Zachariah’s POV

“And here I was thinking it was just because you lot missed me so much.” I said.

“As impudent as ever I see.” Hym-Pac, one of the generals of the Royal Army, spat. He was a disciplined, and annoying, little bird.

“Actually, I think I may be getting better at it. It must be all the practice…” I replied.

“Enough bickering, we have more important matters to deal with than your tiresome back and forth.” One of the council members interrupted.

“Indeed General, we need to get back to punishing this man who won the battle.” I said.

“Your actions are no laughing matter, familiar Zachariah. You have committed several heinous acts and used the magic we ordered you to never use again!” Another of the council members shouted.

“If I hadn’t, then you would have lost the battle, and the lives of every soldier present. My actions were not only necessary, they were justified.” I said.

“So, you admit to using the forbidden magic then?” General Hym-Pac asked.

“I did, but as I said, it was necessary.”

“We will be the judges of that.” The council member who had shouted earlier scoffed.

“Familiar Zachariah, we want you to start with the events that led up to the battle, and then explain how you came to the conclusion that your actions were justified.” The head of the council, Bardic Sopra, said calmly. He was a reserved man, who very rarely showed his feelings or spoke without thinking. We had met on several occasions, usually during trials such as this one.

“For me, it started when I was ordered to Dragon’s Fall Bay, to reinforce the defenses against the invasion.”

“Perhaps start a little closer to the actual events in question?” General Hym-Pac said, sounding a bit irritated.

“Fine. I had received word that the battle had begun, and that the front needed reinforcements. Ambos and I decided to volunteer to assist.”

“And where is Sir Ambos today? I expected him to be here with you.” Bardic Sopra asked.

“He had personal matters that needed attending, so he was unable to join us this time.” I explained.

“I see. Well, his presence is not necessarily needed in this meeting, but it is not a matter that bears worry. Please continue.”

“The enemy had flown from their ships to shore and were beating down our fortifications. Ambos and I decided that the best course of action was to attack the ships themselves. They were striking and retreating to the safety of their ships to rest and recuperate, so we reasoned that destroying their ships would force them to land on the shore, where our defenses were strongest and could deal with them better.” I said.

“A wise strategy, how did it play out?” Sopra asked.

“It went well at first, but they broke our line a few hours later, so in the end all it did was buy us time.”

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“How exactly did you defeat thirty-seven transport ships? Each has enough supplies to transport over a thousand Neame; they are effectively floating fortresses.” One of the council members asked.

“We deemed it was impossible to attack them from above or behind, so we didn’t. Ambos cast a spell that allowed us travel under the water, while I sank their ships with a rot spell.”

“And that was when you used your Death Magic?” Sopra asked.

“That is correct.”

“And was that the only time in the battle that you used it?”

“No, I also used it later in the battle.”

“Please tell us about that instance.”

I took a deep breath and began. “Four hours after casting the spell, all the ships had finally sunk, and the soldiers that were still residing on them had landed on the shore. My plan was going as expected, and the defenses were dealing with them accordingly. However, some of the soldiers were apparently able to overcome the defenses, and capture a strategic point. This allowed them to push back and start gaining ground.”

As I spoke, I noticed several of the council members were whispering amongst themselves, clearly unhappy about something. One of them flew over to the head of the council, Bardic Sopra, and whispered something to him. He simply nodded, apologized for the interruption, and asked me to continue.

“A tactical retreat was ordered from the front to regroup and reorganize. Myself, Ambos, and around a hundred other soldiers stayed behind to cover their retreat.”

“And that is when you used your Death Magic again?” One of the council members asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“As the battle raged, the one hundred slowly started to dwindle. Soon there were only seventy, then fifty. By the time I realized what was happening, only twenty-five of us remained. We needed reinforcements, but I knew we were not getting any. So, I cast a spell that bought the survivors time to fall back.”

“The spell, it was a Famine type, correct?” Bardic Sopra asked.

“Yes.”

“What was its effect?”

“It caused the approaching soldiers to become weak with hunger. Once they crossed a threshold I had designated during the spell’s casting, it would take effect. That spell saved the lives of the remaining twenty-five.”

“So you did use a lethal form of the forbidden magic!” The council member who shouted earlier shouted again, as if he had caught me in some kind of trap.

“No, the spell itself was not lethal.” I denied.

“Then, the soldiers who were affected by the spell lived?” Sopra asked.

“No, most of them died.” I said.

“Can you explain this contradiction?” He asked confused.

“The spell itself wasn’t what killed them, it was most likely the fall.”

“Fall?”

“Well, most of them were flying when they crossed the threshold. The ones that were atop their familiars may have survived, but they may have also fallen off of their familiars when the weakness took hold. I speak from experience, being trampled by a familiar is not something one has a great chance of surviving.” I explained. The council members all started grumbling to themselves again, looking quite upset.

“He admits it, he used the forbidden magic and used it in a way that we specifically instructed him not to!”

“I followed your instructions to the letter. I did not cast any spell that took the lives of Neame in any way considered ‘vile’.” I declared.

“You just admitted to killing those Neame wi-” The council member yelled, but was cut off by Bardic Sopra.

“Enough. Zachariah, the council needs to consider what you have told us. Until a decision has been made, please return home and await our next summons.” With that, I was escorted out of the council’s meeting room by several Neame guards. I contacted Ambos, and told him what happened. He summoned me, and I reappeared next to him, in our home.

“Did you finish?” I asked.

“I did. Ahshem is uneasy about something, but he wouldn’t tell me what.” Ambos said.

“What could make a dragon nervous?” I asked.

“Very few things, and all of them are bad.”

“And he didn’t want any help dealing with it?”

“No, he said that it was a private matter between the dragons.” Ambos said.

“Any idea what it could be?” I asked.

“If I had to guess… I would imagine it is Deyja.”

“Yes, he is a strange one. As far as dragons go anyway.” I agreed.

“But nonetheless, if he doesn’t want our help, there is nothing we can do.” Ambos said dejectedly. He was close friends with Ahshem, and has known him longer than anyone. He feels he owes him a great debt, so not being able to help him probably hurts.

“Jake…”

“I’m sure he will call on you if he needs any help.” I told Ambos.

“Jake…”

Ambos nodded, but still seemed sad.

“Jake!”