Chapter 435: Questions Without Answers

Some Minutes Before

The council hall had quieted, though the tension in the air still clung to the walls like smoke. The elders remained seated around the long table, their expressions drawn, their bodies stiff from hours of deliberation.

The heavy wooden door opened once more, and Mary stepped in. Her footsteps were careful, but her presence immediately drew the attention of everyone still seated. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.

"Is Lysander up to date on everything?" she asked softly, her eyes scanning the faces around the table.

The others nodded. Brynhild, seated beside Lysander, smiled faintly and gave a small gesture toward him. He had leaned back in his chair, fingers laced together, head tilted slightly, as though he were still processing the flurry of events from the past few days.

Daniel reached forward and placed the small pouch carefully on the table. Beside it, he laid the letter recovered from the body of the deceased enclave messenger.

Caspian was the first to break the silence. He leaned forward, fingers brushing the pouch lightly, and inhaled. "The scent," he said. "It smells like Tobias. But Tobias... he’s at the black market. That makes no sense."

Lysander lifted his gaze from the table to meet Caspian’s. His expression was tight, his jaw set. "Exactly," he said. "That’s why it’s so confusing. How did Tarin even get this? If Tobias is in the black market, how does a boy—this boy, Tarin—come into possession of it?"

Madam Tyler folded her hands on the table and shook her head slightly. "Can we at least ask him?" she asked quietly, almost hoping the boy might be conscious.

Lysander’s eyes darkened, and he shook his head. "No. He hasn’t woken. He’s still unconscious. We can’t ask him anything until he regains consciousness. That’s... the only way."

Daniel nodded. He rested one hand on the table, tapping the pouch lightly with a finger. "As it stands, the only thing we know for certain is that the pouch belongs to Tobias. How Tarin came to have it... that can only be answered when he wakes. Until then, it’s a mystery."

He reached toward the letter and lifted it from the table. "As for this," he continued, "the member of the enclave we found dead was a messenger. I’m certain of it. This letter was intended for our pack. Whoever sent him, they wanted to ensure it reached us. There’s no ambiguity here."

Caspian snatched the letter and unfolded it carefully, scanning the writing before clearing his throat and reading aloud. "It’s addressed to the pack," he said slowly, his voice carrying through the hall. "Like before... they’re asking for help. The enclave is dealing with a plague. They want our assistance."

Madam Tyler exhaled sharply and shook her head. "I would have liked it if we actually knew what this plague is," she muttered, her words heavy with frustration. "Not just the name or the cause... the actual disease. Its effects. How it spreads."

The others murmured their agreement.

Mary’s voice rose above the soft murmur of the council. "Do you think the enclave is even okay?" she asked. "And... why would they come to the same pack they labeled traitors? The same pack whose members they have wanted, whose faces are posted across every outpost... why would they come to us?"

Caspian muttered softly, almost to himself, but loud enough for the others to hear. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, perhaps. Perhaps they’re in a position where they have no choice but to reach out, even if it means swallowing some pride."

Mary’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "I’d like it if we sent a ’fuck you’ back, just like before."

A few chuckles broke the tension in the room. Brynhild laughed quietly, covering her mouth with a hand. Even Caspian allowed a small smirk.

Lysander, however, remained thoughtful, quiet. He looked from the pouch to the letter and back again, lips pressed together. "Do any of you actually know where Tarin is from?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. His voice was calm but carried a weight that made the others pause. "The only pack in the North is ours. So... how did a child end up in the forest? How does he appear here with no explanation?"

Daniel leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced together on his lap. "Miles and Genevieve said the boy was with Sophia when they found him," he explained. "But... she didn’t explain where he came from. There’s no information beyond that."

Lysander exhaled slowly and rubbed his temples. "I really hope Sophia and Orion come back soon," he murmured. "Because every time we find a piece of the puzzle, it raises five more questions. Only they likely have the answers to these."

Mary nodded, tapping the table lightly. "Speaking of pieces... do any of you actually believe the person posing as Eldric? The one who appeared in the council hall and spoke to us... can we trust him?"

The room went quiet. Everyone’s eyes fell on Madam Tyler. She adjusted slightly and leaned forward. "There’s no reason not to believe him," she said softly, choosing her words carefully. "From what I observed... he isn’t from our time. There’s something different about him, something ancient. And the way he drew frantically, the way he spoke... I believe him."

Caspian leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed. "I agree with Madam Tyler," he said quietly. "If someone was trying to deceive us, would they have allowed us to watch him so closely while he struggled to hold onto that vision? He could have lied at any point, and yet he didn’t. He revealed as much as he could."

Brynhild spoke next, her voice calm but certain. "We will know more when Orion and Sophia return. Until then, all we can do is trust that the pieces will fit. That the boy, the pouch, the messenger, and the plague... there must be a reason why all this happened all at once."

Mary rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It just feels... wrong," she said softly. "How many things are stacking up that we can’t explain? A boy in the forest with a pouch that shouldn’t be here. A dead messenger from the enclave. A plague. And someone we can’t identify sitting in the council hall, speaking like he knows more than us... it’s unsettling."

Daniel tilted his head, regarding the room. "That’s why we must keep perspective. Unanswered questions are not the same as impossibility. There are pieces of the puzzle we cannot reach yet, but that doesn’t mean we are powerless. When Orion and Sophia return, we will have more clarity. Until then, we watch, we protect, and we prepare. That is all we can do."

"And it’s obvious we don’t have answers to the questions we have, so... should we go back to our homes and meet again when Orion and Sophia come back?" Mary asked.

"That’s the best thing to do now," Caspian said, nodding.

"I’ll tell the healers to keep an eye on Tarin," Lysander said.

"I’ll ensure there are guards watching Eldric’s home, although I doubt he’d escape," Brynhild said.

The others agreed.