The sun was reaching its highest position over the mountains to the south when Jorvanultumn landed at the Governance Building. As he entered, he opened his inner eyelids to allow in more light. As a building with a covered roof, it was lit inside only by flame globes.

It took only a moment to learn from people in the entrance hall that the Lamdritta were still in session, presumably with his diare and Mikranasta. He knew the way to the main conference hall. It was quickest to fly, but Meleng’s earlier look lingered in Jorvanultumn’s head and his wing was aching a little. There were stairs which wound half the circumference of the entrance hall. Using them would add very little to his travel time.

Two Hgirh, one of them Fevionawishtensen, stood at the conference room doors. Before them, however, another Isyar slumped on a stool in the hall, his bent wings hanging loosely to either side, one touching the floor. Jorvanultumn stopped beside him.

“Itra.”

“I was summoned,” Itra snapped.

“I never said otherwise,” Jorvanultumn said.

“But you were going to ask what I was doing here.”

“Yes, but I did not mean to accuse—”

“I have been asked that by everyone since arriving. By some twice.”

Jorvanultumn bowed his head. He should have realised Itra would have been heavily questioned as soon as he stepped foot in the building. “I am sorry. I will not disturb you further.”

He turned away, but Itra called after him. “You are Davorultumn’s siare, yes?”

Jorvanultumn looked back. “Yes. You know my diare?”

“I do. He is a good man.”

“Yes, he is.” Davorultumn had often agreed with Jorvanultumn that the treatment of Itra was unfair, but he had never mentioned having any actual contact with Itra. “Thank you. May the night be short.” He placed his left hand over his chest.

“May the night be short,” Itra repeated, his own left hand over his chest.

Jorvanultumn turned away from Itra and walked up to the conference hall doors. “I need to address the Lamdritta.”

Fevionawishtensen shook her head, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

“It is important,” Jorvanultumn said.

“The Lamdritta are in session at the moment,” the other Hgirh said. Jorvanultumn did not recognise him, though Hgirh were sometimes rotated to different towns, so he could be new here.

Jorvanultumn held up his left hand. “I am Jorvanultumn. They are talking about me. It is important I be allowed to address them.”

The Hgirh did not return the greeting. “I know who you are, but we cannot let you inside.”

Jorvanultumn looked to Fevionawishtensen, who shook her head again. “It is my right to enter.”

“It is private,” the other Hgirh said. “Only those invited by the Lamdritta may enter.”

“That is not true.” Jorvanultumn had expected this response, and had spent the journey here thinking about how to talk his way past. However, he had not expected Fevionawishtensen. She was not commonly assigned to simple guard duty. He had no idea how her presence would affect his chances. Would his relationship with her make her more willing to let him past, or would she be more resistant due to fear of accusations of favouritism? If so, this might not work. She could be more stubborn than he was. “All are guaranteed right of entry to sessions within.”

The other Hgirh stared at him, as did Fevionawishtensen, but that hint of a smile remained.

“By law, I am allowed access to any Council discussion that takes place in a public area.”

The second Hgirh looked to Fevionawishtensen, who shook her head. “We have our orders,” he said. “No one enters unless called for.”

“I have told you—”

“I have no knowledge of this law of which you speak,” the Hgirh said. “You must be mistaken about it. The Lamdritta hold many closed sessions in this hall.”

“Then they do so illegally.”

“That is a serious accusation.” The Hgirh once again looked to Fevionawishtensen, but she made no motion.

“Yes, it is. So let me in, or I will go to the Hgirh.”

The Hgirh shook his head. “We are the Hgirh.”

Jorvanultumn smiled. “I mean, I will go above your heads.” He faced Fevionawishtensen. “I will go to your diare.”

She stared at him, and Jorvanultumn did his best to stay relaxed and not tense. The truth was, he was not entirely sure of his understanding of the law here. He was reasonably certain he was correct, but it was a law that so rarely came into question, and he was certainly no expert in these matters. He could be wrong.

Fevionawishtensen continued to stare at him, saying nothing and making no move.

“Very well. Of course, something like this could require going to the Lordritta. I doubt the Lamdritta will like that.”

