Two-thirds of Hecatite were now in the Kinsmen's control, and supply routes were cut.

A month after attending his first meeting, Nagan had once again been sent to attend another. The situation was too dire for General Meixong to even think about attending in person, and he was sure General Byteron thought the same. With Byteron on the front and Meixong as the only connection between all branches, it was clear they were the reason Hecatite had yet to be lost. Nagan even wondered if Master Dagmire would be at this meeting, as he was in charge of reinforcements and also worked closely to the front.

Nagan navigated the halls of the building swiftly, Valrin close behind. Rin, however, had trouble keeping up with Nagan's brisk pace, but not a word of complaint slipped his lips. They were running a bit behind, after all, as a violent storm blocked their path previously. Maybe if Nagan was on his own, he would've attempted it—Ravi was a strong flier—but not when there was a second passenger.

And no, they did not get lost.

It never even really occurred to Nagan that the Council had an actual meeting place. Ever since they had cleared out Carvolier, they had been using the Great Hall since Carvolier's defenses were only rivaled by Froshrinra's. And what Nagan thought they used before, well, he never had a reason to think about it. But now he strode through arched halls and on a slightly worn carpet. Windows were laced with metal to keep it firm, and the old architecture made him feel as if he had traveled through time. From what he remembered Rin saying, the Council of Third had been operating in this building since the beginning.

"Left, and we should be there," Rin said, slightly breathless.

Nagan nodded, turning sharply as he marched up to a set of double doors, open wide but only offering a glimpse of what was inside. Before it, Master Honoria stood along with a few others. A few of them stole a couple glances at them, raising a brow at their tardiness, but Master Honoria reached them first. Nagan chose not to comment upon the amount of armed personnel stationed around the hall itself.

"Good of you to arrive! I feared the worst, but I'm glad you've made it—" Master Honoria faltered when he saw the man behind Nagan. "Ah, so General Meixong sent both of you?"

"Hello, father," Rin greeted timidly. "Yes, General Meixong thought it best if I followed along as a secretary. This is an important meeting, and two sets of ears are better than one when it comes to passing along information."

"If anything, I'm just his transportation," Nagan added.

"Indeed, indeed," Master Honoria said faintly, not quite knowing how to talk to his son. Instead, he cleared his throat and turned his attention to Nagan. "Is it just the two of you?"

Nagan furrowed his brow at that. "Yes, Meixong only sent the two of us."

"Without any guards?"

What—I'm a Dragonmage! "Why would we need guards?" Nagan tried to keep his incredulity out of his tone.

"Oh, so maybe you haven't heard," Master Honoria said hastily, realizing how offensive his question may have sounded. "Council members and other officials have been attacked, and some have been fatal. Master Pollis, I'm sure you've heard, has passed from his injuries from one of these attacks. Master Warven as of a few days ago was even attacked. He lives, but I'm afraid he's critically injured."

"Master Warven?" Rin exclaimed, shocked. "As in, Yevondi Warven?"

"No, no, it was their father. Yevondi is here while Jedan went to their residence, both because his father was attacked and because he wants to personally reinforce the defenses." Master Honoria then looked back at Nagan. "Be cautious, Master Elvar. You may not be...prevalent enough to be targeted, but if you keep attending these sorts of meetings, I firmly suggest you exercise great caution."

Nagan nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind, Master Honoria."

A page shuffled to Master Honoria's side, reminding him that the meeting should've started ten minutes ago.

"Ah, yes, we should take our seats." He swept his arm to the side, prompting them to go on ahead. "I believe you will be sitting in the back since you are seen as spectators, but feel free to add anything you think would benefit the discussion."

Nagan chose not to comment on how the last part was directed more at him rather than both him and Rin. Maybe if he were younger, he would've said something about it, but he knew Rin and Master Honoria's relationship was complicated. Rin sent and received the occasional letter to his mother, but there was a thicker wall between the father and son. That wasn't Nagan's business.

So Nagan followed the page, Rin close behind, as they led them to their seat. The room was round with seats bending to the shape, each row higher than the last. It almost reminded him of one of Carvolier's lecture halls, but the seats here were much further apart and were accompanied by a desk. Other smaller seats surrounded each area, and Nagan could only assume they were for the other members of each group.

Where they sat, however, was a simple line of benches. Whoever sat up there wasn't intended to speak, just as Master Honoria had said. It was only himself, Rin, and an old man far to the side in those seats. As everyone took their seats, Masters and Madams along with their assistants alike, it was clear there were still seats available. Nagan didn't care enough to kick up a fuss, however, nor would it really be appropriate for the situation.

At the front stood a separate set of risers with six desks, three in each row. The three above had been carved into the room itself, masterful works of art etched into the wood, while the three below looked to have been added later on. Master Honoria took his seat above in the middle, and Master Dagmire had already been sitting in the seat to the right. The left remained empty, but it had a Dragonmage cloak draped over it. Below Honoria sat Master Totari—who Nagan was surprised to see—and Master Warven—Yevondi—sat to his left. A woman Nagan didn't recognize settled to Totari's right.

The Arcolvens have lost favor, Nagan realized. He wasn't all that surprised about not seeing Aunt Cilara amongst the crowd—the Arclovens were probably the biggest critics of the war—but he felt the simmering edges of outrage that another family had replaced them so quickly.

Nagan struggled to keep his face neutral as someone finally took a seat to Honoria's left. The man was noticeably older than what Nagan remembered, but it wasn't as if he bothered remembering anything more than the face of the man who turned them away. If anything, he was glad Master Elvar—his grandfather—looked as if he was a little closer to the grave.

"I wonder if he recognizes me," Nagan said idly to Rin. Rin, in turn, gave him a curious look.

"Who?"

Nagan nodded his head towards Master Elvar before turning back to gaze at the people below. It took a moment for Rin to get what he was saying, but once he did, the older bumped his knee against his.

"General Meixong said to behave," Rin chided. He rolled his eyes when Nagan only chucked at his warning, and he pulled out his notebook and pen, setting the inkwell on the banister. With a few brisk words, he enchanted the inkwell to sit firmly, nudging it lightly to make sure it stuck, before chanting another enchantment to link the ink to the pen. Nagan always wondered why they couldn't just put the ink inside the pen, but then again, he was no inventor and didn't have time to be one.

Nagan's attention snapped back to the front when Master Honoria stood from his seat. The room quieted and settled, as all eyes turned to him.

"Thank you for coming in such short notice, everyone," Master Honoria began. "As you all know, we are here to discuss our next plan of action. The Kinsmen of the Dark must not advance more than they already have. Unfortunately, General Fenvar Byteron nor General Hark Meixong will be joining us today, as they are fighting hard to keep the lines steady. We do, however, have General Dagmire in our presence, and it is a miracle he was able to step away."

"General Kalahann is a capable man, and I'm sure he will do well in my place," Master Dagmire said.

"Indeed. With that said, I think it would be appropriate we start these discussions as soon as possible. Assuming everyone is here, shall we begin?"

A wave of murmurs emerged from the crowd below, and Nagan leaned back in his seat.

This was going to be a long day.

•________________________•

Trying out the publishing schedule thing, so hopefully by the time I wake up, it'll be posted XD. It'll be super helpful if it works!