The Ancients

by Adam-Clay Webb

  “You should rest,” Fross insisted. Lex’s shirt was completely torn off, and his wounds appeared quite bad.

  “Guys, take a break,” Icilda said. “I will fight him.”

  Standing a great distance off were two men. Watching.

  “It seems I will have to do it,” Vis said to Shade, the heaviness of reluctance in his voice. “This is not working. And even if he does manage to reach that state, his power will still be insufficient in the end.”

  “Yes,” Shade’s reply came.

  “As dangerous as this plan is, it’s the only way he will reach his full strength,” Vis said. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself that his decision was justified.

  Chapter 24: The Shadow Council

  The four Elders, much like Kizer and Oga, and much like Ruben and his allies, gathered about a table in a secret place. Vis had drawn an accurate world map that stretched about twenty square feet. On the map was a detailed key, but not of land masses and rivers. Every significant power in the world was denoted there.

  “Vis, you’re not prone to mistakes, but don’t you think the power level here is overestimated?” Ohm asked, pointing down to Chron, the capital of Notherland. “Didn’t you say that the council was destroyed two years ago, save a single witch?”

  “Ah, yes,” Vis said. “But did I not also tell you that there is another council?”

  Shade, In and Ohm exchanged anxious glances. They would most certainly have remembered Vis telling them of a second council.

  ***

  Seven men sat in an underground bunker below the massive conference room where the Notherlandian leaders would often meet. It was just two years before in that conference room Kaleb and his men coordinated their forces to defend Notherland, and notably well too, considering what they were up against.

  But this underground bunker was a room that did not exist. Meetings were rarely kept there. Only meetings with a select group were conducted in this place.

  “Councillors,” Kaleb began.

  ***

  “The most well-hidden group in the world, the Shadow Council, has, since its origin, rivalled the Ogal Council in strength,” Vis told them.

  In stood immediately. “If such a group existed, I couldn’t not know about it,” she said. “Whatever lies you--”

  “Let him go on,” Ohm said, intrigued, but just as sceptical as In.

  “Even I did know of this council before using the mind shift,” Vis said. “This group was not around in our time. Do you know of Tetra Genkai?” he asked.

  “The name does ring a bell,” In said.

  “Well it shouldn’t,” Vis said, knowing well In was just pretending to have a clue. “He came about long after we ‘died’. Tetra was the first Prime Minister of Notherland. He was a political genius who exploited the weakening grip that the Ogal Council had on the world. Starting out as an underling of the council, in a few years, he developed the idea of a more democratic, transparent and effective government.

  “The people were tired of the council’s tyranny. The world was run not by intellect, but by power, and the Notherlandians were becoming smarter, realizing that such a government would always be corrupt. The councillors, as we can remember, were wealthier than everyone else combined, and they abused their power with virtually no consequence.

  “Tetra embarked on a campaign that only by a miracle did not get him assassinated. He sold the idea of a better government that had several divisions – a government in which the Ogal Council would be one of three heads. He created a system that used three main leaders. The Ogal Council and its leader would lead the country’s military forces, while the Head of Finance would determine how money was distributed throughout the country, while a third leader, the Prime Minister, would lead a council that passed laws and dealt with foreign affairs.”

  “Well, this system would certainly make the Ogal Council far less powerful. There’s no way they would have let that become a reality,” In said.

  “Well, Tetra did convince the public that the government of a country could not be left up to seven people. The council was already losing its reputation, and the world did not fear Notherland as much as it used to. Notherland, once the world superpower, was now, while still the strongest nation, no longer king of the world. Tetra made it clear that his new system of government would make Notherland great again.”

  “What did the Council do about this?” In asked.

  “Zentroph was the Ogal Leader at the time. Against the advice of his councillors, he yielded to Tetra’s ideas.”

  “Why would he do that?” In asked. This seemed ridiculous.

  “The entire country was already behind Tetra. To remain in the favour of the people, he allowed Tetra’s government to stand. Notherland was already in a thorny place; talks of revolution, and boycotts and coups were on the rise, so Tetra saw this as a chance to pacify the people and maintain some power.”

