by Ajax Lygan
“Your Eminence,” the voice whispered again. “Your Eminence, you must awaken.” Tempest cracked open his right eye, looking up at the elderly man. Gregoro was wiping the sweat from his forehead. His smile shifted in a frown almost immediately as he glanced further into the room.
“Oh, thank Celestra, your Eminence, it’s almost midafternoon. The deliberations are set to start in the next few minutes. Tempest jerked up in the bed, sending the two women rolling off of his chest. They both shouted profanities as they wiped the sleep from their eyes.
“What’s going on?” Alyndra asked.
“It’s almost midafternoon.”
“Oh, shit!” she shouted. Throwing the covers off of her. Saïgra was still in a sleepy haze as the other two jumped out of bed.
“I’ve taken the liberty of bringing the three of you breakfast, cleaning bowl, and the ceremonial robes to dress yourselves with,” Gregoro said, pointing to the three acolytes who held each of the items.
“Gregoro, you’re a lifesaver,” Tempest said, patting the man on the back.
“Such heartfelt words coming from you, your Eminence. This shall be a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Tempest smiled and patted the man on the back before joining Alyndra for breakfast. She instructed the acolyte holding the food to set it on the corner table. The two laughed at each other as they hurriedly wiped themselves clean while attempting to scoop bites of food into their mouths. As she smiled, the spoon fell from Alyndra’s mouth. When she bent down to retrieve it from the floor, she paused, staring at her legs. She examined her legs, then her bottom, and eventually her stomach and arms.
“Am I taller and thicker?”
Tempest leaned back, examining Alyndra as she spun around for him. “You’re definitely taller,” he said around a spoonful of food. “You also look like you’ve put on a couple of pounds of muscle.”
“Yeah, I feel it,” she said, grabbing onto her biceps. “I feel so energetic, too, like I could run a marathon while casting my magic constantly. I wonder if I can cast new spells.”
“You know, it will be interesting to see how you and Saïgra fair. You both were able to cast magic before last night. I wonder what that means for you.”
“Another question for another time, I’m afraid.” Gregoro politely interjected. “We need to get you all ready. I am worried about Lady Saïgra though.”
Tempest and Alyndra paused and looked over at the bed. The dryad had fallen back asleep. The two shared a slight laugh before Tempest walked over to the bed, picked her up, and carried her back to the corner with him.
She smiled, snuggling her face into his chest as he carried her. Very carefully, he bent down and sat her in the metal chair nearest the table.
Saïgra let out a soft yawn as Alyndra and Tempest began wiping her down with the damp cloths from the water bowl. She smiled like a drunkard who was being cared for, giggling and moaning as they cleaned around her sensitive areas.
Tempest noticed similar changes in Saïgra like he had with the other girls. She physically looked stronger and more athletic. Her breasts and ass looked and felt larger. Along her hair and vines she had beautiful multicolored flowers that sprouted overnight.
When they finished, they washed their hands before finishing the remainder of their breakfast.
“Saïgra, do you want some food?” Alyndra asked. The dryad shook her head like a child refusing to eat.
“She probably just needs some sun,” Tempest suggested.
“Oh right, that makes sense. Oh, look at the beautiful flower buds in her hair and on her vines.”
“I know, I love the colors, the reds, oranges, and yellows.” They each placed a kiss on Saïgra’s cheeks before turning to the three acolytes, who were each standing with a set of folded robes and slippers. Tempest looked at the cloth in each of their hands. Two out of the three were a black and gray silk, whereas the furthest on the right was white and gold and included a white hat that reminded Tempest of a geyser.
“Wait, why are these two the same and this one is different?” he asked.
Gregoro stepped around the group as the acolytes began dressing Tempest and Alyndra.
“During the founding of the IRC, it was decided that all members would wear the same garb, symbolizing that they were all equals. However, during the time of the Aspect, there is one among them who is not. That is the divine.”
Tempest curled his lip and pulled his head back. He cursed under his breath at the sentiment. The last thing he wanted to do was to single himself out.
“What if I wore just one of the gray and black ones?” Everyone in the room froze, looking at each other like Tempest had just sentenced them all to death.
“W-well, I…” Gregoro stammered as he pulled his finger to his chin. “It’s certainly something we could look into.”
Tempest frowned as Alyndra approached him, placing her hand on his chest.
“You have a good heart, and I understand why you might ask to do that, but I think you should wear the white one.”
“Why though? I want to be seen as an equal.”
“I know you do, but that’s not what everyone expects of you. They expect you to be the Aspect. Going in there any different is just going to cause confusion. For example, let’s say you go in there and they ask why you are dressed the same as them? You say you want to be seen there as an equal. Everyone will appreciate that, right?”
“That’s the idea.”
“But what happens when you want to exercise your voting power as the Aspect? Let’s take an extreme example and say Queen Vatia says she wants to enslave all of the people of Halairim. Not only are you going to be called a hypocrite, but your power then comes into question, resulting in an even worse situation. And all because you didn’t want to wear a gaudy robe.”
Tempest huffed and put on a smile. “I’m glad I have you here. I didn’t even think about it like that.”
