J?kob waited outside of Wi?dwyr?'s room for Chloé to arrive so that they could work on his skills with the ancient language. The council had been meeting every day for the past nine days discussing the state of the realm, and J?kob hadn’t been able to have any of his lessons with Wilhelm since the meeting began. J?kob expected that today would be like the rest, so he was eager to meet with Chloé. Since he and she had been working together, his knowledge of the ancient language had improved to a point that he could almost have an entire conversation without needing help to find the right word.
When he was with Wilhelm, Chloé, or Wi?dwyr?, he would try to use it solely when speaking with them and he asked that they did the same. It helped him to learn the language faster than Wilhelm had hoped. He would spend his free time, between sessions of the meeting with the council, practicing to read the old texts to help improve his knowledge of magical spells and other things. Now that he could read the ancient scrolls and parchments for himself, he was able to begin working on his own.
J?kob entered Wi?dwyr?'s room, still anxious for Chloé to arrive. It was nearing time for everyone to go to the dining hall, for breakfast, before the meeting was to continue. In the days leading up to the meeting, as the Vareaer, or Watchers began to arrive at the sanctum, J?kob had become very excited. He was meeting other magic users from every corner of Tenroha and every place in between. He was in awe of just how many watchers there were in the land.
The meeting was held in a room that J?kob had never been in before. The day the meeting began, he and the others entered a room at the sanctum that was as large as the Hall of Dragons and filled with replicas of several different trees made of stone. They were arranged in a giant circle around a large marble table that was placed in the center of the room. J?kob and the others took their seats, as guests of the council, at the table in the center with the elders. He watched as Wilhelm and Mrs. Clary took their seats in front of their trees, along with the rest of the Watchers. One by one, they began to take their seats in the chairs positioned at the base of their representative trees.
Before the meeting day had come, Wilhelm had explained to J?kob and the others that there was a tree that represented each of the sentinel trees scattered across Tenroha, and that no two trees were the same. The meetings were mostly long and boring to J?kob and the others. The first day, a roll was called to see who wasn’t in attendance. J?kob counted forty-two different statues around the room; including twelve empty chairs at the end of the line of trees nearest the exit. He later found out at dinner that those particular empty seats were for the Sentinel Trees that reside on the dark side of the mountains and with the barriers in place from the time of the raising, the Vareaer for those sectors were unable to retake their place. The seats have been vacant ever since.
There were also four others that had not arrived at the sanctum. An apprentice of one of the absentees had arrived at the sanctum several weeks beforehand. He had been sent by his master to warn the council of the attack on his herae, (the district or sector of land that he watched over) as he went to assist the people of the town that resided in Pinewood Forest. It was his wish that the council would send more help to assist the townsfolk. The apprentice and a few others went back to investigate the following morning and found the deviation left behind from the attack, and it was assumed that the watcher, Orik of the Pines, had perished in the fight. There were no townsfolk found, and most of the buildings had been burnt. The fates of the other three absentees were unknown and it was thought that they may have perished as well, trying to defend their homes, but no one was certain of this. No word had reached the council to inform them otherwise.
After the roll was called, three small groups of watcher apprentices, led by council members, went in search of the missing members while the watchers that were in attendance, each in turn, began to inform the rest of the council of the state of their herae, whether it was a city, township, or village like Echo. Many of the reports were brief accounts with nothing to report. The ones that had been attacked, took a long time trying to explain what had happened in their herae, and why they didn't try to assist them while they were being attacked.
When Wilhelm’s turn came on the second day, he gave a short report and turned the floor over to Matáo to describe in detail what he had seen and heard during their escape from the invaders of Echo. Jeremiah and Chloé were asked to speak for Mrs. Clary as well. In all, it took five full days to get through all of the reports. It had appeared to all that were in attendance that all of the areas north of the largest city in the northern half of the realm, Oaken Meadow, had already been attacked and destroyed. There were also many reports of seeing a giant armada sailing down the Quoe, towards the capital city.
The next four days were as bad as the rest for J?kob. Since the reports were finished, he and the other guests weren't required to sit in for the remainder of the sessions, but J?kob along with Jeremiah, Chloé, and Matáo felt they needed to stay. They wanted to be prepared for whatever the council decided to do. The majority of the meetings were filled with finger pointing and casting blame, but towards the end of the ninth day, a plan was starting to take form.
The Vareaer, from the areas that had already been attacked, were to accompany the others back to their herae and assist in defensive preparations before they too were attacked. They were to send scouts out often, and they were to send reports back to the council three times each day. Many of the Vareaer were unhappy with this decision, but it was agreed upon. The council dismissed everyone after the ninth day with a few unsettled issues that they were to be discussed the following day, which was today.
J?kob grew tired of waiting for Chloé so he said his farewells to Wi?dwyr? and then he made his way to the dining hall for something to eat before the meeting was to reconvene for the next session. There were fewer people in the dining hall this morning. J?kob took a seat next to Matáo and Jonah. He waited for the others to arrive. He was curious to ask Chloé where she had been, but she never came to breakfast. He didn’t see Wilhelm, Nìa, or Jeremiah either.
