Jorgen Vestergaard's surprise conference was being held in the War Room.
In all of Sebastian's visits to the Eldenarian Council hall, he had never been inside that room. But he had heard stories about what went on in there. During the world's most perilous events, the commander of the Eldai, the seven councilmembers, and other influential magicians convened to provide a course of action for the magic community.
The Crusades, the two world conflicts, and various wars that threatened the safety of magicians were discussed in that room. While the Ordinaires didn't teach it in their history books, magicians had helped alter the course of history on numerous occasions.
Apart from the council room, the War Room was the most important place in the world.
Upon arriving outside the doors of the revered and fabled meeting place, he was met by two Eldai standing guard. He had been let through, but Imogen was forced to stay outside and wait.
As the guards had closed the doors behind him, he could hear her cursing up a storm at them. He did not even them. Not in the slightest.
He never knew such a small girl could be so...frightening.
Tightening his hoodie around his bare skin, he looked around the room. Curved walls gave the conference hall a circular shape. Antique weapons, maps, and archaic scrolls decorated the wallpaper. Lamps with alabaster shades were placed in every corner of the room. maps, scrolls, and weapons schematics were tacked to them.
An oval-shaped table sat in the room's center. Blue and green checkered squares, akin to an earth-themed chessboard, had been built into its surface. A glowing atlas of the world hovered above the tiles. A red dot over Brazil pulsed violently.
All but one of the ten chairs around the table were occupied. Jorgen—wearing a long coat with a thick, furred collar—stood at the head of the table, huge hands gripping the polished wood. He jabbed a thick finger at the hovering map as his deep voice boomed throughout the room.
Sebastian approached the meeting with caution, his eyebrows raised. An Eldai cleared their throat and gestured at the boy with their chin. Jorgen spun around mid-sentence.
"There you are." He grunted and pointed at an empty chair. "Sit. We have a lot to talk about."
Nodding, Sebastian took his seat. He took his opportunity to realize just who exactly had been called in for the meeting. Next to him were Ajax and Remy. Across from them sat Olivier.
Siren was also present. Her sisters and mother were not.
Sebastian didn't expect to see the youngest princess of House Aegeon there. With her father dead, that meant her mother was the head of their house. At the same time, he didn't take the woman as the leader type. Her sisters didn't fit that mold either. Perhaps Siren was the one serving as the ambassador of their house.
The others sitting around the table were people Sebastian didn't recognize. He figured they were high-ranked Eldai or other important magicians. He glanced at Ajax, who had his gaze trained on the man at the head of the table. He rolled his eyes at the admiration bleeding through the ginger's face.
"As I was saying before," Jorgen began, "I received reports of three Shades breaking out three high-level prisoners from Nyghtmir. My men have identified two Nightlings and a Redfang as the escaped inmates."
Sebastian squinted. Nightlings?
"Do we know what Shades he sent in?" he asked. "Because none of my father's regular Shades would have been able to execute an operation like that."
He had a hunch about who was involved. His sister was definitely among them. The second would have either been Emile or Delsin—but not both. Thorian always needed at least one of his main advisors by his side. Considering Delsin had been helping plant the seeds of a coup within House Oseda, Sebastian was willing to bet Emile had been sent to the rainforests of Brazil to visit the prison.
As for the third Shade involved, it had to be Makaela. It couldn't have been a coincidence that two Nightlings were sprung from the world's most secure prison just weeks after the Order of the Black Lotus brings in a Nightling into their own ranks.
If they were targeting demons for their army, Makaela had to be involved.
Jorgen rubbed the back of his neck. "We don't know for sure. Not yet, at least. What we do know is that they were three very strong magicians. At least a dozen of my mine suffered devastating injuries."
"We'll bring them to justice, sir," Ajax said. "No one slights the Eldenarian Council and gets away with it."
Grinning, Jorgen wagged a finger in his direction. "That's the spirit, cadet."
Cadet? Sebastian gawked at his friend. Since when is he a cadet?
"Anyways, knowing the identities of the assailants isn't a priority right now," Jorgen continued. "But knowing why they broke into Nyghtmir is." He turned to Sebastian. "Considering you've worked with the Order of the Black Lotus in the past and Thorian is your father, I figured you might have some insight on this situation."
Sebastian bit the inside of his check to prevent himself from saying something he'd regret. All eyes were on him. He kept his own eyes down, away from the distrusting looks of those around him.
They saw him at the son of the enemy. That's all they saw him as.
His lips twitched.
He was tired of having to prove himself to people who didn't trust him because of what his last name was. He didn't ask to be born into House Tenebris or to have Thorian Thauvin as his father. All that mattered was that he was fighting on their side. The right side.
At least, that's what should've mattered. He assumed they thought differently.
"Do you have any ideas?" Jorgen asked impatiently.
Sebastian held up a hand. "I'm thinking."
Why would his father want to break out two Nightlings and a werewolf? It wasn't making any sense. The risk of breaking into Nyghtmir for three people didn't seem like a risk Thorian would be willing to take. There had to be something special about those inmates; something that could tip the scales in his favor.
The answer hit him like a bag of bricks.
If his father was going to be usurping control over House Oseda from Chieftain Naidini, he was going to need help. The Order might've been powerful, but their numbers were small—especially after the battle in Thania.