Alyndra leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before the acolyte resumed dressing her.
Tempest slapped his hands together and held out his arms. The acolytes finished dressing Tempest and Alyndra before they all three moved onto Saïgra, who made it rather difficult by lounging in the chair. It wasn’t until Tempest moved toward the door and slid it open, allowing the cool breeze and bright sun into the room, that she sprang up. She yawned and stretched, the flowers on her body blooming in the sunlight.
“Mm, much better,” she said, as the bark on her body creaked and snapped. With everyone dressed and ready to go, the three made their way to the nearby stairs.
Tempest sidestepped the descending stairwell when he realized he’d forgotten something from the night prior.
“You two go on ahead, I’ll meet you momentarily.”
“Where are you going?” Alyndra asked.
“I need to take care of Ella and Riika, first, now that I’ve got my powers back. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
“All right, we’ll do our best to stall,” Saïgra said. The two women waved as they made their way down the stairs.
Tempest turned and sprinted as fast as he could, using his force magic to propel himself up the two flights of stairs in a matter of seconds. He slid the door open to find Ella and Riika cuddled together, still shivering from the corruption that plagued them. All of the fun he’d had the night before turned into instant regret. He was mad at himself for leaving them in pain and torment while he’d spent the night giving way to his desires.
He kneeled over them, placing his palm on each of their cheeks. “Come on,” he whispered, trying to clean the corruption that had quadrupled inside of each of them, overnight. After a few seconds of concentration, Riika and Ella finally opened their eyes.
“What in Ungroth’s name are you wearing,” Riika said, furrowing her brow. “You look ridiculous.”
“I love you too,” Tempest said, laughing. He leaned down and kissed them both, before helping them sit up.
“Are yo
u both feeling okay?” Tempest asked.
“Yeah, I feel great now,” Ella said, scratching her fur.
“Me too,” Riika added. “But I’m starving.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that here. They have a full kitchen on the first floor. They’ll stuff you to your heart’s content.”
“Oh, don’t tell her that, otherwise, she’ll never want to leave.”
The three laughed as Riika gave Ella a shove.
“All right, I need to leave. We’ve got the IRC meeting about to start.”
“Well, wait up and we’ll come with you,” Riika said, looking around the room for her clothes.
“You can’t, it’s members only.”
Riika frowned, her brows coming together.
“Don’t’ worry, I’ll have Saïgra and Queen Alyndra with me, and all my powers seem to have returned.”
“Well, that’s good,” Ella said.
“You two go get some food, maybe relax in the hot springs out back, and I’ll come find you when I am done.”
Riika’s face lit up at the mention of a hot spring. The three waved at each other as Tempest exited the room. As the door shut, Tempest ran to the stairs, jumping each flight down to the next level. When he landed at the second floor, Gregoro was there, waving him on into the doorway which he shut behind them as soon as Tempest passed him.
Only the torches around the table were lit, casting an ominous darkness about the room, save for the figures cast in shadow from the sun’s light shining on the patterns along the paper walls. All of the extra chairs had been removed from the table, and each of the members’ chairs were equally split along the length. A smaller parallel table sat nearby, covered with multiple trays of cooked food, bottles of drink, and eating utensils.
As Tempest approached the table, the heads of the IRC members all turned to look at him. A mixture of gleeful, indifferent, and disappointed expressions met his gaze as he took the empty seat at the head of the table. But it wasn’t until everyone’s gaze turned away that Tempest felt a sudden sense of unease. He turned toward his right, looking into the darkness, as if expecting a set of eyes to be looking back at him. He brought his focus back toward the table as Queen Vatia spoke.
“Now that everyone is here, we can begin with today’s activities,” Queen Vatia said, taking a stand from her chair. “We have quite a full docket, so it’s best that we get started. However, we have a lot of changes at the table, and we’ll get into a lot of that shortly, but before we do, I want to make it clear that everyone currently in attendance shall remain on this level until the day of disposition has concluded. It shall not conclude until all matters have been brought forth and recorded. There is plenty of food and drink provided by our hosts, and we may break for recess if the majority calls for one or one is willed by his Eminence.”
The members of the table turned to glance at Tempest before returning their attention to Queen Vatia. “Now is your chance to take a break before we begin; does anyone need one?”
The members of the table looked at each other as silence hung thick in the room. Queen Vatia nodded and looked over at Gregoro, who immediately approached the table.
Gregoro rolled out a scroll and began reading an incantation. Bright green glyphs illuminated along the walls. They dissipated like smoke rings as they floated further into the room. At the conclusion of the spell, Gregoro rolled the parchment and placed it into a leather tube. He cleared his throat before addressing the table.
“So begins the one-thousand, three hundred and twenty-seventh meeting of the IRC. Since we have many new members, including this generation’s Aspect, I wish to explain a few things. First, the spell that was just cast is to isolate this group completely. There shall be no possibility of scrying, observing, or listening in by outside sources. However, everything spoken, and any votes that are cast will be recorded and this record will be publicly available to all IRC members for future reference.”
Tempest was a bit disappointed that the spell hadn’t removed the smell of sulfur.