He started to turn away, but Fevionawishtensen caught his arm. That hint of a smile had turned into a full smile. She nodded to the second Hgirh, who sighed and opened the doors. As Jorvanultumn passed through, Fevionawishtensen’s wing briefly touched his. He smiled. That was all the confirmation of her approval he needed.

He could not quite catch what was being said before everyone in the conference hall fell silent at the sound of the doors closing behind him. He walked slowly towards the centre of the room, where his diare and Mikranasta stood. His diare’s diare, Hilkorultumn was also there, something Jorvanultumn had not expected, though in retrospect, he was not surprised. Other than Davorultumn, Hilkorultumn was the only living Isyar who had completed the same elispt Jorvanultumn had failed to complete.

As Jorvanultumn passed between the first and tenth pillars of the Circle, Lamdirh Maramintorin called down from his perch at the top of the fifth pillar. “What is the meaning of this, Jorvanultumn? You were not summoned to this meeting.”

“I am exercising my rights.” Jorvanultumn stopped in front of Davorultumn and bent his head forward.

Davorultumn gave him a disapproving frown, but touched his forehead to Jorvanultumn’s.

“Rights?” Maramintorin said. “This is a closed meeting. You cannot barge in just anywhere.”

“But I can barge in here.” Jorvanultumn touched foreheads with Mikranasta.

She smiled at him and whispered, “Well done.”

Lammdir Griholbovroh slammed his staff into the floor of his perch on the sixth pillar. “Fevionawishtensen should never have been placed as a guard on this session. I said as much before the session started. This is your fault, Lamdir Paydamat. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Paydamat stood up from her seat on the second pillar. “For myself? Only to question your assertion, Lammdir. Are you suggesting someone as esteemed as Fevionawishtensen would give preferential treatment to her fomase? She knows the law, and she knows—as I think you do, too—that we cannot actually bar Jorvanultumn entry if he demands it.”

“Ridiculous,” Griholbovroh grumbled.

Jorvanultumn touched foreheads with Hilkorultumn. “You take a lot of risks,” the elderly Isyar whispered.

“They are necessary,” Jorvanultumn whispered back.

“Far from ridiculous,” Paydamat continued. “We needed to speak to Jorvanultumn eventually anyway. Now, there is no need to summon him.”

“We are not finished with the others yet,” Griholbovroh said.

The last member of the Lamdritta spoke up, not moving from her seat on the fourth pillar. “I agree with Paydamat.” It was Chiansamorkin...no, Lamdhir Chiansamorkin he should think of her. “We know the details of the elispt. There is little else these others can tell us. We should hear Jorvanultumn’s version of events.”

“Pheh,” Griholbovroh scoffed. “You are biased because you were childhood friends.”

“But you, Lammdir, are bias free, I suppose?” Chiansamorkin said.

Maramintorin loudly cleared his throat. “Accusations against each other will get us nowhere. While I am unhappy with the breach of decorum, I am forced to agree with Lamdir Paydamat and Lamdhir Chiansamorkin. We needed to summon Jorvanultumn soon anyway.”

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

“Very well,” Griholbovroh said, “but I wish it known that I object to the manner of his arrival and I already consider it a strike against him.”

“Agreed,” Maramintorin said. After Paydamat and Chiansamorkin followed with their agreement, Maramintorin continued, “Jorvanultumn, you wish to address the Lamdritta?”

Jorvanultumn stepped forward so that he stood directly over the hpakrik growing from the centre of the room. “I do.”

“Will you submit to probing to ascertain the truthfulness of what you say?” Paydamat asked. “Nothing will be read from you beyond the truth or falsehood of what you say.”

“In one moment.” Jorvanultumn looked up at the ceiling and its flame globes arranged to look like the constellations. He closed his eyes and said a quick, silent prayer to Power. Then he lowered his head and opened his eyes again. “I submit.”

A slight tickle at the back of his mind was the only indication that Paydamat had made contact. Had she made it noticeable on purpose? Probably. Jorvanultumn doubted he was good enough to notice otherwise. Mikranasta was certainly powerful enough to do it undetected, so in theory, Paydamat should be as well, though Jorvanultumn had always suspected Mikranasta was the more powerful of the two. She merely hid the true extent of her abilities because she did not want the responsibility.

“Ready,” Paydamat said.

