Chapter Forty Nine - The Council (Part 1)

The first thing Nereem did after waking up was rush over to Noah's bed worrying non stop about him especially after she saw a hole in his leather tunic. Even after training for months she couldn't help but forget all her training and start asking the healer that was dealing with him if he was okay.

Grabbing hold of the healer's shirt and pulling them down to her height. Nose to nose with them, tears falling out her eyes. The commander who was sitting beside Fiona's bed ran across and helped the healer by gently pulling Nereem away and telling her that it was okay.

She grabbed the commanders arm after letting go of the healer's nipping his skin so strongly that Sir Joseph thought that it could have been strong enough to beat his bond's biting. He pulled her back and gently pushed her down onto the end of Noah's bed, telling her that she needed to calm down.

He told her what was going on, that there had been dissension between the Dragon Troopers and Captains and Commanders had chosen sides of generals. While the Generals had been busy trying to settle things between themselves Noah had ended up being involved in some of the conflicts and had been taken to the infirmary that had a good presence of General Sil's allegiances.

The tower has still had some battles in it but most had calmed down. The Generals had sent orders down to each commander and captain to stop acting like upset children and respect that things need to be settled with words.

Nereem sobbed into a handkerchief that had been on a side desk by Noah's bed. The Commander just stayed beside Nereem with a hand on her shoulder. Everything that the Commander did was to make sure that when Noah woke up he would be willing to listen to his proposal of staying in the Dragon Keep and training with the best of the best.

*****

Somewhere else in the tower, a hall that had no windows just open giant arcs that reached 15 metres tall. The floor was a white marble that shined in the moonlight. The air felt like electric was passing through it every passing second.

A wooden oak table sat in the middle of the room with six chairs around it, one at the end of each table with the other sides having two. There was a person on every seat except the two at each end. Shouting from each person to the other opposite.

"I should take over from Edgur! We need power and control especially in times like these!"

"Edgur has only been gone a few months and you turn this into so much shit!"

"We are just doing what needs done, you dumb bitch!" A glass goblet was thrown against one of the arcs, smashing into tiny pieces and over the edge and down below.

Sitting one side of the table was a man that was around 1.9 metres [6ft 2] broad and had more muscles than a human body needed his tunic barely able to hold them in it. He was the guilty party for throwing his goblet out into the wind; next to him was a young man who looked in his 30's, he was lean and close to 1.8 metres [5 ft 9] with a grey cloak covering his leather armour.

On the opposite side of the two men was a small old man, his hair tied into a white bun. His wrinkles stretching deep into his skin and showing his wear. His eyes were sunken into his skull barely looking like he was alive.

"You watch your tongue, Mason! Before I cut it out and feed it to the dogs for speaking so vilely to one of your own." the older man slapped the desk with a magic aura surrounding his hand before it indented into the wood sending splinters everywhere but managing to hold its own.

The woman beside him was 1.6 metres [5 ft 5] with orange hair. She was quite slim but very toned she was wearing white leather armour and a cloak that she had tied into a cape so it wouldn't cover her fists if worse came to worse.

"We should be keeping the peace, there is no need for us to go to war! Especially without selves. How many people have been hurt over us trying to take the wheel from the Emperor and Edgur?! Bernard, you just want us to take the dragons and conquer to continent and Mason you have always wanted to be your own king with your own little bit of land. Don't act like you haven't been waiting for this.!"

"Sil, Stop. You aren't helping but you are meant to be the next in line for looking over the Empire. Calm down." The old man turned to the ginger-haired girl.

"We can't do nothing while those bastards ravage the land. The Ferndere Kingdom to the North finally took those beasts to us and obliterated everything outside the Phili zone. We should have gone to war with them years ago when we first discovered what they were doing!" Mason shouted to the middle of the table.

"Forget war you let your thirst for power harm the citizens! When those beasts started attacking you had your men watch from the sidelines at them burning down." Sil's faced soured as she shouted back her retort.

Bernard stood up with his fists clenching the table sides. Not backing down. "Do not act like a goodie two shoes Sil. Your men watched too. They watched the people burn to the ground, homes into ashes and the fields turn to nothingness too!"

Just before she could argue back one of the arches filled with white light, letting out crackling noises, the air turning humid. All four of them stood and grabbed their weapons, the chairs they had been sitting on pushed down and onto the backs.

From the white light, two people stepped forwards. The first was a man standing 1.8 metres [6ft] with broad shoulders, a dark brown beard. His hair had been stuck curled up into a bun. He had piercing blue eyes like the sky with the sun at noon, bright and colourful. Wearing dark blue leather armour.

The second had a white beard that had been trimmed with hair that had been freshly cut to just above his shoulders. Eyes as cold as ice. Wearing a dark purple robe that went to his ankles and a golden sword hung for decoration at his side.

Once they were completely through all four Generals got onto their knees saluting at the newcomers. "Emperor Heavenly! Sir Edgur!" The two older men looked at each other before sighing, four slaps echoed across the skies.

The magic portal slowly started to shrink letting out hums and sparks but just before it closed a grey dragon charged out landing with its wings spread out, standing at 3.5 metres tall. It let out a roar.

*****

At that exact moment in the healing ward, Noah opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of the infirmary, the ring around his neck burning hotter than a fresh piece of coal from a fire. The roar of Aurelius in his head followed by one word, "Noah!"