The Prophecy

The Council | Family affairs

In a quieter area of the bridge corridor, Singing Rain was being harshly reprimanded by her husband. He was beside himself. She looked at him without saying anything, waiting for her time to speak, but nothing seemed to be able to calm the Elf King. Old Bear, who had joined them, was doing his best to calm the him.

_ Stupid woman, shouted the King, I wonder what could have gone through your head! I told you to keep quiet during the council and let me deal with the Wise Human men! Now everything has failed! Do you think maybe I didn't plan this? Azilis and I had come to an agreement and your statement calls everything into question!

_ You're the stupid one, poor man, she replied, finally able to fight back, you're the most ignorant of all! Azilis is manipulating you like he does with Yrguld!

Faced with the provocation, Big Oak could not hold his hand. He raised it, threatening. The Great Pope intervened at the same time as Childeric was, he had been attracted by the shouts. The King lowered his hand, but his gaze was of embers.

_ Forgive me, my King, it is all my fault! lamented Childeric. I don't know why I was so stupid as to give matter to the Humans! I... I didn't see the trap Sältar was setting!

_ Threaten me then, my husband, it won't change the fact that I am telling the truth! interrupted the Queen, hushing away her grandson to let her continue. The agreements that you make in secret with the King of Humans can only be invalid for the simple reason that he is playing a game that you don't have the rules for. You don't know who he plays with, and I am sure he also plots with the King of the Gelflings! And.... If you had taken even a little interest in what was going on last night in the Gelfling royal family, you would have seen that Adjuva is not up to date with all the political affairs of his own community, she concluded serenely.

Grand Oak took the blow. He looked at his wife more and more surprised. Old Bear, who was trying to understand, wondered if she had heard what he had tried to tell Adjuva the day before.

_ What do you mean by that? Answer!

_ That the women of Belfort are up to something. And I wouldn't be otherwise surprised if the absence of Morthor II had something to do with it.

_ Morthor II? Janis' brother? What has he got to do with the council? said Childeric, who did not understand the connection.

Singing Rain looked at her grandson and smiled tenderly at him. She took his hand and pulled him closer to her, tightening the circle that the four of them now formed.

_ Morthor II is one of these men who is just and upright. If he ever suspected something was going wrong with the Walk of the Sun, he would have reported it to the Council, she said in secret.

_ How speculative that is! exclaimed the Big Oak.

_ Perhaps! admitted Sing Rain. But what is certain is that something is going on in the Gelfling community!

_ Could it have something to do with the transportation of precious gems to Lord James Le Bruntis, their father? the Pope ventured to say.

_ What transport? What are you talking about, Old Bear? the King said, looking at the Pope attentively.

_ Pink diamonds, a shipment of pink diamonds from Lune-en-Bleue, continued Childeric. The brigands who held us prisoners knew about it before anyone else, it seems. They mounted an attack to steal them.

_ I don't think this has anything to do with our business. It must be their internal affairs, and their theft now concerns only our Tribunals, said the King so as to conclude the discussion on this point, not able to see any connection with the original theme of their argument.