Fang of Silence

The Healer's Bargain

Kael's hand tightened on the knife.

Mira did not flinch. She stood there in the shadows, her hands clasped, her face calm. She looked like she was waiting for a guest at dinner.

"Why?" Kael asked.

"Because you were useful," Mira said. "You found the silver. You confronted Voss. You made a scene. While everyone was watching you, I could move freely."

"You killed Joric."

"I didn't kill anyone. You did. You pushed too hard. His heart gave out. I just moved the body."

Kael's jaw tightened. "You set me up."

"I accelerated the inevitable. You were already a suspect. The guards saw you enter his quarters. They heard him cry out. They found you covered in blood. I just made sure the evidence was... compelling."

Kael stepped closer. The knife was between them. "I'll kill you for this."

"No, you won't."

"Why not?"

Mira smiled. "Because you're dying. The silver is in your blood. You have maybe three days before it reaches your heart. I'm the only one who can save you."

Kael stopped. His arm throbbed. The fever was building again. He could feel it in his bones.

"The poison is spreading," Mira said. "I treated the wound, but I didn't remove all the silver. I left some in there. Deliberately."

"You poisoned me."

"I made sure you would need me. And now you do."

Kael's hand trembled. The knife felt heavy. "I could kill you anyway."

"Then you'd die too. And you'd never clear your name. You'd never stop the Consortium. You'd never find out who else is working with them."

Kael stared at her. She was calm. Controlled. She had thought of everything.

"Who else?" he asked.

Mira tilted her head. "That's the question, isn't it? I'm not the only one. The Consortium has agents in every pack. Some are human. Some are wolf. Some are in positions of power."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Ask yourself this: how did the patrol route get leaked? I didn't have access. You know that. I'm a healer. I don't touch the schedules."

Kael's mind raced. She was right. She didn't have access to the patrol rotation. Joric had told her about the conspiracy, but she couldn't have leaked the route.

Someone else had done that.

"Voss?" Kael asked.

"Maybe. Or Theron. Or Commander Hale. Or the Alpha himself. I don't know."

"You've been investigating for months. You must know something."

Mira's smile faded. "I know that the Consortium is targeting the Broken Claw pack specifically. They're not just buying secrets. They're trying to destroy us. From the inside."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet. But I have leads. And I have contacts."

Kael lowered the knife. He didn't sheathe it. But he lowered it.

"You have a cure," he said.

"I have a treatment. It will take time. Weeks. Maybe months. But I can stop the silver from reaching your heart."

"And in return?"

Mira met his eyes. "In return, you help me find the Consortium's contact. The human who's running the operation. I have a name. Gareth Vane. He owns a trading post on the other side of the valley."

Kael had heard the name. Gareth Vane. A human merchant. Respected. Untouchable.

"Vane is the contact?"

"I'm certain. But I can't get close to him. I'm a wolf. He knows my face. But you... you're a rogue now. A criminal. The pack is hunting you. You have nothing to lose."

"You want me to infiltrate his operation."

"I want you to get me proof. Something I can take to the Council. Something that will expose the Consortium and clear your name."

Kael looked at his knife. Then at Mira. The healer. The traitor. The woman who had framed him.

She was offering him a way out.

But she was also using him.

"That's why you're here," Kael said. "You knew I'd come. You knew I'd find you. You set this up."

"I set up the encounter," Mira said. "The rest is up to you."

Kael was silent for a long moment. He could hear the bar above. Footsteps. Voices. Humans.

He was trapped. Wounded. Hunted.

And Mira was his only way out.

"If I do this," he said, "you treat the poison."

"As much as I can. You'll still be weak. But you'll be alive."

"And after?"

"After, we find the proof. We expose the Consortium. We clear your name."

Kael looked at her face. She was telling the truth. Or at least, part of it. There was something she wasn't saying.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

Mira's smile returned. "I'm telling you everything you need to know. The rest... you'll learn on your own."

Kael sheathed his knife. "Fine. I'll do it. But if you betray me again, I'll kill you. I don't care if I die too."

Mira nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

She reached into her coat. She pulled out a small vial. Clear liquid. She held it out.

"Drink this. It will slow the poison. You'll have about a week before it starts spreading again."

Kael took the vial. He uncorked it. He drank.

The liquid was bitter. It burned going down. But almost immediately, he felt the fever recede. His head cleared. His arm stopped throbbing.

It was temporary. But it was a start.

"Now," Mira said. "Let's talk about Gareth Vane."

You've just accepted a deal with the woman who framed you. She gave you a temporary cure and pointed you at a human merchant. Do you trust her long enough to get proof, or do you plan to turn on her the moment you find what you need?