraped against metal, a sound that cut through the quiet room. The door began to open, a bit of bright light from the torch slicing through the darkness heading straight toward the curtain where I was hiding.