The Fire Seer

4 - Forgiveness is Sin

The black car slowed to a stop outside the House of Elders, a rickety brick building that had stood the tests of time. Sam whirled around the other side, opening my door and offering a hand. I slipped out from the car, wearing ripped jeans and an ACDC shirt, looking around. I had been here once with my parents on the passing day of Grand Elder Maurice, an esteemed leader of the community and my grandfather, the former beta of Ironfang. Now, I was here as the Seer to present myself to them all.

We made our way up the steps, my converse scraping the cement as I ascended. Two guards in black gear stood beside the doors, communicating through ear pieces to their respective counterparts in and around the building. Ironfang was an incredibly dense pack that favored defense above all else, especially since the rogue attacks years prior. The Elders were our guides to past times, their importance impossible to overlook. Guards were a must.

Each guard took a door and opened them to me, and a bursting gale of cool air hit me along with the smell of sage and ash. I took a deep breath, reminded of my mother and her prayer circles, and stepped inside. It looked like a normal home, fit with a foyer leading down a long hallway of wood floors and maroon paisley walls. A staircase led to other floors, but the elevator to the right was more common for the less able-bodied Elders' usages. Voices echoed down the corridors, and gold light and shadows poured from a room on the far left. Sam fell in step behind me as we approached, and we stopped in the doorway of the room to take it all in. The greeting hall of the House of Elders looked like any grandmother's living room, save for the spacious nature. Television sounds reverberated against the walls, playing I Love Lucy. Carpets of wolf motifs blanketed the floors, and plush love seats and couches in dull blues sat everywhere, housing older ladies and gentlemen who engaged in boisterous conversation. One woman knitted a blanket with precise and fast-moving hands. A gentleman read the newspaper with a scowl. Seven people sat around in their places, not noticing the new arrival until the guards stationed around the room shifted. One patted me down for weapons and copied the same movements for Sam, thorough as can be. Only then did Elder Simone look up from her needlework, smiling bright. "Ah," She placed down her work as I stepped inside, standing and throwing open her arms. "The Oracle of Ilya joins us," She said as I smiled and neared, embracing her. The pudge of her arms and the size of her chest made a secure, comfortable pillow of huggable energy, and I buried into it before drawing back in adequate time so as not to seem rude. She took my hands as the others took in my everything. "It is so good to have you, Davina," She said, and somehow, I knew Elder Simone meant it.

Another man I recognized as Elder James grumbled. "Look what she's wearing," He mumbled to Elder Gertrude, who whacked him with her book and cursed him for making unnecessary assumptions. It made me giggle. Simone cursed at them all, ordering them to be on their best behaviors before looking back at me. "I apologize for them! These old bats don't know how to behave anymore!" She said, and I laughed some more. "Don't worry, Elder Simone. I am honored to be here. My grandfather's legacy seems to be lively with energy." They all mumbled and laughed softly, thinking of Grand Elder Maurice with fondness because Simone ushered me into an open seat a little ways from the television. "So, Davina, I'm sure you're wondering why we extended the invite," Simone said, sitting and crossing one leg over the other. I found the energy of the room shifted, and each Elder now held a serious darkness that chilled me. "Yes," I nodded slowly, looking over my shoulder at Sam, who settled in behind me. I gathered my courage, looking at Simone. "Your summons said it was an urgent matter."

"And it is," Elder Gertrude said, folding her hands together in her lap atop the weaponized novel. "We have called you here today to discuss Alpha Elijah and the measures we are willing to impose to improve his treatment of the Oracle. It is blasphemy to abuse you as he has. It goes against Ilya herself." The others mumbled their agreement.