  “Weakling,” In spat.

  “So where does this other council come in?” Ohm asked.

  “Immediately after rising to power as the first Prime Minister, and as of the most effective leaders in the history of Notherland, Tetra assembled a small division of sorcerers to create a counterbalance for the Ogal Council. In case the councillors went out of line or tried to abuse their power, this force would be able to stop them. This force was called the Shadow Council. The existence of this group was top secret. Of course, if the councillors were to get wind of this – especially so early in the new phase of things – troubles would arise. The Ogal Council would sell this as treachery, and Tetra would have no doubt been hanged. Only two men were allowed to know about this group – the Prime Minister and his right hand, who also served as the Supreme General.

  The Supreme General was an extremely powerful title, as he would be second in status to the Ogal Leader on the military side, and also second in status to the Prime Minister. Some analysts even decided that given his unique position, the Supreme General was actually the most powerful man in the state.

  “Now, the Shadow Council was made up of eleven elite sorcerers. These men were not taken from the Notherlandian army. They were handpicked by the Prime Minister himself. Later on, Shadow Councillors would be selected mainly from the best batch of juniors from the most prestigious school of magic. These students had to have very few familial ties, so their disappearance would not cause too much kerfuffle. The Shadow Councillors would spend their lives learning the secrets of the councillors and the council. If a soldier was so exceptional that he would be considered for the Shadow Council, he would first be reported killed in action in some conflict.”

  “So you mean that no-one has figured out that this group even exists until this day?” Ohm asked.

  “Correct,” Vis said. “The last war was so terrible, though, that the current Prime Minister found it necessary to deploy the Shadow Council in some of the most heated locations. Of the eleven, only five now remain. These five, one way or another, will be critical players in the coming war. We must either get them on our side or eliminate them before Oga and Kizer rally them.”

  “How strong are they?” Ohm asked, sounding excited.

  “Even before we focus on them,” Vis side-tracked, “the Magmalian Prince and the remaining Ogal Councillor are meeting even now. We cannot leave them unchecked.”

  ***

  “Shadow Councillors, there is a very delicate mission that I need you to accomplish seamlessly,” Kaleb said. Kaleb and the Shadow Councillors sat around the table, while Jonah Hon, the Notherlandian Supreme General stood. “You six men, you all know me well. What I am about to say, you must trust and obey completely.” Johan found this strange. Why would Kaleb find the need to say such a thing? Jonah and the Shadow Council had been working under Kaleb for many years, and there was never an instance of mistrust or doubt within the tight group.

  “There are things that I will tell you that you will find difficult to believe. My council, my dear Jonah, a storm is coming, a
storm far more terrible than the one we have just weathered.”

  “Another war?” Jonah asked, sounding perplexed. He knew that no nation had even properly started to recover from the previous war besides Notherland.

  “This one will be a great sifting,” Kaleb said. “The weak will be destroyed, and only the strongest shall remain.”

  “Enough parables!” Jonah said in an outburst, and walked quickly to the table, finally taking his seat.

  “I cannot yet unfold to you the big picture,” Kaleb said. “But I have a mission that you must accomplish for me. And it must be done quickly.”

  “Is it about Hawthorne?” Jonah asked.

  “No. She will have to be dealt with, but not yet. My councillors, there is someone I need you to kill. This target is seemingly an unlikely one, due to his work in the last war. But he must be killed. Take his body back to me. He is now in a weakened state. This is our chance.”

  “Who shall we kill?” Pika asked. He was the head of the Shadow Council. “Without question, the council is at your service.”

  Kaleb withdrew a knife from his waist. “My council, you must trust me absolutely, and you will be exalted greatly,” he said. Then, in a sharp movement, he plunged his knife into Jonah’s forehead, killing him instantly.

  The Shadow Councillors stood immediately, bewildered.

  Jonah’s head hit the table, blood pooling from it, flooding the place.

