Tyrez stared at the resident council at the long head table. Fifteen members. So much rested on his ability to convince them that tradition needed to change, or they might all suffer at the hands of a monster.
With her slender figure, delicate features and long, dark hair, the central figure appeared human, but Tyrez knew Mivra was actually a powerful Cryptid telepath. Not Examiner status, but close.
Mivra was newly appointed to the position. It was hoped that having a telepathic president to the current council would help weed out the rumored corruption among the council members. Tyrez had little doubt that it had assisted Cara and Jacques when they’d had to convince her this meeting was necessary.
After all, you couldn’t lie to a telepath.
Tyrez watched the president gesture for attention. It was unnecessary, every eye in the place was focused on her.
Her voice echoed in the chamber. “Greetings to all who are in attendance. I recognize that the council has not had an emergency session in many generations, but the apparent risk of what faces the realms has resulted in this meeting.” She scanned the room. “Before we begin, I will remind you that anyone who becomes disruptive will be removed from the chambers. I realize that this is a highly contentious issue and that tempers may run hot. We must remain in control in order to see it through.”
She paused for a moment, her gaze sliding over the Dires. The Sabres had been the council enforcers for much of their history. She clearly believed any trouble would come from the table’s other side. Some Dires fidgeted beneath her direct appraisal.
“The council has discussed the issue at length before requesting your presence. We will ask questions, and then we will open for your comments. If everyone will be seated, we will begin.”
Those at the table settled back down, and Mivra addressed those at the podium. “We require a firsthand recount of the conflict with this Torshin known as Rindek.”
Tyrez appreciated her approach. They’d been given a summary of events, but nothing brought it home like hearing it from someone who’d experienced it. He gestured to Razir. His brother had been front and center to the first part of the battle.
Razir’s voice started deep and strong, but as he recounted the events, it hoarsened. When he reached the point in the story where he’d collapsed on the cliffs, Tyrez took up the tale.
He carried it until he got to the part about the inspection of the house and lab. Then he let Cara take over, speaking at length about the parasite and its impact on the Dragons.
Jacques rose to speak of his investigations beyond the battle. How Rindek had once again vanished into the woodwork. How the lone Dires had indicated a significant quantity of Dire packs vanishing over the last few years. It pointed to the recruitment of an army that could number into the thousands.
Razir took up the final bit—a discussion of where the Dragons were at, and their frantic gathering of a reserve army.
When he finished, Mivra asked, “Does the Emperor know you are here today?”
It seemed the telepath had picked up on all the undercurrents. At first Razir couldn’t meet her gaze, but then he set his jaw and looked right at her. “No,” he said. “My father has never experienced a situation that the Legion could not handle. Its strength has maintained a careful balance for many of our Dragon generations. He persists in believing that we can stave off any attack.” His purple eyes flashed. “But he is wrong. My elder brother, heir to the throne, knows I have come. He agrees that defeating Rindek is beyond us, so long as we have no defense against this parasite.”
A ripple ran throughout the room. The Legion’s defeat represented a significant shift in power across the realms. Admitting that the reserve forces were also helpless could only be viewed with alarm.
Tyrez straightened. “If the realms are to be protected from this Archmage, we must look elsewhere for our army. The Sabres are a logical choice, but their numbers have decreased to the point that they can no longer put forward a significant quantity on short notice. We need to recruit from the Dire population.”
One of the councilors spoke up. “How can you be so sure that this Rindek will do anything more than decimate the Dragons’ empire? Perhaps that is his only goal. Torshins and Dragons have been like oil and water since the beginning.”
Tyrez gritted his teeth before answering. “The Torshin philosophy is that everything across the realms exists for them to exploit. They decimated two complete realms before the Dragons stepped up to stop them all those years ago. We thought we’d eliminated the threat along with the race, but we were wrong. Rindek will not stop with defeating the Dragons. He will be planning his next move against the realms.”
Another councilor asked, “Any ideas as to what that might be?”
Tyrez shook his head. “I do not know.”
“The Oracle has not seen it?” Mivra asked.
“Rindek has done significant damage to the Oracle,” Tyrez replied through clenched teeth. “As of yet, he has not been able to foresee the Archmage’s plan.”
The female councilor at the end of the table spoke up. “So we have an Archmage with delusions of glory, an army of Dires out there somewhere, and no idea where they are or what they will do.”
“Exactly,” answered Tyrez.
“Your answer is therefore to recruit a Dire army of our own?” the female councilor asked.
“Yes.”
“The council was never set up as a military body,” an elderly male protested.
“We have come to the council because it is the only organization unifying Cryptids across the realms. We realize you are not set up to run a military campaign. My brothers and I have the training to do so. We merely lack the resources.”