Chiansamorkin stood up and stepped forward. “If there are no objections, I will start?” She waited a moment to allow any of the others to object.

It was strange seeing her on that perch. Jorvanultumn had always known she would progress far, but so soon? She had incredible talent, true. Up close, she glowed more brightly than Sinitïa. She glowed more brightly than anyone else he knew. But raw talent needed control, and to gain enough control to have that seat at such a young age was astounding. He wished he had had a chance to see her before now. Being the subject of a Council inquiry was not the best way to reacquaint.

When there was no objection, Chiansamorkin spoke. “Jorvanultumn, we have heard from your diare and these other members of your extended family who have provided us with the details of your elispt, as well as background information about you. If I may say, I commiserate with you regarding the difficulty of your elispt. It is remarkable to me that such an elispt even exists. However, an elispt it is. Your family has told us what you told them of why you broke the elispt. At this time, I would like to hear the story from you. In particular, I would like to hear about the human mentalist who started the war, the one the Volganths call Will-Breaker. Please, tell us.” She sat back in her seat.

“Thank you, Lamdhir,” Jorvanultumn began. “I would like to start by saying I believe you are in error to call Princess Felitïa Asa Folith the one who started the war. The war would have happened whether she had been involved at all.”

“And why do you say this?” Griholbovroh said. “She broke into the Volganth rooms on Scovese and killed several of them. This was not an act of war on her part?”

“Would you go to war with the world over the actions of one person?” Jorvanultumn said.

Griholbovroh tapped his staff impatiently. “Not any person. She is royalty, a leader amongst her people.”

“Of one nation, perhaps. The Volganths declared war on the entire world in response. Would you call that justified?”

“You are young and naïve, Jorvanultumn,” Maramintorin said. “No one here disputes the Volganths’ ulterior motives, but Princess Felitïa Asa Folith gave them an excuse. She made it easier for them. Some culpability is hers. From my perspective, she is at best a fool, who does not consider the consequences of her actions. Why should we aid her? Perhaps you can tell us why she did what she did. Can you justify her actions?”

“I believe so, Lamdirh.”

“Then please, proceed,” Maramintorin said.

“Thank you, Lamdirh. I will tell you everything I can about her.”

They interrupted him frequently, interrogating every aspect of what he said. Throughout it all, the other three looked frequently to Paydamat, who simply gave a small nod each time. She asked no questions herself.

“I suppose,” Chiansamorkin said as the questions were finally drying up, “the one important question I have remaining is, given how powerful you believe Princess Felitïa Asa Folith will be at her full potential, do you truly believe it is safe for her to break through her block?”

“Yes.”

“Let us be honest,” Maramintorin said, “she may be powerful for a human, but she is still human. I cannot imagine she would be any threat to us.”

“I believe she will be more powerful than any of us,” Jorvanultumn said.

Griholbovroh laughed. “Nonsense. You do not believe that.”

“He is speaking truthfully,” Paydamat said. “He believes it.”

Griholbovroh scoffed. “Then he is more naïve than Maramintorin already accused him of. Humans have never come close to Isyar in magical power.”

“With due respect, Lammdir,” Jorvanultumn said, “you have met her sister, have you not? Princess Sinitïa Alessia Deanna Folith?”

Griholbovroh slammed his staff down. “An uncivil child who does not respect her betters.”

“But you have seen her power?” Jorvanultumn pressed.

“A fluke.”

Chiansamorkin leaned forward. “Are you saying her sister has as much talent, Jorvanultumn?”

Jorvanultumn shook his head. “No, but she does have more talent than most humans. However, we all know that power requires more than raw talent. I merely bring up Princess Sinitïa Alessia Deanna Folith as proof that some humans can have more potential than Lammdir Griholbovroh gives them credit for. In addition, I would remind the Council that Princess Felitïa Asa Folith’s powers are, in large part, telepathic. She does not need to match us in magical power. The combination of her magic and telepathy may be enough.”

“And yet you still maintain it is safe to remove her block?” Chiansamorkin said.

“I do. I trust her.”

Chiansamorkin stood up once more. “Thank you, Jorvanultumn. Your testimony has been very enlightening.” She looked around the chamber at the other three. “Are there any more questions?”

