Ch13-5: The Assembly of the Trine

“I want to help, Lord Zemi! Just tell me what I need to do!”

Just hold your breath, stay quiet and hope that maybe people will forget you’re here.

Not likely, Lucci knew. But hopeful thinking was better than hopeless thinking. If nothing else, that’s what Lord Zemi always taught him – how to try and make the best of things. Something about life, lemons and lemon aid. Whatever that meant.

At least Lord Zemi’s here, now.

Lucci always felt far more protected from the world when the Dreigiau was there within reach. Never did Lord Zemi allow people to speak dark words about him outright. Nor did he allow the children to make fun of him. In fact, the whole world seemed to brighten just for Lucci whenever the Dreigiau was there. Unfortunately, with all the fighting going on, time with Lord Zemi had become more and more rare.

Nothing would make me happier than for this battle to finally end.

Not to mention, stopping the battle would probably do a lot to ease the anger of all the Cyngan towards Lucci. Afterall, they seemed to claim that this Zeromus, the Dark Arweinydd and enemy of Ceiswyr, was his father. Though Lucci didn’t know how that could be… the closest thing to a father he ever remembered having was Lord Zemi.

But if we can catch Zeromus and make him stop fighting, then people might like me!

Again, unlikely. But again… life, lemons and lemon aid. Whatever that meant.

When talk at the Assembly began, thankfully, it didn’t begin with Lucci. The boy heaved a quiet sigh through his nose, silver eyes focusing on the Dreigiau as he headed the table.

“So, Aur,” Lord Zemi began, “What news is there from the Spiral?”

The golden-eyed man strung a glance down the full length of the room in silence, picking his place to begin carefully, as he always did. “We are making headway in our attempts to reverse the effects of the Implants. With the help of the refugee scholars that came from Nefol, we have seen a great improvement in those who have allowed us to test out the newest procedures.”

“Then you’re getting close?” Lord Zemi asked with a hopeful expression.

“It is still hard to say,” Aur replied with a slow twist of his wrist – an elaborate motion of one hand. In the time that the Creature had spent among the Earthians, he had begun to pick up a number of gestures and expressions that he had not had when Lucci had first met him. “Sometimes what seems to work well for one person doesn’t work so well with another. We are still working on it the best that time allows.”

“Sounds promising,” Master ZenToYa commented, the first words that he had spoken since the Assembly had gathered.

“That is what we hope, too,” Kudako answered. “As Aur says, it is still very much being tested. But the addition of those who came from Nefol has certainly sped up the process quite a bit.”

“And how is the Colony doing?” AsaHi tilted her head, both hands pressed against the table as she leaned over to get a good look at Aur and Kudako.

“Foundations have been set and the basic buildings are established,” Kudako answered. “All is going as we scheduled it.”

The Colony was the name of the new settlement that the refugees of the Inner Realms had begun to establish on the mountainous outskirts of the Spiral’s forests. With Zeromus ravaging all life down upon the mainland, the first order that Zemi had given was to find and begin evacuation of all the people living below Ceiswyr.

For the first few months, Master Zento, Master SoYa and Master TsuYa had been at the head of three different search parties that searched the lands high and low for any signs of people that had escaped the fall of Nefol or had lived in the surrounding cities and gatherings. Through the use of newly-designed travel structures, Zemi’s Dragons were able to transport a large number of the people out of the Inner Realms to the safety of the Colony near the Spiral.

It seemed that so far, Zeromus hadn’t been able to make a move outside of the Dragon’s Cleft. However, the people of the Spiral that were under the command of Aur made it their duty to watch the area that surrounded the Passage for anything that seemed abnormal.

“I also must report,” Aur added, “Relations between the Colony and the Spiral people are improving. Though we do have our problems with the renegade clans in the forests, for the most part, it seems as if understanding between the two people could be possible.”

“That’s no easy thing,” Lord Zemi murmured, drumming his fingers on the surface of the table. “Especially since they’ve both been set against one another for so many years.”

“Indeed,” Kudako nodded. “But I think they both sense the danger that is present within the Inner Realms. The warriors of the Spiral will know to seek out the true enemy of the time. And the people of the Inner Realms must rely upon the kindness of the Spiral people for the land to establish a place to live. In the middle of all this, some differences are being set aside.”

Master Zento nodded slowly, “That’s more than we can say for some of the people in the Inner Realms, however.”

“Is there still problems with those of the gatherings?” Kudako asked with a grim frown.

“Unfortunately,” the winged man replied.

“We’re still having trouble evacuating some people?” Master SoYa peered over with a surprised furrow of one brow. “Even after it’s become so obvious that it’s not safe to live on the mainland anymore?”

“Just this one radical little set of people,” Master Zento grimaced. “No matter what we said to them, they wouldn’t take our help. They just spouted off all this talk about Neffies and the Bane and things like that. Said they’d rather die than have anything to do with a bunch of cursed magic users.”

“What?” Master TsuYa broke his silence, leaning forward with a troubled look on his face.

“Their words, not mine.”

“What happened to them, Father? Do you know?”

“I don’t know. That was a few months back, Tsu. Things have gotten a lot worse down there since then,” Master Zento glanced over at the pale face of his son. “Why?”

“Nothing…” he returned his eyes to the surface of the table, falling back into silence again.

“Mmm…” the winged man watched his son’s reaction, but did not press the issue.

