Aurora laid out the events of the night before with Sir Iowerth. The Council listened with great interest and some discomfort. Cafer alone seemed unperturbed.

When she was finished, Zan took the floor. "Sir Iowerth was apprehended shortly after these events. He swears he never entered the ballroom. After some…intense conversation in the dungeon, he says that he entered the palace grounds, but was hit from behind when his retinue went to board his horse. He awoke in a hall close to the ballroom, and we found him as he claimed he was trying to get his bearings."

"Do you believe him?" Devrim asked. Over the years, the Council had come to allow his questions and even respect his opinions.

"I cannot sense any deceit in him. He seems a rather simple-minded man," Zan concluded.

"Then how do you explain what happened?" Ezer wanted to know.

The Empress cleared her throat. "I may have an explanation, but I must ask the Council to have an open mind."

"Please tell us, Your Majesty," Birger encouraged her.

Aurora swallowed, "I think the person who attacked me was a shapeshifter. I think they made themselves look like Sir Iowerth in order to avoid detection."

"Are you saying a human used...magic?" Ezer asked.

"No...from what I know, humans cannot—or at least should not—use magic. And the type of magic that was used is far too powerful for a human to wield. So either they were being helped by someone far more powerful than them, or they were part elf."

Cafer guffawed. He had not expected the Empress would come to this conclusion. As far as he knew, she was unaware until last night that magic even existed. All eyes turned on him and he realized that he would have to speak. "Really, Your Majesty? An elf?" he mocked. "Next you will tell me that a pixie stole your pocket change."

"Pixies do like shiny objects. What makes you think they would like my pockets, Cafer?" Aurora would not be cowed. His insolence only gave her strength. "And I am quite serious. Only elves and the Fates can mimic the appearances of others. And from what I have found, Fates are unlikely to manipulate humans in such a manner. I say part elf, because the power that the fake Sir Iowerth had over me required him to touch me. That is earth magic, which elves don't have."

Cafer leaned back in his seat smugly, "And where did you get all this information on mythical creatures? Bedtime stories?"

Aurora looked at him sidelong. From beside her throne, she drew a book from her satchel. "These are not bedtime stories."

Cafer's eyes grew wide. "Where did you find that?!"

"What is it?" Ezer's question overlapped his fellow councilman.

"A friend entrusted it to me." Aurora told them, knowing that mentioning a hidden sentient room in the castle would only muddy her point. "And it is an ancient encyclopedia of magical creatures."

"May I see it?" Birger asked. Aurora proffered the book down the table. His eyes scanned the pages. The scholar in him was very excited. "You are right; this book is ancient. We must make a copy of this for the royal library!" The Empress was pleased that he seemed to believe her, but she declined.

"This information has been hidden for a reason. I do not think it should be made public just now."

Cafer challenged her again, "You do not want this information to get out because you are afraid your subjects will think you have gone mad. And perhaps you have." A few of the Councilmen seemed to agree with Cafer. Zan was not one of them.

"Cafer, you forget your place. Do not talk to the Empress in such a manner!" Devrim called across the table angrily.

"I am only saying that it is far more likely that Sir Iowerth is lying. Perhaps he only used charming and persuasive language to confuse Her Majesty. Then when he was caught, he made up the story to protect himself." Cafer looked genuinely concerned for the Empress, but Aurora could see through his words. He was trying to make the councilmen doubt her testimony. His smooth words reminded her of the fake Sir Iowerth, but she dismissed the thought. She was too angry to think rationally. What was worse was that many of the Council were nodding agreement with Cafer.

"I appreciate your point of view, but I know what I experienced." Aurora spoke carefully through gritted teeth.

"How do you explain the lightning bolt that shot up my arm?" Devrim wanted Cafer to answer.

"In the heat of the moment, perhaps the shock seemed much greater than it was. I experience a similar jolt when I rub my cloth shoes on the rug and touch metal. I can be very surprising." The councilman had explained away everything. If Aurora and Devrim had not personally experienced it, they would have believed him too.

Zan broke through the tension. "Until we have proof one way or the other, we will choose to believe the Empress as we investigate. If it pleases Your Majesty, I will send out agents to see if there are rumors of activity that could be considered magical."

"It pleases me. Thank you, Chief Zan. That will be all for now." Aurora needed to regain her calm. She stood to exit.

"Glory to the Empress!" The Council was dismissed.

As the room cleared, Zan called out, "Cafer, I would like a word with you."

Cafer waited for all but the two of them to leave. He sat next to the dark-haired man. "What is it, Chief Zan?"

"How long have we served together?"

Cafer eyed him curiously. "Longer than either of us can remember, I think."

"Much longer than either of us should have been alive, but we have always stayed out of each other's way."

Cafer nodded. Although they had never had a frank discussion like this, there was an understanding between them. "Now that you mention it, I do not believe you have aged a day." Cafer accused him.

"You have only aged a little. And you are rather short for a full grown man." The men stared at each other fiercely. Zan decided to get to the point, "Are you denying magic in order to protect yourself or to protect all of humanity?"

"I just think we should investigate this matter privately together," Cafer offered, avoiding the question.

Zan noticed Cafer's deflection, and his silver eyes narrowed. "Oh I will investigate! Only a few people knew that Aurora would be on that dance floor. And if I find that you had anything to do with the events of last night, I will not stay out of your way any longer."

Cafer bowed his head respectfully. "You will find I am loyal to the Empire."

Zan smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "The question is: which empire?"

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Notes from Aurora's Mythological Encyclopedia:

Fates: immortal, answer only to the Maker, immense powers to change history

Fairies: have wings that they can hide, can change size, air and nature powers, can teleport

Elves: power over wind, can shapeshift

Gnomes: live underground, short, slow aging, earth powers

Guardians: previously human, but chosen by the Fates to keep peace, immortal but can be killed, no magic but can have magical items

Humans: should not use magic!