THIRD BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺. 𝘈 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳. 𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴.
Two sides of the same coin are brought to the light...
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The pixie threw the door open and disappeared inside. Xanthy was greeted with a round table and more armored people sitting in chairs the moment she stepped foot into the room. Various weapons littered the tabletop while some armored pixies even played with theirs. Panic gripped Xanthy's throat. Would they skewer Xanthy and June? Was that why they're here?
"This is the Holy Council," Canelis strode to an empty chair and settled on it. Her sword joined its cousins atop the table. She flicked her gaze in Xanthy's direction. "State your proposition."
"Huh?" Xanthy's eyes flitted at the faces of men and women who stared at her like she was a prized fowl. "What proposition?"
"Who is this?" a man wearing red armor spoke, his voice almost shaking the entire room with how loud it was. "Are we going to waste valuable sun-hours listening to her?"
"Xanthiene," Canelis turned to her having blatantly ignored Red Armor's sentiment. "What are you saying to me back in the corridors?"
A bead of sweat dropped from Xanthy's brow. Her palms turned clammy. Why was she nervous? These were just people! Yeah, but they can chew you alive if you made a mistake, the reasonable part of her brain argued.
Screw it.
Xanthy cleared her throat free from the lump growing in it. "Um, I know who did this to your city and I intend to avenge you," she clasped her hands together in front of her and resisted the urge to bounce with the balls of her feet. "All I ask is a few provisions as we go along the journey."
A hand slammed into the table making Xanthy jump as well as the weapons on the table. A woman wearing copper-tinged armor stood up, her chair making scratching noises as it slid backwards. "Avenge us? The Riogener and Renagener couldn't do that. What makes you think you can" her tangled pendants bounced against her chest, filling the room with the sound of beads clinking against metal. She scoffed. "Provisions? You've got a thick nose even after you've seen how we live in these tunnels."
"General Slynn, sit down," Canelis twined her fingers with her elbows propped against the table. "It's disrespectful to leave a council seat before the Crown General. I'm sure the Riogener will agree to that."
The woman huffed before plopping back down her seat. Xanthy pursed her lips. "I know you don't think much of me," she crossed her arms, looking mostly at Canelis for a sense of false comfort. "But what do you think of the Virtakios? The one the Death Knight just announced across the islands?"
"Do you know him?" a man wearing a green armor seated beside Copper Armor woman asked. His dark eyes bored into Xanthy's whole being. "Perhaps he could save us with his mighty and unknown powers."
Xanthy bit her lip. "I'm the Virtakios."
The Council blinked almost as one. Also as one, they burst into laughter. Were they hysterical because they felt relieved?
