A weighty council

The Royal Great Hall wasn’t exactly off limits. People had to go there, to clean and make repairs for example, and the guards would regularly make the rounds. People went there, but mainly during the day and never without prior knowledge of the officer in charge.

So, it was a mystery why, on this night, voices were coming from the highest room of the tower. This Great Hall was almost unique in having a tower. It was a four-story building of stone, covered in render, the same brown colour as rest of the hall.

There were no lights and the room was dark. It was impossible to see the richly decorated fabrics of the chairs and curtains, vermillion with tracings of gold. Nor could you see the exquisitely carved wood of the chairs and table, the four great warriors biting their shields and holding up the table were particularly fine.

The doors throughout the Hall were shut, no windows were open, and the guards were at their posts or doing their rounds. None the less, there were definitely voices. They were the type of voices that could charm and disarm. The types of voices that confuse or persuade. They were the type of voices that could curdle blood or compel men to kill.

A thumb on the floor. One. Two. Three times. A wizened old voice like crackling embers spoke. 'Welcome, welcome conspirators and friends. I congratulate you on another completed summons.'

'Hear, hear. A job well done.' Jumped in another voice, bouncy, like a spring.

Other voices joined in their agreement. One snorted in disgust. A deep voice like boulders rolling down a mountain.

'Yes quiet, quiet. Let me finish.' The ember became a small flicker of flame. 'The mission was completed, but how successful is yet to be determined.'

'Oooh How so?' Each vowel drawn out until they almost broke.

The flicker became a small flame. 'I’m getting to that, Longule. There is no doubt that these were strong summons, perhaps the strongest in the last one thousand years, but there are one or two oddities.'

The voice like boulders butted in. 'That shadow. That should never have been. Explain yourself, Feddaul.'

‘What him? You can’t deny he is very powerful, Boragorn.’ Feddaul replied. ‘Isn’t that exactly what we need?’

‘Playing your games again, Feddaul?’ Cut in a voice made for manicures and self-grooming.

‘You couldn’t comprehend the plans I am putting together, Velgath.’ Feddaul growled.

‘Can you?’ Velgath quipped.

‘Quiet the both of you! The shadow was risky, Feddaul, but it is done now.’ the voice became a mature blaze. ‘We need to see how we can limit the damage, and...’ the voice trailed off as if lost in thought, ‘...think about how we can make the best use of it. As you say he is powerful.’

Outside the hall, guards walked across the path from the Great Hall to the Palace. The chink of their armour could just be heard by the shadowy council.

‘We’ll need to watch him.’ Boragorn grumbled

‘As long as he’s in the hands of the Alderman, we shouldn’t have to worry. Very reliable human.’ Longule said.

At that moment the council was interrupted by the click of a turning doorknob and the squeak of hinges. New voices filled the room. ‘I’m telling you I heard voices.’ It complained.

The light from the stairway flooded the room, falling on the table at the centre. The light shone on a group of small animals, the largest a slightly oversized housecat sitting in a chair, but there was also a dog, a deer, an owl, a stoat and even a lizard. Although, they weren’t ordinary animals. The cat was blue, the dog had horns, and the lizard wings.

The room was silent. Finally, realisation dawned on the first guard, and he throw himself on the floor, followed shortly after by the second guard.

‘Please forgive us, your most exalted highnesses.’ He screamed.

The fire became a raging inferno. As the guards trembled, kowtowing on the floor, the lizard grew. Its legs became muscular and straight; its teeth and claws sharpened; its wings covered the room in a deeper shadow; and its eyes turned to fire, a heat so hot it could melt away pride, leaving nothing but a smelly puddle.

‘Be gone!’

Both guards vanished in brief flash of blue and violet light.

‘Now let’s get back to the meeting.’ The fearful sight said before slowly reverting back to a tiny lizard.

‘Heoloth,’ Velgath the cat said. ‘That was a bit much wasn’t it.’

‘They are safe. I teleported them four miles to the east, that is all.’ Heoloth replied.

‘Four miles to the east is the sea.’ Feddaul the stoat said.

‘Your point?’

‘They were wearing armour.’ Added Feddaul.

‘Shall we get back to the meeting?’ Heoloth said. ‘We can table the summoning for now. We will just have to keep an eye on how the latest group perform.’

‘If you will excuse me for a moment.’ The little whippet shaped dog, Keylia, jumped down from her chair and vanished in a puff of blue smoke.

‘What we really need to talk about is the war.’ Heoloth carried on.

‘What war?’ Asked Velgath, the cat.

‘My point exactly. Over three months since the siege at Kervelyn and the humans still haven’t declared war.’

‘They are cowardly, only thinking of their coin purses.’ Interjected Boragorn, the half dear, half horse.

‘We may need to take more inventive action.’ Longule the owl said. ‘I think I may have an idea.’

Keylia the dog reappeared, her coat damp. She sat down with the others, apologising for her interruption.

‘Maybe we can make use of the creatures from the dark continent?’ Longule continued. ‘They are often quite active after a summoning. One of them could shake life into the humans.’

‘Good idea.’ Heoloth responded. ‘I’ll leave it to you to arrange.’

The meeting continued like this for several hours more. The council discussed all manner of topics, deemed weighty and important both about the mortal realms and beyond them. As the joint council began to wane and breakdown into smaller conversations, Feddaul slithered across the table to where Keylia sat.

‘Keylia, may I talk with you for a minute?’ Feddaul asked as he settled his body down against the table.

The dog had been sitting patiently on her haunches, waiting for the meeting to adjourn. She turned her active eyes to Feddaul and asked, ‘What would you like to discuss?’

‘I wondered if you might be willing to help me.’ Feddaul rested his head on his front paws. ‘I have a task that only someone as compassionate as you can complete.’

Keylia looked away, waving a small paw in the air. ‘You do me to much credit.’

‘Do you think?’ Feddaul straightened up his front kegs, his back ones still relaxed and twisted to the side. 'incidentally, did you manage to find those guards.’

‘Yes!’ Keylia answered, her canine energy on full display. ‘They were half drowned, but I managed to get them back to land in time.’

Feddaul smiled, ‘Thank goodness. As I said, no one else will do for this task. I have some people I need you to keep an eye on, and if necessary, protect.’

‘You think these people might be in danger?’ Keylia asked with a tilt of her head.

‘Oh yes,’ Feddaul’s paused for a moment in reflection. ‘I suspect quite a lot.’