Chapter 59
Tom had watched Arthur grow into his role as king with a deep sense of pride, but he had never seen this deeply pensive and suspicious look on Arthur’s face until today.
“Your Majesty?” Tom asked. “You seem pensive.”
“We never found Owen’s body,” Arthur said.
“What are you getting at?”
“Who else would know enough about the werewolf kingdom, and where Sharp Armor is? Who else would have a reason to give such information to the vampires?” Arthur thought back to their battle and how determined Owen had been to prove that he was stronger than Arthur no matter what. He’d wanted Arthur to be just like him. “If there was anyone I suspect to be behind why the vampires attacked where they did, it would be him.”
Based on what Owen knew about Arthur and the feud that had left them both orphans, Arthur was willing to bet he knew a bit about the vampires.
Tom frowned and considered it before shaking his head. From what he’d been told, Owen was as good as dead. Even if he managed to survive somehow, why would he go to the vampires? The same enemy his father fought for years.
“You don’t agree?” Arthur asked.
“It just… seems highly unlikely, Your Majesty,” Tom said. “The vampires were crafty and treacherous all on their own. Osborn spent the last years of his life fighting them before turning against the crown. Why would they ever accept his son’s help?”
Enemies know your strengths best, he remembered from a journal that had been in his namesake’s office. Allies know your weaknesses best.
Owen wasn’t Osborn, but maybe it was bigger than just Owen going to the vampires with information about the werewolf kingdom. Maybe while Osborn was alive, he’d been laying the groundwork to make the vampires agreeable to his help, feeding them little tidbits of information while putting on enough of a show regarding the war to be convincing.
He would have known that Dean would have never had a reason not to trust him, and if the vampires’ goal was to always destroy the Royal line, Osborn’s quest for the throne would have been a perfect method to destroy it from the inside. The man had chosen to murder his brother. After hearing how smart Osborn was and that Dean had been the general of the werewolf kingdom before Osborn, Arthur had a hard time believing that Osborn hadn’t been plotting against him for a while.
Owen had been underhanded in all his dealings, laying traps to make sure he won in any fight. Arthur didn’t see why it wasn’t possible that he’d inherited such conniving from his father.
Arthur thought it was obvious that an enemy who could defeat you could be a great ally. They knew your strengths and weaknesses better than you did, after all, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He still had to speak to Daphne about the vampires and what else could be coming their way. Something was bothering him about it all that he still couldn’t name.
“We’ll think more on it,” Arthur said. “For now, tend the injured and organize forces to defend the most affected packs. We need to strengthen the patrols along the border to avoid this happening again.”
Tom nodded and the meeting ended.
After the meeting, Arthur only saw glimpses of Daphne until about dinner time. Just before dinner, he found her in the kitchen helping packing stores to send with the packs in anticipation of their increased numbers. She looked at him silently as he approached her.
Arthur took her hand and led her out of the kitchen towards their bedroom.
“Your Majesty, will you be taking dinner in your quarters?”
“Yes,” Arthur said to the woman. “Thank you.”
Daphne followed Arthur silently until they reached their room. He led her to sit in their parlor beside the roaring fire and for a little while they didn’t speak.
“I’ve missed you,” Arthur said. “You’ve… been avoiding me all day.”
Daphne winced. She’d hoped he would have been too busy to notice, but she should have known better.
“I’m sorry, I… I just needed to think.”
“About the meeting?”
She nodded.
“What do you think?” Arthur asked.
She glanced at him, “I-I think I would feel better if we knew for sure Owen was dead.”
She shuddered remembering the way the woman had pulled the spear out of her chest and still had the strength to evade Arthur and the other wolves.
“Owen,” he said softly. “What did he say to you while you were captive?”
Daphne winced and leaned into him, seeking the comfort of his warmth. Arthur pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her head.
“You’re safe now.”
She nodded, knowing that and focusing on the sense of warmth and safety filling her, “He asked if I could love him if he killed you. He said that he had been cursed by the moon goddess because of how many werewolves he’d killed.”
Arthur frowned, stifling the spike of anger at the thought of Owen wanting Daphne. He had sunk so far into the bloodlust that drove the Royal family into fits of rage, but he seemed obsessed with Daphne.
“He lived in that tower, Arthur,” Daphne shook her head. “I don’t think he ever lived in a village or cared for by anyone…”
Arthur swallowed, thinking back to his time in Brown Valley. He had gone a long time without any sort of affection, but he hadn’t let himself be taken over by his power completely. He admitted that Daphne’s entrance into his life saved him in more than one way, but had that been the only reason he and Owen had turned out so differently?
“I think he was jealous of you. He seemed to want you to end up the same way as him to make himself feel better.”
He nodded. He’d gotten that feeling too, “Well…I have you to thank for not being like that.”
Daphne shook her head and looked up at him, “Even without me… I don’t think you would have ended up that way.”
Arthur swallowed and looked into her eyes that felt piercing as if she were seeing into his heart.
“And I think… you agree.”
He winced. She was right. Osborn had turned against his brother for whatever reason. No matter his reasoning, he’d killed his family. There was a darkness in Osborn that had passed on to Owen, Arthur was sure of it. For a moment, he wondered what he’d inherited from Dean other than his blonde hair and features.
Had there been a different darkness in him that had passed to Arthur?
“I don’t think Owen is dead.”
Daphne flinched. Her heart sped up but she said nothing for a long time.
“And I think he’s joined forces with the vampires for some reason.” Arthur sighed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense about how they found Sharp Armor.”
Daphne frowned. There was something not adding up. She could agree that Owen was a likely culprit. His tower was within the vampire’s old territory, so it was possible that he’d found a way to them, but what about Brown Valley?
“How do you think the vampires found their way toward Brown Valley? What were they doing there?”
Arthur looked down at her, “What do you mean?”
“We ran into them on the way back to the cottage from Brown Valley… They followed us to the waterfall.” She shuddered at the remember. “Th-That man wanted to take me…”
“Vampires drink blood, don’t they?” Arthur said, thinking of the animal corpse he found in the forest. “They probably just wanted to kill you and that’s not going to happen.”
Daphne shook her head. She wasn’t convinced and it made her worry more. Anxiety churned in her stomach.
“If that’s the case, then why did he take my bag?”
“What?” Arthur frowned, “What are you talking about?”
“Th-The leader,” Daphne whispered. “He took my bag. He didn’t throw it after he took it from me. He put it on his shoulder. He still had it when we escaped… and he wasn’t with the vampires that chased us from the castle.”
Arthur frowned, trying to remember. There had been so much to think about at the time. He hadn’t realized it then, but she was right. It was weird. Even the woman in Sharp Armor hadn’t seemed interested in hurting her.
“Do you think they can smell that my blood is special?” She asked looking up at him, her eyes wide with anxiety. “Like th-they’re tracking it or something?”
Arthur took her by her shoulders and met her gaze, “You’re safe with me, Daphne.”
“What about everyone else?”
“I’ll do everything I can,” Arthur said. “We’ll band together to deal with the vampires and if someone tries to take you from me, I’ll kill them.”
Daphne’s lips twitched with the phantom of a smile as a knock sounded on the door, announcing the arrival of dinner.
For now, they would eat and rest. Questions about the dead, evil, and undead would have to wait.
