Almost a full day after his meeting with Tim, Verdan was sat in the council chambers, discussing the implications of the news he’d been given.

For his part, Verdan sat quietly as the arguments raged around him. There were a lot of scared, anxious people here today, and even the usually unflappable Silver looked concerned.

Corroborating reports from the Eternal Wardens had arrived a few hours earlier, taking the wind out of anyone who had been confident that Tim and the Airta were lying or exaggerating.

The Sects had been confident that they had cut off all but a comparative few Cyth, so a group as large and well coordinated as what Tim had encountered was enough to shake them.

Now, every influential person and group in the city had gathered to discuss what was happening and what needed to be done.

The Steel Custodians had been against this meeting, but they weren’t in charge, and had already failed to contain the issue.

Verdan sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. He knew that wasn’t really fair to the Sect as a whole, or to Ferd as a person, but it was an attitude he was hearing a lot in the shouting.

Hobson’s Point had a poor history with the Sects, and this current problem was only adding fuel to that particular fire.

“Enough!” Varen cried out, getting to his feet and banging a hand on the council desk. “Silence, please!”

The shout echoed around the large chamber as those present got themselves under control, a few flushing as they realised how caught up in the moment they’d become.

“Thank you,” Varen said, continuing in a calmer and more measured tone. “Now, we’ve discussed the implications of what we’ve heard from both Wizard Blacke’s associate, and from the Eternal Wardens Sect. What we need to decide now is the action we take next.”

“If I may?” Commander Silver spoke up from his own seat at the council table, and Varen waved his permission. “Thank you, Councillor. As we’re aware, Cyth presence at Dresk means that the Host is closer than we’d like. That means we have two priorities, preparing for attack and doing what we can to slow them down.”

“And your suggestions for this, Commander?” Varen asked, arching a brow questioningly.

“We should expedite the watchtowers we are constructing. They will let us take better hold of the surrounding land. The Cyth have already proven how hard they are to keep in place, so we should ready ourselves.”

“That covers protection. What about slowing them down?” Arthur Cork asked. Arthur was head of the local adventuring guild and another council member, giving him a lot of sway within the city.

“If I may?” Sorcerer Ferd asked, rising to his feet as he spoke. To his credit, the Sorcerer waited until he was acknowledged before continuing. “The situation has escalated badly, and as such, we can expect the response of the Sects to increase. A secondary plan was put in place prior to the cordon. That plan calls for a joint alliance of Sects to come together to form an army that can crush the Host in direct combat.”

Whispers and gasps echoed around the chamber at the announcement, and Verdan sat up, wondering where Ferd was going with this.

“The entirety of the Sect here will be answering the call,” Ferd said, ignoring the susurrus of whispers. “We will be marching out to do our duty and honour our oath to the Sect. We would ask that Hobson’s Point contribute to this alliance as an individual member and do the same.”

“As our own member, not under your command?” Varen asked sharply, but Ferd simply nodded.

“Indeed, Councillor. Your city has shown its strength, and we only ask that you direct that strength to the defence of those who lack your advantages.”

The rustling of whispers rose sharply as the Sorcerer’s statement was processed by those present.

Verdan caught a questioning look his way from Varen and subtly turned one palm over as he met the other man’s eyes. This was their decision, not his.

If they decided to go for it, then Verdan would likely be marching to war as part of the city’s forces. Not at all what he’d planned for, but perhaps the only way to protect the other cities.

Verdan remembered Gwen’s reaction to the idea of Dresk simply being a stumbling block for the Cyth.

He’d said he would do anything he could to stop the city from falling.

“If I may,” Verdan said, getting to his feet before he could think better of it. “If such an effort is made by the city, I will pledge my personal support to it, as well as what forces I can bring to muster.”

Varen sat back in his chair and shared a whispered conversation with Lessa and Arthur before turning to Silver. “Commander, what is your opinion on us joining this alliance?”

Silver considered the question for a moment before responding. “We have more guards than ever before, so a force could be raised from volunteers, but we had also planned to draw on that surplus labour to help expedite the watchtowers.”

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“If I may,” Verdan said, drawing their eyes back to him. “A group of Fwyn and Brecan came south with me. I can contact them to help construct the watchtowers. As long as you are satisfied with them being primarily stone, I believe we could have them complete within a week.”

“A week?” Varen echoed with shock before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. “Please go ahead with that, Wizard Blacke. If nothing else, we wish those defences prepared. In the meantime, Commander Silver, please prepare an accounting of what we could bring to bear for this alliance.”

“Yes, Councillor,” Verdan said, taking a seat once more.

-**-

Verdan sent a message to Lan’Wai via Aeva as soon as he got back to the mansion.

Lan’Wai would, in turn, take that message to Gruthka and Hursk. All being well, they would then send assistance to the city.

In the meantime, Verdan arranged for Samuel and a few other key workers to visit him with their plans for the construction.

The first step would be for Verdan to understand what they were making, and then figure out the best way to accelerate things.

Kai and Gwen were busy supporting Silver with deciding what forces they could send to support this alliance.

At the same time, he’d sent Dirk to speak with the other Chosen about their support. If they could bring the Kranjir with them, Verdan would be a lot happier about their chances.

