Undestined: Fight your Fate

Chapter 10: Whispers of War, Pt. 2

“Well?” Silay asked when he put it down.

“It seems the Council wants to meet with us.”

“When?”

“It says as soon as we are able.” He looked up. “We should have read this first.”

“No, we shouldn’t have.” Silay took the letter folded it back up. “Because then we would have gone right away and been all grumpy and hungry, and the bread would have gotten cold.” She sighed. “But I guess we have to go now.”

“All of us?” Riya hadn’t moved from where she was standing by the stove. Her posture was relaxed, but Silay could hear the tension in her voice. She unfolded the letter and read it over.

“Sorry, Riya. It names all three of us.”

Riya scowled. “Well, let’s get it over with, then.”

***

They hurried through the street, heads bent down against the rain. “You know,” Silay commented to Riya, “I think I might have preferred a cloak over breakfast if I’d known we would have to go out in this.”

Riya flashed her a quick smile in response, but didn’t answer. They were both walking as fast as they could to keep up with Jarlen’s pace. Silay couldn’t take it any longer, and jogged a few steps to catch up with the older man.

“Hey!”

He glanced sideways at her. “What?”

“We don’t all have long legs.”

Jarlen blinked, then noticed Silay was jogging to keep up with him. “Ah. Sorry.” He slowed down, and so did Silay. She sighed in relief.

“Thank you. That’s better.”

Though they were going slower than before, they still walked quickly, eager to get out of the rain. Finally, they reached the doors to the City Hall. The tall wooden doors were imposing, and Silay scowled as they drew near. Below the building was the jail she and Riya had been held in. The door was open, and the two women followed Jarlen inside, where they all paused for a moment in the entrance way and attempted to shake the water off their clothes. A man sitting at a table near the center of the room noticed and walked over towards them.

“Can I help you?”

Silay held out the now damp letter. “The Council wanted to see us.”

The man frowned and took the letter, glancing at the contents and the seal. “Very well.” He looked over the group. “Why are you all wet?”

“We didn’t have any cloaks.” Jarlen’s reply was almost a growl.

Startled, Silay looked at him. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but their journey, and everything else, had probably been harder on Jarlen than on the rest of them.

The doorman frown. “Wait here. I will see if I can find anything for you.” He turned and walked through a small door at the back of the room.

Riya glanced around, and stomped her feet, sending water droplets running off her clothes. “I don’t have time for this.”

Suddenly, a blast of heat hit Silay in the face, making her stumble back. Instinctively, she closed her eyes. As suddenly as it had begun, the heat stopped. Silay opened her eyes, and gasped. She, Riya, and Jarlen were dry, but a huge puddle of water was sitting by the door. Riya smiled. “Much better.”

“How did you do that?”

Riya grinned. “Magic, obviously. Nice to be able to do that again.”