Chapter 34: The Council Room

Mira would have loved my outfit. I could almost see her circling me with that bright, careful focus of hers, smoothing the fabric between her fingers and pointing out how the layers fell, how the shape of it made me look taller, and yet still finsing ways she would want to improve it next time.

Magnavex adjusted one of the folds at my shoulder with quick, precise hands, then stepped back to inspect me. Which allowed me to inspect her in turn, she had on a beautiful dress, royal violet with faint hints of gold, her hair was styled into a neat bun with an ornate hair stick holding it in place, her horns climbing in spirals. Her cheeks seemed to have some light makeup on it.

Once we were properly dressed, we made our way to the meeting. I was strangely aware of how hard each step felt on the stone floor, how some parts of the stone were so shiny that the torchlight would reflect on it. Making it seem like fire was surrounding us in these tight corridors. This was already suffocating enough, but the walls were also painted with streaks of black and red reminding me of the forest after a hint.

With my stomach turning I tried to remember everything Magnavex had told me over breakfast.

Belgorath, the muscular orange one that made me breakfast, was a close ally of hers. She said I could trust him to be on my side as well as Dormathis who was a old friend of hers.

But the ones I needed to watch out for were Iratheon, which was obvious considering how mad he was before, apparently that notebook he keeps is where he writes down his grudges, which I thought was funny, but Magnavex said was serious.

There are two others. who will side with him. Serelune will say things that seem nice but apparently won’t be, and Nimera who Magnavex has never met. She told me to keep care on what I say to those three.

We turned a final corner and the corridor widened. Ahead stood a pair of towering doors framed by blackened metal and carved stone. Two great statues loomed on either side of the entrance, each one of the same winged, clawed figures I had seen before in the halls.

The doors opened before us.

Belgorath sat like a fortress at a large table. His broad burnt orange shoulders with ember-dark undertones, took my entire view. Sleeveless clothes left his thick arms bare, muscle packed onto him in a way that looked sculpted. His horns looked larger now as large as my arm and his tail reached the floor from his seated position.

I followed Magnavex into the room, dumbfounded by the change, could eclipseran’s horn and tails change size? I almost asked him but I stopped myself in time, Magnavex had told me that none could speak until the Pontiff started the meeting.

There was a long table stretched through the room, I followed the polished black with red veins running through it like trapped lightning, it looked so cool, I promised myself I would tell Dain about it, it would look epic on a shield.

I raised my eyes and looked at the people sitting across from Belgorath. Iratheon was there flipping through his notebook looking angrier each page, his posture held in rigid control.

Another was a young Eclipseran woman, her skin was the color of ash, she was wearing the same sweater vest as Magnavez, and strangely enough the same short shorts as Belgorath.

Who I noticed had food in front of him, one hand rested near it with calm ownership.

I followed Magnavex to the far of the table. I sat where she gestured, these chairs had wheels which made them easy to move, she sat to my left, in the same side as Iratheon and the other two. I caught him giving her a look from the corner of my eye as he started scribbling into his notebook.

I think I am getting better at telling the eclipserans apart. I consider as I stare at the last person in the meeting. Soft rose, pale and inviting. She seems to be in her thirties. She looks old but I don’t think she’s that much older than my mom. That’s when I saw her chair. A living shape, she was sitting on the back of an imp, its cracked wings open as arm rest. The woman noticed me staring at her and blew me a kiss.

The door opened at the same time.

Lazeth walked into the room, the difference was instantaneous, everyone instantly stood up, and gave a short bow in his direction, I hesitated to do the same, standing up for a priest of a demon religion? his midnight indigo robes swayed heavily behind as he moved directly across from me, at the furthest end of the table. Seeing him with the rest made it clear how tall he was, apart from Belgorath he might be the tallest person I’ve ever met, even then I’m not sure considering Belgorath size is skewed by how wide he is.

Dormathis slinked in after him. most didn’t seem to notice him, except for Magnavex who gave him a small nod. He sat by Belgorath, I looked past him to the door hoping to see Indolyn with him.

But Indolyn he was not. His skin was gold, his clothing was layered and asymmetrical, compartments showed themselves in seams and folds. He went to take a seat next to the pink woman sitting on the imp. Which brought my attention to her outline which would not stay still. her clothing seemed to shift, lessening and tightening around her, breathing!

A briefcase rested near his chair, and his glasses flashed once as he turned his head.

Something petal-thin tightened around the woman’s arm.

I thought of asking Magnavex to get rid of the demons as she did in the library but Lazeth spoke first.

“Assembled before you are the seven principal generals of the Eclipseran war effort,” he said, his voice low and steady enough to anchor the room. “My Lord, you have already met several of us.”

He turned slightly, one hand extending with ceremonial calm.

“Magnavex.”

She rested a hand on my shoulder. Causing an eyebrow raise from Iratheon.

“Belgorath.”

Belgorath raised a thick hand in something like a greeting, then swallowed what he had been chewing.

“Dormathis.”

Dormathis gave a minimal nod from his seat, one hand already halfway into one of the many zippers in his moss-green pajamas. He looked like a man who had been dragged away from sleep.

“Iratheon.”

Iratheon did not nod. He only looked at me. Deep iron red, worn clothes, straight posture. That little journal of grudges sat at the table before him, his quill in hand.

“This is Avarixia.”

The gold one smiled leaned slightly forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers as his gaze rested on me. “A pleasure, my Lord,” he said smoothly.

“This is Serelune.”

The pink one leaned against the wings of the imp. her clothes were definitely demons. Strips of living, parasitic things curled around their shoulders and waist, adjusting themselves as they moved. One smoky ribbon of something darker trailed from her sleeve, coiling lazily in the air before sinking back into the folds around their body.

“My lord” she said her voice causing a chill down my spine.

“And Nimera.”

The youngest one gave me the same nod as Dormathis and opened her mouth hesitating before taking the same pose Avarixia took, though it didn’t really feel like she was studying me.

Lazeth took his seat. “Now that all have been acknowledged, we may begin.”

Now was the time, I needed to play the role Lumisiel gave me, I couldn’t be afraid.

With my hands shaking under the table I spoke up.

“No, we can’t begin!”