‹ Prequel: United
Divided
The Elders
“We’re meeting for two reasons today,” Elder Yovel sighed, sitting down at the Meeting Table.
“Why?” Elder Maria asked and Yovel stared at the tabletop.
“Let’s begin with the progress on the north,” he said.
“Our vampires came back with nothing to report,” Elder Donne said. “They felt the same fear and sense of sinister you felt. There was no one there, though.”
“My wolves reported the same,” Yovel said.
“And the elves?” Maria asked.
Elder Arlan shook his head. “I only managed to get two to go willingly and they came back physically ill. They are still recovering. I’m assuming it is from that aura. Where is it coming from? Is there a building? A statue?”
“Ruins of a tower,” Donne answered. “I am having Queen Lillian do research on the tower. We need to find out what was done there.”
“We all should do research,” Maria suggested. “Surely we all have books that are old enough.”
Everyone nodded in thought. Elder Donne cleared his throat.
“Something is troubling you terribly, Elder Yovel,” he said and they all looked to him.
“It is the human-cub,” he said. “She came to me this morning with a most disturbing question.”
“What kind?” Arlan asked.
“She was asking if our god can impregnate her.”
Maria sat up straight. “Can he?”
“Yes,” Yovel whispered and Maria made a noise of anger.
She slammed her fist on the table. “We never should have made her go through the full ritual!”
“If we hadn’t, she would have died,” Arlan said.
She shook her head, clenching her jaw. Maria was furious when she learned of the attack. She was even more furious when she found out that Tetra had been banished by her people to the wolf realm and the ritual was performed before Maria could help her.
“What can be done for her?” Elder Donne asked.
“She needs to find her true love and lay with him,” he answered, squeezing his eyes shut. “Look, I know about his pregnancies.”
“How?” Arlan asked.
Yovel hesitated. “Because I am the result of one of them.”
As he suspected, complete silence filled the room. He waited for someone to speak.
“You know he’s going to try, don’t you?” Maria whispered.
“Yes,” he sighed. “You see, it will be my ‘birthday’ in one month. Young Tetra has until then to find her true love and lay with him.”
Maria put her head in her hands and began to cry.
“Did you tell her this?” Arlan asked.
“I just told her it’s possible,” he said. “I didn’t want to scare her. But if he does impregnate her… I don’t know if she’ll survive the pregnancy.”
More silence.
“Is there nothing we can do to help her?” Maria asked desperately.
“We can find her love for her,” Donne said. “Our new court wizard can but I have… misgivings.”
“We know you’re feelings behind magic,” Arlan said softly and put a hand on his friend’s left arm, “but we cannot condemn an innocent young woman to possible death.”
“What are your feelings about this?” Donne asked Yovel.
“My father is cruel,” he whispered, wiping away a tear. No one had seen him cry before. “I remember the early years of my life…. They were horrible. Even if she does survive childbirth, I don’t want her to have to go through the pain my mother and I did. Helping her find her love is the only thing I can think of.”
Donne frowned at the table top.
“Let us all go to him,” Arlan suggested. “Will that help?”
“Yes,” Donne whispered. "Though I have a feeling Lillian Greentree is already aware and doing the same."
After his possession, all the elders had come together to support his recovery. It brought them closer as friends and allies. Perhaps they could save Tetra and continue their friendship.
“Why?” Elder Maria asked and Yovel stared at the tabletop.
“Let’s begin with the progress on the north,” he said.
“Our vampires came back with nothing to report,” Elder Donne said. “They felt the same fear and sense of sinister you felt. There was no one there, though.”
“My wolves reported the same,” Yovel said.
“And the elves?” Maria asked.
Elder Arlan shook his head. “I only managed to get two to go willingly and they came back physically ill. They are still recovering. I’m assuming it is from that aura. Where is it coming from? Is there a building? A statue?”
“Ruins of a tower,” Donne answered. “I am having Queen Lillian do research on the tower. We need to find out what was done there.”
“We all should do research,” Maria suggested. “Surely we all have books that are old enough.”
Everyone nodded in thought. Elder Donne cleared his throat.
“Something is troubling you terribly, Elder Yovel,” he said and they all looked to him.
“It is the human-cub,” he said. “She came to me this morning with a most disturbing question.”
“What kind?” Arlan asked.
“She was asking if our god can impregnate her.”
Maria sat up straight. “Can he?”
“Yes,” Yovel whispered and Maria made a noise of anger.
She slammed her fist on the table. “We never should have made her go through the full ritual!”
“If we hadn’t, she would have died,” Arlan said.
She shook her head, clenching her jaw. Maria was furious when she learned of the attack. She was even more furious when she found out that Tetra had been banished by her people to the wolf realm and the ritual was performed before Maria could help her.
“What can be done for her?” Elder Donne asked.
“She needs to find her true love and lay with him,” he answered, squeezing his eyes shut. “Look, I know about his pregnancies.”
“How?” Arlan asked.
Yovel hesitated. “Because I am the result of one of them.”
As he suspected, complete silence filled the room. He waited for someone to speak.
“You know he’s going to try, don’t you?” Maria whispered.
“Yes,” he sighed. “You see, it will be my ‘birthday’ in one month. Young Tetra has until then to find her true love and lay with him.”
Maria put her head in her hands and began to cry.
“Did you tell her this?” Arlan asked.
“I just told her it’s possible,” he said. “I didn’t want to scare her. But if he does impregnate her… I don’t know if she’ll survive the pregnancy.”
More silence.
“Is there nothing we can do to help her?” Maria asked desperately.
“We can find her love for her,” Donne said. “Our new court wizard can but I have… misgivings.”
“We know you’re feelings behind magic,” Arlan said softly and put a hand on his friend’s left arm, “but we cannot condemn an innocent young woman to possible death.”
“What are your feelings about this?” Donne asked Yovel.
“My father is cruel,” he whispered, wiping away a tear. No one had seen him cry before. “I remember the early years of my life…. They were horrible. Even if she does survive childbirth, I don’t want her to have to go through the pain my mother and I did. Helping her find her love is the only thing I can think of.”
Donne frowned at the table top.
“Let us all go to him,” Arlan suggested. “Will that help?”
“Yes,” Donne whispered. "Though I have a feeling Lillian Greentree is already aware and doing the same."
After his possession, all the elders had come together to support his recovery. It brought them closer as friends and allies. Perhaps they could save Tetra and continue their friendship.