  “Prime Minister!” Drake exclaimed, and roused her purple mana instantly.

  “Calm down,” Pika said, and Drake lowered her mana.

  “Only now is the circle small enough,” Kaleb resumed.

  “Now you five, this is who you will kill…”

  ***

  With fidgeting legs and shortened breaths, Lex’s feet sunk into the snow. His vision blurred. His wrists ached from the tightness of the limiters. But that was about the only pain he could feel. Everywhere else was numb. He collapsed limply to his knees, and his sandy hair which was covered in snow hung down over his head. Without the Zagans to support him, and with the limiters making even standing up too difficult, he had never felt such exhaustion.

  Fross grabbed on to Icilda’s arm, as she was about to rush onto Lex again. “Enough,” Fross said. He knew that this wasn’t just a training exercise for Icilda. As she beat Lex to a pulp, she was feeling a satisfaction that could not hide its place in her chilly eyes.

  “Come. I can go on,” Lex struggled to straighten his torso, then, with a final burst of strength, made it to his feet, but only to plummet down face first into the snow.

  Artaco laughed. “He’s definitely finished,” he said.

  Crank hissed and threw down the foot-long icicle he had forged.

  “Carry him in,” Icilda said, and turned to begin her walk back to the mansion. But then suddenly, she felt a chill and the hairs on her skin stood erect. Just a moment later, her intuition bore fruit. There was the foul scent of high grade mana as four purple clouds appeared about them.

  “Sorcerers!” Artaco blasted.

  The magicians who had appeared wore black cloaks with a pattern resembling red mountains on them. Rising from the red mountains was what appeared to be grey mist. Also, they each wore a brightly-coloured mask, each depicting some sort of animal face or the likes.

  The magician with the mask resembling a fox pointed down at Lex, who was still face down in the snow.

  “Who are you people?!” Artaco asked in a shaky voice.

  “These men are sixth grade sorcerers; we cannot fight them,” Fross whispered to Icilda.

  “We are here for him,” Fox said, pointing down at Lex. “Will you hand him over, or must we kill you?”

  By this, all four of the masked sorcerers roused their mana, and the place became hot and humid. The Icemakers could hardly breathe. Crank, Icilda, Fross and Icilda eyed each other.

  “Why would the Ogal Council be after Lex?” Icilda asked Fross.

  “Somehow, I don’t think this is the Ogal Council,” his reply came.

  “But where else could such powerful--”

  “I think I’ll have to pass on your offer,” Crank said, then snickered a little. “Fighting you people doesn’t look very fun.” And with that, he quickly made his way out of their midst and out of sight.

  “Unbelievable!” Artaco blasted.

  “And the rest of you?” Fox asked.

  Lex’s sudden squirm on the ground caught everyone’s attention. He managed only to roll over on his back. His brows furrowed. “Whoever these people are, this has got nothing to do with the lot of you,” he muttered, then struggled to a limp stance.

  “He’s right,” Artaco said. “We should leave.”

  “I’ll help you decide,” Fox said. “Recilsanam!” With that, a bright purple blade appeared in Fox’s hand. In a swift movement, he dashed toward Lex. Lex’s eyes widened. Even through his exhaustion, he followed the fast movement easily, but he just could not get his body to move. He gasped as the purple blade came at him with killing force.

  There was a clash of cold mist and bursting mana as Fross’ blade defended Lex against the magical sword.

  “I thought I told you to leave!” Lex said when he realized what had happened.

  “You’re welcome, kid,” Fross said, almost stifling in the heat of Fox’s mana.

  “Kill them all,” Pika said. His voice came forth from behind a yellow bear-looking mask.

  There was no longer any time for guessing and second-thinking. Icilda, Fross and Artaco knew that sixth grade sorcerers were out of their league, but it was do or die.

  “Fire Art! Flame Dance!” one of the councillors commanded. Suddenly, orange flames engulfed him. As he flashed his arms out, a shockwave of searing heat exploded from him. The other councillors readied purple shields.

