6 years ago - Listillvice
Vera sat in her room, her crimson hair flowing wildly over her shoulders as she played with a small pile of artfully crafted dolls. She had nothing to call toys, no wooden swords, boats, or little stone soldiers. Her father said they weren't suited for a girl like her and she always wondered what kind of girl she'd have to be to get some.
But testing was on hold. It had felt far longer than the three months her father had apparently been away. Time stretched in a way that every day he came back was like a second birthday to Vera. Her mother told her he was always outside because he was fighting an army of monsters that wanted to burn down the kingdom, creatures called Garaeans that brought with them an evil swarm of dragons.
But Vera liked the dragons she'd met. They had always been so nice to her when she visited them, the great blue one, Shiorellus, would even let her climb his horns and tie flowers around them. She couldn't imagine a swarm of evil ones getting past the hundreds of dragons that lived in Latos. But for the past year she hadn't been able to check, she wasn't even allowed outside anymore, but that didn't stop her from sneaking out into the courtyard once in a while to watch the giant black clouds rising in the distance. They held an ominous wonder to them, a wonder of where they came from and why she saw a hundred skips of marching soldiers in shining armour leave the castle every day; going towards the black clouds and rarely returning.
The door opened and Vera jumped up in excitement, running over to her father with open arms as he scooped her up above his head. "There's my little torch! How have you been?"
Vera giggled as he twirled her around, placing her back on the ground with a wince of pain.
She paused, grabbing his hand where a thick yellowed cloth bound the back of his hand and stretched to his forearm. She stared into his emerald eyes, duller with the darkened rings around his eyes. He wasn't as pretty as he usually was. "What happened daddy?"
"Nothing bad, it's just a little cut from a group of Garareans that snuck up on us."
"The Garaeans attacked you again?" Vera sucked in every detail of the bandage, feeling its grainy weave while trying to imagine the kind of beast that could even scratch her dad. He still had his bronze armour on, covered in scratches and a few black smears that reeked of campfire smoke. He looked just like a fairytale hero. "Cool. Horus says they're shadow monsters that crawled out of Oblivion. Is that true?"
He chuckled. "No Vera, they're from a far away place."
"Far away? Then why'd they take the time to come here?"
Cilvren smiled, placing his hand over the hilt of his sword before Vera went to touch it. "Because they're monsters Vera, and that's what monsters do. They take things."
"Woah," Vera replied, her eyes lighting up with awe. "Can I see one someday daddy?"
"No Vera." His glare softened as she cringed away. "They'll hurt you and I want to keep you safe."
"Don't worry daddy, Shiorellus said he'd always protect me. He can eat all of them with one big bite! Can I go visit him sometime? I promise not to stay overnight!"
He didn't share her excitement, severing their locked gazes to look at the ground instead. "No Vera, I told you dragons are dangerous."
"What about Lanskreiz?"
"Lanskreiz?"
"The one in the dungeons, I haven't seen him for awhile."
"Lanskreiz isn't in the castle anymore Vera..." Cilvren stopped, eyebrows twisting as he locked onto her with a scorching gaze. "You were in the dungeons?"
Vera cringed. He was always so good at tricking her into admitting things. "Just once."
"How?"
Vera pinched her fingers and looked at her shoes, an object she could always lie to. "I got lost."
Cilvren sighed, taking a knee to catch Vera's gaze and ruffle her hair.
She smiled.
That meant she wasn't in too much trouble.
"Just promise me you won't leave this castle until I say you can, it's dangerous right now."
Vera bit her cheeks, weighing the pros and cons of agreeing. Was it worth saying she'd try?
She stared into her father's eyes, a ticking clock that grew more intense by the minute. "Yes daddy." She flicked her gaze over to the sword on his waist, the hilt carved with bronze feathers to look as cool as it was deadly. A real sword. "But can I have a knife for my birthday?"
"We'll see." He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little rub as he stood up. "And don't go near the dungeons, there's monsters worse than Garaeans down there."
Vera only let the floor see her disappointment. A rub on her shoulder was always a silent no.
—————
The whispers had grown thick as soon as he stepped into the school.
"That's him."
"He's the one that did it."
The halls were packed, but not enough to leave Káel a wide berth of space as he walked through with four of the Council's hired bodyguards. Even without them he was sure the bubble would remain.
"Murderer."
Ariabella skimmed the crowds to pin the whisper while Káel kept his gaze forwards, knowing, just like the first three, its source was as good as gone. But her emotions were on her sleeve at this point, stuck close to his side while she paid their spectators with both disgust and exhaustion until they reached the home stretch of Samanthra's winding staircase.
She laxed in the air untainted by students, taking the chance to give Káel a sympathetic nod. "It's okay it's not your fault."
"Debatable," Káel muttered, stopping as the two guards in front pushed Samanthra's doors open. There was a surprising selection of people in the room, seven, not including himself and Ariabella, the most shocking standing heads above the rest with a smile that somehow glared at all who witnessed it.
Kerris.
Káel gulped as he pulled his arms into a fold.
