"You said it was sabotage."
"I said there were complaints." Varric moved to the table, his fingers brushing the papers. "Hector Cross filed them three weeks ago. Claimed mismanagement of the Cross legacy. Damaged shipments. Accusations of incompetence."
Dante's lion stirred. "Hector."
Hector Cross was Callum and Maeve's uncle, old pride through and through. The lion who believed females should stay pretty and males should lead, who'd fought his own nephew tooth and claw over every reform Callum tried to implement. When Callum and Maeve had finally walked away from the pride, Hector had taken it as a personal betrayal.
He'd left too, eventually. Started his own pride with the lions who agreed with his traditional views, building something that looked more like a dictatorship than a family. Last Dante had heard, Hector's pride was small but vicious, filled with males who thought strength meant domination.
"You know him," Varric said. It wasn't a question.
"I know him." Dante stepped closer to the table, jaw tight. "He's Callum and Maeve's uncle. Fought against every change Callum tried to make in the old pride. When they left, he blamed them for weakening the family line. Took his followers and started his own pride somewhere in the Blue Ridge territory."
"And now he's circling back." Varric's mouth thinned. "Filed these complaints three weeks ago. Claims mismanagement of the Cross legacy. Says Maeve's running the Silver Fang without proper pride backing, without a male leader. He sees it as an embarrassment to the Cross name."
“And now he sees it as an opportunity,” Varric continued.
Dante's hands formed into fists.
"If he can prove she's unfit, he can petition to take control. Bring the Silver Fang under his pride's authority."
"Over her dead body."
"Precisely." Varric met his eyes. "Which is why this needs to be handled quietly. If Maeve finds out Hector's behind this, she'll tear his throat out. That starts a pride war we can't afford."
Dante picked up the papers, scanning them. Detailed accounts of damaged crates, poisoned barrels, missing inventory. All pointing to mismanagement. All carefully documented to make Maeve look incompetent.
"This is a setup," he said.
"Obviously." Varric crossed his arms. "But proving it requires someone Hector doesn't know is investigating. Someone who can move through both pride politics and Hollow Oak without raising alarms."
"Someone expendable."
"Someone trusted." Varric's gaze sharpened. "Callum vouched for you. Said you were honorable. Said you'd do right by Maeve even if she didn't want you here."
Hearing that after all these years and what had happened made Dante’s gut wrench in guilt. Callum had vouched for him. After everything. After nearly a decade of silence and choosing opposite paths, his old friend still believed in him enough to put his name forward.
"Does Callum know about this meeting?" Dante asked.
"No." Varric pulled a folded paper from his robes, setting it on the table. "He sits on the Council now. Has for three years. But I can't brief him on this officially. He's too close to Maeve. Too protective. He'd confront Hector directly and that would end badly."
Dante looked at the Council registry Varric had laid out. Five names in careful script. Varric Thornwell. Miriam Caldwell. Emmett Hollowell. Bram Ashwood. And there, near the bottom, Callum Cross.
His friend had made something of himself here. Built a life. Earned a seat at the table that governed this sanctuary.
While Dante had stayed behind with a pride that slowly ate itself alive.
"What do you need from me?" he asked.
"Find proof." Varric tapped the complaints. "These damages are real. Someone's sabotaging the Silver Fang. But I don't think it's incompetence. I think Hector's got people on the inside, making sure Maeve looks bad on paper."
"You want me to find his saboteurs."
"I want you to find evidence that stands up to Council scrutiny." Varric's voice hardened. "Hector's playing a long game. He's building a case to petition for control. If we can prove sabotage, we can shut him down before he tears this community apart."
Dante set the papers down. "And if I can't prove it?"
"Then Maeve loses her tavern. Hector takes control. And Hollow Oak loses one of its strongest voices for change." Varric held his gaze. "This isn't just about a bar, Deleuve. This is about whether we move forward or drag ourselves back into old pride politics that have no place here."
