Sword of Mercy

by Sydney Addae

  Asia had no idea who Konstantin was and crossed her arms over her chest waiting for an explanation. They had driven hours to reach this place and she hoped Konstantin knew something about the missing pups or she’d be pissed at the delay. Mistress and La Patron were counting on her to shut the Liege down.

  Radoff seemed confused by her lack of excitement. “Lord Konstantin.” He leaned forward and waited a beat. “The Lord who started the Roundtable of Lords back in the late 1800’s.” He looked behind him and then at them again. “This place isn’t in the official records of his land holdings. He had a special place where he met with the Roundtable and the Fekete Farkas, or Black wolf clan.”

  Asia sensed Hawke’s surprise through their link. She took another look at the crumbling estate. “Roundtable of Lords?”

  Radoff’s grin widened as he nodded. “That was the original name of the group, it changed in the 1900’s to Liege Lords, more modern I suppose.” He shrugged and looked at the building as if it were an early Christmas present. She prayed there were answers to their current problem behind those walls.

  “Why is this important?” Hawke asked, gazing at the building.

  Radoff took on the look of a professor intent on a lecture. She recalled his warning that she slow down and learn more before rushing ahead and prepared to listen.

  “Lord Konstantin was Hungarian and part of the aristocracy back in the 1800’s. They ruled what we know as Romania with an iron fist. Didn’t matter that they were the minority, they kept the majority poor and ignorant. Konstantin shied away from politics and invested in land. He owned thousands of acres across this area, Egypt, Moldova and Russia. The man was ahead of his time when it came to agriculture and making the land productive.”

  He glanced at Asia and waved his hand. “But that’s for another day. Konstantin had an affinity for the land and animals. Liked them better than people actually. Most of the public conservation areas in this country were his ideas and he set aside private places for wildlife. The man had a soft spot for wolves. Black wolves in particular. Rumor has it he was attacked and robbed by rebels on his way to his estate and left along the road with his guards for dead.”

  He paused, gauging their attention and continued. “Alpha Nikolas of the Fekete Farkas Clan saved his life, took him into the forest and did something. Whatever the Alpha did to Konstantin, made him stronger than he had been before. He maintained lands here for years until there was murmuring about his failing to age and then he moved to Egypt. Over the course of his life he moved all over the continent deeding pack lands to various clans. Most Alphas refuse to have anything to do with human authorities, so the Roundtable was set up to ensure packs would always own their land and thrive. Years later Alpha Nikolas died in a pack battle and was put to rest, Konstantin died a month later. They were tied in some way no one has ever understood.”

  Asia wondered if Konstantin and Nikolas were mates. Stranger things happened.

  “And we are here because?” Hawke asked.

  “Because this is where it all begun. Pacts were made. Strategies how to go forward were created. I’m hoping we can find records of some sort that would give insight on why the Liege is taking the pups.”

  “And you think the answer is in this building?” Asia asked, taking another look at the fallen stones littering the courtyard.

  “There are documents hidden inside, I’ve seen them. But I cannot translate them. Hawke can.” He looked at Hawke, who held his gaze and then nodded.

  “How do you know you can translate these pages without knowing what language they’re written in?” Asia asked through their link.

  “I’m fluent in most languages and can make out the rest. Chances are I’ll figure it out.” He followed her as she followed Radoff into the castle. Radoff turned on a flashlight and it became obvious his pack had cleared most of the cobwebs and tidied the place.

  “Do you have pack members staying here?” she asked.

  “Yes, I purchased the land. I thought it was important to secure the location until we had an opportunity to go through everything. Some areas cannot be accessed, but for the most part the building has held up well over time.” He moved down a dim corridor and turned left. Fire lit wall sconces provided the only light as they ventured further into the castle. Both the interior and exterior walls were made of heavy stone. Uneven floors, high ceilings, and large candelabras with mounds of melted wax hung from the rafters.

