"Insolence? When dismissing formalities, both parties have the right to act as they need to in order to get their point across, while the only impermissible thing is direct violence," Karthus began to explain, but it was Nisul who sighed in Arba's stead.
"We know what it means, Duke. She is far more livid that you had also fallen so far as to disobey the wishes of Lord Terwin, rather than accept your situation," he said without preamble.
I hadn't expected him to just come right out and say that the council wanted us to kneel without a fight, Karthus thought with a quick glance around the room, preparing himself for anyone else who wanted to test his abilities.
As a rule, the council members are adept at keeping their true emotions from being read by another dragon. However, there is one thing they forgot to consider, Ryfon replied, hinting at what he had already suspected with a subtle flick of his eyes.
Karthus followed the direction Ryfon had indicated, and through this brief and subtle investigation of his, he realized that there were a few members of the council whose expressions had shifted just slightly enough to reveal their true intentions. Some grinned ear to ear, while others had their brows twisted angrily.
Ah, I see now. I knew they had always meant to dig our cores out of our chests with dull spoons, but the last time I was here I couldn't see the faces of those who would try, Karthus mentally noted the few who were less than excited to see he'd followed Ryfon's lead.
Terwin, having noticed this near-instant exchange of information, raised a hand to halt the others from speaking.
"It would seem they have their reasons for not wishing to follow formalities. They are dukes, after all, with one of them being a former member of this very council. Thus, we should treat them with the respect they are due, giving them proper audience and without holding them to such banal formalities," he said, lowering his hand to gesture for the others who had risen from their seats to calm down.
"Now, then. Before we begin the trial, would you like to know why both of you were summoned here?" Terwin began, prompting Ryfon to raise an eyebrow, while Karthus said nothing. "Very well, then I will continue through the crux of the problem: Kavrass, and the one named Thoma Fayren," Terwin said, making Karthus set his jaw.
Ryfon, however, remained perfectly unmoved by Terwin's comment as if he had expected as much.
"As the Eyes have witnessed since the time of the Great Partition, this particular realm is on a path to destruction much like the one faced by the Nayarans. The same trial, of which you once had your most prized pupil, Erumon, handle. How did that work out in the end?" Terwin asked with no small amount of venom in his tone.
"Nayara is, and always has been, fundamentally different from Kavrass. Comparing the two would be no different than comparing a dragon to a mug of ale," Karthus said in defense, prompting Terwin to shrug. "While that may be true, Duke, does that not also mean that you would be required to take more extreme measures to ensure its defense?" Terwin raised an eyebrow, prompting Karthus to click his tongue in frustration.
"Enough," Ryfon said with a heavy pulse of his Word. The power rippled through the chamber, causing many of those who had either forgotten or not known that he possessed that power to be taken aback.
"Trial or not, that is no way to speak of those who sacrificed their time, dedication, and in many cases, their very lives to protect that realm. Speak ill of them again, and I will ensure you all remember your place in the Sea," he continued, though his face hadn't changed in its expression.
There was a cold confidence in both his tone and demeanor, one that could only ever be achieved by having gone through unimaginably horrible things.
Those were not few in number, either.
After a few moments of shocked silence, Terwin shook his head to wake himself from his dazed state. "M-My apologies, Duke Ryfon. It would appear that my own frustrations toward the Nayaran campaign have bled into my judgment. For that, I ask for your forgiveness," Terwin said with a shallow nod of his head.
"Granted. Now, please continue with what you were really trying to say about Kavrass," Ryfon said, getting a subtle nod from Mediator as he spoke. Terwin cleared his throat and rose from his seat.
"While Kavrass may be fundamentally different from somewhere like Nayara, we cannot ignore the fact that there are forces working in unison to bring about the original intent that sparked the Great Partition," he began, spreading his arms widely. "And yet here you all sit just waiting for his return," Karthus snarled, earning him a few scrutinizing looks from the others.
Tread carefully here, old friend, Ryfon sent, getting a brief nod of acknowledgment.
"Tell me something, Lord Terwin: Why haven't we simply ripped his core out of his chest and been done with it? Why must he remain in Aen Silar when we all know it is only a matter of time before he returns? Why not take action yourselves, instead of allowing another realm to potentially burn by his hand, only to ignite an unstoppable wildfire here in Polarion?" Karthus asked, getting more than a few raised eyebrows at his line of questioning.
Another silence fell within the audience chamber as everyone awaited Terwin's response. Some of the dragons did their best to hide their fidgeting, while others hid their anxiousness about whatever happened next.
If I were to tell them everything, would it even matter? Terwin mentally sighed and rubbed his sharp chin, considering his words carefully.
"Because until this point in time, the very one who helped imprison him has been in hiding. Exiled by his own will, leaving us without the looming threat of Mideia's return over our heads for over a thousand years. However, that is where the matter of Thoma Fayren comes into play, since he was the one who helped drag him out of his hole," Terwin said with gravitas.
Does he mean to blame Thoma for Mideia's potential resurgence? How is that even fair? Karthus wondered silently in realization, but Ryfon took a step forward.
"You do realize that Mideia was already plotting his return long before Thoma had ever come into existence, correct? And to think you were supposed to be the Eyes while I was gone," Ryfon said to no one in particular as he shook his head in disappointment.
The comment spawned a few audible gasps from the others, while Fyke, who had been sitting quietly until that point, dashed forward and attempted to land a clawed strike on Ryfon's neck.
