“Fei! Fei!”

  The frantic shouts came from Arian as she pushed her way through the crowds, her eyes ever searching for her friend. “Where are you?”

  Someone bumped somewhat hard into her and she shot the person a rare glare. Prince Yushir shrank beneath her fury. “My sincerest apologies. These crowds are rather unforgiving.”

  Arian’s face drooped and she shook her head. “You have nothing to apologize for, Prince Yushir. I should not have been so hasty.”

  “Nonsense,” he countered as he clasped his arms against his chest and brushed his ring. His gaze, too, scoured the busy land around us. “You are worried about your friend, and to speak the truth, so am I. We should have found her by now.”

  “Perhaps Lord Eastwei has had some luck.” Arian hoped rather than believed her own words.

  Yushir pursed his lips and a dark cloud settled on his brow. “I hope-ah!” His eyes lit up and he grabbed her hand. “There is Eastwei now!”

  The prince helped Arian through the temultuous crowd and into the clearing that permanently surrounded the imperious lord. Yushir paused to breathe but Arian practically threw herself at him.

  “Have you found any trace of her?” she pleaded.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I have found nothing.”

  Arian’s heart skipped a beat before it fell. Tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped when Prince Yushir clasped her upper arms with both hands.

  His voice was soft and gentle. “We should inform the king of her disappearance. She is a guest in his house after all.”

  “I’ve already told him.” The speaker was Jin, who squirmed out of the crowds and into the gap. He had a grim expression on his face. “He told me that King Wearg is missing. Dian and Lord Lujun are scouring the city looking for him but they’ve only found his six men.”

  “And their wagon?” Dadan inquired.

  “It’s also missing.”

  The color drained out of Arian’s face and she swooned. Yushir caught her in his arms and drew her close against his chest. “Lady Arian!”

  “Arian!” Jin also shouted as he rushed to her other side. “

  The prince hardly noticed as his old friend turned away from them and in the direction of the forest. “Eastwei! Where are you going?”

  Dadan paused and turned his head far enough so one determined red eye fell on him. “I am going to find her.” And with that proclamation, he strode into the crowd.

  The prince’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t seen his friend so determined since their last war.

  “Eastwei!” Yushir shouted as images of destruction bounced around in his thoughts. “Dadan! Get back here! We should interrogate the men before we run off!”

  Dadan didn’t break his stride and he was soon lost to the crowds.

  “By all the realms. . .” Yushir muttered under his breath before he turned his attention to Jin and Arian. “Let us go see these men.”

  Jin led the way and they soon arrived at the bear king’s compound. The half dozen wolf men knelt on their knees on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. One of them squirmed in his bindings.

  “Is this any way to treat your guests?” he snapped.

  King Pangberan stood before them with a sword tucked into his belt and a dark cloud on his brow. “I’ll treat you with all the dignity you deserve until you tell me where that wolf has gone.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  One of them shrugged. “He’s probably out drinking somewhere. He likes to do it alone.”

  Pangberan sneered down at him. “You think my men don’t know every hole and stone in this city? He’s left and one of my guests is missing. Where are they?”

  The men shifted their weight and turned their sulking faces away.

  “Father!” Arian shouted as she rushed through the gates and up to her dad. “There is no news?”

  His face fell at the frantic expression that marred his daughter’s good looks. “Nothing yet, but Lujun and Dian haven’t returned from their scouting.”

  Yushir strode up to the captives and stood before them with a slight ethereal glow about his person. “What mischief has your king done with Lady Fei?” The wolves shrank from the heavenly disapproval but they buttoned their lips shut. “Well? Would you all risk war to protect your king’s transgression?”

  One of the wolves lifted his dark eyes to the prince and scowled at him. “Who are you to tell us what we should do? You sit there up in your clouds looking down at us like we were nothing!”

  “That is far from the truth,” Yushir insisted as he folded his arms over his chest. “And it is also beside the point. What you have conspired to do is against the rules of not only heaven but the peace agreement.”

  The wolf scoffed. “What’s peace if we’re all being killed by something, huh? We don’t even know who it is and all we’ve got going for us is-”

  “Shut up!” one of his compatriots hissed.

  Pangberan lifted an eyebrow. “What is it? Speak up!” Unfortunately, the wolves settled back into their sullen silence. The king’s eyebrows crashed down and he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his weapon. “Speak or I’ll make you speak.”

  “No, Father!” Arian pleaded as she wrapped her arms around his weapon arm. “You cannot!”

  “You would let them sit here keeping the truth about your friend?” he countered.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she met his gaze. “Yes, Father, because Fei would not want you to start a war to rescue her.”

  “Your daughter is in the right, King Pangberan,” Yushir spoke up as he nodded at the wolves. “To attack them without learning the full truth would mean starting the war yourself.”

  Pangberan pursed his lips but released his grip on his sword. “If these dogs won’t tell us then we must hope that Dian and Lujun find something-” He stopped and looked past her. Everyone else turned as the aforementioned pair rushed into the compound.

  They stopped in front of Pangberan and Lujun bowed his head to his king. “I’m sorry, my king, but the wolf has escaped with the woman. The scouts noticed him slinking across the Tianfeld but they were too late to stop him from reaching the border of his lands.”

  “When did they see him?”

  “Less than half an hour ago.”

  A barking laugh escaped one of the wolves, the one who had earlier been shut up by his companions. “That’s our king! He wouldn’t let a few slow bears catch him! Not when he’s helping us!”

  Pangberan turned to the captive and his cold, glowing eyes cowed the wolf’s bluster. “How is he helping you by causing this trouble?” The wolf clamped his mouth shut again.

  Lujun nodded at the half-dozen wolves. “These men were no doubt left to conceal Wearg’s disappearance for as long as possible.”

  “And to keep your fighters drinking until they couldn’t stand,” one of the wolves spoke up.

  “And they’re still wasting our time,” Pangberan mused as he turned to one of his nearby men. “Take them into the cave hold and watch them with a dozen guards.” The man nodded and his compatriots rounded up the wolves. The captives were all sly smiles as they were marched off to their prison.

  Pangberan turned to his two scouts. “Show me where they breached the border.”

  Lujun’s response was to frown. “You shouldn’t get involved in this, my king.”

  “One of my guests was captured. I’m involved,” Pangberan countered.

  Dian’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious, Father! What if this is a trap set by the wolves to capture you?”

  Yushir stepped forward. “Then my presence will guarantee that does not happen.”

  “And I’m coming, too!” Arian insisted.

  The king turned to his daughter and set his hands on her shoulders. “You must remain here and ensure our people don’t hear anything about this until we’ve finished the matter.”

  Arian’s face fell and she shook her head. “But An-Fei is my friend. How can I leave her?” Her fumble caught the keen interest of Yushir but he remained stoic in his outward appearance.

  “Your friend would want you to remember your responsibilities to her people, and this won’t take very long,” he promised.

  Arian bowed her head. “Very well, Father. I will wait for your quick return.”

  Pangberan moved his focus to the others. “Let us see what we can find.”