Kestrel's Journals: Dealing With Fairies (5)

          The next morning was a bustling mess of activity as my team worked to set the grand hall for my facing off with the Fairies. The council had sent word to the Fairy representatives upon Atlantis including their Royal Representative that a “meeting of great importance” would take place in my residence that none could ignore. The Fairies had been requesting meetings with myself since my return but was blocked between the Council and the Royal Court claiming I was occupied.

          “I understand that you are angry at my decision of your duties for today.” I stated to my team. I had finally informed them that none of them would be allowed to stay at my side during this meeting. “I need the three of you in place to help in your area of expertise.” I continued. They glared at me in turn but remained silent. “Repeat my order to each of you!” I ended angrily.

          “I am to act as message runner to keep the Council abreast of the events of the meeting.” Cole grumbled.

          “Act as informer to the Royal Court.” Sert snapped back.

          “Deal directly with the Royal Kitchen who will be catering this event.” Meli mumbled unemotionally.

          “Correct!” I remarked. I felt the ears of our feline friend perk up as from behind his animalistic facade the thoughts of being the one who would be guarding me personally from the shadows. “I will be perfectly safe.” I continued easily. The doors to the room slowly opened as the three Royal Guard Captains entered with a mix group as their heels. My team glanced from them to me as I smiled slowly to them.

          “We are here as requested directly from the Council of Atlantis with the blessing of the Holy Throne of Atlantis.” Ent reported.

          “Take your places so my team can stop worrying and do their assigned tasked with a clear head and heart.” I replied. My team head out to their positions while the Royal Guard troops took places around the room.

          “It is a little odd that the Council asked for us to be here.” Curd stated. He stood at one end of the room like an immobile statue.

           “They were even polite and grateful when we agreed to fill their request to secure this meeting.” Ent commented from the other end of the room. Rez remained silently at my side moving with me around the room as I removed things that could be destroyed or used as weapons if the Fairies acted up. “You are too quiet Rez.” he added.

          “Nothing needs be said at this time.” he replied in his deep rumbling voice.

          “I warn you all now that I might harm these little winged idiots if they resist to these negotiation.” I stated bluntly to the room. “Do not interfere in any way.” I ordered. “Hold your position and watch in silence.”

         “Easier for some of us than for others.” Curd remarked in a purr. They chuckled as they nodded together at me. The Fairies began filling in just shy of noontime meal as Meli returned with Chichi and an army of kitchen staff carrying back food and drink for those assembling here. I greeted them sternly in the foyer as Rez grunted a forced welcome to them. Most simply nodded back annoyed responses before moving to take place in the room.

The Fairies chattered amongst themselves as they ate in the main room. I ate in silence at the far end of the same room. The Royal Guards rotated in and out of the room to eat the bloody meat that had been brought for them without being seen by the guests. I waited until all had been feed and settled into their places before beginning this meeting that might insult them and reveal which one was betraying Atlantis. I took a deep breath as I stood bringing silence to the room.

“Any treaties and contracts you presently had with Atlantis, by order of Crown and Council, are rescinded and become null from this moment!” I proclaimed in the room. I did not give the chance for the shock caused by my words to dissipate before continuing. “You will not be able to use them to force the Holy power of Atlantis upon your enemies.” I told them. I scanned their minds as deeply as was prudent without warning them of my actions. Nothing surfaced other than the outrage from my statement to them. The claimed this to be unfair and unjust behavior on the part of Atlantis toward long time trusted allies. As they screamed at me, I felt the presence form at my side standing at the head table for this forced renegotiation. Stunned silence suddenly formed as they realized who stood at my side glaring at them.

“You wish to use my people as pawns in your little internal disputes?” Odin asked petulantly at them. The Fairy Nation representatives stared in silent awe and fear at the deity that rules directly above all of them. “I back this man to solve all these problems and it would be best that you heed his words.” he concluded bluntly. He turned to me and nodded slowly before disappearing as quickly as he had came.

“I believe it is best to rewrite all the treaties and contracts as one unified treaty that leaves no room for you to question or pressure Atlantis during your minor civil issues.” I stated. I was giving them no time to recover before forcing forward with my ideals. A scroll was placed before each of them that held the first treaty ever signed between Atlantis and the non-humans many eons prior when this island nation was still young and naive in the ways of the world. The Royal Representative for the Fairy Throne glanced at the script before speaking for the nation.

