Dealings in the Council of Avalhein - Chapter 11

Dealings in the Council of Avalhein

Chapter 11

Nervous eyes darted from Geirrha then to the distraught Ceree and back. It had never happened before; it was nonsense, as far as they were concerned. No Ceree can lose magic; in fact, no being born with the spark can lose it completely. Angry mutters and concerned glances came from the supposedly convening council, everyone was taken aback.

When one of the councilors were called forth to examine the Ceree, he had started yelling things at the top of his lungs until he was torn away from the other. He had said that it was true, the magic was gone and there seemed to be a hole from which darkness was leaking inside the other Ceree. He had collapsed right after his claim and many averted their glances, mumbling something that concerned taints under their breaths.

Malkknrre was at a loss for words, it truly would be horrible to lose the ability to use magic, let alone lose the ability to feel it. He could not begin to imagine himself in the same situation as the other Ceree and he wanted to bolt for the door right then and there. It wouldn’t be long before a servant caught wind of events and it would spread like wildfire through Avalhein. He might be able to use that to get out of the chamber, but it was not an option. He would look like a fool before Geirrha.

Geirrha was quite calm; there was no other word to describe it. She was bordering on impassiveness and that was enough to make Malkknrre’s hackles rise. She was taking the situation much better than anyone else in the room, including the indifferent members of the sorcerer’s guild. Geirrha was talking with a warm voice to the Ceree; she had stopped wailing.

Malkknrre looked on in wonder, how did the woman do that when she herself was terrified to death just hours ago. Geirrha suddenly took the form of an elf and strode towards the distressed Ceree and placed her hands on the other’s temple. She rubbed her thumbs in a circle, and the other Ceree looked at her with grateful and teary eyes.

Malkknrre knew she was doing something, but it wasn’t magic. He couldn’t see what she was doing, let alone feel its effects. The atmosphere in the room, however, seemed to change. Even the skies outside seemed to darken, it was unnatural.

All of a sudden waves of tainted magic erupted from the frenzied Ceree. Her eyes grew wide in shock, so did those of her sisters. Malkknrre clutched his chest with a paw and saw many others do so. Every wave felt like nails were being hammered into their skulls. Malkknrre buckled and his knees sagged, many of the others were already on the floor.

Malkknrre did not know how long it was before the sensation vanished, but when it did, the Ceree that had lost her magic was no more than a pile of ash in the middle of the four women from the sorcerer’s guild. Geirrha looked down at it sadly; everyone else looked at it with horror. The woman was strong as a rock.

“Malkknrre…” said Geirrha softly, and she swooned. Malkknrre was quick enough to catch her even as she was returning to the form of a Ceree. Her alerons hung limp and her fur was drenched with sweat. It was sticky, but feeling Geirrha against him was good enough.

Moments later, Geirrha came to. The council was dead quiet and Malkknrre was sitting beside her. “This just proves that we must move against the Dark One immediately!” he was saying. No one seemed to listen; they were intent on studying their paws.

Geirrha got up and Malkknrre gave a start. The council shifted uneasily, they were all staring at her. “Councilwoman, you have something to say?” asked one of the councilors, evidently shaken.

“Her magic didn’t just vanish. That much I got out from her. And from what I saw of her condition, it was eaten away,” said Geirrha, shaking her head to clear it from the drowsiness of regaining consciousness.

“What are you getting at, councilwoman?” asked one of the four from the sorcerer’s guild. She was still shivering; evidently, being so close to the source of the waves of tainted magic had taken a toll on her composure.

“What I’m saying is that she did not lose her magic because of some freak accident. She claimed that last night, she had been bitten by a beast from the shadows. A beast that she claimed had smoke coming from its neck. Although I see no evidence of the bite, I did see circular patches that were paler than the fur surrounding them. Maybe this creature’s bit eats away at magic,” said Geirrha. “Any attempts at healing it would lead to the release of the darkness that ate away at the magic…” she continued, shivering.

“Which is why we must lead the Dark One to Avalhein. If we engage him in the battlefield without the protection of walls or even a dome of magic, those creatures might come after us and destroy every single one of our best sorcerers,” said Malkknrre. A few councilors’ heads bobbed up and down in agreement.

“No, Malkknrre, bringing him here will do more harm than good. What if it’s not only the bite than can eat away at the magic? What if its breath or maybe even just looking it straight in the eyes can do such a thing?” said Geirrha. “We need a power much more potent than magic if we want to defeat those things,” she continued with conviction. “We need the help of the ancestors.”

A nick was all it took to draw blood. Oh how Oath had snarled at her. Oath had bitten back curses before she drew the Astrailun’s blood. She savored the feel of the metallic tang as it went down her throat.

She wanted to laugh so much. After all, if one could make someone who could very well be a god bleed, there was little more that could take you. “You blasted fool! Let the Fayett take my soul, but you will always be a fool!” Oath had shouted. With her new powers, she sent the struggling Astrailun back to her place amongst the other Astrailun in the Hall of the Eternals.

Geirrha’s knees buckled. She struggled to keep upright, the vision was strong. She shook her head to clear it of the vivid images that had flashed before her eyes. She did not want to remember them, it was too horrifying. They weren’t her memories.

Fortunately, no one had noticed her falter for a second because all eyes were on Malkknrre. He was saying something, but it was barely audible to Geirrha. “What do you propose we do, Geirrha?” was the first thing he said that Geirrha actually heard.

Bringing the council closer together and creating a ward against eavesdroppers, she told them her plan. It merited loud applause and fervid nodding. Now they truly were ready to face off with the Dark One. That was the least of their problems, though, and much more hadn’t even crossed the horizon yet.