  Radoff stopped in front of a large blackened fireplace and looked over his shoulders at her and then frowned at Hawke. “Stoop low.” He pressed the mantle above the fireplace, and the wall opened with a grinding sound. Radoff’s grin showed his pleasure at his discovery.

  Once inside the small room, Asia understood Radoff’s happiness. On the wall was a tapestry in mint condition of a large black, green eyed wolf and a pale man sitting on the ground as if having a conversation. The image of the black wolf struck a chord in her, he seemed familiar.

  “Here’s a book we found tucked away.” Radoff handed the leather bound book to Hawke with all the reverence of a man in the presence of a great treasure. Hawke stared at it for a moment, sat and then opened it with equal care. The pages stuck together, until he gently pried them apart.

  Intrigued, Asia sat next to him while Radoff stood slightly behind him at his shoulder. Quiet, Hawke stared at the page without turning for so long, Asia thought he couldn’t translate it.

  Hawke sighed and shook his head. “This is the notes of one of the meetings of the Roundtable Lords.” He dropped his head into the palm of his hand and continued staring at the page.

  “What does it say?” Asia asked, glancing at Radoff. The man had stepped closer and stood directly at Hawke’s elbow peering over his shoulder.

  “It does not translate too well into English, so I will paraphrase. The Lord is reminding the men of their commitment to protect and serve the wolf-shifter in all its forms. They were the custodians of Konstantin’s wealth which was set aside for shifters.” Hawked shook his head. “Hard to believe this is the same group.” He turned the page.

  Asia glanced around the room. “Were all of these things here when you found the place?” she asked Radoff pointing to the small statues of wolves and artwork.

  He nodded and moved toward a bookcase with several black wolf figures the size of large chess pieces. His index fingertip traced the body of one piece before he spoke. “Imagine what he dreamed for us. He set aside all of his wealth and gave away his land so that we could co-exist in harmony with man.” He turned to face her. “But greed is a terrible thing.”

  Hawke released a bark of laughter grabbing their attention. “What?” she asked, looking at the letters and symbols on the page and then back at him.

  “Seems Konstantin expected greed and prepared for it. None of the land can be taken from the packs by humans, the packs can sell it or give it away if they chose. Plus, there is a curse on any member of the Roundtable if they misuse the money left for anything other than research to assist shifters, to make their lives better.”

  “Well, that’s open for interpretation, don’t you think?” Asia said, pushing away from the table and taking a closer look at another piece of art. “Lancaster and the others may have met the legal interpretation of the stipulations but not the spirit. Wonder what Konstantin would say if he saw how the Liege operated now?”

  “His son died.” Hawke looked up at her and then continued reading.

  “What?” She spun around.

  “Konstantin had a son who took his place on the roundtable after his death. He thought his father foolish to leave so much to animals and redirected funds to his personal pursuits. Within three months he died from some type of disease.” Hawked met her gaze. “Whoever wrote this spent a lot of time describing how bad the disease was and how it crippled the young man. I don’t know if this person was a sadistic bastard delighting in the other’s misery or wanted it explicit to serve as a warning to the others.”

  “
Could be a combination of both,” Asia murmured, looking at the spine of a book on the shelf. She pulled it out and looked at the pages. The small, neat handwriting hid secrets. Looking at another page she frowned.

  “Have you seen this before?” She showed Radoff.

  He took the book and stared at the small design. “No. It looks like a crest and something else. I can just make out Konstantin’s initials, badly smeared but they are there.” He pointed at the design.

  “Okay, I see that now, but what is the rest of it? I’ve seen this before.” She continued to stare at it a bit longer and then snapped her finger.

  “What?” Hawke asked, watching her.

  “One sec.” She looked at Radoff. “This has Konstantin’s initials and what else? Can you make it out?”

