Meli spent most of the night tending to Sert’s wounds that extended from physical to the mental realm. He developed an irrational fear of wooden spatulas because of the trauma caused by his defeat at the hands of the shorter portly chef with nothing but his new feared item. It would be used against him as a method to have him stand down just by mentioning the word spatula to him. I may eventually try to make him face his fear, but for now, it was a good way to keep him on a short leash.
The next morning brought me word that the Council strongly requested my presence. I muttered about dealing with underlings as we ate breakfast together. Cole dirty glares was only half truthful as he looked and sensed as annoyed as I was acting over this request. As we prepared to leave, Cole had calmed enough to act social by asking me why he had been left out of our last venture.
“Because I did not wish to have to inform the Counci how their dress wearing attache got rapes to death by hordes of Amazonian slave men.” I answered with blunt honesty.
“I would not have been in my Flower costume if dealing with Amazons.” he replied matter-of-fact. “I normally act properly unlike our friend who like being naked as a distraction.” he muttered. “And my presence might have saved Meli from harm.” he added sullen.
“She would have rather died than be saved by you.” I retorted with a chuckle. “And your presence would have changed nothing except, Meli would not resist handing you over to the Amazons as a toy.” I continued my chuckle getting darker and deeper. “Now, why am I being summon by the Council this time?” I added. My chuckle had died as I looked seriously at Cole.
“I do not know, but it is not my so-called employers summoning you.” he returned. He looked annoyed about being in the dark as much as myself. “Things have become much odder since your return regarding all the events in Atlantis.” he admitted in a whisper. I nodded as we resumed walking now in silence. From his mind, I gleaned his hope to receive the same information my other proteges held about these events.
“Time is starting to have its effect on Atlantis as the rest of the world.” I whispered to him. “Even with the mystical network above our head, we are still being affected by the growing darkness in this world stealing magic away from it.” I lied easily. Cryptic enough to have him jumping to conclusions but not enough truth to give him a real answer.
“You often sound like you know much more than what you reveal.” Cole returned casually. “It is like you know how it will all end.” he continued quieter. “Thanks to your gift of course.” he added with a dismissive nod.
“It usually explains nearly everything I seem to blunder into.” I replied with a shrug. “And it is the closest view of truth I can share with others.” I concluded.
“Alright, now let us see what these fools want.” Cole concluded. We arrived at the doors of the Council Chambers. A pair of Council Guards, from the faction I had aligned with, meet us at the entry doors to escort us to the central chamber where they all meet. Both Guards shrugged wordlessly as we quickly questioned them in a whisper. We glanced at each other before entering the large circular room. We were waved to the central podium to be watched from all eyes seated around the room.
“I am pleased that Noble Kestrel, Royal Advisor and Envoy of the Ones on High, has graced us with his presence and wisdom.” the Spokesman for the Council stated loudly. I glanced around seeing most, if not all, the seats were filled. “I thought it best if you received this news at the same moment the full Council learn of it.” he stated calmly. He avoided looking at me as a Page placed a scroll in my hand bearing the Royal Feary emblem. It was a very short direct statement that read: War is declared.
“What is the meaning of this?” I snapped back at the Spokesman.
“A note sent from the Royal Ambassador Sherena.” he replied looking sicker by the moment. “Please read the words so the whole Council may understand even if it does not deal with Atlantis itself?” he requested in a slightly softer tone. I stood to my full height holding the open scroll in my hands.
“War is declared!” I bellowed out in the room. He sighed and nodded to me.
“Every mystical race attacked the Fairy mounds in Asia turning the place into a bloody magical war zone.” he started reporting to the Council from a set of documents before him. The surrounding Fairy mounds have turned their back on them because they were informed of their actions in Atlantis and the rumors they made the Rebel Mound disappear.” he continued slowly. "Princess Sherena, herself, disappeared slightly before the war started which in a way made them all attack swifter than planned.” he concluded.
