Janette watched as the boy awkwardly shuffled out of the lab. She had seen his reaction with her niece and assumed that was the biggest reason why he accepted her proposal. However, she may have gone a bit overboard and let her eagerness drive her actions. The boy was practically a source of unlimited power and getting him to join her faction would be a large benefit. It was doubly as important as her faction numbers continued to dwindle, and it was one of the few ways she could compete with the other councilors.

Janette began tapping her fingers against the desk as she thought. She visualized their interactions thus far, contemplating the image she had projected in front of the boy. The taps grew louder as she remembered how overbearing she had been thus far. She had even rudely interrupted his goodbye with his sister, although that one had been an accident. Maybe another apology would be useful, but it would only demonstrate her weakness. She had already admitted to being limited when it came to offensive chants, and she didn’t want to give the boy too many reasons to distrust her knowledge.

She always thought it was ironic as most people rejected joining her because they assumed a lack of proper combat training. Those students were fools, who would ultimately spend most of their time stagnating in safety. Growth only came from urgency and expectation, and she made sure that those who followed her felt those pressures. This may have been a mistake for this boy. Alrick Wilton was a conundrum as his power didn’t really match with his attitude.

His potential was vast, and he was able to work hard too. That much was evident by how he had spent his first day. The only issue was that he seemed jumpy around her for some reason. She was not so dense as to not recognize her appearance, but even that should not be that distressing for the boy. Janette could only hope that the boy would grow accustomed to dealing with her.

Even without his Ein having fully developed, it had already eclipsed everyone on the council. There was one other student who had accomplished the same feat, but she had maybe half as much Ein as he did. Plus, she was already committed to a different faction as she was the granddaughter of councilor Pali.

Janette may have been a little too hasty because of that, and it was clear that the boy had been overwhelmed. It was not what she expected from the information she had gathered. She had been keeping an eye on the boy and knew much of his activities since arriving. It was clear that Alrick was interested in studying, and he had displayed commitment that went above what was expected of him.

Already having heard that the boy spent hours at the library researching wards, Janette had hoped that the boy would be even more eager to accept her proposal. It was her specialization after all, though not one she wished for him. He had accepted, but there had been a lot more hesitation in his response, and he even seemed weak-willed. Hopefully, that was something that could be changed.

Janette wasn’t planning on teaching him much on wards and was going to have him focus on chant construction. Normally, creating specific chants was something only the most studied could accomplish, but there was another way around it. Enough Ein would let almost any chant function, forcing the energy to bend around the will of the chanter. Practicing that would change the boy, or she hoped that it would. At the very least it should strengthen his will.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself; I think you were quite convincing.”

Amanda sounded needlessly concerned. It would be unfortunate if the boy didn’t join her, but it wasn’t something that her assistant needed to worry about. The gesture reminded Janette of how dedicated Amanda was.

“I am not so young as to need coddling, I know when I have overstepped.”

Janette responded with more of an edge to her words than she intended. Amanda didn’t even flinch, which only showcased their closeness. Amanda was not a chanter, yet she fully trusted Janette, and the feeling was reciprocated. The silence lingered after her rebuttal, and she found a need to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Amanda moved, resting her hand on Janette’s shoulder. The gesture had been comforting, and she spoke softly afterward.

“You may not be young, but you are extremely insecure, and a little lonely. So, yes, I am concerned for you, even for all the power at your fingertips.”

Amanda was definitely going beyond what was proper, especially considering their positions, but she was right. Janette trusted Amanda, and she was someone from who Janette would accept some impropriety from. Slowly raising her arm, Janette rested her hand on top of Amanda’s fingers.

“Thank you, but it is really not needed. I am a little dissatisfied, but the boy has still agreed to join. Though I think I owe Stella a gift.”

Amanda nodded along to Janette’s words, and she smirked at the end of them. it was true too, as it was obvious that the boy had been interested in her niece. Amanda sounded smug as she gave her response, knowing what Janette’s intentions had been with their meet-up.

“She will have quite the list of marriage prospects, not the least of which could include mister Wilton.”

Amanda could easily point out what her intentions were. Janette wouldn’t force the matter as she didn’t know much of the boy, but as far as potential suitors went, he was certainly the best prospect. Two chanters would most likely have children with similar abilities, and mister Wilton’s children would likely be somewhat capable. Even if he married someone else, the kingdom would benefit greatly so long as it was a chanter. If his children were a part of her family, that would make it all the better. Still, that decision was not hers to make, however, she could do a little to influence it. A meeting here, a dinner there, it was within her power to orchestrate things like that. Amanda would be better at organizing such things, and Janette looked to her wisdom.

