Chapter 161: The Wolf Clan 1

A howling was the first noise Tanaka heard that morning. Beyond the guest residence, then farther still across Varghelm, then a dozen more joined in from all sides until the call echoed back along the capital’s streets. Tanaka arrived on the balcony.

"What happened?" he asked. "Nothing," came the reply. Garric was waiting in the courtyard below, already dressed. Tanaka regarded his companion in amazement. "The whole city is howling," he said. "It’s morning," Garric said. "That’s not an excuse," Tanaka replied.

"Then perhaps it is if you are a wolf," Garric said. Tanaka sighed audibly. He switched to his human form, then dropped to the courtyard. Raizen exited the building while Zephyr landed on the rooftop. Maeryn waited near the courtyard gate.

"The Royal Palace has not called for you yet," she said. "That gives us time for another issue." Tanaka frowned. "Another issue?" he asked. "You have walked into the capital of the Wolf Crown without knowing much about its inhabitants," Maeryn said. "It’s not my fault," Tanaka protested.

"It never is," Maeryn said, smiling. Tanaka couldn’t exactly argue. They rode out of the residence. Varghelm appeared different the moment they left the markets behind. Broad streets of pitted stone replaced the wide boulevards of merchant houses. Banners fluttered from rooftops and along the street curbs.

Most displayed the silver wolf and crest of the Wolf Crown, but others bore variations of the same theme. A white wolf against a field of three stars. A black wolf surrounded by thornbushes. Two grey wolves locked in a paw-to-paw salute. A scarlet wolf with a clawed forepaw planted on a mountain peak. Tanaka counted at least six different banners before the road curved around a corner.

"Clans," Garric said, noting Tanaka’s scrutiny. "Wolves," Tanaka said. "Of course," Garric replied. Garric paused to indicate a large stone pillar on which dozens of names were carved. "We are one people but not one family," he said. "Each of these clans holds territory within the Wolf Lands, and generally their specializations reflect their location."

He pointed out the first banner, a pale blue wolf with a crown of frost. "Frostmane. North of the capital near the highlands. Their best mages are ice weavers," he said. The next banner depicted a black wolf surrounded by blooming thorns. "Nightfang. Scouts and hunters. This clan is known for its wind magic and illusions," he continued.

Garric paused to indicate another banner featuring two grey wolves looking in opposite directions. "Mountain wolves of Redclaw. Reinforcement and excavation magic..." he began. "Not their speciality," Tanaka noted. "Their attitude," Maeryn added. "There are always exceptions, but a Frostmane child taken by the wind can grow to be an excellent air wizard. A warrior of Redclaw could become the finest ice weaver ever recorded. Clan blood creates a preference, but not a predetermination."

Tanaka liked that. He would never be the best earth mage that the Royal Palace could produce. But he was not bound by blood to become a weak wizard either. "Do many clans exist within the Wolf Lands?" he asked. Garric indicated the passing banners. "Nine great clans swear fealty to the Wolf Crown. Dozens more lesser bloodlines exist under their lordship," he said.

Tanaka turned a slow gaze on the capital. "Are all of these great clans here?" he asked. "They are represented here in Varghelm," Garric said. "Their ancestral territory lies scattered throughout the Wolf Lands. A single village such as Wolfeim may be home to numerous bloodlines, but the great clans maintain their own holdings and representative families within the capital," Maeryn corrected.

Garric turned back to the road. "Their feuds are conducted here as well," he said. "Their meetings first, then the arguing," Maeryn said. Tanaka thought that was more honest. They came to a large courtyard surrounded by stone walls and a training field filled with hundreds of wolf beastmen.

Unlike the mixed martial and magic displays that Tanaka had seen in Varghelm, these wolf warriors fought a faster, warier style. Spellcasting was frequent as well, but more often it seemed to augment the martial arts rather than being separate acts of magic. A wiry young warrior darted to a new position and called out, "Winds that pursue the hunt, bind at my heels!"

Tanaka could feel the magic stirring in the young man’s wake. Garric nodded approvingly as the boy vanished from view. The next combatant appeared to leap and vanish inside his opponent’s guard, but another blast of power sent him tumbling backward. "It seems," Tanaka said, "these people chain spells while fighting."

"It is one of the specialities of our nation," Garric admitted. "If your enemies move around you while summoning a powerful spell, then you had better be ready to move as well." Tanaka watched another duel with increasing interest. The participants spoke few words, taking long measured pauses where most humans would cast a powerful incantation.

"Few beasts separate magic and martial prowess, it seems," Maeryn noted. Garric snorted. "If a foe can wound you by simply biting, then a mage should not expect to stand and chant safely," he said. Tanaka agreed. A trainer barked reprimands to a clumsy pupil who had paused to complete an incantation. "Your enemy does not wait for you to recite poetry, fool! Move!" he shouted.

The next instant the student sprang sideways to avoid a slicing wind blade. Tanaka grinned. He understood why he liked these people. Magic use had not been different, only varied. Where humans or lizard men or elves might perform a powerful incantation at a steady pace of reinforced magic, wolves were doing the same tricks in bursts woven between movement and attack.

"A pack of wolves will surround that one," Raizen noted. "One drives the prey toward the others while calling the wind to her aid. Then they can drive in and strike while the target runs short of power." Tanaka turned toward the group just in time to witness the effect. One of the wolves blocked the way while the other two, one striking wind magic at her back, surrounded her target.

The reinforced ice dagger in their leader’s paws drove through the rear rank of defenders, bursting out of her chest to spray the battlefield with crimson mist. Tanaka exhaled sharply. "A pack," Raizen murmured. "Not an army." "Different techniques but the same instinct," Tanaka agreed.

Garric led them out the northern archway, now several streets away from the trading district. The palace loomed on the horizon, a collection of nine great towers encircling the central keep. Each of the towers bore a single bannered crest. One tower, taller than the rest, flew the standard silver wolf pennant associated with the royal palace. "The Wolf Crown," Tanaka said.

"It is both the prize and the power," Maeryn explained. "The king who holds the greatest strength and wisdom among the Wolf Clans rules as a monarch. He is not the sole voice in Wolf Lands matters, but none will ignore him when the matter concerns the entire realm and its people." "A council?" Tanaka asked.