He nodded to me as the Council Chamber sank into stunned silence. I reexamine the letter closer holding in front of my face. In a very small script in ink that was a nearly perfect match to the color of paper read: I am safe. The scroll hide my quick smile before I lowered it stony faced once more. The new treatises signed with me as the representative of Atlantis left our hand free to act or hold back within this mystic war.
“Have contingencies been put in place if any of those fairies attempt escaping the war zone alive?” I asked breaking the silence. It was a clap of thunder in the room releasing them from their shock. Animated with the worse possible outcomes of escaping fairies and how prolong the mystical war could last.
“Other may try to attack them causing the war to spread out of control as they hunt the escapees.” one Council member stated.
“The magical energy released, if prolong, could cause uncontrollable effects on the humans and natural animals of those lands.” another started.
“It could spread farther still especially if too many of them escape to be hunted down.” a third member snapped back linking it all together.
“You have started all this with a single comment, Lord Kestrel!” the Spokesman screamed at me. “This insanity will not help us since we shall not interfere unless it comes to the shores of Atlantis.” he proclaimed with finality. His glare towards me was as icy as the permanently frozen plains of this world. It meet the fire of suns blazing back at him in my eyes.
“If not held in check, the enemies will escape to rebuild elsewhere!” I squawked back. “Are you so blind not to see that this will sneak back into Atlantis as it as already done before?” I asked angrily. Cole and a majority of the Council members gasped at my rebuttal.
“Do you question our methods after being the one the forged the alliance that gives us the right to watch and not be involved?” the Spokesman snapped back sneering.
“We would not be interfering by sending word to our allies surrounding that area to create a closed magical border to lock them all in the area.” I answered with a smirk at him. “We do not need to join the fight nor personally seal the area in order to protect ourselves.” I bellowed for the whole Council to hear. “But we must do something quickly before too many of them have a chance to escape and restart this plot or a worse plot in another part of the globe.” I ended as they all stared in silence at me.
The Spokesman looked dumbfounded from my words. The Council as a whole seemed trapped in this dumbfounded stupidity to the simplest answer I gave them to act in Atlantis’ favor without stepping into the fight directly. I glanced at Cole who looked along the row of faces confused and disgusted at them. He signaled the pair of Guards to escort us from the room, who moved forward instantly. The confused look upon the Guards’ face showed they were as lost in this as we were. Once outside the doors, Cole started pacing back and forth along the hallway while the Guards stood waiting in silence by me.
“This is not right.” Cole mumbled over and over again as he paced. He finally stopped in front of me. “Why are they appearing like they cannot understand such a simple and logical idea?” he asked me. The hints of fear showed in the whites of his eyes.
“Your words made perfect sense to me, sir.” one of the Guards stated softly. His eyes remained lowered while his partner nodded his agreement. Cole returned to his pacing while finding the source of this dumbfounded reactions by the Council.
“I do not understand why the Council seems absolutely empty headed in this matter.” the other Guard commented as Cole strolled past us. I sighed softly raising the letter back to my eyes. New words of my design burned into the paper which I then crumpled. A small portal opened beside me and, with a back toss of my hand, the crumpled note floated through it. The Guard on that side of me glanced at me with a raised eyebrow in silence while Cole noticed nothing in his self-absorbed state. I reached out to grapple Cole’s shoulder during his next pass arresting his movements.
“Send word to our allies in the name of the Council and Royals through their Royal Advisor with the request they close their borders to fairies escaping Asia.” he ordered calmly to him. ”They can set healing places on the border of the conflict zone but none must be allowed to leave the area without receiving a proclamation naming them innocent from the Fairy Royal Family.” he continued quickly. Cole’s eyes gleamed with the mischief I was putting in action. “Also send word to the Fairy Royals of what I have done to assist them in Princess Sherena’s name as we had agreed.” I concluded. Cole nodded repeating each command as I stated them his eye burning with joy my illicit actions I put in motion. He ran off giggling like a maniac through the halls to the communication section of the Council Enclave.
