Saving a King

Half Answers, More Questions

Jay starts to tell me all about the shifters and why they, the werewolves, are here for me. First off, the last book I read was spot on. There is a lineage of shifters named Lyall. They do originate from Scotland. His story, though, goes much more in depth.

He starts by telling me werewolves are ran by a King and a Queen but, that the last King, Darion, killed his own Queen, Beth. That was a shock! King Darion apparently went mad. Darion never wanted to hand the throne down to his son, Ari. Ari was only eight years old when his father murdered his mother and attempted to end him too.

I had my doubts, like any sane person would. Asking him, how do I know this is true? Why would a father do that? It made no sense, the violence was just too much for me to comprehend. He proceeded to hand me a black spring like coil. On this coil of metal was a large wolf and half a circle, it was definitely broken. I could tell there was more to this coil. Jay told me, it’s very old, made out of obsidian.

He did not, however, know where the other piece was. How helpful! I kept turning it over, looking for more clues. I discovered some tiny etching on the inside. Scrunching my face, I could see it said “Lyall” right behind the wolf! This was proof! Right? There was no other writing on it though, just the shiny black metal.

I decided to run inside and get the ninth and tenth book and bring them out so the other could see. Jay confirmed, after flipping through the tenth book, the writer was Darion’s Grandfather. His grandfathers name was Dark. Just Dark? That’s a strange name but, he evidently lived up to it. King Dark, also went mad. No one knew for sure when Dark lost his way, they suspected that he was able to hide the signs. It was also said, that the Kings of this lineage would only ever sire one male child. It was a way to keep the balance, as well as guarantee succession.

Jay continued his story, even though I had loads of questions, he told me to wait until he was done. When Dark was ruler, there were millions of wolves. When they all had to hide and split apart, only a few thousand were left. No one ever found the other wolves! Obviously, this broke King Dark, and his illness became known. He was extremely paranoid, wouldn’t let anyone near him or his family. Soon after, King Dark and his mate passed away. It’s said, she passed of a broken heart but, many have another theory. They think that if a King dies, his mate also passes, to allow the new King to ascend the throne.

This was so dramatic! I was quite literally holding onto the edge of my seat! The new King did not last long for some reason. Jay didn’t even remember his name, his time was short lived. He did, though, have a male heir, King Darion. King Darion was the youngest Lyall in history to ever ascend the throne. He was only ten years old at the time. He had many trusted advisors, though. They all helped him until he turned fifteen years of age. At that time, King Darion, apparently, wrote off all the advisors. Leaving himself as the only head of power. This was very rare, and not the way they usually ran the kingdom, leaving many wolves scared.

King Darion went on to find his mate, Queen Beth. They had their male heir, Ari, at age seventeen. This was also considered extremely young for them to have found each other and already produce an heir. Most wolves had their children when they were around thirty years old. That would have given King Darion enough time to get used to being King and all his duties. Many wolves believe, the unusual circumstances is what caused the King’s mental state to decline so rapidly.

A measly eight years later, King Darion took his wife’s life and attempted to take Ari’s. At this point in his story, Jay pauses. He asks me for some water, so I run in and get him a bottled water from the fridge. I started walking back out when I overhear Eddie asking Jay if it’s really a good idea to tell me all this. Jay simply nodded, words being too much I guess, or he knew I was listening.

I sit back down, handing Jay the water. He drinks about half of it in one gulp! When he’s finished, he proceeds with the story. Ari was with his mother at the time of her passing! He witnessed it! How horrible for a little boy, or for anyone. It’s said, that Ari looked for help in the wolves that were involved but, he only found hatred. Not understanding why his father did this, Ari ran. He ran for his life and the life of all the Lyall wolves because, without him, the lineage would die out and without a true King, all the wolves would disappear.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath when suddenly, Carly poked me in the side. Shocked, I gasped for air and looked at her smiling face. She thought it was hilarious! I was just so caught up in this story, I had never heard anything like it! Jay stands up to stretch out, and we all notice how late in the day it is, the sun is almost completely gone! Eddie also stands and with a somber look he states we all should get some rest. They left, walking back through the woods, after promising to return the next day with the rest of the story.