Chapter 23

Before the Council

- Those who watch begin to see, the crowning moment of his glory -

Thonavar fidgeted.

He was unused to standing for so long. He had no clue as to what he was waiting for. The room around him was circular and before him spread out in a crescent moon shape, were six blood-red seats of plush. The seats were facing inwards and behind them, beyond the transparent glass, the city of HavenGuarde could be seen. Seated in those seats were four men and a woman. The five of them sat still and seemed to be staring blankly into space. It seemed they were waiting for something.

The Angardian Council…

Thonavar recognized the tall and gaunt man sitting with his face hidden in the shadows. He had been present at the courtroom of justice and Thonavar remembered seeing him speak with Felix after the entire episode.

It was dark outside and the Thonavar could make out thousands of lights amidst the vast darkness of city-above, middle and below. But up here in this cold place, he was far from the streets and the warmth of his home.

Home…

He missed the dark alleys of the streets and missed hurdling and climbing over walls and short fences.

But Thonavar missed his parents most of all. Feeling wistful, he recalled that before he had set off to undergo the testing, his parents had spoken to him, wishing him luck. He remembered the look upon their faces as they wished him goodbye. A feeling struck his heart and Thonavar felt sadness well up within him.

He wondered if he would ever see his father and mother again. The thought of being separated from his parents filled him with a sudden dread and anxiety. Where were they? Where was Felix?

He clenched his fists in frustration.

"Stand still boy."

The voice came from a woman. She was sitting in one of the six seats. Her voice was cold but rang with clarity and power. It was a voice used to being in command. Thonavar decided that if not for her sharp and otherwise powerful tone of voice, she would be considered beautiful, for her face was smooth and angular. Her eyes, however, were a sharp and piercing blue. The woman stared straight at Thonavar and though he felt her gaze upon him, he was not afraid.

I am not afraid of you, he thought to himself. His mother, Mirya, was the most beautiful woman around and she was the only woman whom Thonavar was truly afraid of. He stared back at her in defiance. But with a knowing smile, she then unlocked her gaze from him and proceeded to stare at the space just above his head, completely ignoring him.

Thonavar looked to his left and right. A blonde boy stood at his right and a black-haired girl to his left, both about a metre away from him. Both looked haggard and uneasy. Thonavar guessed that like him they had been called here for a similar purpose, each having been tested. Though a metre away from him, Thonavar could see the girl’s lip trembling slightly. Her head remained bowed low to the ground as if she did not dare to look up. As for the boy, his face was ashen white and pale, as though he had seen a ghost. He too had his head slightly bowed. Fear was in the air and Thonavar could smell it. He shifted from one leg to another impatiently.

"By the Almin, boy. Stand still or I shall have to make you", barked out the woman again. The woman was angry now, her blue eyes glittering and Thonavar felt the gaze of the council upon him. She made as though to say something harsh to him when suddenly, all tension in the room evaporated as the rest of the council looked up at the doorway behind Thonavar with an air of expectancy. The woman, forgetting her anger, also looked to the door. With a muted groan, the door opened inwards and Felix strode in with two other black-robed figures. Relief flooded through Thonavar at the sight of Felix.

"Greetings council members", said Felix, his deep voice booming out.

"Greetings Felix", said the tall and gaunt man, rising from his seat.

"Your eminence", replied Felix, bowing slightly. He removed his cowl and pushed back his black hood. And the two other figures standing behind him also did the same, almost in unison.

"Members of the council", began Felix again, and the small circular room resonated with his deep voice. "I request permission in bringing forth two verifiers. They shall verify the results of the testing as is the common practice."

He gestured to the two black-robed figures behind him and they both bowed their heads low.

"This is the common practice. You may proceed", said an old man, speaking for the first time. His voice was ancient and wise and soothingly deep. A moment of silence passed.

"Are these three individuals selected to each undertake a testing?" asked the woman, her clear and sharp voice, shattering the silence into shards.

"They are", answered Felix, unperturbed.

"That is most unusual", said the woman, and she peered down at them with a mock air of curiosity. "I would like to think that we would have selected a more…capable…group of individuals. The group standing is before us is surely below par. For one, the boy to the far right cannot even keep his body still. Perhaps we should relook into our methods of selection and revise them accordingly."

The woman gave the three young children such a penetrating and piercing stare that the girl next to Thonavar looked ready to cry. Thonavar stood his ground but his heart seemed to be beating a little faster. But it was not because he was fearful of the woman. He was anxious to know the result.

Had he passed?

Felix and the two verifiers moved to stand in front of the three young children, facing the crescent shape of chairs in which sat the council.

"Begin", spoke the thin and gaunt council member.

Felix bowed and the two verifiers followed suit. Then they turned around, facing the three children. Thonavar tried to catch Felix’s eye, hoping for a sign of affirmation or a familiar smile, but there was none. Felix stared above their heads.

