Chapter Fifty - The Council (Part 2)

The world spun on an axis around him with the people shaking in his sight, every sound echoed in his head and made the spinning worse. He could hear his name being shouted out from someone in the room who had grabbed onto him, but it was foggy and sounded like they were standing in a cavern shouting at him from the bottom.

He pushed off the person's hand and then himself up off the bed, before collapsing and the person he pushed off originally held him as he tried to stand up again. In his ear, all Noah could hear was a loud ringing noise as his vision faded from being jittery and shaking, finally being able to see his mother opening and closing her mouth; repeating his name over and over while she waved her hand in front of him again and again.

"Noah! Noah! Can you hear me?!" The panic in her voice clear. She had pulled Noah's arm over her shoulder to help support him as they stood up slowly. Noah blinked twice quickly before gasping out and then smiling at his mum.

"Hi, Mother." Nereem quickly wrapped her arms around Noah and squeezed him tightly.

"You silly boy! What are you doing getting into fights?!" The tears trickled down off her cheeks and soaked into Noah's fresh tunic.

"Haha, I can't remember ever getting into a fight mother." Letting her cry out onto his shoulder and just holding her back. His memory was hazy and all I could do was hold off the roaring of his name in his skull. The ring against his chest warming up with each passing second.

As she let out all her tears against him the Commander slowly stood up from across the room and walked up behind Nereem just as he was away to open his mouth, Noah glared at him and the room turned cold. The Commander could see his breath and feel the magic particles in the room freeze in place, the only two who didn't feel the sudden change was Nereem and Noah.

Once Noah realised who it was he stopped glaring and felt like the last of his strength that he had just recovered was slipping away into an abyss. Falling against his mother and back on to the bed. Joseph took a step back from the two and able to let his breath out while he finally felt like he could clasp his sword on its belt.

His heart raced, beating loudly against his chest. His face had turned red but was cold to the touch. He quickly turned and walked back to the seat beside Fiona's bed. She was sleeping soundlessly in the bed while he took the seat, his hands shaking. He never felt such power from anyone but a general before and even then that was only once a long long time ago.

As he looked back up at Nereem and Noah a healer finally came along and helped lift Noah into his bed. Sweat started to pour out of every pore on his skin and soak his clothes and bedding. The healer quickly ran off and got a bucket of water to pat him down and clean him up. Nereem took over wanting to help her son the best she could.

*****

At the highest point of the Dragon Keep where the arches showed the land beyond, the four Generals of the Dragon Empire kneeled in front of their Emperor, Alaric Heavenly. His white hair lifted with the breeze, by his side his closest friend Edgur and behind him a grey dragon standing at three and a half metre dragon [11.4 ft] shadowing the men like they were ants.

They all had a hand mark against their cheeks which was burning a scarlet red all of the generals were kneeling there in shame at their actions. Edgur's face full of fury while the Emperor just stayed still as if he was a master gambler.

"You bring nothing but shame onto our Empire. For 300 years we have managed to control the peace and bring prosperity to the Empire but I grow ill of health and the Emperor is grieving and you four let a foreign enemy into our lands and let them burn our people to the ground?! Have you no shame?" Edgur said this in just a whisper but with it, the magic in the air was charged with electricity. The clouds turned dark and slowly rotated around the tower showing just a little part of his power.

The Emperor continued to stand there closing his eyes, "Edgur... Stop now."

"But Sir, they need to be taught a lesson." The skies crackled and thunder clapped.

When Alaric opened his eyes they were pure white, he snapped his fingers and a wave of white magic turned the skies white and fluffy, the thunder and lightning disappearing and the leftover rain turning into nothing but colourful rainbows in the sky.

The Emperor admired the rainbow as his eyes turned back into their blue hue, his left hand's thumb gently rubbing a ring on his third finger smiling at the memories that it was bringing up before looking at the four generals on their knees each who had a worried look on their faces.

"When I built this Empire with Kesä and you all, we aimed to have a place where everyone was equal. Where everyone had an opportunity to grow and become stronger and better people. Where there was no discrimination between the different species. Yet not only did you all fall back into this, but I also let it happen." Closing his fist and clenching.

"Whether I was grieving over the loss of my wife, bond and son or not. I neglected my duties of Emperor and let you all fall out of line, making your own factions and battling in the darkness for power. Shameless. If it wasn't for Edgur looking after you children for the last sixty years; I fear for what would have happened to the Empire." All four kneeling started feeling suffocated under the pressure that the Emperor was giving them just from his cold staring eyes.

"I am going to raise an heir to the one who bonds with Kesä's child here. I will personally select candidates to meet him and let him decide who he wishes to bond with until we can arrange this you will all drop this futile feud and become the Council of leaders that you need to be. Start with who attacked us and why." The Emperor walked to the end of the table using a swish of his hand to pull the seat out and sit down at it.

Aulerius strolled behind him giving cold glares at everyone who was sitting at the table except Edgur who had taken his place at the other side of the table. Slowly one by one each of the generals stood up and took their place.

As they started discussing the situation the Empire was in, Aulerius faced the arch and thought of Noah and how much he wanted to see him, missing him over the time they had been apart. Letting out small howls as he stared into the endless horizon.