Guards and mercenaries were all well and good, but the Chosen and their Thearns were hardened veterans, and would provide a solid core to whatever force they pulled together.

Then again, all of that was their concern for the moment, his job was to get the watchtowers built.

“Boss?” Pawel called out as he knocked at the door and opened it slightly. “I’ve got Samuel and a few folks here about some construction plans.”

“Send them to the sitting room, please. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Verdan looked down at the notes he’d been reviewing about the new style of sigils and rubbed his face. He still felt like he wasn’t getting anywhere, but he’d identified a few experiments he could attempt.

That was a job for later, however, right now he had other duties to perform.

-**-

“Boss?” Pawel called out, knocking on the door of the room Verdan had picked out at the workshop to work on his latest research.

“Yes?” Verdan called out absently, his focus on the wooden orb in his hands as he carved precise sigils into it.

“Got some folks here for you, and they’re drawing a bit of a crowd.”

Verdan sighed and put the globe down, laying the stylus next to it.

He’d not had any call on his time since the meeting with Samuel and the others the day before, so he’d started on those practical experiments he’d thought of.

The first was simple, he was just recreating the runes he’d seen on the working artifact onto a wooden globe he’d made. He’d already made two versions, and once this one was done he could begin testing.

Really, Verdan had no idea what would happen, but it would be interesting to find out.

First, though, it was time to see what else was going on. Getting to his feet, he opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. “Alright, Pawel. Talk to me.”

“Well, there’s a couple of dozen Fwyn outside, with a few guards escorting them. We rarely see so many non-humans in one place, so its caused a bit of a stir.”

“Understood,” Verdan said, leaning back into the room to grab his staff before motioning for Pawel to lead the way. “Hopefully, they’re here to help with building the watchtowers. If so, they’re quicker than I expected.”

“Wait, I thought you told the council it would only take a week?”

“With a motivated group of Fwyn and Brecan, I expect to get them down within a few days. The week timeline was to include the time spent getting them here.”

Pawel nodded, but didn’t seem entirely convinced, not that Verdan could blame him. Sorcerers hardly seemed the type to use their magic to build things for the average person, so he likely had no real understanding of the power the Fwyn could wield.

A small smile touched the corner of Verdan’s mouth as he followed Pawel down to the gates. This should prove to be a good demonstration of what could happen when they all worked together.

As Pawel had described, there was maybe thirty Fwyn clustered in the street outside of the estate, led by both Hursk and Gruthka.

“Pawel, go and fetch Samuel for me, if you would,” Verdan said as they neared the group, the guard nodding and setting off down the street at a jog.

“Wizard Blacke, I believe you have need of our assistance,” Hursk called out in common as Verdan approached them. “We’ve heard word of a Cyth Host forming to the east. We would be pleased to help the people of this city prepare for what is coming.”

“And I’m sure we’ll be glad for that aid,” Verdan replied, surprised by the political statement from the Fwyn.

There were quite a few people watching, so that line about helping the city felt like it was more for them than for him.

It went quite nicely with what Verdan wanted, however, so he was hardly going to argue.

Gesturing to the mansion, he beckoned them forward. “Shall we discuss what form that aid shall take?”

Hursk nodded and led the way as the small troop of Fwyn filed into the estate, most of them heading for Dru and Aeva’s burrow to escape the bright afternoon light.

As the Fwyn entered, a pair of Brecan emerged from the burrow, their huge frames barely disturbing the entrance as they emerged from the ground.

Having spent some time with them, Verdan recognised the two as Lan’Wai and Gar’Dru, both of whom were moving to follow Verdan into the mansion and join the coming meeting.

Verdan flagged down the closest of his guards and sent them to ask Adrienne to provide food for them all. He’d given her and Henry a primer on the food that Fwyn and Brecan ate, but this would be the first time it was tested.

Most of Verdan’s companions were out on their own business, so initially it was just him, the two Fwyn and the two Brecan.

“Thank you all for coming,” Verdan said, taking a seat and waving for the others to do the same. The Brecan, of course, remained standing, but the two Fwyn obliged and perched on one of the sofas.

“We would have come regardless, but the news of this Host was concerning,” Hursk said, sharing a worried look with Gruthka. “We are moving to somewhere more defensible, but that is a long way from being able to resist a Host.”

“Agreed,” Verdan said, thinking the same about the city. “We can’t stop them here without serious losses. Thankfully, the Sects are gathering to try and repulse them. I’ll do what I can to assist them, but if we fail, the cost to the region will be high.”

“If there’s anything we can do to help beyond these watchtowers you contacted us about, please let us know,” Hursk said, Gruthka nodding supportively. The elderly Fwyn hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Do you think this Host is the first sign of a Rising?”

Verdan’s eyes widened and ice shot through his veins at the question. He hadn’t even considered that angle.

A Rising, or Aether Dawn as he knew it, was often preluded by peaks in activity among monstrous races.

“I don’t know,” Verdan said honestly. “I’ve seen no sign of the ambient Aether changing, but it would be too early to know for sure.”

The Fwyn exchanged grim looks and Verdan shivered slightly as his mind conjured images of the damage an Aether Dawn could do when no one was working together.