"Jolom Stalheim" he boomed. "Come forth!"

The blond-haired boy stepped forward nervously, his eyes shifting from left to right. His face was pale and he was shivering slightly.

"Closer, if you please", called out Felix again. And the boy moved another step forward.

Suddenly, the was a rush of air, as a wall rose from the floor, cutting off Thonavar’s vision of the council, Felix, the verifiers, and the blond-haired boy. He could see and hear nothing and knew not what transpired beyond the wall. He looked at the black-haired girl. Her eyes were wide and there was a look of shock upon her face. She glanced at Thonavar, who took a step toward her but found that his feet were glued to the floor. He fell forward and managed to prevent his body from twisting awkwardly by placing his hands onto the floor. With great effort, without use of his legs, he managed to pull his body in an upright position. But what strangeness was this?

He stared at his feet incredulously, refusing to believe what he was seeing. He tried to lift his right leg and then his left but each would not budge, remaining frozen to the floor. He grit his teeth with effort and grunted in frustration, but as much as he tried, his feet would not leave the ground. After attempting to jump from in the air with both legs, Thonavar gave up.

He looked at the black-haired girl and it was apparent that she too faced the same difficulty. Her feet seemed to be stuck to the floor. She looked helplessly at Thonavar who opened his mouth to speak. He spoke for a while until he realized that he could hear nothing. He was speaking but no audible sound, let alone words, could be heard.

Thonavar tried to increase the volume of his speech again but to no avail. No sound issued forth from his mouth. The effect was frightening and Thonavar felt completely helpless. He then proceeded to shout at the top of his voice using all the air in his lungs and this time all that came out of his mouth was a low buzzing that only but tickled his ears.

What kind of science was this?

Glancing at the girl, Thonavar saw that she was very frightened. Never had he felt so helpless. He was completely incapacitated.

Calm yourself.

Thonavar waited. But with each passing moment, his anger grew. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, with a sudden rush of air that startled both waiting children, the wall receded and Thonavar found himself facing the council, Felix and his verifiers, once more. The blond-haired boy was gone.

Again, Thonavar tried to catch Felix’s eye but the man ignored him. Thonavar’s anger grew.

At that moment, the tall, thin and gaunt man rose from his seat and gestured to the remaining children. A ripple of black cloak swirled, dissipating throughout the length of his robes as he stood. With a smooth and supple flourish, he gestured to them, extending his hand, a slight apologetic frown upon his face.

"Young ones, forgive us the formalities of the post-testing phase. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dragba Damon."

Thonavar made as if to speak but before he could lash out in anger, he was cut off by a wave from the tall and gaunt man.

"Peace, young Ironhand. Allow me first to explain", said Dragba Damon smoothly.

"I must apologise for it seems our actions lack explanation. What you were being held in moments ago was static prison."

While Dragba Damon spoke, most of the council members stared into space, with the exception of the woman, who with a smile, looked at the space just above Thonavar’s head.

"But fear not", he said coolly, seeing Thonavar’s expression. "It will not harm you in any way. It is merely a preventive measure should, ah, any of you wish to escape. If you wait patiently, you will find that it will in no way cause your harm. For now, I ask only that you remain calm and patient till we conclude the formalities."

With that, he sat back down and gestured to Felix, who retaining a passive countenance, bowed again.

"Proceed", said Dragba Damon, gesturing to Felix who called out another name.

"Dorolore Malaire! Come forth."

The young black-haired girl stepped forwards, trembling uncontrollably. And Thonavar saw upon her face a sickening look of fear. She turned back and gave him a look of utter hopelessness before the wall rose up in front of him. Thonavar roared out in anger but all he could hear was a low buzzing in his ears. The static prison was in effect, surrounding him, silencing him, and preventing any form of movement from his feet. There was nothing he could do now but to wait. Fist clenched, he stared at the ground. Time passed by slowly and Thonavar considered his thoughts, which were a jumble.

Had he passed? Why was Felix ignoring him? Did his refusal to acknowledge Thonavar mean that he had failed? Where were his parents? Did they already know? What would happen should he fail? What happened to those other two children?

With a suddenness that sent a wave of shock throughout, the wall slammed down and Thonavar found himself, once more, facing the Angardian Council. All eyes were upon him now. Even the ice-cold woman was staring at him, making no effort in hiding her amusement. The black-haired girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Thonavar Ironhand! Come forth!" Felix’s voice boomed and echoed.

He made no attempt to recognise Thonavar but instead gestured to a spot in the middle of the room where he was to stand before the council. Thonavar felt weak and he was conscious of his right leg which seemed to be shaking uncontrollably.

Be calm, he told himself. Master your fear.

Exhaling deeply, Thonavar took a step to the front and, instantly, the wall closed behind.