The Chancellor stood up to welcome his guests and gave a slight bow before taking his seat again. While he was quite old, the Chancellor seemed strong and very much healthy as if he had the energy of someone in their twenties.
“Welcome,” he said. His voice was quite strong as well. “Please take a seat.” He beckoned to the seats closest to him. “There are several things we ought to discuss in the upcoming minutes, but we will need everyone in the Council to be present.”
Katie, Tyson, and Koran took their seats close to the Chancellor like they were told. Onix sat on a chair in the middle of the table.
The door opened, and another man walked in.
“Welcome, Artemus,” said the Chancellor.
The man named Artemus waved a hand and took a seat at the far end of the table. Katie’s eyes met his, and she quickly looked away.
“A few more shall arrive, and then we will begin.”
20
A Meeting with the Council
Katie slowly looked around the room, taking in her surroundings and noticing that the other members of the council were all in their later stages of life; Chancellor Levi seemed to be the oldest though.
Artemus was dark-skinned and was much younger than Levi, and the youngest of all the council members by far. In fact, he was the only one who seemed middle-aged, rather than gray- or white-haired with experience like the other members were. Katie wondered if he was even a part of the council since he seemed much younger. Artemus surely had the aura of a council member, with his still, dark eyes that emanated a commanding yet calming presence.
The last person came in carrying a small pyramid. He placed it in front of Levi before taking his seat at the table.
“Thank you, Vorald,” said the Chancellor. Vorald nodded his head slightly.
“We gather here today to discuss the fate of our world. Our world that the tyrant who calls herself Queen Nayara threatens to destroy.” the Chancellor said. His voice still surprisingly strong despite his frail appearance.
Katie crept her eyes down the table to see the reactions of the members of the council. Each member kept their attention fixed on Chancellor Levi. Katie quickly returned hers too, feeling like she didn’t belong there.
“If she were to succeed not only will the people of our land suffer at her hands, but our world itself will perish,” the Chancellor said, pausing for a moment. The room stayed silent.
“All isn’t lost yet. Nayara still has to obtain two objects to take her plan to fruition,” Levi said. “One of which our city protects. The other is lost deep in the Viscar Mountains. There is still time –”
“There isn’t,” interrupted Katie. The Chancellor looked surprised that someone had interrupted him.
Katie, though embarrassed, kept speaking. “Nayara has the jade. I think she got it some time ago because when we passed through that terrifying city, the jade was already gone, and the city tried to take us with it.”
“I am aware of this,” said the Chancellor. “Onix told me of your travels. Are you certain that Nayara has the jade?”
“I know she does,” Katie confirmed.
“But she has yet to pass through the Viscar Mountains,” said the Chancellor.
Katie was annoyed. She didn’t think the Chancellor understood the imminent danger.
“My father is a prisoner in the Viscar Mountains,” said Katie. “Nayara has been there.”
Chancellor Levi looked surprised. “I did not know the whereabouts of your father,” the Chancellor said. “But I assure you, Nayara hasn’t acquired what lies deep within the mountains. She might not even know that it exists there.”
“It doesn’t matter right now,” said Katie, forcefully enough that she even surprised herself. “Nayara is headed towards this city right now, and she plans to overthrow it. She will seize the secret that you hold in here.”
“Nayara knows about our secret,” said the Chancellor, though more quietly, as if he were talking to himself.
The room was silent for a few minutes. Anxiety coursed through Katie’s blood as she waited for the Chancellor to take action.
“How do you know this?”
“Uh,” Katie struggled for a moment to remember. “Hammond. Hammond told us shortly after we arrived at Narque.”
The Chancellor nodded.
“We must prepare the city to defend itself,” said the Chancellor. “Brodi, gather our army and alert them of the danger. Gordon, send out a message to the citizens and set up shelter behind our walls.”
The two men nodded and left the room with surprising speed.
“I had intended to train you, Katie,” said Levi. “Though it seems we will have little time for that. But I must show you the history of what we protect in our palace, and why.”
The Chancellor tapped the top of the pyramid. It opened, and the sides fell to the table with several clicking noises. There was a small light in it. Chancellor Levi touched it with one finger and the world around them dissolved.
Katie felt like she had been placed on a movie set, though every special effect had already been added, and it felt very real. More so than when her mother had shown her how she had died. She was at sea on a large battleship. Several other ships lined the ocean, though all of these bore a black flag, and she took them to be enemies. Dark spots scattered beneath the water; Katie wasn’t sure what these were.
An explosion erupted at the stern of the ship. Katie could feel the force of the blast but wasn’t knocked over. She could feel what was happening without the tactile sense connected with it. One of the ships further out at sea was sinking beneath