Paydamat stood up. “I have a few. Jorvanultumn, you contend that you have only temporarily abandoned your elispt. Is this correct?”

“Yes. As soon as I leave Isyaria again, I will resume fulfilling my elispt. I will not return here again until it is finished.”

“And why did you bring your two human companions with you?”

“In the time I have been in Arnor, Meleng Drago has become one of my dearest friends. I brought him as company on the long trip. Also, he desired to see Isyaria. Princess Sinitïa Alessia Deanna Folith is one of Meleng Drago’s close friends. She wished to accompany him.”

“They should have stayed in Arnor,” Griholbovroh said. “Human merchants like Captain Etiënne Gen are bad enough. We do not need tourists. Their actions have already shown that.”

“Perhaps they should have indeed stayed in Arnor,” Chiansamorkin said, “if only to protect them from unprovoked attacks. If I had not been there—”

Griholbovroh slammed his cane down again. “You had no right to interfere!”

“No right? You would have killed her!”

“That is irrelevant. She would—”

“She is royalty!”

“I did not know that at the time.”

Chiansamorkin barked a short laugh. “And that matters? Have you not at this very meeting condemned similar actions by Princess Felitïa Asa Folith, actions you blame for a war. Would you create another war with Arnor?”

“Enough!” Paydamat’s voice boomed through the hall—no, boomed through Jorvanultumn’s head, and judging by their reactions, through everyone else’s heads as well. Her next words were spoken aloud. “This is not the time. We can discuss both of your actions in private session.”

“If I may,” Jorvanultumn said, “I would like to address the Lamdritta about the incident the Lammdir and Lamdhir are arguing about.”

“When the current matter of your elispt is wrapped up,” Paydamat said.

“I understood you had asked me your last question,” Jorvanultumn said.

Paydamat looked down at him, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, but we must formally move on from that part of the session, and that would begin with offering our thanks to Hilkorultumn, Mikranasta, and Davorultumn. We appreciate your testimony, and we will think on it carefully along with Jorvanultumn’s when we make our decision. You may depart the chamber.”

Hilkorultumn put his hand to his chest. “I am happy to serve, Lamdir. May the night be short.”

Davorultumn did similarly. “Pleasant thoughts.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Mikranasta?” Paydamat prompted.

Mikranasta stepped forward, beside Jorvanultumn. “I would like to remain.”

Paydamat glanced at each of her compatriots. “We would prefer that you did not.”

“Why?”

“Indeed,” Chiansamorkin said. “If you are going to include me in your we, Lamdir, I would like to know why as well.”

“We may need to discuss sensitive information,” Paydamat replied.

Mikranasta shrugged. “Then discuss it elsewhere. Jorvanultumn has already established that this is a public place. You cannot deny me entrance.”

“Insolence!” Griholbovroh yelled, along with another slam of his cane.

“No. Merely an exercising of my rights.” What exactly was Mikranasta playing at? She was correct, of course, but how was this helping? Of course, that was assuming she was trying to help…

“Mikranasta is correct, Lammdir,” Chiansamorkin said.

“And you can fall into the void of Cosmos’s wings for all I care.”

Chiansamorkin laughed and Mikranasta smirked at Griholbovroh’s use of an informal curse in a formal session.

Paydamat spread her wings, then let them droop over the edge of her pedestal. She looked down at those on the floor. “My apologies for the unprofessional display you have seen from some of us today. We will continue any further discussions in a private location.” She folded her wings back up again. “I move this session be ended.” She looked to Maramintorin. “Do you concur, Lamdirh?”

Maramintorin rose from his seat. “I do.” His words were almost a growl as he glared first at Chiansamorkin on the pillar to his right and then at Griholbovroh to his left.

“A consensus of two is all that is needed,” Paydamat said before either of the others could respond. “This meeting is over.” She flew from her perch to the doors high above the main entrance doors Jorvanultumn had entered through.

Maramintorin followed, and then Chiansamorkin. Griholbovroh remained a moment, staring down at the people on the floor. After a moment, he shook his head and followed the others out.

Mikranasta chuckled and touched Jorvanultumn’s shoulder. “I do appreciate Chiansamorkin’s presence on the Council.” She strode towards the doors. “Coming?”