Chapter 6

The Right for Rites

Harwin strutted quickly through town, his long brown and purple robes skating along the worn cobbles behind him. Dragging in the cracks, kicking up dirt and dust as he passed, and he longed for the fall rains to start. Before him sat the Council Chambers, and certain misery. While he loved his job as head of history and magical research, he hated his other responsibility as Minister of Treasury.

He had spent years passing judgement on everything from the casting down of citizens to Non, to the exile of his brother Marin Silverlight. After the former, it was his duty to strike all records of his name. It was a task that had nearly led to him retiring from his positions. Only the counsel of his best friend and fellow minster, Markus Vane, kept him from leaving his post.

It was this same friend that now greeted him at the entrance to the Council Chambers. His soft round face was veiled in smoke from his thin cigar. Its odorous smoke permeated the street, as Harwin slowed to talk to his friend. Vane noticed Harwin’s nose wrinkle and he stubbed out the cigar, placing the remainder in a leather pouch on his belt.

“Long day, Win?” Vane asked.

“Long month. I dread these meetings.” Harwin said, opening the door behind Vane.

“Well you have a hard job, all you have is unwelcome news. All I have is boring, I mean seriously not much happens overseeing the Nons.” He replied, following Harwin inside the warm dimly lit entrance hall. “I’d much rather have your job, at least there’s a bit of movement in what you do. Though the diminishing economy isn’t anything we can help, isolated as we are, I digress. How’s Keira been?”

For all the stress his position afforded him, Harwin had always enjoyed the bit of small talk that he and Vane would exchange before each meeting. It made him feel more normal, he had always tried to reciprocate the feeling, “Keira’s well, her magical progression is still a bit lacking, but if anything, her physical skills should see her through her ascension. I don’t think that her disciplinary record will be against her that much.”

Vane stopped Harwin in his tracks by gently grabbing his shoulder, “you do know what tonight’s main topic is, right?”

“I know Keira's Ascension, and I’m sure Torok will make his usual plea to bar any of my family from going through it.”

Vane shifted slightly, his thick eyebrows pinched in concern, “I just want you to know, if tonight doesn’t go your way. She’ll be taken care of, I’ll see to it personally. On my honor as Minister of Nons.”

“Thanks Vane, that means a lot,” Harwin said touching his friend's shoulder in solidarity. But even as they broke the embrace and walked toward the door Harwin couldn’t shake the tone of his friend’s reassurance. Just as Vane turned the handle to enter the main chamber he asked, “you are with me on this right?”

All Vane made in reply was a raised eyebrow and an unconvincing smile. Harwin felt his chest tighten, as father to the child he had no vote in the decision to allow her to move forward with the rite of passage. That combined with his friend’s odd reassurances and inability to answer gave him a pronounced pause with the gravity of what could transpire at tonight’s meeting.

He took a moment and steadied himself against the wall. All his preparations, sacrifices, and planning could all be rendered useless with tonight’s vote. He steeled himself for what was sure to be a wild council meeting.

Harwin braced himself and entered the main chamber. Sitting in the large amphitheater were the other three ministers, and the chieftain of the village up on the raised shared desk. The Chieftain’s bulky frame and large gut nearly took up the entirety of the center of the concave dias. In attendance were the fellow heads of certain parts of the village: three from the commerce guild, two from the interior guard, and three from the exterior guard, a handful of attendant Nons all standing along one wall, Master Torok and Amea Fae from the Academy. Noticeably absent was his wife, Sophita, who he desperately searched for twice.

“She’s not here Harwin.” Said the Chieftain in his loud booming voice. “We requested that she remain absent from these proceedings. Although…” Harwin turned his head to the clamor of the door opening and shutting again, “it seems that request was not heeded.”

She rushed down the center aisle between the pews into Harwin’s open arms, “Sophie, I’m gonna sort this out, don’t worry.” He said quietly, his voice muffled by her long blue hair.

