destroy us, in the same way that he eradicated the people of Rhodium.”
Turning to Rose, he tilted her chin with his hand, looking deep into her eyes.
“This is why you are so precious to us Rose. Lord Eldwyn is within you and you are the procurator of his incantatio. He prophecied that you will ascend, and you ascended, he prophecied that the Djinn would be freed from Erebus, and now they walk amongst us. More significantly though, he predicted that the incantatio would come to you and that you would free and unite our people. It is our honour and our duty Rose, to assist you in ensuring that Eldwyn’s prophecy is fulfilled, in its entirety.”
Arjan laid his hand on Rose’s shoulder.
“I am with you Rose, we all are, every one of us,” he said.
Auriel murmured her agreement. They turned to look at Ash and Lee, who remained silent. Dux raised an eyebrow.
A broad crease grew between Lee’s eyes as he drew his brows together into a troubled frown.
“Okay, Okay, I am with you,” he said, with a sigh of discontent, “but I still think that this could all be down to coincidence. There is no hard evidence that Ka has returned. As yet there is no incantatio and as for the prophecy, well, the idea that someone could accurately predict a chain of events that will occur thousands of years into the future well… seriously?”
Ash nodded, appearing to agree with Lee, his head was bowed as he seemed to be intent on studying the pattern on the tiled floor.
“Err, yes,” Said Ash “what he just said. Plus, if all this actually does turn out to be true, then we are all really screwed.”
He traced the pattern of the tiles with his foot.
“I suppose it’s too late to ask to change to another cell?” He said.
His words were so soft and stilted that they were almost inaudible.
Dux hesitated, his brows creasing in surprise.
“Well, it is rather unusual,” he said, with obvious disappointment, “but if that is what you wish Lord Ash, I am sure it can be arranged.”
Ash remained silent, though his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. He lifted his head and a broad grin creased his face.
“Are you kidding!” he said, laughing, “I wouldn’t miss this for all the purple pastries in Aurum. Of course, I’m in.”
His ears were ringing for days from the slap that Arjan planted across his head.
GLYNISFARNE
The five senior Councillors’ of Ferrum High Council had not left Glynisfarne’s Pyrus for days. Prime Councillor Lord Alder had been co-ordinating the capital’s response to the Hydrargyrum refugee crisis. Refugee camps had been set up in the northern dales and the people of Glynisfarne had proved to be generous in every way possible; providing food, clothing, shelter and medical care for thousands of Hydrargyrum refugees.
Lord Alder, cloaked in the rich green robes of Ferrum, let his eyes linger on the magnificent, hand-carved curvilinear chamber. The carvings echoed the entwined branches of the gigantic olive trees that flourished in the hills to the east of the city. Filled with dismay, Alder wondered how long it would be, before the Djinn reduced it all to ashes. Thousands of years of history destroyed in an instant.
“Lord Alder?" said Lord Elm, bringing his attention back to the table.
An extremely athletic looking young Councillor, Lord Elm pointed to a large, beautifully illustrated hand-drawn map, which was spread out on the table before them.
“We have ten divisions of Lignum Vitae infantry stationed at the most vulnerable positions along the Hydrargyrum border,” he said. “However, Intelligence gathered from refugees indicates that the Djinn’s first action will be the sacking of the city, particularly as Glynisfarne lies relatively close to the border.”
Taking a deep breath, he faced Lord Alder with solemn resignation in his voice.
”This is why I think that it is now imperative, that we withdraw the Lignum Vitae from the borders and the camps, so that they can focus all of their efforts on protecting the city.”
Lord Alder pulled at his small nut-brown goatee whilst his woolly brows wrestled with a frown.
“I agree, Lord Elm,” he said grimly, “ in fact I have already summoned the Commander of the Guard to discuss that very matter.”
He looked towards one of the two native scribes who were diligently recording the meeting.
“Aspen,” he said. The tousle-headed young native looked up at him expectantly. “Could you ask Commander Linden to join us, please? You should find him in the Oak room with Marshal Shadbush. Ask the Marshal to join us also will you?”
Noticing the other Councillor’s questioning faces he elaborated further.
