Walking through the camp towards the meeting hall I noticed a robed figure turning away from me to walk up the path through the log buildings I was currently following. I thought I noticed a shock of red hair beneath the cowl of the robe when the figure had turned. Shouting after her I increased my pace to catch up, there were enough people around that I couldn’t run without knocking people over. I was so focused on her I almost knocked over a man carrying a basket of fruit, fortunately I was able to stabilize him before he lost any fruit but I almost lost the figure as she darted behind a building up ahead.

Coming around the corner at a jog I almost ran into a group of people approaching from the other way. Muttering apologies I attempted to skirt the edge of their group and follow after the robed figure. She was turning down another space between buildings ahead when she turned her head and gave me a wink. It was Felecia.

Then I felt a hand clamp onto my arm. The less-than-friendly rebel Wolf spun me around to face him, flanked by a group of his cronies he seethed with malice.

“Watch yourself Hunter,” he scornfully snarled.

“I thought I saw someone I knew up ahead,” I explained, “A woman...”

“So now you’re after our women eh?” he growled. “Haven’t killed enough of us yet?”

“No, nothing like that,” I began to explain.

He cut me off by striding past me, knocking me off balance with his shoulder.

“I’m watching you,” he muttered as he passed. His friends stared at me as they walked away down the path, snickering to themselves.

I took a calming breath and went to where Felicia had rounded the building ahead, of course there was no sign of her again so I hurried to the large meeting hall.

* * *

I entered the large cabin to find the council assembled and waiting. Matthew, Ian and Eldarion all sat the head of the table. Also gathered were Lisa, James and Solomon from the caravan

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long,” I said, closing the door behind me.

“We’ve not been here over long,” Eldarion informed me, a cloud of smoke drifting from the long stemmed pipe tucked into the corner of his mouth. The smoke had a scent I was not familiar with, it didn’t have the caustic reek of tobacco, it was a more gentle, natural odor.

“What’s in that pipe?” I asked.

“It is an herb we Elves cultivated before the decline of our race. Like much of our culture, its name has been lost to the centuries. Iansianadell and I discovered a small stash of it buried in the earth here when we arrived. Unlike the tobacco plant, which destroys the lungs, this herb promotes respiratory health when smoked,” Eldarion said, “But enough of the horticulture lesson, we’ve grave business to discuss.”

“Indeed we do Elder,” Matthew began, “we need to figure out how best to stop Grimtooth’s plans. I will start by saying that a direct attack is not feasible at this point. We do not have the manpower or the equipment to take on the Regent’s forces in a head on battle.”

“Even with my squad to reinforce you? Because we will.” I assured him.

“With the much appreciated addition of your squad, we would have nearly three hundred able bodied fighters, most of whom were farmers, miners or the like until a month or so ago. The Regent has at least thrice that number in battle-hardened regulars. Add the hundred or so Hybrids he’s created so far and the fact that they could take control of a quarter of our fighters at any point and we’re outnumbered by an even wider margin. And those are just the troops we know about.”

“Have we sent word of our plight to neighboring kingdoms?” I asked.

“We have, but there is only bad news on that front. Early on, before we knew that the Regent was behind this, we sent a few messengers out to warn the other kingdoms of our trouble with Wolves. We received word back that the Regent had assured the other rulers that he would handle it,” Matthew paused to give a bitter laugh at this point, “Then, when we sent messengers with news of the Regent’s betrayal, there was only silence in return. Either the Regent’s Hybrids caught our messengers going out or, more optimistically, coming back. We have no way of knowing for sure what happened to them. As my father always said ‘Matthew, always assume the worst’. He was a bleak old bastard, but it’s good advice in this instance, we should plan our next move with the thought that no help will be coming from the outside.”

“What do we know about the Regent’s defenses? Could we strike at his sorcerers? Perhaps we can put a stop the production of Hybrids.”

“Stopping the twisted creation of such hideous beasts should definitely be paramount in our considerations,” Ian put in, “but it will require careful planning, as the location that the foul ritual takes place will be under heavy guard. We must also consider the sorcerers performing the rituals, they will be no pushovers themselves.”

“We should also give consideration to gathering better equipment for our men and reaching out to any other allies we might have within our borders,” added Lisa.

“Very well then,” Eldarion said, “Let us all send word to any contacts or possible allies we may have. In the meantime, we should continue training our men and harassing the Regent’s troops. Then, in a few weeks time, we shall reconvene to discuss the results of our efforts.”

“Agreed,” nodded Solomon.

“Drake, would you and your squad be able to help us train the men? If you’re feeling well enough, that is,” Matthew asked.

“We would be happy to,” I told him. “I may not be in fighting shape, but I can still yell at recruits."

Next Chapter: Chapter 21