Portumia

Chapter 6: Council Leader Canaria

In front of them was a large oblong room with a long table where many avianthropes were seated.

 The table was made of dark, solid wood, so smooth that it reflected the light from the large chandelier hanging above it. 

It was unlike any chandelier Jonatan had ever seen. The frame of the chandelier hung like gilded branches with white and light green jewels as leaves.

At the head of the table sat an avianthrope woman with green, purple, black, and golden feathers. She looked unique and majestic, and her face radiated authority, yet with gentle eyes. Jonatan admired her. He had never seen anyone like her.

She smiled at him, and Jonatan felt embarrassed for staring. He looked around at the others at the table. Around the table sat twenty avianthropes; many seemed to be in their thirties, but there were also a few who appeared much older.

He looked around, wondering why he couldn't see any laguines, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of everyone staring at them.

They all looked at the newcomers, surprised by the unexpected interruption of their meeting.

Jonatan felt scrutinised and awkward, and he looked up at Alcessa.

Alcessa and Kharun bowed, and Jonatan did the same. The avianthrope woman at the head of the table stood up and stretched out her arms.

"Welcome, Mr. Regilak and Mr. Senegalus. And is this?" She looked expectantly at Jonatan and then back at Alcessa.

"Yes, Council Leader Canaria. This is Electus," said Alcessa. The avianthropes looked even more astonished and whispered to each other.

The avianthrope woman must have been their leader, for when she cleared her throat, all whispering ceased. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

"My dear members, I must apologise, but I believe our meeting must be postponed. As you can see, this is a special case." She smiled at everyone around the table. 

They all stood up and quietly left the room.

As all the avianthropes, except Alcessa, Kharun, and the Council Leader, were leaving, Jonatan noticed a woman leaning against the wall. She stepped forward, and he saw that she was a laguin.

She had fair skin and pure white hair that reached just above her hips. She was dressed in black leather with a cloak and hood. She was beautiful, but her face was serious and stern. Despite her beauty, there was nothing inviting about her demeanor, and Jonatan could imagine that she was not someone to be trifled with.

The Council Leader noticed the laguine and smiled at her. The laguine did not smile back but nodded, stepped closer to the table, and stood by her side.

When only they were left in the room, the Council Leader sat in her chair and gestured to the chairs for them to sit.

Jonatan sat between Kharun and Alcessa. He was nervous, his hands sweaty, and he dared not place them on the table for fear of leaving marks.

"Hello Jonatan," said the Council Leader, smiling. "I imagine you must have a few questions?" Jonatan made eye contact with her and quietly nodded. 

He felt nervous in front of such an important person.

"Yes, he asked questions all the way here," said Kharun.

Jonatan blushed. He hoped the Council Leader didn't think he was rude. But she burst into laughter.

"Well, of course! What a day you must have had. I hope you haven't gotten a bad impression of us." Her soft voice eased his nervousness a bit, and Jonatan smiled.

"No, your highness," he said quietly. The Council Leader laughed again.

"Oh, Jonatan, you don't need to call me your highness. You can call me Siva," she said, extending her hand to him.

"Sorry, Siva. I will," he said, taking her hand.

"How much do you know about why you're here, Jonatan?" she asked.Jonatan thought hard. His mind was filled with the things he had heard today, but there was no order to them, so he looked to Alcessa for help. Alcessa smiled and answered.

"We've told him a bit about our origins, but we wanted to wait until he was here. No one can tell our story like they can."Siva turned back to Jonatan and folded her hands on the table.

"Okay, Jonatan. Let's make a deal. Our history is something I could talk about for hours if I wasn't stopped," she said. Jonatan wondered if his head could handle hours of information or if it would eventually explode, but Siva continued.

"But you've had a long day, so I'll tell you the most important parts, and if it gets too much, you have the right to stop me. It's important that you understand why you are here, but the most important thing is that you can handle it, so just let me know if it's all too much." She gave him an inquiring smile.

Jonatan thought for a moment. He would never dare to interrupt her, but he was glad she gave him the option. He nodded to her to confirm that he understood.