“Second, the day of disposition for each member to bring forth their own issues that would require IRC approval. For a list of things that require IRC approval, please reference the IRC charter, subsection twenty-three. And finally, due to the announcement and arrival of our Eminence, I wish to clarify the changes to the voting rules. The word of his Eminence is treated as the word of the divine. Thus, granting him extra powers of authority. His Eminence is granted the authority to issue immediate proclamations, break any ties, should they occur, and veto any majority rules.”
A loud slap echoed throughout the room as King Khenba slapped his hands on the table as he stood from his chair. “What kind of mockery is this?!” he shouted. “Just because he was confirmed as the Aspect, he can flip all of the rules upon their head? This is outrageous!”
“Calm your tone, Sinbas,” King Orum said, looking down the table. “You’ve been on the council for years. This is all publicly written in the rules of our charter. Anyone who has read them would know this. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“Your outburst goes against the will of the gods,” Chief Thunderhoof snorted. “You would be wise not to anger them.”
King Khenba hissed at the horned man, flicking his tongue repeatedly, before crossing his arms and sitting back into his chair.
“To clarify,” Gregoro continued. “Any proclamation, vote, or veto cast by his Eminence can be overturned with a two-thirds majority rule. However, a new vote will immediately take place if requested by a member of the council, to which the results of that vote shall stand. Now, are there any questions before we begin?” With no questions brought forth by the table, Gregoro bowed toward everyone at the table and stepped back into the surrounding shadows.
Queen Vatia stood from her chair and began pacing at the opposite end of the table. “As many of you know, Halairim has recently discovered a shadow organization known as The Cessation. Powerful men and women, including members of this very council, were discovered to be its leading members. These traitors have caused an indeterminate amount of harm to Iðna as a whole.”
Queen Vatia paused and raised her hand toward Tempest. “However, thanks to the valiant efforts of his Eminence, Lady Saïgra, and many others—including Halairim’s own lead investigator—these individuals have paid dearly, with their lives.”
“I don’t see how this was possible,” King Häguin said, looking around the table. “Baron Halfstettler, Patriarch Markov… these were honorable men.”
“Let us not forget about the worldsmith’s apprentice who was caught with his master’s hammer, either,” Viktor said, with a smug grin. “Wasn’t their headquarters on an island right off your coast?”
King Häguin jumped up in his chair and leaned toward Viktor. “If you have an accusation to make, Van Jütenheim, then you can come right out and say it!”
Viktor just shrugged and shook his head. “There is no accusation coming from me, your majesty, just pointing out a flaw in your logic.”
King Häguin gritted his teeth, causing several veins to protrude on his forehead. “If I had known that traitor was but a castaway, I would have sent my entire navy and army to burn the island to the ground. It was paid property, owned by the Bank. The last thing any of us want is to anger the Bank.”
“And there is the problem,” King Orum said. “They are not the rulers of the planet, we are.”
“What are you suggesting, King Orum?” Alfonso asked. “That we break off relations with the Bank and start our own currencies?” The question sparked a heated quarrel amongst the members of the council.
“Are you mad?” King Bogdim asked. “Separating from the Bank would cause the complete collapse of the Iðnan economy.”
“Not only that, but then who would regulate each currency?” Queen Alyndra asked. “How could we regulate each other?”
“Trade would become a complete nightmare. Merchants would have to retain a dozen different currenci
es on one trip!” As the bickering grew heated, Gregoro approached Tempest, handing him a metal scepter.
“This might be a good time to use this, your Eminence,” Gregoro said, leaning in to whisper. “Just smack it against the table, to bring order to the group.” Tempest looked at the gold and gem wrapped club. Noticing it had a familiar design to the one he’d seen Bothnan depicted holding in the portraits back at the Bank. Tempest silenced them with two firm taps on the table. Quieting, all eyes turned toward him.
“Members of the IRC, I do not believe it was Queen Vatia’s intention to propose a solution to this problem. Is that correct, your majesty?”
“Thank you, your Eminence,” she said, standing from the table. “That is correct. We’re still pursuing the remaining members of The Cessation, and we have not completed our full investigation.”
She paused. “For the first motion brought forth to this council, I would like to establish a collaborative effort between our kingdoms, sharing any and all information tied to The Cessation with Halairim and its agents. They should have full authority to pursue every lead with full immunity.”
Several hushed whispers buzzed around the table, settling down as the Queen continued.
“My second motion is somewhat related. With Baron Halfstettler and King Yikhas damned by their recent transgressions, we must decide whether we shall intervene to control Meadow’s Crest and Obovna. As I am sure there are several of you who would like a turn to make a recommendation, I’ll leave that alone for now.”
Tempest looked over at Alyndra, who stared at Vatia. She hadn’t moved an inch at the hydra’s implication. He wondered if this was the result of years playing her role as a representative of Ashwreath or if she was simply frozen with fear. Either way, it was a side of her he had not seen.
“Finally,” Queen Vatia continued. “Halairim would like to revisit the problem of disputed land and water borders across Iðna.”
“You just won’t let this go, will you,” Empress Poliko said, shaking her head. “Go on, let’s see what scheme you’ve cooked up this time.”