Thorian was a big believer in quality over quantity. He would rather take a handful of extremely talented casters over an army of mediocre ones. To him, talent and raw power was the difference between victory and defeat.
Sebastian's eyes widened.
"I got it."
"Well?" Jorgen gestured for him to explain.
He explained to them that his father was gathering reinforcements for his attack on Vashara. Shades alone wouldn't be enough to defeat Naidini and her magicians. He would need more help.
That's where the Nightlings came in. Sebastian had seen Makaela fight while in her demonic state. She had truly been a force to be reckoned with, and she was only half Nightling. He couldn't begin to imagine what two full-blooded Nightlings were like in battle.
They would spell disaster for whoever they came up against.
As for the Redfang that was rescued, it had to have been them cashing in on a favor. They were allied with his father. And if they were willing to go through so much trouble just to rescue one werewolf, he must've been something special.
Or dangerous.
Possibly both.
"They're preparing," Jorgen said with a curt nod. He cast Ajax an appreciative glance. "You were wise to instruct us to travel to Vashara."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. His jaw dropped a bit as he glared at the man. It had been his idea for them to thwart Thorian's attack on Vashara—not Ajax's. Of course, Jorgen knew that. House Brynjir hated his people, though. He should've expected this treatment as soon as he arrived in the Eldenarian Palace.
Sighing, he rested his cheek on his palm and stared at the map in the center of the table.
"If they are mobilizing, we'll need to move faster," one of Jorgen's lieutenants advised.
Sebastian lifted his head and nodded. "I say we leave as soon as possible."
Excitement bubbled in his chest like a boiling potion inside a cauldron. This was it; his chance for redemption. It was almost upon him. Soon, he'd be able to make up for his failures. He'd be able to avenge all the people he let down.
He couldn't fail. Not again.
Jorgen stroked his salt-and-pepper beard. "We'll need to develop a strategy, a plan of action, first. Running in unprepared is suicide."
"Agreed, sir," Ajax added.
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
"My men and I have been drafting up a plan, but since we seem to be in a pinch for time," Jorgen turned away from the table and clasped his hands behind his back, "I may have to abandon my original plan. We won't be sending in a full battalion of Eldai into Vashara."
"You're making a mistake," Sebastian warned.
He raised a hand. "We don't know what we're rushing into. I'm not willing to gamble the lives of my warriors without having the full picture laid out in front of me." The room mumbled and nodded in agreeance with the man.
Sebastian let out an unimpressed groan.
While Jorgen had a point, Sebastian knew his father was banking on the commander to second-guess himself. He had something big up his sleeve, and if they didn't have enough manpower on their side, they had already lost.
No one else seemed to realize that except him.
"I'll be leading this mission," Jorgen announced after turning around. "Ajax will serve as my second in command."
Ajax's green eyes widened. "Sir?"
"Your father spoke very highly of you whenever we spoke," Jorgen said with a smile. "He said you were a great warrior and an even better leader. Seeing as I'm leaving my best lieutenant here to take over my duties, who better than you to take up the mantle? Perhaps you'll even take my job one day."
Sebastian wasn't sure whether to be happy or annoyed at Ajax's promotion. On one hand, it was great to see him getting along so well with his fellow warrior mages. At the same time, he feared he was being blinded by his loyalty and admiration to Jorgen. He was losing his ability to think for himself. If he joined the Eldai, he'd become just like them; brutal and devoid of basic emotion.
Without the Eldai, the magician community would be worse of—there was no debating that. But Sebastian couldn't help but be wary of them as a whole. His father once had them in the palm of his hand during his reign as leader of the council. Despite his recent actions, the man still had his sympathizers.
There was no telling who could be trusted.
"Seeing as how we have no charms experts in our ranks at the moment, I'm bringing Remy Moreau along with us," Jorgen continued. He looked to Olivier for confirmation, and the man nodded, a proud twinkle filling his eyes. "We'll be bringing in a few other Eldai and a healer, once we find one who is willing—"
"I'll come," Siren interrupted.
Everyone stared at her, shock and confusion present on everyone's faces.
Jorgen laughed. "You?"
She tilted her head. "Yes, me. Problem, sir?"
Clearing his throat, he shook his head. "But who's going to serve as—"
"My mother can manage while we're gone," Siren answered. Sebastian hid his smile with his hand. "Any other questions?"
Jorgen pursed his lips and shook his head. "Lastly, Sebastian Thauvin will also be joining us as our House Tenebris expert. He'll bring us insight of Thorian and the Order as we seek to bring them to justice."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. He knew he was just as talented, if not more, than any member in the man's ranks. He was more than a link to Thorian. He was a fighter and a brilliant caster.
And he was going to prove it to Jorgen. To everyone.
"I think I got everyone," Jorgen concluded.
Sebastian glanced at the door. Imogen was planning on coming, but Jorgen didn't know that. And if he did know, there was no way he'd allow it. Sebastian surely wasn't going to bring it up either. If she was so set on going, she'd find a way to convince him to let her join.
"Alright. Meet at the portal gate in an hour. Make sure to get everything you need for this mission. Don't be late." Jorgen clapped his hands together. Meeting adjourned."