Huge archways encircled the room, each framed by an alcove with a statue at its center. The statues represented the nine gods and the respective element from which they were born. My eyes came to rest on Verglas, the god of ice. In his hand was an ice crystal continuously changing size, one moment filling the outstretched hand of the statue and the next only the size of a tiny snowflake. I had been a member of this council for many decades, but the magic that resided here still amazed me. I leaned forward on the crescent-shaped table. The other eight councilors were still arguing. We faced a problem to which we had no solution, possible solutions, but none guaranteed to work.
The room grew quiet.
“So, are we in agreement then?” I asked.
Vixra glared at me through her one good eye and waved her hand dismissively. Clearly, she was not happy but had finally given in. I looked over at Feron and Gaduna, the only other council members who were completely against the idea from the start.
Gaduna spoke, her eyes wide. “Fae from the different realms won’t ever get along, there has and will always be a power struggle between the Lumini, Tartarean, and Mesial. That’s why the gods split the realms in the first place. Travel between the realms is forbidden for a reason.” She swiped her shoulder-length black hair out of her petite brown face.
I stared at her blankly. “Realm travel is only forbidden because a council decided it to be so thousands of years ago.”
“Udos,” she started.
“Chancellor Altrus,” I corrected her.
“Apologies, Chancellor Altrus, I’m sure they had their reasons. And, although we know the rumors that fae from other realms are barbaric are not true, the rest believe it, heart and soul. They’ll be sure to encourage their children to avoid the other realmers. Not to mention, I have been on this council for two years now and still cannot see eye to eye with most of you.”
A laugh came from my right, Paskel lazily tapped his cane against the table. “You cannot see eye to eye with your own shadow, Gaduna.” His eyes swept around the table and returned to me; a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I, for one, look forward to seeing what will happen when these students come together. It will be marvelous!” he said, laughing boisterously.
Gaduna stood from her chair. “This is no laughing matter Paskel. Previous councils kept them apart. If we bring them together and they don’t get along, there might be dire consequences. They are the children of the most powerful fae from each realm. One wrong move and we might be at war.”
I rose out of my chair.
“Enough,” I yelled, my voice bellowing across the room, making Gaduna sink into her chair. “All three realms, Equipoise, Leukós, and Tenebrous have seen a decrease in magic over the last few centuries, and it is getting worse every year. Creatures are breaking through the barriers, seemingly from somewhere in between, a place where we didn’t believe anything could thrive. For now, they are mostly small, but it won’t be long before larger creatures make their way through to the other realms. Each realm only knows how to deal with its own creatures.” I clenched my fists. “Should I remind you about the town that was destroyed by the Blasbarok?”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Vixra touched her wrecked eye. “No one has to remind me.”
I didn’t need reminding either, the creature was over six feet when standing on all fours, a body like a hound but with a sharper snout. It was covered in impenetrable scales instead of fur, its sharp claws digging into the earth each time it lunged forward. The stench pouring out between its jagged teeth was an unbearable decaying smell that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Vixra was first on site that day, most of her injuries were treatable, but the decaying rot that its claws left behind cost her an eye. It took the entire council to take the creature down and no one knew how to deal with it since the monster had never been seen in any of the realms.
A voice pulled me back from the memory. “Why do you want to drag almost 500 kids from their respective realms all the way to Trigon? Can we not just educate the most powerful, adult fae? They can then go home and teach the young fae from their own realms?” Feron asked, adjusting his tie.
No one would be able to tell how much time he spent in front of the books by just looking at him, he had perfectly styled brown hair and always sported tailored fitted suits.
“Feron, those fae are set in their ways and will not be eager to learn new skills. Besides, I doubt there will be enough time for them to transfer the knowledge after we’ve taught them all we know,” I said firmly, frustrated with the continuous back and forth. “If we bring the students here, we can directly transfer important knowledge to a large group of fae, and they can gain experience in the safety of the school.”
Looking at them one by one, I dared them to say another word. “I assume we can continue with the arrangements then?” Was anyone going to oppose it?
Nothing.
A smile played around my mouth.
“Good! I’ll prepare the school grounds.”
“Excuse me, Chancellor,” Gaduna interrupted. “I do have another concern. Why are we mixing students from different realms into the houses, why not keep them in separate dorms?”
I scratched my head. “To be honest Gaduna, the houses were enchanted during their creation to select students using a certain unknown criterion, and no one has been able to figure out how to remove or change that enchantment. We can adjust some of the room assignments, but that is about it.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Interesting.”
I scanned the paper in front of me. “Feron, before we conclude, did you finish the comparison between the curriculums of the different realms?”
“Yes Chancellor, since the curriculums have always been determined by the Realm’s Council, they are identical. Students who already completed their first, second, and third year at a local academy, can just continue their studies at Trigon next year without any impact.”
I rose to my feet. “Good, enjoy your last few months of peace and quiet, council members. Your new students will be arriving soon, and Trigon Academy will, for the first time in history, host students from all three realms; the Mesial from Equipoise, the Lumini from Leukós, and the Tartarean from Tenebrous.”
With a huge weight off my shoulders, I walked to the statue of Dhara. Earth moved between her fingers, the element which I represent on the council. One quick nod to Paskel, before I slipped around the back of the statue, finding the well-hidden staircase leading to my private office. As I descended into the dimly-lit corridor, my steps slowed a little. Everything was coming together as planned, everything I said was a convenient truth, and even though I managed to convince the rest of the council, I now had to convince myself. There was nothing I despised more than the thought of having the other realmers around me, their weakness among the strong, but if we wanted to find THEM, we had no other choice.