After they had eaten, J?kob and Matáo went to the room in which the meeting was held. J?kob thought it odd that he knew the name of every room that he had seen in the sanctum, but not this one. He hadn’t heard its name spoken by anyone and he hadn’t thought to ask Wilhelm about it, until now. He decided that he would ask before the meeting continued and they each took their seat at the council table.
J?kob waited for Wilhelm and the others to enter the meeting hall, but they did not arrive before the head elder, Grand Master Tyrenus, began the session with an announcement. “May I have your attention for a brief summary of events of what has transpired since we last met?” he asked and then said “As you may know, there have been several reports of a large armada of ships approaching the capital city. We sent a few Vareaer to investigate the matter. They returned a short while later to confirm what had been noted in previous sessions of our meeting.”
He continued, “The king has also become aware of the fleet and has requested that we send aid at once to help to fortify the city and help with evacuations if necessary.” “I have sent some of our best to help the king in his time of need, but we cannot let the enemy advance any further on the land as well,” he explained and then concluded by saying, “We have already laid out a plan of action, and we will begin it at once. When the others return, they will take their places along with the rest of you.”
As J?kob and Matáo were leaving the meeting room, Mrs. Clary ran, as fast as the old woman could, in order to catch up with them. "I have some important information for you two, but we mustn't discuss it here," she whispered to them. "Follow me," she said, as she led them to her room; constantly checking over her shoulder and watching everyone around her to be certain that no one was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.
She closed the door behind her and placed a few magical wards over the walls and doorway. J?kob could tell that they were to prevent others from listening in on them. Mrs Clary wasn't a skilled magic user. She was more of an herbalist and healer. She could manage to cast some spells, but most magic eluded her. She struggled like a beginner to focus her magic on even the simplest of spells. She had decided long ago to focus on what she was capable of doing and to not to spend much time on what was just out of her reach.
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After she placed her wards, she turned to the boys and said, "Hopefully that works. Not that we are doing anything wrong. Just a precaution." "What is going on?" asked J?kob. "Where is my grandfather, and Nìa?" "Why weren't they…" Mrs Clary raised her hand to cut him off from speaking, and said, "I'm getting to that, young one."
She began by giving the boys a more detailed summary of events than Grand Master Tyrenus had given at the meeting. That night, a message had arrived from the capital city about an impending attack from an armada of ships sailing down the Quoe. Nìa had requested to join the Vareaer stationed at the capital city when he returned to speak with the king about what was to be done. She explained that Nìa and Master U’lias had left through a portal just before daybreak, shortly after the first two groups of scouts had returned from checking on the armada.
Jeremiah and Chloé were with Wilhelm when he was asked to go to a herae that was upstream of the capital city, to see if the threat was real and decided to go with him. There were three herae that were between the capital city and where the last report had come from of the armada. They rode hard and fast through the night trying to reach the banks of the Quoe before day break in order to arrive before the fleet was to pass by their location and they prayed that they were not too late. They hid behind a grouping of large boulders that lay near the edge of the river and waited.
They waited in silence for the sun to rise. Shortly after first light, they spotted the fleet as it sailed down the mighty Quoe. They ducked down as the group of ships neared the cluster of rocks. As it passed by them, to their surprise, they discovered that the fleet of ships was made up of barges and fishing boats that were crammed full of people. Jeremiah and Chloé recognized many of the people aboard the ships. Jeremiah then noticed a man standing the bow of the last fishing vessel. He was watching the other ships in front of him and staring towards the horizon. It was Captain Thomas Bridgewater, his captain in the Peacekeepers, with the refugees from Oaken meadow and many others that he did not know.
Mrs. Clary went on to explain that after the last ship was out of sight, Wilhelm and the others hurried faster than before so they could inform the council and the king to stop the attack. They had arrived back while the dining hall was serving breakfast. “I was in the council chamber when they arrived and told their story,” she said. She then told them that the council did not want to believe them after the reports made by the other two groups. The council sent them away with orders not to speak of it to anyone, and that they would revisit the conversation after the announcement at the meeting. “I went with them after that,” she stated.
“Wilhelm had been in the meeting to discuss the plans for fortifying the city and had informed Jeremiah and Chloé of their plans. They were afraid that the group of refugees would not survive the assault planned by the council and the two young ones were very adamant that since the council would not listen to them, they needed to inform the king,” she said in the way that old women gossip.
The group could not use the portal at the capital city again without the council becoming aware of what they were doing. They had to use another that was close enough for them to be able to inform the king in time to save the party of refugees. There were three herae that surrounded the sector of the capital city, but the Sentinel Trees for two of them were two and three days' ride at full gallop through rough terrain from the palace.
