The Prophecy

The Council | Old grudges

An offended murmur spread throughout the room. Half Moon's heart leapt with joy in her chest and clutched Evening Dew's hands tightly. The Humans were showing a dark face and one could see that some eyes were throwing flashes of hatred. The Trolls made their disagreement known by shouting at the Elves' bleachers and almost insulted the spokeswoman. The Gelflings seemed dubious.

The Great Repartitor intervened, asking for silence. It was only with great difficulty that he managed to obtain relative silence.

_ Don't interpret my words, the Queen said unimpressed, addressing the Human Wise Men and their King directly, and don't make me say what I didn't say: The Elves are not against cooperation with other communities, or even with Humans, despite the grievances we have with you. On the other hand, we will never agree to deliver our Sacred Runes without serious compensation. We have kept their secrets at the risk of many lives ...

The murmur, more and more outraged, resumed. This time it emanated directly from the tribune of the Humans.

_ Don't act as the offended! We are not the dupes you might have hoped for, have at least the decency to confess your crimes before this assembly!

Azilis Le Corsis stood up. This time he was truly furious.

_ Singing Rain, you cannot make such accusations without proof! I'm sick and tired of hearing this kind of talk when it comes to the Sacred Runes! That's not the point here! The exactions you imply only exist in your imagination and that of your people!

The noise was suddenly indescribable. Everyone stood up, each one wanting to speak louder than the other to make his point. There was a movement of the crowd and Elves came out of their bleachers and rushed to the Humans' side. The confrontation took place and quickly turned into a heated argument. Gelflings tried to intervene but it was useless, the chiefs and other High Dignitaries were involved and it seemed impossible to make them listen to reason. Even the Queens quarreled. Half Moon had risen with fury mixed with misplaced enthusiasm and was about to join the mass of fighters when she was held back by Evening Dew. Half Moon wanted to free herself but Dew was holding on. It is only when Siegfried settled down next to her that she gave up. He had that look of the bad days; it made him impressive.

In the Elves' gallery, they were the only ones left, as well as few seers and fortune-tellers watching the spectacle in disbelief. In the Human tribune, the situation was much the same. Down below, on the edge of the Tribune of the Word, the Great Repartitor was almost crushed by a band of raging furies who were shouting everything they knew, but he miraculously managed to get out of the way. In fact, he had been pulled back and found himself safe with the King of Walk of the Seas. He was observing the scene silently, his face closed and his eyes cold. His long wavy blue hair swirling around him as if moving to an unknown sea current. A blue light surrounded him, repeating the phenomenon that had occurred shortly before his arrival in the morning. It grew to the point of flooding the entire Council chamber and transforming its light, until then in ochre tones, into a myriad of green dots of light. His voice, deep and amplified, resonated throughout the room. A restrained rage emerged from it.

_ I am terribly disappointed by the attitude of the representatives of the four communities that you are. How can you decently look at yourselves without being ashamed? Look around! What have you become? You are gathered together in this sacred place for serious reasons and you take advantage of the slightest opportunity to seek revenge for the baseness that you never cease to perpetrate against each other. Nothing good can come out of this Council. Therefore, I am going to withdraw immediately. I don't think my assistance is necessary for you to continue your little turf war. Nor, I imagine, will you ask me to arbitrate your differences! Whatever their nature and damage. You should know that much more important tasks await me!

As if under an incredibly effective spell, the members of the Council had fallen silent. They looked at each other, blushing for the most part, that they had been as far as physically fight in the most sacred arena of the institution of the Fourth. Some were even ashamed to have allowed themselves to be led so far down the path of hatred and fury. They dusted off their clothes, stood up, looked around in a daze. But the King of the Seas, leaving them no time to fully understand their mistake, was already beginning to transform, and was in danger of literally evaporating, when a young human girl grabbed his sleeve, making the space around them tremble and sizzle slightly.

_ Wonderful Lince, please stay! Have pity on us! We are all so scared we don't want to see!

Narcínn looked at her, surprised and wondering. He invited her to talk more.

_ My name is Tamaha, I am a seer with very modest powers. However, it's enough for me to know that we need everyone's help. You are one of our Linces, and if you are here it is certainly not only because of the Walks of the Seas. You might as well have sent us a representative. Allow me to give you a piece of my mind...

Narcínn invited him to do so without being able to control the slight tremor that was beginning to seize him.

_ You made a point of attending this council personally because you know, like all the sentient beings present here, that what is being prepared is truly dangerous. You also wanted to make sure that the decisions we will make here would be the right ones in view of the secret knowledge that you possess by your nature and function as protector of our planet. For, as Lince, you probably shouldn't be standing in front of me. And I'll bet that's exactly what Ethea, our dear Lince of the Fire from the Depths of Innàa, said when she showed herself to us. She had sensed your presence without understanding why. Is that right?

Narcínn smiled faintly, as if he had just been caught. He caressed the cheek of the young human woman, in a gesture very familiar to Half Moon, before speaking again:

_ Charming creature that you are... Tamaha... he said with a sigh. You are in no way the weak seer that you announce, and one will have to be wary of you in the future. You are not completely wrong, nor are you completely right. The decisions that will be made here will be landmark decisions and I am indeed worried about their nature. That is why I am outraged by the attitude of some who are nevertheless dressed themselves with the beautiful name of "wise". I agree to remain among you and to give you a second chance. However, to me, it seems salutary to have an interruption of the session. It will give everyone a chance to come to their senses and discern the consequences of their actions. You are no longer allowed to be blind, despite the reality of your fears. I will not tolerate this fury a second time. And if this kind of behavior has to occur once more, then... there's nothing I could do for you.

He solemnly walked away from the speaking platform and climbed the steps, hardly slowing down to allow the Gates to open. Tamaha was dazzled, by the presence of the Lince so close to her, by her own boldness to address a Lince directly... She was also bewildered as the silence had followed her declaration to him. She would have preferred that he, alone, had heard her pleas. This had not been the case, perhaps it was better that way.

The Council Chamber began to empty itself regularly of its occupants. They found themselves on the Lost Steps Corridor, their minds empty and almost numb, as if groggy. Many of them, finally quite ashamed of their attitude, went to apologize to one another. Of course, it wasn't going to fundamentally change their thinking, but at least they were talking to each other again in a way other than with their fists, Narcínn said to himself. He was approached by several hesitant people, and then by larger and larger groups. He expressed himself courteously, showing all the love and understanding he could find within himself. It occurred to him that they were truly frightened and lost, even though they did not want to admit it. This Tamaha was definitely right.