“I believe the Marshal has some valuable intelligence which originates from one of the refugees assigned to his camp. I asked him to meet with me, but I think it more pertinent for him to address us all, under the circumstances.”
Aspen hurried from the room, returning a few minutes later accompanied by a tall Lignum Vitae officer, a small round man and a dishevelled young Blood woman in tattered clothing.
Commander Linden ducked his head as he strode into the room. It was unnecessary, as the doorways were over seven feet high, but he had learned to his cost not to take this for granted. Linden wore an officer’s uniform, a green and brown leather tunic embossed with the entwined LV insignia of the Lignum Vitae. The insignia on his uniform, being that of a commander, was embellished with gold. Although Linden’s uniform had been tailored to fit his gargantuan proportions, his muscular frame still appeared to stretch the materials to their limits.
Behind Linden, struggling to match his pace was Marshal Shadbush, a small, round native Mud whose head seemed to be composed almost entirely of coarse brown hair. Trailing behind him was a young female Blood who wore the potens ring of a Blood ascendant. Her matted red hair sagged forward, hiding the left side of her face, and her black robes were charred and stained.
The Commander, whose gigantic frame dwarfed Lord Alder, stood to attention, clicking his heels. He slapped his right fist across his chest.
“By your leave, my Lord,” he said, motioning towards the female Blood. “I have requested that Lady Ro-eh-na join us. The Marshal and I agree that what she has to tell, it is imperative that you hear.”
Lord Alder signalled his approval with a nod, gesturing for Ro-eh-na to approach.
The young ascendant looked pale and thin, even for a Blood. She dragged her left foot slightly as she moved towards him and her left arm hung limply at her side.
“You have something to tell us child?” asked Alder.
Lifting her head to meet his gaze, the veil of hair covering her face fell away, revealing her scorched, red features. The left side of her face was terribly scarred, melted by fyre.
There was an audible intake of breath from the councillors, which caused her to raise a hand to her face. Pulling up her hood, she pushed her hair forward covering her wounds. Alder went to her and placed an arm protectively around her shoulders.
“Come, my dear, sit with us.” He said as he led her across to one of the benches and sat down next to her. “Can I get you anything... a drink?”
She shook her head. He placed his hand over hers.
“Do you feel up to talking?” he asked.
She gave a barely discernible nod. Alder waited patiently for her to begin. Then after a few moments and with obvious difficulty, she started to recount her story.
“The Djinn came to the city without warning.” She said, wincing as she forced out each word, her voice hoarse and broken as it struggled through a throat made rigid, by the caustic fumes of fyre. “They burned most of it to the ground, interring natives and assimilating the ascendants. I was marked for assimilation by Shevanna, Fyre Meister Phlegon’s consort.”
“Phlegon!” Lord Elm sprang to his feet.
Alder caught his eye with a glare that forced him back into his seat.
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“Go on, my dear” he prompted, maintaining eye contact with Lord Elm “you will not be interrupted again.”
She swallowed, taking a deep rasping breath before continuing.
“My assimilation was delayed, due to the arrival of Lord Ka.”
“Ka!” Lord Elm once more, was on his feet.
Instantly he raised his hands in apology.
“I’m sorry Lord Alder,” he said, “…but Lord Ka?”
He looked around at the others for support but was met only with cold glares of irritation.
“I am sorry, again my Lady, please continue.” He said apologetically and this time he remained standing.
“It’s alright,” she said quietly as she looked at him from beneath lowered lashes. “I understand your reaction and I would not have believed it either, had I not seen it for myself.”
Her body tensed as she began once again to tell her story.
“I was under guard in a curtained annexe off the central chamber. I could hear their conversation. Ka was trying to bargain with Meister Phlegon. Through the gap in the curtains, I saw Phlegon turn on Ka and attempt to assimilate him. It looked at first as if he had succeeded, but when the crucible fyre ebbed, both Phlegon and Ka were gone. They had been replaced by a creature that was neither one of them, but appeared to be a strange combination of them both.”
Her voice had become so hoarse that it was now, no more than a whisper. Lord Elm poured water into a goblet and passed it to her with an encouraging smile. Taking the large goblet awkwardly in her only functional hand, she took a sip. Ro-eh-na moaned as the liquid's