“This is my daughter’s life you're voting on, I’m staying.” She affirmed as she took a seat next to Amea. Who immediately wrapped a wrinkled arm around the younger woman, steading her.

“Fine,” the Chieftain sighed, “Harwin get up here so we can get this over with.”

Harwin moved quickly ascending the steps on the side and taking his seat at the far-left end of the table next to Vane. Who shot Harwin a concerned look, which did nothing but send his nerves a blaze with worry.

“Now that we’re all here, I hereby call this meeting to order.” The Chieftain casted a crooked glance at Harwin.

The young warlock that acted as the Chieftain’s assistant stood and started the crystal recorder. The small tear shaped crystal in the round silver device sprang to life and it turned from clear to red to signify that it was recording the sights and sounds of the room. The Chieftain stood and addressed the room, the muffin top of his large gut poking out from over his pants, “I, Chieftain Lark, will now call the attendance, starting with the esteemed Minister of Treasury, Master Silverlight.”

Harwin stood and said, “In attendance.”

“Master Vane, Minister of Nons.”

“In attendance.” Said Vane only slightly getting out of his chair.

“Mistress Cloud, Minister of Education.” The almond skinned Dumintari at the other end of the desk stood, her tall slight frame creaked and cracked as she stood. She wore her years well, but not nearly as well as Amea Fae, even being the junior of the two women.

“In attendance,” She said in her usual emotionless dry voice.

“Minister of Security, Master Harwood.” Finished the Chieftain.

The smaller man sitting next to the chieftain stood, his hunched back, large face and fat fingers betraying a life far from the hardships of service, “In attendance.” he said, only slightly moving in his chair.

“Now I know we have a few items to get into before we address the issue that is on everyone's minds at the moment,” the Chieftain said, retaking his seat. “Master Silverlight, if you would.”

The council meeting started as so many had before it with Harwin proceeding with the accounts of the village coffers. Which, while supplemented by trade with the Üna-vek, had sustained the village at large they were quickly running out of food, medicines, and other essentials. He again advocated for the patrols to start operating outside the village's protective bubble.

They heard from the small volunteer group of guardsmen, the leader of the five man group presented a strong showing. They seemed enthusiastic about exploring outside the borders of the village.

“I don’t think that we should risk these fine young men on frivolous scouting when it is perfectly well known to this council that our stores of Magicite could easily buy all we need.” Master Harwood argued.

“As I’ve said, our Trade agreement with the Üna-vek has led us to its inevitable limit. They no longer need Magicite.” Harwin defended, and pulled out a long piece of paper, waving it about, “Our agreement with them depends on secrecy, and they have expressed that they cannot sell or trade Magicite weapons or items without enticing the watchful eye of the empire.”

The Chieftain held up a hand, signaling for the arguments to stop, “I believe we have a good idea of the problem, I move on to the question. In favor of a patrol to be sent out of the village protective shield to scout and secure land for growing crops?”

Both Harwin and Vane were yes votes, Harwood unsurprisingly was a no. The Chieftain turned to the Dumintari at the right end of the dais, “Mistress Cloud?”

“Reluctantly, yes.”

“I will also vote yes. Very well, Light guide you to finding the future of our village. You are dismissed.” The Chieftain said, waving the volunteers out of the chamber.

The council moved quickly through a few more small items before coming to the topic of the night.

The Chieftain straightened his gold trimmed robes, “The last topic of this evening is to determine if Keira Esona Silverlight, because of the nature of this topic I have asked Master Silverlight to abstain from voting.” He looked over in Harwin’s direction, Harwin gave a reluctant nod, “Now to the question, Keira Silverlight stands with five sets of stripes, do we feel that she is fit to stand at the ascension ritual tomorrow morning? Mistress Cloud.”

She stood again, and Harwin couldn’t tell if it was the chair or her bones making the creaking noises, “I defer to Master Torok’s judgement on this matter, he has overseen her training and has my vote of confidence.”