Just before the blow landed, Mediator stepped in, gripping Fyke's wrist with an iron-clad grip that halted its movement entirely, sending an enormous shockwave barrelling through the assembly hall. While there was no structural damage, everyone's robes were affected by the blast, prompting more than a few of them to shield their faces from its impact.
"Betraying the sanctity of the assembly hall to land a blow over a mere criticism hardly seems like a fair exchange, don't you think?" Ryfon asked, lazily raising an eyebrow in Fyke's direction without fully turning his head. "Damn you, Ryfon," Fyke seethed as spittle fled the corner of his thin, blackened lips and jagged teeth.
Ryfon, however, smiled wryly as he watched the Mediator move in from out of the corner of his eye. "Once again: Violence is not allowed even with the formalities rescinded by the defending party. Any further violations or disturbances will be met with an appropriate response," Mediator said flatly before tossing the attacker across the chamber and back toward his seat.
In less time than it took a fly to beat its wings, he smashed into his chair, causing the metallic structure that formed it to wrap around him like a snake would its prey. With a flick of her wrist, a tendril of the purest Meridian mana lashed out and enveloped the amalgamation of dragon and chair, suspending it a few meters above the ground.
Did you really have to push them that far? Mediator asked with a heavy sigh. I had to know which clan to focus my attention on. It seems I've gotten my answer, Ryfon replied with a subtle grin.
"In any case, I don't believe that Thoma finding the Mouth and bringing him out of hiding is what will trigger Mideia's return. In fact, I have reasons to believe that not only will the Mouth's return benefit us, but it will also benefit Thoma, who, as you have already seen for yourselves, is the first non-dragon wielder of the Authority," Ryfon continued, spreading his arms slightly.
There was an odd mixture of delighted and disgruntled murmurs throughout the chamber that followed his statement.
It would seem that the comment has resonated with them. Well, most of them, anyway, Karthus noted. Not quite. What I am trying to see is how their current balance of power is being maintained, and as of this moment, it is not looking good, Ryfon mentally sighed.
"Your point being?" Nisul asked with mild intrigue as he leaned forward in his seat, steepling his fingers near the tip of his nose.
"I will not claim to know what sort of Revelations Thoma has brought before the Mouth, but if he was willing to come out of hiding and put his core on the line, I think it's safe to assume that he is not the traitor you once thought he was," Ryfon said, quietly hoping the information he'd received from Syldir was entirely truthful.
"Then why did he go into hiding to begin with?" Arba asked spitefully. "Because of the grave misunderstanding of who he is, and why his pragmatism was necessary," Ryfon said with an almost tired sigh.
As soon as the final words left his mouth, there was a collective gasp among the Eyes. "How dare you speak such blasphemy? Do you know the kinds of death and destruction his alliance with Mideia wrought upon Kavrass? Upon so many other realms? How can you possibly say that you trust him with full confidence?" Arba shouted as she rose from her seat, earning her a glare from Mediator, who hadn't moved much more than her eyes.
They're not going to like this, Ryfon mentally sighed.
"It wasn't an alliance, it was survival, something I think anyone who witnessed the events of that time would understand. The slaughter of the hegraphenian Wraithborn alone should be enough for any of you to have done the same in that position," he began, glaring around the room at the others, recognizing the newer faces immediately.
"However, I don't say that with full confidence in the Mouth, rather in Thoma and his Wraithborn abilities; something I would do so time and time again, given the fact that Essentia herself has blessed him," Ryfon said with determination, earning him yet another mixture of murmurs and whispers.
Are you actively trying to get yourself killed, little brother? You know all too well what mentioning her name will do to them, Mediator asked with genuine concern, but Ryfon merely chuckled internally.
Not at all, my dearest sister, since I know she wouldn't have revealed herself to him if she had any reason to doubt his capability. Besides, she's known him for much longer than I have, he said with a wink.
"Preposterous! Why would someone of her caliber lower herself so far as to acknowledge a mere human?" Terwin asked. "Half-human. He is of Caegweni descent as well, which, as you know, holds a special place in her heart," Karthus added with a shrug.
It would be best not to say much more than that. I do not believe they have been informed of Syldir's blood-giving, Ryfon sent him with a cautionary glance.
There was yet another silence that fell throughout the assembly hall as each considered that statement. "You speak of the Dauthridem?" a tired, raspy voice muttered in realization from Ryfon's left. He was also one of the members of the Eyes, but he often abstained from anything remotely involving Mideia.
According to Kanarin, his clan had suffered many losses during the events of the Great Partition and was seldom in Polarion for any reason other than the council's meetings.
"Mors, it has been a long time, old friend," Ryfon said with a slight dip of his head. Mors' blood-red hair and glowing eyes to match shifted backward into the remaining shadow cast by a nearby pillar. "Perhaps it has been, I would not know. The passage of time has become difficult to ascertain these past few centuries," Mors said distantly, sinking further into the shadows.
"Then what do you know of the Dauthridem? Is it merely a legend, or perhaps something more?" Ryfon asked with a leading tone; however, a low snarl erupted from Terwin's mouth before Mors could answer.
"Enough. I will not hear anything further about the Dauthridem or any such myth in this hall," he said, raising a hand to halt everyone from asking more questions. "We have yet to decide on what to do about Thoma Fayren's recent little adventures," he continued, rising from his seat, placing a balled fist on the railing in front of him.
"I, for one, do not trust this child; no matter how skilled or blessed he may be. It also does not help that none of us here can see him anymore since his descent into Vareluth," he continued, getting a raised eyebrow from Ryfon in return.
Did Erumon not fully lift the barrier around that realm out of foresight? Ryfon silently wondered, but prevented his features from shifting at all.