“As Royal Fairies, we can agree that this specific treaty could be used as a base for the all encompassing you are considering noble Kestrel.” she reported easily. She bowed to me showing her agreement to my thoughts. “Many of the separate mounds might wish to have personal clauses added for each of them though.” she admitted calmly. “We will stand behind the all encompassing parts of the treaty without question but cannot directly support any individual clauses.” she informed me grudgingly. I sense from her that my ideals would please the Royal Fairies as it removed all the inequality that sat within their nation because of the multiple treatises.

“I thank you Lady Sherena but if it is not all encompassing, it has no place in this treatise.” I replied directly. “One for all equally or no deals with Atlantis ever again.” I continued bluntly. Sherena half hid the smile she flashed at my words. The tension in the room rose at these words. “Even your rebel mound must be allowed to agree to these proceedings.” I added. A portal formed to my left as the room held their eruption to see what I was pulling off. The leader of the sealed mound stepped through the portal to take a seat at the table by me. I felt the other feline mind slid under the table ready to defend this man's life if needed. Cole entered at this moment, as planned, carrying the bundle of letters.

“By the orders of Council and Crown, These letters of support are to be given to you as a sign of good faith between Atlantis and your Fairy Mound over your actions of late.” he announced to him. A foursome of mixed Royal Guards moved to stand protectively at his back while glaring defiantly at the other Fairies.

“These fools will mess all our plans!” shrieked through the room from no specific source. The Fairies looked around in confusion at these phantom words. A predatory smile glowed on my face as I lifted the mind that had screamed these words through a mental trick I had placed upon the room. She lifted from her seat struggling against the invisible hands that held her tightly locked while moving her to the center of the room. Many of the other Fairies had stood at this scene staring blankly at the show visible from the half circle of tables.

“Your thoughts betray you child.” I nearly purred at her. “Should we explore why you just thought that?” I added menacingly. I leaned forward in my chair showing clearly with one hand that I was the one manipulating her mentally.

“Your doing Lord Kestrel?” both Sherena and the rebel leader sputtered in unison. I heard the same lilt in their voices and tones that told me that more was to be revealed about these two.

“I had hoped that the thoughts of betrayal would come to mind once they realized that I was tying their hands.” I explained slowly. “I did not believe I was going to catch them this quickly.” I continued with a dark chuckle. A ball of red-rimmed blackness formed under the traitor's feet. Multiple scroll exploded from her body and landed upon the tables open to view for all. “Fairies, Phoenixes, Dryads, and a dozen others including some humans working together to take control of Atlantis through the Council and having our Holy Queen destroying the evidence for them.” I continued as my eyes shifted to twin spinning stars. The orb grew as the traitor screamed in pain as both her mind and her body was being twisted and stretched to the event horizon of my black hole.

“She has betrayed all of us.” Sherena interceded loudly. She stood paled face as she saw first hand what I would do to this person. “Do we not have a right to punish her ourselves in our proper fashion?” she shrieked nervously.

“What should I do to her before I remove her from existence permanently?” I retorted in false anger. I lessen the pull from my dark orb while waiting for the Royal Representative's answer.

“Do not destroy her!” Sherena snapped back. “Our treatment would leave her living in utter madness for such a crime.” she returned coldly. “Fairy law states that her wings are forfeit if she betrays her people causing permanent madness.” she explained. Many of the pale faced Fairies in the room nodded grimly at me in agreement to this proclamation. Two of the burlier Fairies moved forward ready to draw swords to slice the offending wings from the back of the betrayer. I read from all their minds that they believed Sherena's guards should be allowed to remove the wings as her Royal Duties here.

The trapped body rotated until her wings dangled toward the black hole I had formed. I smiled like a beast from the darkest pits of Hell. Everyone froze as I sense the growing terror in them. The color drained from all of them as Sherena's eyes widened in sick realization of what I was about to do and none could stop me. I let the strength of my orb grow slowly as it ripped the wings in the most painful and tortuously lengthy fashion from the traitor's body. I held her mind active so she could feel every second of this overwhelming pain and the growing madness taking her mind from her. She howled and screamed in pain and insanity while all the Fairies turned away from the excessive methods I used to punish one of their kind. Sherena's eyes did not leave the scene of justice before her. Once the wings were ripped away, the orb blinked out of existence and I released my grip from her body. Her still living body hit the floor hard. Blood spurted from the bits of bone and gouges that use to link her to her wings.

“You are truly without mercy, Lord Kestrel.” Sherena whispered. She finally glanced fearfully back to me and to the leader who sat near me.