“Do you realize how happy you have just made him?” the second Guard asked with a soft chuckle. I smiled as I nodded to him. I took a deep breath moving to face the doors to the central chamber. The amplification stone that hung around my neck jumped out perfectly mimicking the shard of Heartstone that had been sealed away. I pushed back into the meeting room with the two Guards at my side and another four that had remained in the room. I moved to the podium and raised my hands as the member still looked silently dumbfounded. Tendrils of lightning sparked from my fingertips to connect with each members in the room. I signaled with a head gesture for the Guards to depart. They took a quick glance at each other before filing out slowly. I waited until they left before I started.
“Now let us all be clear that you have agreed to my idea to ask our allies to bar the escape routes to the Asian Fairies.” I told them and embedded this as a fact in their minds. “You have given them the right to set healing areas along the border of the conflict but none may leave without Royal Fairy decree.” I continued. Each word etched directly into their memories. “You will send word to the Royals that this was my idea and I will speak to them directly soon.” I stated calmly. “You did not receive any communications with Sherena other than her reporting that the Fairies of Asia have been attacked by other mystic beings.” I ended. I reviewed the orders now burned into their mind as they agreed to my suggested actions.
A ring of nods replied my actions upon them before I withdrew my connection to all of them. I felt the tremor of archaic magic shifting the ether in the room. I turned slowly unsure what I would see to be overjoyed to see one of the aspects of the last Ley'รค'Luna known as ‘Wisdom’. I smiled at her remembering the last time I saw her, we acted out a scene of me hitting her showing her false arrogance for the Ancient Ones that watched us. She was the one I would turn to if I felt conflicted or lacking wisdom when no others could calm me.
“You have such gall using such a trick to get your way.” she whispered to me. I quick glance had all the Council member looking blankly at us. “I will not do anything since it is for the best in this situation.” she returned with a quick wink. She moved to stand beside me at the central podium. Mischievousness gleamed in her eyes as a smirk flourished on her face. “From your own eyes you can all see that I am the Holy Queen and Heart of Atlantis.” she stated. Her voice floated around the room receiving nods of acceptance. “Kestrel’s words always come from me so his requests are royal decrees and must be acted upon immediately.” she added. Another round of nods answered her. She turned to me to curtsy at me with a giggle.
“Why did you do that?” I asked under my breath. My exasperation showed in my face as I looked at her attempt to help me.
“So you do not need to always force their little minds into understanding wisdom.” she returned with an innocent smile.
“Best you leave before you are spotted here and the Atlantians start thinking that Annianka can be everywhere at once.” I returned to her. “Even if they already believes she sees everything that happens on Atlantis.” I added with a shrug. With another tremor of the magical ether of the room, she was gone leaving only a hint of her natural scent of old books and ink. I did not want to explain why I had went directly into their mind since she would want to look into why they acted mentally dysfunctional. I truly did not wish to be trapped dealing with two aspects if Wisdom had learned of this mental oddness. With only one aspect corrupted, I hoped that the remaining three could realize the problem and work together to find the cure for her and help return her to Atlantis in that future darkness. I was still unable to find which feline was to replace me that my mind focused upon.
That hidden part of my mind debated if I should have warned her but, with the four free aspects able to communicate and transfer knowledge willingly, it was wiser to leave them in the dark until I knew more on how to stop this infection consuming all she and I am in this world. I opened the door to find the six Council Guards waiting at attention. I nodded to them as they saluted me in unison. The original four that stood in the large central room reentered as I waited with the two that had accompanied me earlier. Cole returned beaming with mischievous excitement of having gotten a step ahead of the Council.
“I returned to them and made them agree to the messages you have sent.” I informed him, Cole deflated slightly but still remained energized by having been ahead of them if even for a little bit. “Let us go home and decide what must be done next.” I suggested to him. He feel in step beside me while our two Guard followed us to the doors of the Council Chambers.
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