Chapter 6 - Return to Trymyll.
The next morning, they had a swift breakfast, collected a few belongings, locked up the house and left before the sun was up. They arrived at the cave just as the golden red fingertips of morning crept up behind the opposite mountain sending a solid bar of gilded light into the cave entrance. They moved through the cave quickly using their wands as torches and soon arrived at the far end. This time, the exit was not a small hole just big enough for Tom to squeeze through but was as large as the entry; you could have driven a bus out if you had one.
At the cave exit, they stood for a few moments looking out over the land of Trymyll. The cave was a long way up a very tall mountain and the ridge on which the cave stood gave excellent views of the surrounding countryside and across Trymyll. You could see diametrically opposite as far as the Dragonlands on the other side of the land and over to the cold snow-topped mountains of Mynydd. The great sea of Wrth, (which is not a sea at all, but just a massive salt-water lake), could also be seen in the distance. It was a sight to behold, breathtakingly beautiful, a wonder for the eye. The air was clean, cool, fresh, with a hint of the pine forests below, and a whiff of the smell of magic in the air.
But now they were back in Trymyll, there was no time to admire the view, so the men and boys all changed into wizard robes and Gwen into more suitable clothing for the area. Then with Flintock as the driver, they apparated en-mass back to Blaenoraid, the capital of Trymyll to their normal landing spot just outside the city walls and walked in. Two men, one woman, two boys and the three dragons, each being carried by their respective wizards. During the whole journey, no one mentioned Songhai Chen, no one understood him, no one even knew what planet he was on or from, it was as if he were persona-non-grata. Llewellyn apparated them all into the place they called home beneath the city and below the castle’s deepest known vaults and dungeons. Tryg, Flintock’s personal Trygall, greeted them all warmly but displayed special affection for Flintock whom he had missed these last few days.
“Right, I have called a meeting of the council for nine this morning. All members, three-line whip.” Llewellyn announced.
“How can you do that,” asked Gwen, “you’re not even on the Council of Elders.”
“Because he’s the Elder of Elders, that's how,” Jon blurted out.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t think anyone was supposed to know,” Gwen said to the amazement of all except Llewellyn, “well, he is my husband, he does tell me most things, even if I don’t always tell him what I know,” she said laughing, “I didn’t know you all knew as well.”
“Well, that’s all who know, those in this room and of course Aneta,” Llewellyn said almost sharply.
“Oh yes, Aneta Stepanek of Goleuedigaeth, Little Miss Knows it All,” said Gwen with slight jealousy.
“Mother, please, she is a High Elder, not in front of the boys.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. But she does know everything, doesn’t she? Just saying.”
A few minutes later, Llewellyn was gone.
Flintock broke the silence, "I wish I knew how he did that; you’re not supposed to be able to apparate within the city walls, and I know this is somewhere under the castle.”
“Have you ever tried it?” asked Gwen.
“Well, no, it can't be done.”
“Who says,” Gwen continued, “who exactly says that you can’t apparate within the city walls?”
“Well, everyone says it.”
“Yes, but who decided you can’t do it?” Gwen insisted, “who said it can’t be done?”
“It’s a well-known fact,” Flintock said, “a well-known fact.”
“Is it?” Gwen asked, “is it really?”
Suddenly the penny dropped, "What! You mean everyone believes it just because they were told it was true?”
“Just saying,” said Gwen with a grin, “just saying, who really knows?”
“Tell Llewellyn I’ve gone back to mine to sort out a few things, I’ll meet him later at our normal meeting place, come on Tryg,” and with that, they both disappeared.
“The council is in session; all rise for the Elder of Elders,” barked the Clerk to the Elder of Elders.
The Elder swept in, long black cloak hiding his entire body, the large, if not oversized hood pulled up and well forward so no one could see his face. Not a toe nor a finger ever showed from within. The Elder took his seat. As he sat, the remaining three elders also took their seats. There were now three empty chairs following the sad demise of High Elders Traveon Baughan, Brangwen Binnion and Trevonn Brice in a violent battle to defeat the Master.
The council chamber is quite small, there is a circle of seven chairs, including the Elders larger and slightly more ornate seat. In the centre are a table and four chairs, there sits the clerk to the Elder of Elders, the clerk to the Elders and the minute taker plus one empty chair. There was a small public gallery for open sessions and a dock for when the chamber was used as a courtroom. Magic was not supposed to be possible within the chamber, but the Elder had shown that he at least could unleash a bolt or two during the trial of former high elder Llewel Gaynor for crimes against the Land of Trymyll.