  “Looks like an upside down wolf, look here.” He pointed to the design. “That looks like a snout and a paw. Considering all he did for the Black Wolf Clan, I’m not surprised he made some type of brand or seal for them.” He turned and looked at the other books. “Let’s see if we find another one that might be clear enough to make out. He handed her a book and took one for himself. They looked through the pages and in each book found a similar symbol, which resembled the birthmarks she had seen on La Patron’s pups.

  Chapter 7

  Night fell and Hawke continued to read through the books, gaining more insight into the purpose of the Liege and Konstantin’s fascination with full-bloods. If it had been within the Lord’s power he would’ve become a wolf. Asia had asked about the connection between Konstantin and the Alpha Nikolas, Hawke had not ruled out the possibility of the Alpha biting the Lord. During his time with Lancaster, the Liege played with the idea of full-bloods biting humans and as far as he knew nothing had ever come of it. Perhaps there a link had been formed between the Lord and the Alpha back in the 1800’s that caused the lifelong bond. It was something to think on as he continued searching the records.

  He asked Radoff to check the dates of the other books to help find answers. These journals were of the Roundtable and took place years after the initial meeting of the black wolf and noble Hungarian.

  “Asia?”

  Jasmine stood and walked toward the corner of the room. She would’ve preferred to walk outside for fresh air, but Hawke would insist on accompanying her which would delay the translations of the journals. Stubborn man.

  “Yes, Mistress.” There were a few things she wanted to share and questions that needed answers regarding the birthmark.

  “I had a meeting with the Goddess –”

  Asia straightened, and her thoughts scattered at the announcement. “She contacted you?”

  Hawke looked over his shoulder at her. “What’s wrong?”

  She waved him down and listened harder.

  “Yes, earlier today. I had a mutiny on my hands otherwise I would’ve contacted you sooner.”

  “Mutiny? With who?” Asia couldn’t imagine anyone crazy enough to confront her Mistress.

  “From Silas’ pups, that’s who.”

  Asia smiled at the frustration she heard in Jasmine’s voice and relaxed. “What happened?”

  “Silas is concerned over the missing pups, so am I, but he took things to DefCon 6 or something and shut down the compound the day before the kids were supposed to go to the circus. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t been pumping up the damn thing up for the past week. The nursery was filled with circus toys, books and puzzles.”

  “Uh, oh.” La Patron’s pups were just a stubborn as he was and would not be happy with that type of change.

  “You got that right. Those demons gave me so much attitude with the screaming and hollering I told Silas to deal with it.” Jasmine chuckled. “He thought I put them up to it, but when he realized they were angry with both of us, he stopped trying to explain and went all Alpha on them.”

  Asia covered her mouth to stop the laugh that spilled over into their link anyway.

  Jasmine chuckled. “You’re right, it was funny. They didn’t pay daddy any attention and continued falling out. I swear if I ever see Renee paint another picture of a clown with her daddy’s face in the middle I’m going to lose it.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “Yes, she did. Adam wasn’t much better throwing things around. He tore apart the clown and all the circus books. Jackie joined him, the room looked like a tornado ran through it. A well coordinated tornado, seems like these four can link when they want to.”

  Asia had to ask. “What did David do?” He had been the runt of the bunch at birth and now seemed to be the unspoken leader of the group.

  “He said one word, ‘why?’ While the others were all emotional he asked me why they couldn’t go to the circus. I explained the danger and I swear that little boy weighed my words before he nodded and walked to the other side of the room, sat and ignored everyone else.”

  Asia wasn’t surprised. In her opinion, David would be the one to watch, he shared Jasmine’s intuitiveness and La Patron’s natural leadership abilities. “That’s funny. Wonder what he would’ve done if he didn’t like your explanation?”

  “Am I the only one who sees a problem explaining myself to my kids who aren’t two years old yet?”

  “They are operating on wolf biology so they are more like four or five. David might be more like eight or nine. You could have them tested so you’ll have a better understanding of how their biology works.”

