Portumia

Chapter 4, part 1: The General and The Little Birdies

Earlier that day...

What a dreadful day! Cloudy and windy. Surely something those wandering Avianthropes enjoyed. Thought Serpat to himself as he walked down a large mainroad in Portumia.

Serpat made the mistake of looking at the street sign. It read "Wingspan street".

It's enough to make one sick with their self-indulgence.

Serpat would never have ventured out on such a day, completely devoid of sunlight, but he had been summoned to a meeting by the Venefax council.

Serpat turned down a narrow alley and looked around.

"Where was that shaft now?"

There were some crates stacked further down the alley. Serpat walked over and pushed them aside. Behind them was a round hole in the wall.

He got down on all fours and began to crawl.

It had been a long time since Serpat had used the city's shafts for transportation.

He had missed it. He loved the security that darkness and dampness provided him and the thought of not encountering any Avianthropes put him at ease.

The city's shafts were a network of shortcuts that only Laguiners could use. So there was no fear of Avianthropes attending the meeting.

But for that reason, the shafts were also looked down upon, and most of them had been removed or made usable for Avianthropes.

Typical Potumia council. There wasn't a single Laguiner on the council, so the songbirds had power over the laws of the city.

And of course, they had to remove the one thing the Laguiners had for themselves.

He emerged from the shaft and stood up. He looked around.

He was standing in front of a large staircase leading up to an iron door. The railing was a two-headed snake that hissed.

Serpat climbed the stairs and pushed hard on the iron door.

He stepped into the council chamber. It was a large circular room with marble walls and a large table in the center.

The table was surrounded by Laguiners, but something caught his attention. An Avinathrope! What were they doing down here? One of the guards saw him staring and grabbed Serpat. "He's one of us," he said.

"How can we know that?" Serpat said sarcastically but quietly. And the guard tightened his grip.

"It was him who gave us information about Electus's whereabouts, so don't worry. He's with us."

The Avianthrope made eye contact with Serpat and nodded.

Serpat went over to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall.

General Serlanvi sat at the table, looking at some papers, while his right-hand man, Colonel Akando, whispered something to him.

The general was a big man, taller than most, with a weathered face. His entire demeanor exuded authority. Despite his slightly advanced age, he was still muscular and fit. His tail was dark green, and his skin bore the marks of many rotations of life in the field.

The general looked up at Serpat, and Serpat bowed his head slightly. Mostly out of respect, but also to avoid his gaze.

The general's gaze made him uncomfortable; he would never admit it, but he was afraid of the general. But he was sure most feared him in their own way.

The general nodded to Serpat and looked back at his papers.

General Serlanvi was a man who could command a whole room and lead a people to war.