“I might need your help on that matter.”

Amanda gave her a quick confirmation.

“Naturally, I will do what I can, but your niece will not be happy with you when she finds out.”

Janette raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything. She could picture her niece’s reaction when she found out about her tricks. The thoughts were comforting, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Amanda quickly regained her composure and went to answer it.

Janette didn’t pay it much mind, instead, thinking of what she could do to make the next day better for the boy. His results in the testing center would spread quickly, and she was sure that several people would try and recruit him. She hoped that her niece would be able to make enough of a difference as she herself couldn’t offer as much as some of the other councilors.

She was shaken from her thoughts as Amanda slid her a letter. It had a seal indicating that it was something meant only for her eyes, and Amanda dutifully began cleaning the room. It was a depiction of the golden sun, a statement of pure power. Councilor Pali’s symbol had ever declared his arrogance. Janette opened the letter curious to know what information could be so important.

To: Councilor Janette Soramore

The intent of this letter is to summon you to a council. A meeting has been called by me as I have recently discovered new information regarding the developments in Larkin. I have born witness to the result of a raid by Larkin’s new force of monsters. With my specific abilities, I have deemed it to be important that all of the councilors have access to the information.

An attack on transport vessels had been discovered, however, I had been too late to provide any aid. There was only one survivor from the attacks. From his account, there were five total people among the attack group. Even with their small numbers, they managed to destroy a caravan and kill three chanters. The full results of the fight cannot be explained through the written word, and several important things of note are to be brought up at the meeting. Further details will be forthcoming.

Furthermore, your actions surrounding the student known as Alrick Wilton will be supported by myself and several of the other councilors. Although someone of your conviction, would be willing to extend the same benefits to my own granddaughter, and I of course would do the same for this boy. As such I recommend, we push for a class dedicated to developing only the most talented individuals. Naturally, we will allow a more personal touch to the students that join our respective factions. Please, bring a list of students who you think would qualify for the advanced class.

My suggestion for this class is that it will take place every other day. This will continue for as long as it takes to make them into viable defenders. I expect you to share your creations with the students, and I will reciprocate the gesture by giving them the secrets to my manipulation of chants. The time to hold secrets has passed.

Even divided as we are, we all fight to defend our home.

The meeting will take place at six.

Dictated by Councilor Pali Valda

Janette bristled at the letter, and she heard Amanda whistle from across the room. Her immediate concern was for Elpis. She knew Larkin would start to make some moves, but the effectiveness was surprising. Also, this was a few months ahead of schedule. Janette glared at her assistant, only to receive a shrug in return.

“How bad is it?”

Amanda’s tone was worried, and it took a while for Janette to school her facial expression. She contemplated the contents of the letter. Pali was keeping a close eye on her it seemed, though she could understand why. She had been doing much the same ever since his granddaughter’s potential had been revealed. Plus, she hadn’t been subtle in the forceful methods she used to form a connection to the boy. Going to pick him up and placing him in two of her classes had already gone beyond what would normally be allowed.

However, that was not what caused her to worry. Pali was capable of chants for seeing things and would have a good image of the events that actually transpired. If he was willing to push for the military development of his own descendants, then whatever he had seen must have been extremely unsettling. If a man of his power was worried about what he had seen, where would the rest of them stand against such a force? She shivered at the thought.

Janette didn’t really feel like explaining the situation and slid the letter so that Amanda could read it. If Pali let his assistant write the letter, then she would certainly be letting hers read it. She grew silent as she read it as well, the obvious implication of the letter bothering her too. The worst part was that the students wouldn’t be ready for a fight without serious changes, whereas Larkin’s new force was already usable. How would they keep up?

“What a lark…”

Amanda’s words stunned Janette. Anybody speaking against a councilor was rare, and for all the time she had known the women, she was not expecting something like this. Janette was furious too, as the letter had done its fair share of condescension. Pali being the strongest of the councilors had usurped her position and had the gall to make her seem like the petulant child.

That was not the most infuriating part to her. No, the most frustrating aspect of the letter was that she had been pushing for a development like this for weeks. They had known of the so-called ‘elixir’ for weeks now, but the councilors had been taking the situation too lightly. At that time, the ‘elixir’ killed more soldiers than it made and would create mindless beasts.