She then explained that she had waited in the dining hall until just before the meeting was to begin so that she was certain that the Vareaer of the herae nearest the capital city, Master Gwyn, was attending the meeting. It was just a little more than a day's ride, and if they hurried, they could be there before midday and on the following day. She then went to inform Wilhelm that Master Gwyn had attended the meeting.
Then the three of them, Wilhelm, Jeremiah, and Chloé, went through the portal to try make it to the capital city and inform the king before it was too late. She finished her story by saying, “That’s why I was late to the meeting this morning. I arrived just as the Grand Master was finishing his announcement. J?kob and Matáo had hundreds of questions bouncing through their heads that were left unanswered at the moment.
*****
Nìa had arrived at the capital city along with Master U’lias and the others sent to help fortify the capital city through the Sentinel Tree which was, unlike most, situated in a garden behind the palace. The entire capital city had grown up around it. It was early morning when the group had arrived from the Sanctum of Magi and most of the palace was still asleep except for a few kitchen staffers and one of the king’s attendants.
While the group awaited the king’s invitation to join him for breakfast, as was the custom, Master U’lias gave the rest of the group a small tour of the palace grounds. They finished the tour at a garden located in the inner courtyard. They sat down to finish their wait on some benches that were situated in front of a large fountain. It was carved from a single piece of marble and shaped into a dragon standing on a cliff with wings raised and its head facing the sky. The statue was painted bright blue with gold and jewels added to accent its features. It spewed water out of its maw instead of fire. Nìa thought it was beautiful to watch.
As Nìa sat and watched the fountain, she was amazed by how large the palace was. Their tour had taken most of the early morning and she had only seen about half of the palace. She had thought, to herself, that the entire village of Echo could probably fit inside the palace walls with room to spare. Until a few weeks ago, she had never been anywhere other than Echo, a place that she truly loves. The first two places that she had been to, outside of her home, made Echo seem like an ant standing on a mountain. She began to feel small as well.
The centuries old palace was made up of an intricate design of workmanship that was crafted on and added to by nearly every king of the past who wanted to leave their mark on it. Nìa had yet to enter the main part of the palace, but from what she had seen of it, she was beginning to see a timeline unfold in front of her as she went from section to section. The portion that contained the Sentinel Tree appeared, to her, as though it dated back to the time of the palace proper. There appeared to be sections, in rings around it, that were added on at different periods throughout the history of Tenroha. The rings consisted of many different rooms, various courtyards, and several gardens spreading out towards the outer walls of the palace. It was a maze like a city; inside of the city that was surrounding it.
Master U'lias noticed that Nìa was admiring the fountain. He waved his hand and said something that Nìa couldn't hear or understand. The dragon in the fountain closed its mouth and began to shake itself like a wet dog. It then folded its wings and stepped down from the pedestal that it was on. It looked around for a few moments and then walked over to Nìa. It began to nuzzle her like a cat and Nìa couldn't help herself. She began to pet it on the neck and then the head. Then she scratched it behind the ears. After a few minutes, the dragon retook its position on the rock and was a motionless fountain again.
"His name is Sküntá, or at least the dragon he's modeled after was," said a voice she hadn't heard before. "He is magnificently beautiful," said Nìa, smiling with wonder in her eyes. She turned and saw someone new standing beside Master U'lias. "As are you, my lady," said the newcomer, to her surprise. The stranger went on to describe how the statue was carved by the ancient stone masons and the countless amounts of hours it took to create such a masterpiece.
The young man standing next to Master U'lias had a tall and strong build like her brother Matáo and, she thought, a very handsome face. He had a strong jawline that was wrapped with a thin beard and mustache. He was wearing a dark green tunic and a cape that flowed down his back the color of ripened olives. Nìa was wearing the very best dress that she had gotten while at the Sanctum of Magi. When she saw the young man standing there, she suddenly felt under dressed.
The man stopped suddenly in the middle of telling about the history of the fountain and said, "How rude of me." "I have been babbling about the past. I have given you name after name of the men whose hands made this work of art, and it suddenly came to me that I didn't know the name of this beautiful piece of art standing in front of me," he said with a proud smile on his face that showed his dimples. Then he said, "I am Ryan, my lady." Nìa blushed and told him her name in a shy voice. Ryan held his hand out for her to take hold of his. She did so and when she did, he took a step towards and gave the hand a kiss. He then said, "My father said that we had visitors and he sent me to escort you all to the dining hall."
He turned and gestured with his arm for Nìa to take his. As she did so, to leave for the dining hall, she noticed an insignia on his cape. It was of a broad shield with four parts separated by a cross. In the upper left corner of the shield was a crown wrapped around a sword. The upper right field of the shield was a crescent moon etched into a breastplate of armor. The lower left section contained a grouping of trees with a taller one in the center that's branches formed a bow. Finally, the bottom right contained the image of a volcanic island with a necklace wrapped around its cone that had an amulet shaped like a dragon.
