The Prophecy

The Council of the Sacred Volcano | So, it begins...

The vision of the Hall plunging into the heart of the Volcano seized her with vertigo. She was not used to it, however, easily understanding Evening Dew's fear. It took her a little while, as she was looking all around her, trying to locate the Elves' grandstands. That's when she realized that a lackey in a scarlet costume was pointing a corridor to her. It was the circular corridor that went all the way around the room and allowed easy access to the four staircases that the Great Pope had mentioned earlier. She entered from the left, taking Evening Dew with her. The corridor was surrounded by high walls, which were in fact the grandstands walls, going from floor to ceiling without windows, allowing her friend to catch her breath. She put her hand on Half Moon's arm to reassure her. At the crossroads of the first staircase, which led to the section allocated to the Humans, Half Moon tried to take a look, but there were too many people for her to discern anyone special in the crowd.

_ You're looking for a particular person, Half? said Evening Dew while continuing to look straight ahead.

_ No, not exactly, she hesitated.

And she went into the shadow of the corridor leading to the second section, the elves'. A bright light indicated that they were approaching the second set of stairs. They slowed their pace, preparing to begin the descent of the steps. Evening Dew was concentrating on her breathing, not willing to let everyone in the room see her fear. Slowly, they became accustomed to the surrounding light. It was incredibly powerful and had white and gold reflections with hints of rust-like colors. It was reflected throughout the room and ricocheted off the vaulted ceiling of the Council Chamber. Half Moon wondered where this strange light could come from since there were no openings in the ceiling, let alone windows. As she looked down so as not to miss the first step, she understood. The steps were there, under their feet, but they were transparent! In fact, the entire floor of the room was completely transparent, translucent. And what she then saw below her shook her with an immense shiver: the light that bathed the room, a light so moving that it seemed alive, was none other than the lava from the heart of the volcano! She descended slowly, as if caught. Mesmerized, by the incredible vision, unable to take her eyes off the spectacle of this sea of lava sliding sensually on itself. A strange feeling seized her at the contact of her invisible steps as if she became aware of the sensitive reality of certain intangible secrets. A man brushed past her and ordered her to settle down at a designated seat. Too impressed to reply, she did as she was told. It was Siegfried who had quickly climbed the steps to Evening Dew's rescue. Once comfortably installed in the stands, they were able to catch their breath and observe more calmly.

The bleachers continued to fill up tirelessly and soon the last guests were about to enter. But already a protocol controversy was being debated in the front rows. All the kings were gathered and surrounded Narcínn, who was the quietest of all. According to the few snippets of discussion that the magicians heard, there had never been a Lince during the various councils of the Volcano, but the Lince could not be considered as Gelfling, Human, Troll or even Elf. He was a Lince. No specific space existed for him, and the Master of Protocol could not accept this fact: it was an unacceptable breach of protocol. A rumor reached the ears of Half Moon with full force, that Narcínn, despite being a Lince, was still a Demi, since he was the eldest son of the cursed family and his double status had to be respected. Therefore, he could not be decently mixed up with a community to which he did not belong. Half Moon leaned towards Evening Dew.

_ What does it all mean? she asked intrigued, her heart beating strangely in her chest.

_ The inter-community cities were created long after the fall of the kingdom of Astínn, which is why the protocol only takes into account the communities that established this institution. Hence the architecture and ornamentation of this hall, only honors the four communities. The King of the Walk of the Seas has never been interested in our councils, or we have never known he could be interested in them... You will notice that no place in the grandstand is assigned for the representatives of the Linces, apart from the altar of the Libations to the Linces and the Fliëgen... which is not strictly speaking a place to participate actively in the debates. This is an unprecedented situation. The Master of Protocol must tear his hair out!