"Let me do the talking today and keep a low profile", the bearded man to Edward's left ordered as they listened to High-Magician Vonstetten's announcement.
A few days ago, he had arrived in Exarion with his father, King Leonhardt of Sylve, to hold a discussion with the other heads of state about the current situation. To Edward's surprise, quite a few well-known personalities from the different regions took part. Many nobles, some representatives of the faith community from Winstest, even two of the chiefs from Frignez were recognized by the crown prince. Most new faces, however, were the other High-Magicians from Altona and some healers from Frignez.
Edward remained silent as he followed the conversation intently. The 1st seat of the Magistrat explained to those present what had happened a few weeks ago and what unpleasant discovery they had made, before some nobles from his country and also the faithful ones from the other continent reported similar happenings.
Dragons have distanced themselves from the Holy Isle and are spreading everywhere, but a primary target for them were the mountains of Sylve.
Personally, he thought the whole issue was exaggerated beyond measure, but the serious expression on his father's face gave him goosebumps. It was not unusual to find such a look on the King of Sylve, but Edward could see the concern in his eyes very well. There had to be some truth to the statement, or his father would not be listening so intently.
A visitor from Frignez asked about the rumors from the trading city of Persiven, which Edward heard for the first time. Anuxers were rumored to have successfully fought their way through the plains in recent weeks and to have reported unpleasant dimensions even in the low levels. A young man with fair hair, who was standing right next to High-Magician Grischa Vonstetten, took the word. He was not a High-Magician like the other mages, but he taught at the Magistrat and it was his students who had protected the capital until the other magicians arrived. For this reason they made an exception for him and let him participate in the conversation, High-Magician Vonstetten vouched for him.
The man, who had introduced himself as Yusuf Mirai, reported calmly, while the gazes of the most powerful men in the world were upon him.
"This rumor has also come to our attention, which is why I sought out the said Anuxers yesterday and asked for their side of the story. As expected, the rumors were false. They had encountered almost no creatures in the plains that serve as the main route between Altona and Sylve. According to them, the region was deserted", Sir Mirai explained in a relaxed manner, so Edward nodded in understanding. Something else would have surprised him, but when the 1st seat spoke up afterwards, his blood froze in his veins.
"I personally found that statement more disturbing than the rumors in town. If the plains are empty, where have all the creatures gone?"
Silence enveloped the room. For a moment, everyone thought for themselves before it became obvious to them. The creatures had retreated to the dangerous plains, so when they checked two weeks ago, there were suddenly so many. But for what reason? Why now, and how was it related to the attack on Exarion?
"My colleagues and I agree: the wave of attacks two weeks ago was not the last. For this reason, we had imposed the curfew in Altona, but we intend to tighten it. It's simply becoming too dangerous for people to wander through the creature levels, who knows what could happen if no one is there to protect them."
The 1st seat's words sounded ominously serious, and when Edward let his gaze wander to the elder, he nodded in agreement. He had been holding back the entire conversation so far, but even the prince was aware that the strongest mage of the day had respect for the creatures. In the corner of his eye, Edward could see the king tapping his right finger tensely on the table again and again before looking up at his advisor. They looked at each other in silence, but from the expressions on their faces, Edward could tell that the whole situation seemed dangerous to them.
In the next few minutes, High-Magician Vonstetten began to report on the Magistrat's plans. They want to declare the entire creatures region, including the desert, a restricted zone. With this, they would completely block the land route to Sylve and only allow the water route until they had a final solution to the problem. The other regions were also to tighten their borders, especially Sylve. What surprised Edward, however, were his next words.
"If Altona falls, then we all have a problem."
Immediately, the crown prince realized what he meant. If the Mage City of Exarion were to lose, then that would be a fatal issue for all the people of Altona who lived further north. Not to mention Frignez. Their small, ice-covered country was home to hundreds of healers, but they themselves had few capable fighters. They would simply be overrun, that much was certain. Kingdom Sylve would fare similarly; the mountains were a reason, but not an obstacle for the creatures. Sooner or later they would attack Sylve too, it was only a matter of time.
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A discussion broke out among the people. Many of them thought the mages' words were exaggerated and did not understand why they went so far, but King Leonhardt and Crown Prince Edward listened in silence. Edward was unsure about the subject. Closing the border was a risky venture, they would have to restrict trade and most importantly provide ships to transport people from one place to another. But this was only a stopgap measure until summer, when the seas around the Holy Island would become rougher, and then they would not be able to use ships without danger.