  The Icemakers could hardly react. As the heat smashed into them, they were flung meters apart. Lex landed and rolled in the snow, smoke rising from his body, but a faint black glow had protected him from being badly burnt. His companions weren’t so lucky, however.

  Clenching her teeth and releasing ice energy all over her to militate the burn, the young Icemaker readied two massive spheres of ice. She flung them at the councillor who had just attacked. He spaceshifted out of the ice’s path, and reappeared just before Icilda. His mask resembled a falcon, but to Icilda, it looked more like a hellish grim reaper.

  “Icemakers have no business fighting sorcerers,” he said, then landed rapid punches and then a fiery kick on the sweating, burning girl. Mana then surged about him amidst the fire that covered him. “Anam Res--”

  Approaching him rapidly was Fross. Falcon spaceshifted as the boy made a swift swing. Smoke was still rising from Fross. Icilda had to jump back to dodge Fross’ desperate swing.

  “Ice, we cannot fight these men,” Fross said.

  “You were the one who jumped in without thinking!”

  With a mighty roar, Artaco, upon just returning to his feet, sent a quickly-readied iceball at Fox.

  “Pitiful,” the councillor snickered. “Spatial Rend!” he commanded. As the iceball reached within a few feet of him, a white portal appeared and swallowed it up. Fox then stretched out his hand toward the petrified Artaco. “Behind you,” Fox said. But before Artaco could respond, he was frozen solid. The sphere of ice, and all its momentum, had appeared through a similar white portal behind the Icemaker.

  “Summoning! Hell Dragon!” Drake blasted. She wore a mask that resembled a dragon. As she spoke, a dragon entered through a portal above them. It was massive, and fully red, a long-tailed, six winged monster. The Icemakers stood petrified as the dragon opened its mouth and fired down a massive beam of red fire. As it touched the block of ice that Artaco was trapped in, everything was consumed and turned to nothing. Even the snow was eaten up by the fire, leaving behind a massive patch of burnt, bare earth.

  “Return!” Drake commanded, and the dragon went back through the portal.

  “No! Artaco!” Icilda yell
ed.

  “Maximo!” Lex bellowed. He had no ice left whatsoever, and it felt like even the Zagans had left him. He knew that if he could only remove the bracelets, he could easily release more power, but Pika gave him no chance even to think.

  “Lightning Drive!” Pika blasted, and released massive bolts of lightning from his palms. That very instant, Lex’s eyes blackened and twelve wings shot out from his back. A black aura covered him.

  If this hits me… Lex was about to take flight, but Pika would not have it. He spaceshifted, leaving behind not only a purple cloud, but also a burst of lightning. Using the lightning to enhance the speed of the spaceshift, Pika’s teleportation was even swifter than that of arcanines. Pika grabbed on to Lex from behind, and the bolts of lightning blasted him. He cried out in immense pain. The Zagans’ bellow reeked the air through his voice. After bone-crackling convulsions, Lex finally fell plush into the snow, unconscious.

  “Hn?” Something grabbed Pika’s attention. Meters out from him was quite a sight. “Not bad,” Pika said. Icilda, whose eyes reflected the ascent into the Epic State of ice, had a massive whirlwind of snow swirling about her.

  “Falcon, shut her down!” Pika said.

  But Falcon already knew what to do. “Four Pillar Inferno Seal!” the wizard commanded, and four massive posts emerged around Icilda, engulfed in fire. Fire then rapidly connected the four pillars, creating around Icilda a roofless cube of fire, a hellish prison.

  “Dammit!” Fross blasted, and jumped back. He made quick steps back, as the dreadful heat of the nearby wall touched him.

  “Summoning! Leather Snake!” Drake blasted, after having shifted directly above the furnace to land on a then-appearing dragonite. A black snake burst forth from the ground just beneath Icilda and wrapped itself around her.

  The snake was frozen solid in a second, but this second was enough time for Falcon’s technique to be fully ready.

  “Burn!” he commanded. “Fire Crush!” With that, the fire trap intensified, and flames rushed out from the walls toward Icilda.