Jack the Overlander

Six

When they arrived at the council room, several descriptions of Amber's flight later, they found it packed with creatures. They were all lined up along two rows of stone benches, facing each other on opposite walls. Many of them Jack hadn't seen before. There were bugs of some sort — cockroaches, maybe, he thought. Rats. Bats. People. There were a few giant moles in one corner. He saw some smaller rodents, too, that he thought might be mice. Spiders. Scorpions. And a couple of white moths, perfectly still, wings erect. Jack, becoming increasingly open to impulsive curiosity, wondered if there were any other species in the Underland, and if so, what they might be.

Stationed at the far end of the war room was a landing lined with nine podiums. Behind the center podium stood Queen Luxa, cool and poised in a flowing gown. The Warrior was a step back on one side, Ripred on the other. The dark gold flier, Aurora, completed the foursome.

Everyone seemed to be milling about, for the time being. The Queen was facing sideways from the podium, addressing the Warrior. Ripred looked bored.

"Come," said Persephone. Jack and Amber followed her along the benches until she came to rest next to Nike.

"Hi, Nike!" said Amber brightly.

"Overlander," Nike purred. "Have you slept well?"

"Oh, yes! Very well." Amber nodded.

"How exactly does this work?" Jack asked, directing his question at either of the bats. Nike responded.

"In a few minutes, the Queen will announce the quest and its intent. Then she will propose its members. Usually, the nine delegates of the Full Council discuss a matter and vote on its benefit. If they deem it, by majority, to be in the best interest of the Underland and its species, then it is done. Otherwise, it is scrapped, or perhaps re-presented at a later time. For today, however, given the urgency of the expedition, the Queen will advocate for its immediate departure, and it is doubtful any will dissent her."

"Who's on the Full Council?" asked Amber.

"One delegate from each of the nine species you see here today: humans, fliers, gnawers, nibblers, crawlers, spinners, stingers, diggers and hangers. Each species has an individual council themselves, and the delegates of the Full Council are elected by members of the individual councils of the other species — for example, Temp the crawler has been elected, for a sixteenth consecutive term, by votes from the councils of the other eight species. I myself was the first delegate of the fliers, when the Full Council was first instituted with only seven members — the stingers and the hangers have since joined us."

"That sounds pretty complex," Jack said, trying to match each of the names Nike had used to their species. He wondered how much power the Queen actually had, then. Maybe each species sort of did their own thing amongst themselves. Nike seemed to have read his mind, because she went on.

"In times like these, however, the Queen is able to exercise her great influence to more or less bypass the councils. This, to the chagrin of the humans' individual council, with whom the Queen consistently butts heads. Though that is not for me to say," said Nike with a purr. "The Queen and the Warrior hold great sway over not only the humans but all of the species represented here today, for they were the ones most chiefly responsible for the lasting peace which the Underland enjoys today. Indeed, the Warrior's own sister was the first to suggest the concepts behind the Full Council."

"Wow, that's crazy!" said Amber. "I didn't know the Warrior had any family. That's so sad, if she's in the Overland! Does he ever see her?"

"She has visited over the years, and the Warrior himself ascends to the Overland on occasion. He is never absent for long, though. His heart lies in the Underland."