\u201cHe is too\npowerful!\u201d These words were spoken by an elf, who accompanied them by slamming\nhis fist onto the wooden table before him. If this had been any ordinary table,\nit doubtless would have swayed under the force of the blow, but it did not. It\nwas a marvelous thing, connected to the floor by a flowing stalk of wood which\ngrew seamlessly into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are well\naware of that fact,\u201d said an elderly elf, placidly surveying the one who had\nspoken over the tips of his fingers, which were placed together. This elf\u2019s\nhair was streaked with gray, leaving the rest white, but very few lines were to\nbe seen on his skin. By human standards, he looked no older than forty.\n\u201cHowever,\u201d he said, his expression changing not at all, \u201cthat is no reason for\nwhat you suggest. It is how Dilmir would use his power that should be questioned.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany of the\ncouncil you see here before you have had ample opportunity to observe Dilmir.\nWe all agree that he is powerful, and yet he does not use his power. What would\nyou suggest, Eldin? Are we to act on assumptions?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eldin mouthed\nsilently at the old elf, as if not able to believe his reasoning, and then\nturned and walked the length of the room. The room was as marvelously crafted\nas the table. The walls and ceiling flowed perfectly into each other, giving\nthe room the shape of an overly stretched egg, though from the inside. Windows\nwere set into the walls at regular intervals, though no glass could be seen in\nthem. Instead, enchantments hovered within their frames, invisible save for the\nedges, which glowed a faint hue of blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eldin placed his\npalms on one of these window frames and looked out, his mind not seeing what\nlay before him. At last, he turned, and faced the council. \u201cHow many of you\nremember the dark days?\u201d he said, his voice back to its normal volume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
None of the\nthirteen elves that made up the council answered. They sat in their chairs \u2013\nwhich were also grown from the floor \u2013 and watched him as he began to pace\naround the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoubtless, all\nof you do,\u201d said Eldin, answering his own question. \u201cI, for one, remember them\nmost vividly. Families were torn apart, sons and daughters left the homes of\ntheir parents, and anger was everywhere. Bloodshed was inevitable, and brother\nwas pitched against brother in the battles that came. Sorrow swept all of\nFeylund, and all of it due to the actions of one elf: Eltuthar the Black.\u201d\nEldin spoke this name with such venomous hatred that the elf nearest him\nactually shifted away from him in his chair, his eyes fixed on the elf\u2019s face.\nEldin did not notice, but continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEltuthar, as I\nam sure you know, first showed signs of his unnatural power when he was but\ntwelve. We did nothing, and war and misery followed. Dilmir has shown his power\nat the age of ten, and yet you say you still will do nothing?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you saying\nDilmir will follow in the steps of Eltuthar?\u201d asked one of the council sharply.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do not know,\u201d\nreplied Eldin, leaning on the table and looking at the elf. \u201cLikely not, but\nhis power cannot bode well for the elves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou come before\nus,\u201d said the elderly elf, \u201cand ask us to take action with no reason.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you\nrather wait for a reason to act?\u201d asked Eldin, rising from the table, \u201cor act\nnow, and prevent such a reason ever arising?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact\nremains,\u201d said the old elf, \u201cDilmir has not shown his power since that night\nbefore he came here. He was attacked by wolves, the whole party was. Many young\nelves can show power that they do not know they have when something of that\nnature occurs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, but during\nthat night,\u201d hissed Eldin, \u201che was said to have killed three wolves without even trying<\/em>. No other elf has\never done that at the age of ten, not even Eltuthar.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat would you\nhave us do?\u201d asked another elf, nearer Eldin, \u201cdefend the wolves? Dilmir has\ndone nothing, and until he gives us sufficient reason, we can take no action.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe is hiding\nhis power, hoping that you will forget. You must see this!\u201d When the other\nelves did not reply, Eldin continued, a note of pleading entering his voice.\n\u201cYou cannot just sit here and do nothing,\u201d he said, quietly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed, Eldin,\nthat is precisely what we must do.\u201d The old elf leaned forward, his long hair\nfalling forward to frame his face. He glanced up. \u201cWe have heard your concerns,\nEldin,\u201d he said, \u201cand we have made our decision. Unless you have another topic\nto bring before us, the council is dismissed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have but the\none topic,\u201d said Eldin, \u201cbut you must see that \u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen the\ncouncil is dismissed,\u201d said the elderly elf, speaking over Eldin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eldin stared at\nthe elf for a moment, and then, muttering beneath his breath, turned, and left\nthe room. The other members of the council filed out slowly after him, until\nonly the old elf and one other was left. This other sat at the opposite end of\nthe table, a hood drawn over his head so that his face was cast in shadow. He,\nunlike the other elves that had just left, wore several pieces of leather armor,\nall black or dark green. A mottled cloak was clasped at his throat, its folds\nflowing over his shoulders and down his back, to land on the floor in dark\nfolds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The old elf,\nonce all the others had gone, rested his elbows on the table and lowered his\nhead into his hands, his eyes closed. After a moment of silence, he said,\nspeaking to the table, \u201cYou know he\u2019s right.\u201d His voice was no longer strong as\nit had been when he had spoken to Eldin, but tired, defeated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The hooded elf\nnodded, not moving from his chair. His hood rustled faintly as it moved, and\nthen was still. \u201cWhy did you not take his side?\u201d he asked. His voice barely\nwarmed the room; cold and powerfully calculating, and with a hint of smoothness\nthat could not quite escape it, though at the moment it was curious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The elf raised\nhis head. \u201cI said why, Alfimir. We have nothing against him. It would not do\nfor Eldin to know, but I, too, believe Dilmir is hiding his power, trying to make\nus forget. Unfortunately, he\u2019s doing a very good job. We cannot act without a\nreason.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alfimir nodded,\nand lowered his head, as if considering. \u201cIf I were to, perhaps, provide<\/em> a reason,\u201d he said, slowly, not\nraising his head. He left the sentence hanging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat would be\nall we would need,\u201d replied the elf, watching the dark form of Alfimir. \u201cBut\nthere would have to be witnesses. We\u2019ve never sentenced anyone without a\nwitness before, and if we were to start now, some may grow suspicious.\u201d Alfimir\nnodded. \u201cI will be sure there are witnesses,\u201d he said softly, raising his head,\nthough his eyes looked past the elf. Silently, he rose from his chair and swept\nfrom the room, leaving in his wake a sense of sinister foreboding. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cHe is too powerful!\u201d These words were spoken by an elf, who accompanied them by slamming his fist onto the wooden table before him. If this had been any ordinary table, it doubtless would have swayed under the force of the blow, but it did not. It was a marvelous thing, connected to the floor … Continue reading Chapter One – The Council<\/span>