“Very well, Master Torok, step forward.” Ordered the Chieftain. All eyes shifted to the heavily muscled training master as he stood and stepped on the floor of the Council Chambers. “May I assume, Master Torok, that you will make your usual speech in how you believe that this next Silverlight will be the death of us all?”

“It is my duty as a descendant of the Mountainlight clan to point out the inherent danger of allowing a Silverlight to ascend.” Torok said, his gruff voice echoing in the chamber.

Master Harwood piped up, equal parts bored and annoyed, “We are all well versed in the old grievance served to you by the ancestor of the Silverlight clan. He cursed you with agelessness, as you see it, and robbed you of your warlock abilities. Is there any other argument you wish to submit to this counsel tonight?”

Harwin narrowed his eyes in a question, previously the counsel had allowed Torok to drone on at nauseum but tonight they were focused. What changed? He thought.

“I have a new warning,” Torok began, “Keira Silverlight will be the Nightmare Without End.” A few heavy sighs resounded, as Torok began his same argument again, “Yes, we know of THE Nightmare, but I suggest that he was not the prophesied Nightmare Without End. The one who will bathe this world in eternal darkness and release the Demon King from his prison.”

“Torok please! Do you have any new arguments?” berated Master Harwood.

Torok took a tear shaped crystal from his belt, “I have evidence, a vision from the Nightmare’s last moments.”

“How did you come by this?” Asked Harwin leaning closer.

“At great expense, during my travels outside of the village.” Torok explained.

“Let us view the memory,” Said the Chieftain motioning for the spare slot in the recorder to be used to view the memory crystal. Torok approached the assistant and handed the crystal to him. The crystal turned from clear to blue and projected the contents of the crystal above them.

It was a repeating loop of a battlefield, and at its center clear as the day she was born was Keira. Her eyes glowing bright red, black wings protruding from her back and all around her the piles of the dead burning in her wake. Harwin was agape at the image of his little girl in such a state, for it was clearly her. A little older, a little darker, but without a doubt, Keira. He turned his head away from the image, and closed his eyes placing a hand on Vane’s shoulder.

“That’s enough. Turn it off.” Vane commanded the assistant. Harwin heard the projector turn off and he opened his eyes to relief to see that the image had gone. He looked at Sophie, she was holding her head in her hands, and he felt her pain as his own.

“So, you see, this is the future if we allow this to go forward.” Torok stated a cheeriness to his voice.

“I would like to remind this counsel that Master Torok has a particular bias against the Silverlights and as such, this crystal could be a fabrication or only a possibility. But despite that I am inclined to allow this to a vote. Let’s begin, Mistress Cloud?”

“No.” She said quickly.

“Master Harwood?”

Harwood seemed to consider his answer then said, “Yes.”

“I will also vote, yes.” Said the Chieftain.

Harwin mouthed a soft thank you to the both of them, and waited for his friend’s vote. Vane looked at Harwin, then at the air where the image of Keira had been sitting, then back at him. Concern and regret colored his face, Harwin looked hard at his friend. “I’m sorry Win.” He whispered.

“Vane. Please.” Harwin begged.

“Master Vane, your vote?”

“I vote no.” Said Vane his voice cracking.

The Chieftain sighed, looked down and tallied the vote on the official ballot, “With the vote at an impasse, this counsel calls the most senior active service member to be the deciding vote. Mistress Amea Fae please stand.” Said the Chieftain.

Amea, standing up from consoling Sophie, approached and stood with Torok. They exchanged quick glances, and she said, “We have seen these vision crystals before and they have been wrong. This is a warning nothing more, a potential future. It should be heeded, yes, but not at the expense of the girl.”

“Amea?” Growled Torok.

She looked back at Torok and smiled, “I vote that we allow her to go through the ascension.”

Harwin’s heart jumped, he had gone from utter despair to elation in seconds. He could have kissed her if he wasn’t married but all he managed was a loud and joyful, “Thank you Mistress Fae.”