“I have heard word that things aren’t much better up here, either,” Kudako turned the tide of the talk with a flick of his ears. “What is this of new creatures that Zeromus has been sending against Ceiswyr?”

“You mean the Esgyll…” Lord Zemi replied slowly. There was a heavy distasteful frown pasted on his face, one fang gleaming in the pale light.

“Then it is true… there is something that can challenge the Islands?” Aur inquired quietly, studying the Dreigiau’s reaction.

“They took us by surprise,” Master Zento interjected. “That’s all. We’ll be better ready to handle them if they come again.”

“Which I’m certain that they will,” Lord Zemi spread his hands, though his tone was grave. A strange thing to hear. “We don’t know exactly what they are, but there is no doubt they were sent, possibly created, by Zeromus for the express reason of attacking the Islands. They are nearly as agile in flight as my Dragons and are very clever in moving unseen…”

“The big problem we had was that they somehow got through all the shielding, the Dragons and the lookouts as if they had been completely invisible,” Master Zento added, balling one fist and opening it again. “I still have no idea how we could have lost so many to them before the Dragons could intercept.”

“You had casualties?” Kudako’s ears flatted low.

“Yeah,” Master Zento admitted. “Too many… and too many wounded…”

“Which is why I say we really need to consider an evacuation of the city,” Master SoYa spoke up, glancing across the table. By the tone in his voice, this had been a topic that was touched on often before.

“I’m not leaving without a fight!” Master TsuYa met the Athrylith’s glace with a sharp-eyed look of his own. “We haven’t had a chance to meet them one on one yet. Just because we had one sneak attack doesn’t mean we need to throw up our hands and pass them the city like a plate of peas!”

“At least get the children and the women to safer ground…” Master SoYa spread his hands with a reasoning tone.

AsaHi made a huffing sound in her throat.

“Not you, of course?” the Athrylith sunk down in his chair a little, seeing that his suggestions were being chewed up and spit out. “I mean… the ones that need protection. There’s a lot of children here… and there were a few that we lost during that attack that weren’t warriors…”

“What the boy says has some merit,” Kudako noted. “Noncombatants on the Islands will only give the creatures more undefended targets to strike. My suggestion is that evacuation of any unnecessary civilians is mandatory should you decide to hold the city.”

Lord Zemi was nodding thoughtfully. “I understand… and I think maybe you’re right. I believe that Wyndor has enough in the way of room and supplies to provide for the Cyngan on the need of evacuation.”

Master SoYa leaned back in his chair, seeming relieved that someone was finally considering something that he offered to the Assembly.

“But I also believe that every person who is willing and able to defend Ceiswyr should have the opportunity to do so,” Lord Zemi’s tone shifted a little, his deep eyes falling upon Lucci.

The silver-haired boy shivered, realizing that the moment he had been dreading was about to come. As if on cue, the focus of the room fell upon his lanky shoulders. And no amount of squirming could shrug it off.

“What are you trying to say, Zemi?” Master Zento’s tone held a hint of caution. As if he didn’t really want to ask the question. Or possibly that he was warning Lord Zemi to be sensible of whatever answer was to come.

But Lord Zemi didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were still upon the boy. “Lucci-boy… how do you feel about joining us in the fight to protect Ceiswyr?”

The breath choked in the back of his lungs as shock washed over every inch of his body. Before he realized how he must have looked, Lucci bounced up in his chair, nodding vigorously, “I want to help, Lord Zemi! Just tell me what I need to do!”

The waves of silent darkness rose up from the opposite side of the room, contrasting the sudden joyful outburst of the silver-haired boy. Lucci did not dare to turn his glance that way… he knew he’d see the heavy disapproval hanging over the heads of the others. Especially Master Zento and Master TsuYa.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Lord Zemi’s grin was wide and warm. “I figure that you’re about the right age to start learning how to handle yourself in a fight. I’m sure we’ve got an extra weapon around here that we could train you up on – you tend to learn things real fast?”

Lucci simply beamed his brightest and most eager grin in return.

I can’t believe it! Lord Zemi wants me to help!?

It was the first time ever that any of the adults in Ceiswyr had acknowledged him as capable of doing the things that the other boys were allowed to do. Most boys who were far smaller than him had already experienced far more training in the ways of magic and weaponry than he had. In fact, he had never been allowed to hold a weapon… ever.

“Well, now that that is settled, we just gotta figure out who’s going to take you under wing for a bit of training…” Lord Zemi’s comment traced across the table, with an obvious target. There was only one man in all of Ceiswyr who was known to be the best when it came to training students in weaponry.

Instantly, Master Zento’s head turned the other way, a deep silence freezing his face cold. For a long time they remained like that… Lord Zemi watching the winged man, waiting for a reply. But no reply came.

A sinking feeling washed all the cheer from Lucci’s body. He found himself hunching back from the clash of will between the Dreigiau and his Champion. Swallowing deeply, his silver eyes met the surface of the table, hope fading.

Does that mean… I can’t help…?

As if the Dreigiau could sense the disappointment in the boy’s demeanor, his gravelly voice rose again. “I see. Well… I guess you’ll just have to put up with my shoddy teaching, then. I hope you don’t mind?”

Lucci shook his head, a tiny hint of smile, hope rising once again. All he had to make sure to do was not let himself look at the glaring disapproval of the winged man that sat across the table.