"There is the star of the show." The glare left the king's smile as he took a seat at Samanthra's desk, motioning to an emptied chair conspicuously placed centerfold to all the guests.
"And after that escort there isn't going to be a single student in the school that isn't going to harass him," Mr. Lightwood added, eyeing one of the guests in the room that Káel didn't recognise - but his Council colours were unmistakable. "A round of applause for yet another act of brilliance from the Council."
"Lightwood seal your tongue," Samanthra cut in, lacking a welcoming smile as she turned to Káel and waited for him to seat himself. "We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you, but the Council wished to see you before you interacted with anything within Cobalt."
"Oh whoops, I think I touched a door on my way here," Káel replied dryly.
"Apologies." Ariabella bowed courteously to Samanthra. "It was a rather early morning."
"That's alright, his behaviour is understandable," another man spoke, looking down at Káel with a flat smile that almost matched the darkened circles dusting his eyes. He had taken a stance closest to the door, black bookbag strung over his shoulder without an emblem to hint his allegiance. "I would be disgruntled too if I knew my secrets would eventually spill and have me convicted for rather hefty crimes."
"I didn't do anything wrong," Káel retorted.
The man smiled. "Good, then prove us wrong." He glanced at Ariabella. "You are the representative of Elisious Aeric, Alta Staar's emperor I presume?"
"You are correct sir," Ariabella replied flatly, skimming his grey tunic and coming out empty handed on leads as well. "And what is it that you have come to represent?"
"I have been hired to represent Káel in the coming sessions," the man said, an Alta Staar salute barely dinting the caution pricking Ariabella's lips. "My name is Roland Skyfell, you may address me as Mr. Skyfell."
Ariabella didn't budge, just as ready to pounce as Elisious at anything stupid enough to make a move on Káel. "Seeing as Elisious chose to represent Káel it would be appropriate that I take his place. We don't need Council freebies."
"It's a good thing I'm not a Council freebie then," Mr. Skyfell replied, motioning to the man in Council colours who took the gesture in silent confusion. "As you can see Mr. Rudas is not in this room, he is preoccupied with Miss Barrow's case against the Council, which you will be spearheading as Mrs. Barrow's prosecutor. This will also give his majesty the power to vote if the need arises. I've not been personally hired by his majesty, but I am confident that my employer has contacted him so we're all on the same page."
Ariabella straightened, glancing at Káel in a spell of thought before conceding to Mr. Skyfell's words. "Very well, I will check with him immediately after this meeting. Assuming you speak the truth, if you fail to uphold my standards I'm sure you're aware of the consequences. I will be reporting to Elisious on a regular basis."
"I would expect no less." Mr. Skyfell gave Káel an unwelcomed wink. "I wouldn't have dragged you here as soon as you put a foot through the doors of Cobalt, but the Council ordered it."
"Yeah, can you hurry up and give me the golem so I can leave? The entrance examination area was crowded enough," Káel retorted, tossing his hostility to the other strangers when Mr. Skyfell's smile only grew at the remark.
"That won't be necessary," Samanthra replied. "The Council has already given you your rank and your house colour will remain silver as it should. They wish to discuss how you will be monitored at Cobalt."
Káel frowned in confusion. "Didn't you guys already decide on the golem?"
"They want to distract you so you don't have time to mess around with anymore illegal stuff," Mr. Lightwood cut in.
"You didn't have to put it like that Lightwood, but yes, that is essentially our plan." Another person spoke up, the man in Council colours pulling the room with the boom of his voice. He was tall, short brown hair woven back in small braids Káel often saw on training soldiers. But the bright yellow undershirt he'd forgotten to hide in his robes was a clash that betrayed every impression of authority he flaunted. "We want to maximize the Council's time in monitoring you, this is for both safety and the quality of the evidence we will be collecting."
Káel scoffed, feeling a little bad when his eyes rested on the glaring shirt and he quickly covered it. "Who're you? Mr. Rudas's replacement?"
"Yes, I am... Hopefully a better one," he replied, hand over his heart to sell up the authenticity. "I'm very sorry that he was your first experience with the Council. Worry not, I was personally chosen by the Grand Chancellor for this case."
"That supposed to be a good thing?" Káel frowned as Ariabella discreetly cleared her throat. She had a wall called Alta Staar's monarchy that didn't allow her to be as blunt as Káel's uncle, but still had her ways in telling him to shut up.
But the man didn't seem offended. Like the barrista's back in Casey's Bakery, words sank into his smile without any sort of effect. "I suppose you wouldn't know until you've met the man, but in my humble opinion, yes, that is a very good thing. You may call me Mr. Greine."
The door cracked open and Mr. Mudelin came in, eyeing the crowd impassively. "As expected it's Mrs. Floyd, this may pose an issue." He glanced at Mr. Greine. "No offence."
"None taken, I see where you're coming from." He placed his hand on Káel's shoulder as a friendly gesture that was quickly shoved off. "Don't worry Káel, you're certainly among friends here, I can't say the same for anyone not presently in this room."
