Chapter 168: Beastfolk Politics and An Assassination Attempt 2

Tanaka returned to his guest residence just before evening. A royal messenger was waiting in the courtyard with a sealed document bearing the sigil of the silver wolf. He introduced himself, confirmed Tanaka’s identity and handed over the message. "His Majesty King Aldren Greymane requests your presence at the general meeting this morning. Delegates from the major Beastfolk nations and recognised clans will be in attendance," the messenger said.

Tanaka broke the seal on the document. The meeting was to be held shortly before midday in the Crown Assembly Hall, with all delegates expected to report for registration shortly before the appointed hour. The message included an additional request for Tanaka to attend the meeting as the recognised ruler of Eldoris and bring along any representatives he saw fit. Tanaka folded the paper over.

"Tomorrow, then," he said. The messenger bowed and departed. Tanaka turned his gaze towards the building where Raizen was staying and considered if he should inform the Star Wolf King of the schedule. He changed his mind when he remembered that Raizen would have received his own notification and headed inside without disturbing him.

It was unusual for Tanaka, but he wanted to spend a little time exploring the city without running into someone asking him about matters of state. He transformed into his human form with the small draconic features he had been using in Varghelm and left the residence on his own. The streets were busy in the evening. The merchants were packing up their stalls, the taverns were filling up with customers and groups of beastfolk were gathering to watch street performers throw small magical displays around for the entertainment of passers-by.

Tanaka stopped to watch a fox magician toss a couple of glowing butterflies into the air before he wandered further down the avenue in search of a quieter street. He was enjoying Varghelm. It was a city of contradictions, but the people allowed it to exist because they all understood that they were only surviving because of the compromises that had been made. There were laws, governing bodies and people willing to enforce them, but that didn’t mean everyone was willing to obey them.

Tanaka wasn’t naive enough to believe that any nation was free of corruption, but he knew what the right sort of person did when they came across it. He turned down a side street that led towards a small courtyard. And stopped. Something was wrong.

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Tanaka’s Mana Sense was good, but even he couldn’t completely filter out the excess traces of magic clinging to the air in Varghelm. It meant there was always the chance of picking up something unusual, and right now there was something in the city that didn’t belong. It followed him, ever since he took that turn away from the main avenue. Tanaka continued walking as though he hadn’t sensed anything at all.

The presence was still following him. Tanaka turned into a smaller street that was lightly populated and passed a boarded-up shop before ducking beneath an archway and entering a courtyard enclosed by stone walls. The presence was in the courtyard. Tanaka smiled. "Are you trying to follow me all evening?" he asked.

A shadow detached itself from the roof and landed a few metres away from Tanaka. A hooded and masked figure in dark clothing crouched behind him, a narrow dagger in one hand with a dull, unpleasant shimmer to the metal. Tanaka’s smile vanished. The assassin moved. Tanaka barely had time to raise his guard before the man released a short incantation and a group of translucent figures formed out of the shadows around him.

They scattered forward, each one aiming a dagger at a different part of his body. "Spirit of the hidden path, divide the sight of my enemy. Mirrored Hunt!" the assassin chanted. Tanaka’s Mana Sense bled out into the courtyard. He let the illusions pass him by. The real danger was behind him. Tanaka rolled to one side as the dagger sliced across his shoulder blade, forcing him to bite back a cry of pain.

The assassin’s eyes widened as he saw the dark liquid that was seeping from the cut, but Tanaka grabbed hold of the man’s wrist and twisted. "Found you," Tanaka said. Tanaka pressed his free hand against the assassin’s chest and sent the man flying backwards. The force of the throwing motion cracked the stone wall, but Tanaka had enough sense to stop before he crushed the man’s ribs.

Tanaka twisted his body away from the assassin’s next attack. The man spun underneath his armpit, pulling free of his hold, and slashed upwards with his knife. Tanaka pulled his knees up against his chest and the blade missed him by a fraction of an inch. He caught the assassin by the back of his clothes and hurled him across the courtyard. The man hit the ground, rolled a couple of times and stood back up just as Tanaka closed the distance.

Tanaka could feel the assassin’s muscles coiling in his legs as he prepared to leap away again. He was fast and experienced enough to know that his opponent was skilled, but not strong enough to survive what he was about to do. His next move would either kill the man or give him enough of a shock to slow him down. Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. The assassin raised his free hand.

"Veil of the wandering spirits, swallow the light. Shadow Curtain!" the assassin chanted. Tanaka’s vision blurred as darkness swallowed up the courtyard. For a second, the world around him was replaced by an illusory landscape made out of shifting shadows. Several figures emerged from the gloom, all armed with the same poisoned dagger the assassin had used. Tanaka exhaled slowly.

The man had used an ambush and concealment to lull him into a false sense of security and now he was combining it with an attack designed to take advantage of that feeling. It would have worked on a careless opponent, but Tanaka knew how to sense the unnatural flow of magic in the room. He turned just in time to catch the real assassin as he lunged out of the shadows. Tanaka’s fingers closed around the man’s forearm. The dagger hovered a fraction of an inch away from his chest.

"Trying very hard to kill me, aren’t you?" Tanaka asked. Tanaka shoved with all the strength he could muster and the assassin staggered back, his free hand already forming a new spell. Tanaka pulled his arm back and delivered a solid blow to the man’s stomach. The assassin’s knees buckled and Tanaka caught hold of his clothing again. "Who sent you?" Tanaka demanded.

The assassin’s masked face twisted into a sneer. Tanaka’s fingers tightened around the man’s sleeve. "You’re not getting out of this courtyard until you tell me," he said. The assassin’s head moved downwards. Tanaka didn’t notice the change in his opponent’s posture until it was too late. The man’s teeth sank into something hidden between his jaws and a metallic bitterness filled the air.

Tanaka yanked him away just in time. The assassin’s body convulsed and black veins spread across his face from the corners of his mouth. He collapsed against Tanaka’s arm and went limp. Tanaka lowered him gently to the ground and pressed two fingers against his throat. Nothing. The assassin was dead. Tanaka stared down at the man’s body.

It was the second time in two days that he had been in a fight to the death and Tanaka was growing sick of losing people to those who thought their lives were more important than other people’s. He narrowed his eyes. The assassin had chosen to die rather than reveal who sent him, but Tanaka intended to make certain that whoever it was would suffer for trying to kill him.

He examined the dagger, the fading traces of the illusion magic and the small metal capsule that had fallen from the assassin’s lips. The feeling of it was familiar - not the exact same type of magic, but similar enough that Tanaka would have expected to encounter it in Foxfolk territory. That didn’t prove anything, but it was enough for him to take to the streets again. Tanaka stood and turned to leave.

An attempt had been made on his life in the royal city less than a day before the most important political meeting in recent Beastfolk history. Someone that powerful had either seriously underestimated him or was willing to take his chances. Neither option was a good thing. Tanaka glanced back at the body and gave it a mocking smile. "Trying to kill a visiting king in his own territory," he murmured. "That’s impressive, foxes."

The meeting was set for tomorrow. Tanaka intended to attend it. And now, the foxes would have even more interesting things to discuss than trade and marriages.