  “That was a rhetorical question, Asia. I know they aren’t fully human, but I don’t recall the twins moving this fast. They were smart and developed faster than others… maybe they did and I didn’t pay attention.” Jasmine sighed and it tugged at Asia’s heart. Her mistress had to adapt to so many new things in their culture it had to be overwhelming at times.

  “The twins didn’t have La Patron as their sire. That is a major difference. He’s older and the ruler of our pack. It comes as no surprise his pups accelerate in knowledge,” Asia said in a pacifying tone.

  “Humph, that’s no excuse for bad behavior. I’m not having it, next time they’ll think twice before having a hissy fit against me.” It was the chuckle at the end of the statement that made Asia ask.

  “What did you do?”

  Jasmine snorted. “I’m making them clean the entire room by themselves and threatened to spank them again if they ever yell at me like I’m their playmate. None of my children will ever talk to me that way. I’m not having it. Not from the first two or from these four rascals.”

  Asia covered her mouth at the rant. “You spanked them?” She couldn’t imagine the sophisticated woman she knew raising her hand to anyone. Jasmine could wiggle her fingers and lift you from the floor, or rob your voice with a command. Those things she understood, but spanking? Asia couldn’t see it.

  “I swatted each one of those butts for spouting off to me. It’s one thing to be angry. Silas told them they could go and then changed his mind. So I understand the disappointment. But they made it personal and talked trash to me, like I’m a servant or something. Oh no, that makes it a different party. They will never make that mistake again.”

  “Wow.” Asia had nothing else to say. Behind the anger and sorrow rolling through their link whatever the pups said, it hurt Jasmine to discipline them. Better to bend the branch now while it was flexible, than later.

  “Yeah, now they have these long faces, but they’re cleaning up that mess and I’m standing here watching. Rone came in and fussed at them for disrespecting me. I don’t think they expected that.”

  “They apologized?”

  “Oh yeah. Before Rone came in, I told them why I popped them on their butt and they apologized and hugged my neck. David then told them to get to work cleaning up their mess.” Jasmine chuckled. “He is a bossy one. So much like Silas, it’s scary.”

  “He has a lot of you as well, Mistress.”

  “True, sometimes I wonder what will happen with these four. Silas wants more kids, but these four keep me on my toes, I’m not re
ady to have more. Maybe later, much later.” She paused. Oops, sorry I got sidetracked. The Goddess summoned me, which was really cool by the way, and she told me I am her representative for the mission you and Hawke are on.”

  “She mentioned me?” Asia’s heart raced in fear and excitement, she couldn’t believe the Goddess paid her the least attention.

  “Yes, and Hawke,” Jasmine said in a soft voice. “I told you, Asia. You are special. There is something going on and you and your Mate are the keys for the success of turning the war.”

  “Keys? War?” Separately, she understood a key and she had told La Patron they were in a war. But those two words in a sentence together didn’t make much sense to her.

  “When she talks, it’s in riddles, let me see if I can remember what she said exactly.” Asia listened as Jasmine repeated her conversation with the Goddess.

  Closing her eyes, Asia went over in her mind what Jasmine said. “He’s loyal already, what more does he need to do?”

  “Who is his Alpha?”

  Asia bit her lip before answering. “He doesn’t have one. We want to belong to the same pack, so we’re waiting to come home and then he’ll pledge to La Patron.” Since they hadn’t actually discussed this she assumed this was her mate’s mindset.

  “Let me talk with Silas. That needs to be done right away, maybe Angus can help but for her to say it was important to happen immediately it must be.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. As soon as La Patron knows what he wants to do let us know. Now, as far as merging, I thought we did that when we mated. Is there more? Something we haven’t done?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t know how to contact her for answers.”

  Asia wasn’t surprised. The Goddess was big on allowing her followers find their own path with a gentle push. “Okay, we’ll deal with that later. But this one… becoming a Sword in truth, please tell me you know what she meant by that?” Based on everything Jasmine said, Sword in truth seemed to crystallize the message.