“Threaten my island of residence and face my infinite wraith.” he replied. “Now shall we get back to our negotiations now that these darker dealings are dealt with?” I continued with a hard smile. With a single wave of my hand, The Royal Guards moved to remove the unconscious fairy traitor's still living body from our midst. The Fairies stared in sickly silence at me. “Or should I fully probe all your minds to find the rest of the traitors I should be removing wings from?” I added menacingly. I heard the sudden group swallow deep in the Fairies' throats.

By supper time, a new treaty had been drafted giving no separate mound any more power over any other mound. They were to sign as one group and it was set as being a traitorous action to create any other treaty without all being in agreement of the changes and suffering them equally. Sherena signed it first as a show that the Royal Fairies stood firmly supporting this decree making any who question it into enemies of the Royal Fairy House and dealt with according to her words: “No mercy, no trial, and no chance of sane survival.”

The Fairies left slowly while still bearing a haunted look in their eyes and in their mind as I bid them farewell with a graciously shiny smile. I read all their minds knowing that none other of the traitors had been unlucky enough to be in this meeting as decided by the factions that selected them. The leader sat slowly perusing some of the letters that had been piled into his hands at the start of this meeting waiting until the others had left to depart himself. Sherena still sat in silence eyeing me and the leader at my side. As the last representative left, she finally stood and moved closer to us. She still gave us space to escape or defend ourselves or simply out of respect for her family member that sat by me. I glanced up at her but said nothing as I waited for her to speak. The leader half glanced up from the letter in his hands at her before slowly placing the bundles away in the same silent patients I displayed. I saw in his mind no sickly feelings that the other Fairy shared at my actions. She stood nervously waiting for one of us to speak. I finally broke the awkward silence.

“What is it Sherena?” I stated calmly. The leader turned to face her at my side with a harsh glare.

“If you discover more, I would be open to help remove this sickness while you and your people remain a secret upon the world.” she stated boldly. “Do whatever is needed to discover the truth even if it means disappearing from view.” she continued bluntly. “I shall order and hand them justice without revealing your part in this.” she told him directly. “I cannot allow my own people to turn to evil plans against truly noble beings.” she added angrily.

“Why do you really offer this to me?” he snapped back. “You were one of them ready to destroy my mound without question before this meeting.” he added.

“If I knew why you distance yourself and why they truly called for your death, I would have fought for your survival!” she screamed back. “I cannot know what is not told to me!” she continued. “Sending me word would have made me stand with you!”

“Even without proof like you finally saw today?” I retorted.

“We share royal blood in our veins!” she screamed at us. “I would believe you just because of that fact alone.” she retorted calmer. “Which mound are tainted from your understanding?” she asked bluntly.

“Asia is behind this plot.” he whispered back to her.

“Lord Kestrel?” she uttered as she straightened. “If I can give you locations of the infected mounds, can you have them set in turmoil so I may have the chance to remove them from this unjust path?” she requested calmly. I slowly nodded to her. “You will have a full listing of their locations and strength within a week or two.” she reported to me proudly. “May this be a sign of my belief in your words alone.” she added. She nearly saluted us before marching from the room with squared shoulders. I signal Ent to escort her directly back with his troops as a second protective measure.

“She will be dead after she has done this for me.” he whispered sadly. “They shall run before the others can reach them.”

“Once you have a clue where they may have escaped to, send word directly to me and I will see about locking them into place to be exterminated.” I told him. He nodded to me with sadness not ebbing from him. "Meanwhile, I will set some protective measure in place over Sherena.”

“I thank you but please do not let my little cousin notice your protective actions.” he returned softly with a chuckle.

“As you wish Little Prince.” I answered with a quick bow. “Best to get you home so you may vanish from the world.” I continued without comments on his part. “I will make your mound appear as a scene of utter destruction once you have departed making all believe you have perished.” I explain quickly. “It is for the best that you become the Secret Fairies, known by none.” I concluded.

“If things go wrong for Sherena,” he began slowly, “she will always have a place hidden away with us.” He bowed to me before walking through the portal I formed for his return home.

“Captains?” I called softly. The two remaining moved to my side quickly in total silent obedience. “Keep an eye on the Fairy groups and let me know if any suddenly depart within the next few weeks.” I ordered in a whisper. They gave me a quick salute but remained at attention. “Also keep an eye on Sherena since she will make herself a target once she digs into the possibly corrupted mounds.” I clarified. They saluted once more while still waiting unmoved. “Dismissed.” I added. This single word sent them and their troops rushing from my home as thoughts of finally being able to relax today formed in my mind. My ill luck persisted in true form against the wondrous good luck of Chichi.