So, what should they do? Trust the Magistrat and give up the black land? Shouldn't they then also control their borders even more tightly than they already did? What would that mean for the provinces that were right on the mountain slope? Would they follow the order or would they start an uprising? Like back when he was a child and a conflict arose at that time because there was increased arson in Bellator and children were disappearing from all over the country?
"Sylve will follow the recommendation", finally gave the king to speak and abruptly it became quiet. With surprised eyes, the Crown Prince stared at his father, who focused his gaze on one of the younger High-Magicians. "We have had repeated problems with creatures crossing the mountains over the decades now. I will therefore not take any chances for my people."
His father's words stuck in Edward's mind as he followed the gaze and spotted the 12th High-Magician Leuen at the edge of the events. After speaking his words, the mage nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to a dark-haired, stern-looking High-Magician. High-Magician Aaron Thopas, if Edward remembered correctly. From the look on his face, High-Magician Thopas seemed angry with High-Magician Leuen, but neither made a sound.
"Father?", gave Edward a whisper, while his gaze lingered on the 12th High-Magician. He didn't understand why his father agreed without hesitation. Had he missed anything, or what had made his father just agree? He knew that his father was in close contact with the Elder, but what did they talk about? Were the creatures also one of the topics?
"Save your questions for later, please", his father replied calmly. Jerks ran down Edward's spine, his father knew something, that much became instantly clear to him. This was not the first time Edward had found himself in such a situation. He often accompanied the king to important occasions and when there was a dispute between the parties, it was the king who usually settled it. Until today, Edward had never understood how his father knew so exactly what to do. Sometimes he had the feeling his father knew exactly when someone was lying to his face and how to solve a problem.
The next few hours were similar. The mages began to plan how they could best protect the city, while Frignez agreed to support them with healers. In contrast, Altona had to help them as well in case of emergency, which they clearly confirmed. King Leonhardt of Sylve talked with some people about how they could improve the ferries and whether they should build an alternative route on the mainland, right by the sea, between Altona and Sylve. Edward's father was already planning months in advance, as if he knew the problem would last longer.
As the conversations slowly died down, Grischa Vonstetten stepped forward and placed some yellowish crystal on the table. Confused, the people watched him do this before recognizing the magic again.
"Communication crystals?", one of them spoke up.
"Yes, these are communication crystals that I created especially for this occasion. They have been influenced by me in such a way that these crystals can only communicate with each other, the number of interlocutors is irrelevant. Time is currently our biggest enemy and with these crystals we can call emergency meetings without you all having to travel first. In an emergency, you can also use them to contact us if something bad has happened and you need support or simply want to pass on the information", High-Magician Vonstetten explained calmly, raising one of the crystals in the air. Even though Edward said nothing, he wondered why the Magistrat seemed so well-prepared. Or was it simply coincidence? "They are a gift."
Momentarily, Edward was speechless and the other guests felt the same way. Everyone knew how valuable these crystals were without the Magistrat's enchantment, let alone how precious with. Giving away these crystals was a huge loss to the city, which made everyone realize how important that topic was for the mages. Towards the end, therefore, the discussion acquired a bitter aftertaste that dragged on for days.
The Elder finally spoke up and thanked the representatives for taking so much time for the discussion. With an invitation for tomorrow's banquet, he finally took his leave, followed by some mages and nobles. King Leonhardt also straightened up and, together with his son, followed the people out of the room. Outside, they were met by one of their soldiers, as well as some low-ranking mages, who showed them around the house and helped them.
Curious, Edward watched as the groups went their separate ways, but he spotted the chiefs a few feet away from him. Chief Merensen addressed the 12th High-Magician and a few moments later the latter grabbed his braid before laughing. The two men had the same hairstyle, which the 2nd chief must have noticed as well. They seemed to be talking about other things, but Edward didn't get the chance to continue watching them do so.
"Father, why did you agree to the Magistrat so easily?", inquired Edward after a few minutes of silence, which caused his father to sigh and look to his advisor. He looked exhausted and that he showed this behavior so openly in front of the other people meant that he didn't care what people thought of him right now. At first, he did not answer, but when Sir Venlan nodded at him, he took heart and turned to Edward.
"This is a long story between me, the Magistrat, and specifically High-Magician Caleb Leuen. I will tell everything when it's just the two of us."