Vivien and the Scoria

Chapter 1: Kygen

Kygen

3rd Year of Lord Tante's rule

Mount Udarah

6th night hour

From all around the city of Merasa, people flocked to see and hear the conference being held in the meeting hall on Mount Udarah. The invitations to the conference were sent secretly, underneath the noses of the Fellan guards, into the Aernir city segment, and all those able bodied and free willed enough to come, came. Those who weren't invited still came, but stood outside in a large group, all silent in an effort to hear what was going on inside. They all knew the risks of coming, and what would happen to them if they were caught. But they decided it was worth it to come along, to hear what was being discussed, and to maybe have some input into the very serious matters being discussed.

As a close friend of one of the organisers of the conference, I received an invitation to attend. Just to attend though, not to contribute. I was still under the age of adulthood in Merasa, and it was privilege enough to be able to listen in. My best friend Will Hyden, also my adopted brother, was leading the conference with one of the Tanah leaders, Paddy Luca, and a few of the elders of each of the clans. The other people invited to the conference were important figures from each of the clans and close family of those leading the conference.

Because I was not allowed to contribute to the conference, I stood at the back with the rest of Will's family, his sister Rosa sitting on my shoulders and playing with my hair, his half-brother Rin holding Tessa, a Barbarian girl he had basically adopted, on his lap, and his father Twister standing stoically near my right shoulder. I stood out among them as the only Hyden with blonde hair, but that was to be expected as I was the one who had come to their family following the death of my own. But we don't talk about that, ever.

Everyone attending the conference, and those who waited outside, stood in rigid silence as we waited for the leaders to start speaking. It took a few minutes, after everyone attending had arrived and taken their place in the hall, for any of the leaders to mutter so much as a word to us all. It made sense why though; they had to make sure that there were no spies for Lord Tante in the mix of people attending, and they had to make sure that there would be enough time to say all that needed to be said before the next round of Fellan came along, enforcing curfew.

Elder Gayame of the Udarah rose from her seated place on the raised platform at the front of the hall and moved to stand behind the large raised hollow stone that was the podium. She tapped it twice with an embellished staff, the symbol of the leader of the meeting, and the sound rang out into the room. The meeting had now officially begun. "I am Elder Gayame, representative of the Udarah clan, and leader of this meeting. I now call Paddy Luca to the podium to explain the reason for calling this meeting. It is an issue that affects us all – Lord Tante's continued rule of Merasa. I present to you, Paddy Luca."

Elder Gayame swept her right arm to where Paddy and Will stood against the wall behind the seated Elders, and nodded once at Paddy as an indication to move forward to the podium. He nodded politely back, and stepped forward. I had to admire his confidence here – Paddy had effectively been selected at birth to be the next leader of the Tanah clan, a huge responsibility. And he was only 18 now, facing a crowd that represented the entire city of Merasa, preparing to speak about Lord Tante and his tyranny, knowing full well that anyone in the audience could be a traitor and would report him to the Fellan for a weeks-worth of rations. It was truly admirable, especially when you added in the fact that Paddy had a great phobia of public speaking.

"Good evening, fair citizens, representatives of Merasa. It is an honour to be standing in front of you today. However, the matter I wish to discuss tonight is one that weighs heavily on all of us. Many of you here today can well remember the time of the Years of Indecision. On the dawn of the New Year of the 28th Year of Indecision, Lord Tante appeared from nowhere, claimed his birthright to rule Merasa as the last living Wraith Lord, and brought our city to further ruin than brought in all the Years of Indecision. The Barbarians do not even consider us worthy foes to fight any longer. We are a shadow of the former Merasa, and it is high time we put a stop to it, and rise to our full potential as a city and as a united people."