Page 10 of Resurgence of the Pack

Wakefield nodded slowly. ‘Yes, it makes a little more sense now. In other ways, he was a sharp, shrewd man.’ He paused. ‘I cantell you, my Queen, that he believed Council member Ramsay was involved in the Black Tourney, as well as Aitken and Larsden.’

I nodded; I already knew that. ‘Indeed. And now two out of the three are dead.’

‘You think Aitken orchestrated the deaths?’ he asked.

I waved away the suggestion. ‘Certainly not Larsden’s. He was killed in an unrelated matter.’

‘What matter was that?’ Rae asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘He was an arsehole.’

She grinned. ‘I like her,’ she murmured to Wakefield in a voice that she clearly didn’t expect me to hear.

‘So you’re gunning for Aitken now?’ Joseph the faux beta asked.

‘I have my eye on him,’ I admitted.

‘He’s beta to Thomas Elliott,’ Rae pointed out. ‘Did they arrive together? I didn’t see him.’

‘He did,’ Greg confirmed. ‘Aitken immediately retired to his bedroom, but heishere.’

‘I haven’t heard of another Black Tourney since your announcement adding the hefty fine,’ Wakefield mused. ‘Maybe they really have stopped.’

I shook my head. ‘Another one will happen.’ I shrugged. ‘My fine might make some people pause but others are foolhardy.There will be another.’

‘And then?’ Rae asked. ‘What will you do?’

I smiled. ‘I’ll shut them down. Permanently.’

Chapter 5

By the end of our first meeting, Wakefield had invited me to call him Wakado and I had graciously accepted. With a name like that, I’d expected a joker and a jester but instead the man was ponderous and deliberate with a solemnity that I hadn’t anticipated. He took time to consider his words and there was something reassuring about him. I had zero doubt that he was a man whom I could come to admire.

Franklin Tarquin – Tarkers – was as unusual as his name, however. He gave me a respectful bow but there was no kneeling, and he sprawled when he sat in the chair opposite me. His mousy brown hair was messy and probably hadn’t been brushed for a few days, and his easy smile was warm and unreserved. He had crow’s feet around his eyes; he looked like he laughed often and hard, and I liked him instantly.

‘Your Majesty,’ he started. ‘Let me thank you for your kind invitation.’

‘You’re very welcome. Any friend of Wilfred Samuel…’ I trailed off and smiled.

‘Is a friend of yours!’ he completed happily. ‘A great man, Wilf. His death was a sad loss to many.’

My smile became strained; I had been responsible for that death. Tarkers clearly realised that he had inserted both feet into his mouth because he winced. ‘Sorry, Your Maj. Didn’t think that one through.’

‘Clearly,’ I said drily but with a forgiving smile, then I dived straight into more important matters. I had less than fifteen minutes before we needed to leave for Grandy’s duel. ‘You knew Lord Samuel was investigating the Black Tourney?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Do you know whom he suspected?’

‘Larsden, Ramsay and Aitken. And Frost – Ace, that is, not Beckett. Though I think he suspected Beckett, too. Beckett was a naughty boy.’ Tarkers wagged his finger. He spoke quickly and his eyes gleamed with intelligence. For all he was an alpha male he looked more like an athlete: tall and sinewy. I suspected his opponents frequently underestimated him as they did me.

‘William Walker?’ I suggested.

‘Nah,’ Tarkers shook his head. ‘Will’s a straight arrow through and through.’

‘He appears to have unexplained wealth.’

‘Ah now, there’s a reason for that,’ Tarkers responded. ‘He’s second to Ducky – Edward Hughes – who has been super-supportive of Will’s golfing. Will plays professional golf under a pseudonym and he’s come second and third in a few tournaments. He wins good money and tithes ten percent to his pack, so Ducky’s happy for him to go here, there and everywhere with his competitions. It’s a pain for the Council, though, because it means he usually votes on Council matters through a proxy.’

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