Metal and Flesh (The Rohvim, Book 1)

12.1 Council

"...and the companions of Ilien were men fair and strong, and they did set forth to contend with the darkness. Men of high birth, with stone faces, opposed them and hedged up their way, but Ilien was resolute, knowing the prophecies and believing the foretold victory..."

-The Adventures of Ilien, 3:35

AEDEN RAN ACROSS THE HALL and opened the front door, and as he descended the steps into the street, he bowled over a body with a familiar face.

   "Aeden?" Priam cried in disbelief.

    "Priam!" Aeden grabbed his friend and embraced him tightly. "What took you so long?"

   "Well, I did have an army to fight my way through."

   "You always did take your time fighting your way through armies. Just hang around me more and we'll fix that." The boys grinned at each other, with Priam's smile fading away into a look of concern.

   "Aeden. Your sister. And Father. I'm so sorry. I've been crying nonstop since that day ...." He looked down.

   Aeden stared at him, "Yes, mother is having a particularly hard time of it. I will have our revenge, though." He said matter-of-factly. "Tell me. What of your family?"

   "They're fine. Before the army arrived, they fled to the capital and begged me to go with them, but I saw that your family and the rest of the nobility was staying to fight, and so I just couldn't help myself ..." He grinned, but turned serious as he continued, "... the drone army seemed particularly interested in killing off the nobles and their families. I only escaped by covering myself in horse poo and acting like a beggar."

   Aeden cocked his head at his friend, "I see the invasion hasn't changed you much." Priam punched Aeden in the chest. Aeden continued, "So did the master healer find out anything?"

   "He got in some of their heads and found they were all being controlled by someone he did not recognize. He'll explain more at the council, I suppose."

   Aeden replied, "We should get in there and find front row seats." Priam agreed, and they re-entered the hall, presenting themselves to the doorkeeper as before. They made their way across the hall and entered the double doors to the assembly room which they saw was filled with wooden benches, all painted white. They found seats near the front, though the room was beginning to fill up, the crowd numbering at least thirty by the time they sat. Aeden and Priam talked in low voices for about half an hour as the room filled up more, and by the time the master healer and Clara entered, the room was filled to capacity with at least one hundred people assembled. The two aged leaders took their places in chairs on the slightly raised dais in the front, along with eleven other men and women, mostly of advanced age. Clara stood up and walked to the center of the dais. The room fell into a solemn hush.

   "In the beginning, I was as any normal woman. I did not know my true nature and I roamed aimless, directionless, lacking any purpose or goal. I was born to an astrologer and his wife, a seer. They made their money off the hopeless and stupid, but were learned in matters of legend and lore. They taught me prophesies of a wondrous future, and of a glorious past, and when men and women had great powers-of healing, of frightening destruction, of people that could transform themselves into mythical dragons, or common dogs. Having tasted of this fruit of secret knowledge, I set out, intent on unlocking the secrets of our heritage. I passed through terrible trials-wandered distant lands, searched through vast ruins, became nearly entombed leagues beneath the earth, and at last the truth grasped hold of me and I was delivered from my ignorance. My true nature was laid bare before me and I saw clearly my destiny. Our destiny. I returned to our land, met the master healer who had also discovered himself, and in time we created this society, passing on the knowledge we have learned so that eventually all of humanity may one day meet itself and know itself.

   And now, that future is put into jeopardy. Trying times are upon us. The prophecies in the Chronicles speak of great calamities and terrible trials that shall come, and I believe we are in the midst of them now. Great evil has spread across our fields, across our pastures, through our streets, has usurped our homes, and even taken our lives. I am grieved to report that the losses from Elbeth and the other towns surrounding it are ... extensive. Many of the nobility have been summarily slaughtered, and any who resisted are dead. In addition to the dead, there is report of mass disappearances. People awake to find that their neighbors have suddenly vanished in the night. The prison is empty, as are several of the ... less desirable districts of the city. The master healer has arrived from the city of Elbeth just this morning and has a more thorough report for you all. Master healer." The elegant lady stepped aside, and the master healer arose to address the assembled.

   "Greetings to you all. I will not mince words with you, as time is a commodity that we currently lack. The army that sacked Elbeth and the surrounding cities is an army that is under the control of ... one of us." He turned to Clara at his side and they looked grimly at one another. A collective gasp went up in the room, and dozens of conversations erupted between neighbors amidst a wave of chatter.