"That's comforting," Káel muttered, receiving a snort of agreeance from Puff. Half the room he didn't recognise, which threw Phantom's hint to stay away from strange faces right out the window.
"Back to the point, how do you plan on keeping him distracted Lady Samanthra?" Kerris said, his face dropping as Mr. Lightwood shot his arm up.
Samanthra sighed. "What is it Lightwood?"
"I have an idea."
"I gathered. Would you like to share it with us?"
Mr. Lightwood gave Káel his usual sadistic grin. "He's a fast runner, isn't he?"
"Above average," Mr. Mudelin replied.
"Then how about we force him into some sports teams and tournaments?"
Káel stopped perusing the guests, shooting a loaded glare at Lightwood as he popped his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
Mr. Lightwood matched his tone with a grin. "You heard me."
"We will consider your idea Lightwood," Samanthra cut in, looking around at the others. "Except, just running won't get him far in most things."
"I agree, his skills in Lumience weren't particularly impressive," Kerris added, bluntly sizing up Káel again with a frown. "At best he'd be a runner for track."
"That's the point," Mr. Lightwood chimed, he's crap at Lumience so he'll need extra practice, which means-"
"More time for the Council to watch him." Mr. Greine lifted his gaze from skimming the floor, nodding along with Mr. Lightwood. "I like this plan. Get him in as many extracurricular activities as you can Lightwood."
Mr. Lightwood snapped his fingers. "You got it."
Samanthra grabbed him by the arm as he turned to leave. "I can't just force one of my students into teams and tournaments against their will. Despite what some students may think, this is a school, not a prison."
Mr. Greine nodded in understanding, but the barrista still didn't leave his curved lips. "That's alright mi'lady, the Council will do it for you. All of the warlord representatives visiting for the trial are in this room, let's vote."
"I won't be held accountable in any manner for this," Samanthra cut in. "Ariabella, what is your stance on this?"
"Personally mi'lady it is a bit abusive, but I am representing Alta Staar, and his majesty Elisious has already structured Káel's schedule to maximise his presence in the school. I'm sure he will also endorse any extra-curricular activities that may further assist in repairing Káel's image."
Samanthra sighed. "Kerris?"
He shrugged. "He looks sturdy enough to me."
Samanthra eyed the last two strangers in the room, a crest of Latos on the man's tunic, while the ravenhaired woman a few feet from him bore the crest of a black dragon, a royal house Káel didn't recognise. They were likely warlord's representatives too, given how the man, Mr. Hazel cast his vote with a nod, and the woman, Ms. Elleanoire, was quick to shake her's.
Samanthra frowned in defeat, landing on the last man in the room. "Mr. Skyfell?"
He tilted his head. "Seeing as three warlords have agreed, and the Grand Chancellor's representative, I don't think my vote really matters..."
"Don't I get to vote?" Káel growled, already getting his answer by the miniscule shake of Ariabella's head.
Mr. Greine chuckled, bending a little with his arms rested behind his back. "Sorry my boy, along with being the centre of this case, you're too young to cast any sort of vote in the Mauran region."
"I bet I'm not too young to swap schools."
"You are, and that makes no difference. But look on the bright side, you can win back the respect of your schoolmates if you do well. Which reminds me." Mr. Greine grabbed a bag off Samanthra's desk, oblivious to the red tint in Káel's cheeks as he pulled a small stone sphere out of it and held it out to Káel. "This is your golem, her designated name is Stella."
Káel scoffed as he dropped the cold sphere in his hands, light as packing peanuts, but far too big for any of his pockets. "A rock? You expect me to carry this around?"
"Although you are rather adept at such, you won't need to," Mr. Greine replied, placing his hand on the sphere and muttering.
Nothing happened.
Mr. Griene blinked, placing his hand on the sphere and muttering the same phrase with extra care, but when the stone remained it only fueled his shaky confidence. Káel studiously kept the sphere propped up in his hand, but couldn't take the secondhand embarrassment Mr. Greine was somehow giving him by participating.
Ariabella hummed at the spectacle, channeling the mood of the room into her voice. "You forgot the activation spell."
"Uh no." Mr. Greine quickly wiggled through his pockets, flattening a crinkled rip of parchment out to read it through while he held his hand over the sphere for one last go. To everyone's relief, energetic pink cracks crawled across its surface and it shattered into clean cut chunks. The pieces twirled around, locking into a runic butterfly that hovered in his palm.
Mr. Greine waved at the butterfly, discreetly crinkling the paper in his palm as if it didn't exist. "Stella, this is Káel Aeric. You know your orders."
"Yes sir." she spoke, dropping to perch on Káel's shoulder as Puff watched her cautiously.
"Don't worry, she'll only tell me things pertaining to the investigation, I'm not interested in anything else." Mr. Greine assured, his smile shadowing a taunt as he gave Káel's free shoulder one last rub. "Have fun at school."
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Fun and Useless Fact #6:
Flumigans are considered soul carriers in a wide variety of texts, so killing them is outlawed in most nations across Lumi. Think of them as sacred seagulls.