To Cut Flames from the Air

Chapter III Part III: The Agaskolten Elders

By morning, the Elders had gathered at Asmund's place. Elder Edda was the first to arrive, followed shortly after by her wife, Elder Astrid. Between the two of them, Edda seemed to want to be anywhere else and Astrid probably would have if she even understood why she was there in the first place. Elder Brenna came much later, living the furthest from Asmund and collecting Elder Ake on the way, who she wheeled in when she arrived. Calder was sent out shortly after they had all arrived; while he was the boys' keeper, he was not an Elder himself and had no seat at such a gathering. 

"Eric, why do you have a sword?" Elder Edda asked after all of the Elders had gathered and seated themselves.

"I found it in the woods," Eric said, holding it up for her to see. 

Edda looked it over and nodded. "That's the work of a Fiscabraede smith. You'll want to get it sharpened, the blade looks dull." 

"Edda, stop encouraging him," Elder Asmund muttered, standing at the front of the group. "Right, is everyone here and awake?"

"Is Ake awake? I can never tell anymore..." Edda said, looking over the Eldest of the Elders who sat hunched in his wheelchair. At a remarkable age of over two and a half centuries, Ake's breathing was the only indicator that he was even still alive, and these days he didn't do much more than eat and paint. 

"Oh! I'll make some tea!" Elder Brenna said, standing up as well and heading to the cupboards. "What will you all have?"

"What was that, Brenna?" Elder Astrid said in a raised voice, cupping a hand to her ear.

"She asked what tea you'll be having," Edda said. "She'll have mint tea, I'll have anything bitter."

"Oh, we're here for tea? Sorry, I'm having trouble with my..." Astrid paused. "Oh dear, what was it?"

"Elder Brenna, this isn't a tea party, it's a hearing!" Asmund said.

"Yes! It's my hearing, you see?" Astrid said, chuckling. "Never what it used to be."

"I'll have chamomile," Langley said. "If you have it."

"Why are we having a hearing again?" Edda asked. "Eric's gone over the Wall several times before, yes? Just punish him the same as last time, two weeks sorting the warehouse."

"A slap on the wrist will either stop someone by the fourth or fifth offense or it will never work, there's no in-between," Asmund said. "Eric's decision to leave even when knowing of the presence of a dangerous Beast is evidence of a severe and blatant disregard for the safety of himself and others."

"Wait, if that's the case then why is Langley here, too?" Eric asked.

"Well, Langley's a pure spirit by nature," Asmund said. "So to break the rules even once is evidence of a great deal of damage to his moral fiber. His first offense is as severe as your twentieth and one should expect an equivalent punishment."

"Well, let's hear what the little stoats have to say for themselves before we go dishing out 'punishments,'" Elder Brenna said. "Eric, Langley, what were you doing in the woods last night?"

"We found a dragon," Eric said.

"Now, Eric, please try to be serious," Brenna said. "At least for Asmund's sake."

"But he's telling the truth," Langley said. "I saw it, too."

"You see? Eric's rubbing off on the boy and making him an accomplice in his rulebreaking," Asmund said.

"We could have shown you it when we were still out there but you were in too much of a rush to get us back here," Eric said. 

"So there's a living dragon out in the woods? Within walking distance of the Clearing?" Edda asked. "And no one else saw it?"