Return of the Ancients

Chapter 15 Not All Wolfen Were Honourable

Orcalion watched the execution with pitiless eyes. The Panterran soldiers who had allowed the prisoners to escape were quickly beheaded, and the bodies would be dragged deep into the forest for the night beasts to tear to shreds. Incompetence was not tolerated among Panterran warriors.

Time was growing short, and the Lygon were becoming harder to control. Their common ancestry bound them to the Panterran — but only loosely. The monstrous brutes were unpredictable, and could easily turn against them if their lust for carnage wasn’t sated.

He looked down at the bloody bag at his feet. The Wolfen scouts they captured had refused to talk — not a single word or scream of pain. He knew he had hurt them; he had taken his time. He narrowed his yellow eyes as if willing it to speak, to reveal the hated creatures’ secrets. It worried him that these Wolfen had such strong hearts, their honour a shield against his torture. The bag held only the trophies he had removed from them. He grinned, baring his needle-like teeth. Others’ agony was satisfying and information was vital for the coming war — torture worked on some, but not all. Other sources were needed. Not all Wolfen were honourable. You just needed to find the right ones, and use the right methods.

The Panterran slung the bag over his shoulder and walked back to the camp. His spies had already found out that the Man-kind had made it to Valkeryn, and King Grimvaldr was calling it an omen for the Wolfen. There was no doubt: the Man-kind arriving, at this of all times, was a sign — but for whom, and of what?

Orcalion cursed the executed Panterran again for allowing the hairless creature to escape before he had a chance to interrogate him personally. He needed the information the creature held — in its mind, or in its guts — either would do. And he meant to get it.

It was time to pay the Wolfen a visit.