There was a long, fragile silence.
Then someone from the crowd shouted, frustration breaking through their grief.
"If you knew who had angered you," the voice demanded, shaking with emotion, "then why was there so much unnecessary bloodshed? Why were so many innocent lives taken?"
The question tore through the chamber.
The werewolf godling's jaw tightened. His hand curled into a fist, claws biting into his palm.
"If you had asked me this before everything happened," he said slowly, his voice heavy, "I would not have been able to give you an answer."
He lifted his gaze "I could not have put into words what I now understand."
He gestured faintly toward Erik.
"All of your questions," he continued, "and all of the answers we godlings have arrived at since then, point to one truth."
His voice dropped.
"The human king, Erik, is not merely a man. He is a king. More importantly, he is a leader among humans."
The weight of that title pressed down upon the court.