The Elder rose and addressed the seated high elders, something he rarely did. There were only three, High Elder Aneta Stepanek of Goleuedigaeth, Govannon Staley of the Elven community from Mynydd and Asmodeus the Dark Elder of Castell yr Tywyll.
The Elder always spoke slowly and quietly, so they had to strain to hear him. The perfect acoustics of the chamber helped a lot, so when he did speak, everybody listened.
“It is some days since we last met, and I have been out of the city for a couple of them. Have we any news about which I might not have knowledge?”
This seemed a strange question for him to ask as everyone assumed that the Elder knew everything.
“None that we are aware of,” High Elder Aneta Stepanek of Goleuedigaeth said in answer and on behalf of the others present. Aneta Stepanek had an assumed authority over the others, something no one ever dared to challenge.
“Then, it is I who have the news. the Master has returned. I do not know where or how, but I have it on particularly good authority that he is back I Trymyll.”
A murmur of hopeful disbelief and fear ran around the room.
“But how is this possible? Aneta Stepanek continued, "he was defeated, and the portal sealed only a few days back.”
“That I do not know, but a wizard mystic called Songhai Chen who lives in the Taihang Mountains, the ancestral home of the Golden Dragons, delivered to me a message via Llewellyn the Brave and Flintock the Elder.”
Llewellyn, who secretly was also the Elder of Elders sent out a mind to mind call to see if he could locate Songhai Chen. There was a small pop, and there stood the small boy he had briefly seen the evening before. The elder and the clerks all gasped when they saw him. Not only was he a small boy, but he was hovering several feet off the ground, he glowed with an aura of power all around him and he looked out at the three remaining High Elders with a look of disdain on his face. Despite having been seen by Llewellyn only one day earlier, Songhai Chen now looked a couple of years older than in his earlier appearance.
“Greetings,” he said, “I am Songhai Chen. Do not be deceived by my looks, I am over nine hundred years old, and I am here to aid you in your battle,” he paused, "High Elder Aneta Stepanek, please do not waste your energy trying to look inside my head. You will find it quite empty,” he said smiling, “yours is however quite full of many things, including ambition, desire, wisdom and knowledge.”
“But how can you see into my mind, I have the most perfect mind block in all of Trymyll. No one has ever probed my mind, and if they did, I would feel them enter.”
His reply was short and to the point, "But I am not of Trymyll, and no one ever senses me enter, but to prove my point, I will tell you that you are from a small village close to the city of Sibiu, one of the capital cities of Transylvania.”
“How could you know such a thing, I have never told anyone,” Aneta Stepanek said with shock in her voice.
“Now, to continue, I see that you have three empty chairs, at a time such as this, vacancies on the High Council of Blaenoraid is not a helpful sign. To elect new Elders takes time, so if you wish, I will tell you now who will win the ballots and so save you that time. The elections can still go ahead, but you will already be at full strength.”
“But that would be most irregular,” said High Elder Govannon Staley, “we have procedures and traditions which must be upheld.”
The Elder then spoke in his normal quiet voice, "If I hear one more point of order or bureaucratic intervention, I swear I’ll banish you from the council. We have urgent work to do, we cannot delay for weeks because of procedures and practice. We are at war! Do I make myself clear?”
The Elder then turned to Songhai Chen and asked, "Please continue, pray to tell, who would be elected.”
You will have three new High Elders, Penvro Dey, a fine wizard, born and bred in Trymyll, Ms Lintang Ananas of Indonesian descent, and I am sure this will surprise you, Sugreev Sridhar from India who will lead the armies of Gwir.”
It did indeed surprise them, a murmur of questions passed around the chamber, all of which were ignored.
“I have one final suggestion; this will also go against your precious procedures, precedents and traditions. You should appoint Funsan Osei as a High Elder without portfolio, his power and wisdom are greater than many here and.....”
There was a loud rumble of discontent amongst the remaining High Elders. To suggest someone was more powerful than them was almost heresy.
“Never heard of him, who is this Funsan... whatever you called him,” said High Elder Asmodeus in his dark growling voice. That in itself came as a shock to all; it was the first time he had spoken in council for years, normally he just sat there, listening, and scowling.
“Oh, but you do, here in Trymyll he is known as Flintock the Elder,” Songhai Chen said.
“He will never agree,” Aneta Stepanek snapped back.
“Yes, he will. I will give him no option,” and with that said, Songhai Chen disappeared again.