Page 10 of The Wars of Monsters
Lyr looked hard at the orc alpha, and he stopped laughing.
Losak’s brows slammed down. “You mean to tell us that the stone king is still alive somewhere in Katakin after all these years?”
This time it was Dean who responded, the flickering shadows on his green face making him appear more imposing. “It’s not like he’s been walking around the city. He’s entombed.”
At that, a few monsters gasped, while others shouted curses and protests. Lyr lifted her hands to stop the rising noise. “In his current state, he’s unable to cause harm. We’ll keep him entombed when we hand him over to the fae. Soren and I will leave at daybreak to retrieve him. We could use a few more volunteers.”
There were murmurs around the room, but before anyone had offered to help, I blurted, “I’ll join.” All eyes turned my way, and I blanched under the attention. Still, I didn’t regret putting my hand up.Being cooped up in the room hadn’t been too bad because Asher and the others were with me, but I needed to get out. This was the perfect excuse. Not to mention, I was hoping that by volunteering it would help to ease some of the suspicions about me.
“We’ll go too,” Kade growled in agreement quickly, and I smiled at my wolf shifter.
Kasey watched Kade from across the room, but he ignored her stare.
“Even if we have the king, there’s no way we’d be able to imprison Warrick,” Kenric said. “His outliers will eat us alive.”
“It’s the only option we can see that might appease the fae,” Soren replied, tucking his wings in tighter and moving closer to Lyr’s side. “If their entire army attacks while the monsters are divided, we won’t be able to match them.”
Kasey commented from across the room. “Why not leave Warrick’s outliers to wipe out the fae? Then once they’re gone and Warrick’s forces are weakened, we can overpower him.”
I ground my teeth together. I wouldn’t tell them I was part fae. That would only make them suspect I was a fae spy even more, but I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from disagreeing with Kasey’s statement.They can’t want all those fae to die at the claws of the outliers, can they?From the nods coming from the monsters around the room, it was clear they could.
“None of us know how many outliers Warrick has, nor do we know how he is creating them,” Lyr replied. “If we can negotiate a peace treaty with the fae, they may be open to finally breaking the curse over Katakin. We need them to understand that it may be the only way to rid ourselves of Warrick and his outlier army. The fae have never been our enemies. King Adrien was the one who broke the treaty between our kind, but before that, there was peace between our kingdoms. Blood has been shed on both sides, and it all started with King Adrien. Many of you are here because you’re tired of being monsters. You remember what it was like before the curse, during a time when the streets were filled with laughing children and the city was full of life. We need to stop acting like the monsters the fae think we are, or we’ll never break the cycle. Queen Izla didn’t intend to condemn all of us, only King Adrien. I was there when she unleashed the curse. The fae are the only ones who can help to reverse this out-of-control magic.”
Kasey still looked like she wanted to argue, but the expressions had changed around the room as the monsters started to realize this discussion wasn’t only about surviving. I understood then that many of the monsters truly believed the fae could make them human again, and I squirmed against Darian, my shoulders feeling heavy. They didn’t know I was the one carrying the secrets that could free them.
“While we’re getting King Adrien, the rest of you must prepare yourselves for what’s to come. Hopefully, we can come up with a way to capture Warrick.”
“How do we know Warrick and his outliers aren’t already on their way here?” asked a male goblin I’d never seen before. I could only guess he was from one of the lower houses that had joined us. “If someone is giving Warrick information on which houses have joined the rebellion, isn’t it possible he might know our location?”
Lyr shook her head. “There is no way to know for sure, but I believe our hideout is still secure. We received word that the vampires captured and tortured one of the demons from the House of Thorem, and that’s how Warrick got his hands on the information. Thankfully, Borren has assured me that the demon didn’t know of this place. Either way, we must all take turns keeping watch over the camp.”
Whispers and chatter sounded around the room, and Kasey spoke up. “What about the other high houses in the city? We need them on our side.”
Lyr stared at her with an unreadable expression. “Warrick has too much influence with the House of Nesarin for them to join us, but Nic is going to discreetly visit Mabel and try to get the House of Faren to come to our side.”
“And what of the House of Saceris?” asked another monster I didn’t recognize. “Could Cordelia not be persuaded to do the same?”
Lyr’s uncertain gaze found Darian, and my siren showed no emotion as he said, “The sirens will not listen to me.”
“That may be true, but you’re our best chance at getting through to them,” Dean countered.
There was a beat of silence before Darian nodded. “Perhaps, but I do believe they are a lost cause.”
Lyr gave him a reassuring smile. “Well, we will have to hope you can find a way to convince them.”
“And what about the Taratun council,” Kenric questioned. “How much of a threat do they pose?”
“Like the House of Nesarin, the Taratun will not be swayed. We should assume they will remain allied with Warrick, especially seeing as Warrick and Perene are members of the council. In any case, there is nothing to be done,” Lyr answered.
The gargoyles had been silent for the entire council, but Chaol finally spoke up. “Do we know how the outliers will act without Warrick there to command them?”
Lyr turned her attention to the gargoyle. “We hope that without Warrick, the outliers won’t have the mental capability to form coordinated attacks. We should be able to slowly eradicate them if we work together.” She let out a resigned sigh. “It’s the best plan we’ve got.”
There were grumbles around the room, but when there were no more questions Lyr called the meeting to an end and the monsters began to disperse.
When it was only us and Lyr and her mates still present, Asher clapped his hands together and grinned. “Well, all right then. Who’s ready to bring in a king?”
CHAPTER 8