Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 18 (twil-nay): The extraordinary meeting

The day after Selentaya was taken into the Bartyronian flying machine, the visitors left Seren-ila. The fact that they took with them two of the wisest and much-loved people of Seren-ila, not to mention all the wrist-flyers,  was a terrible blow. The Counsel of the Wise met to work out a plan, but after consulting all of the most important writings of Seren-ila, they were no closer to knowing what to do. This had never happened before.

The fact is that these people had lived in peace for a long, long time. They had no understanding of how to deal with somebody who wanted to do harm. They found it very difficult to believe that any grown person, in their right mind, would want to hurt another person, or even an animal. They had spent many, many years working together in harmony, as had their parents and grandparents, and they assumed that this was the way all human beings worked. Always.

They were wrong.

The Counsel of the Wise were desperate to recover Piacho and Selentaya. But how was this to happen? Since Greblara and all the other surrounding mountains were no longer spouting smoke, dust and the occasional flame, it would now be possible to reach the other side. In theory, at least. Wrist-flyers would have made it easy to search beyond the mountains, but without them, the only way to cross would be to climb the steep rock faces. A few people had attempted to climb Greblara in the past, and a few had got some way – maybe halfway up the mountain. But nobody had actually reached the flaming mouth of the volcano. Was it even possible? Even if anybody could get across, the next problem would be where to look for the missing people on the other side. Seren-ila was not big, but the world over the mountains was vast and unknown. Could people from Seren-ila even survive there?

It was hard for the Seren-ilians to understand that their wrist-flyers had been stolen. Stealing was not something that Seren-ilians could think about, because they had no idea of things belonging to one person or another. Things were there to be used by whoever needed them. Of course, objects like wrist-flyers – things that you wore on your body – were mostly used by one particular person, and that person would get used to that particular pair. At least, that would happen for a while. Until someone else had a good reason to use them. They only had to ask. It was unimaginable that somebody would keep something, anything, just so that somebody else couldn't have it. How would that help anybody?

A special meeting was called, to decide what next to do.

There was no hall big enough to hold all of the people who wanted, and needed, to come to this meeting, so it had to be held outdoors. People gathered in the big hollow space on the way to the lower slopes of Greblara, where the rocks could echo the loud voices of speakers so that everybody could hear what was said, and anybody could take part in the discussion.

This was different to any meeting in Seren-ila that Liana could remember. Not only because of the seriousness of the situation, but because for the first time ever, people strongly disagreed about what needed to be done.

It was a windy day. Liana looked over at the forest, and saw the tops of the trees swaying. The weather had changed since Megtwillow.

Elara took charge of the proceedings, standing on a platform made of dark wood, so as to be seen by people far back in the crowd. She was shorter than average, and her short hair was white. She leaned on a stick, looking around anxiously.

Since the departure of Selentaya, Elara was now the most senior member of the Counsel of the Wise. She began by outlining the purpose of the meeting. She sounded nervous as she spoke. This was strange to Liana, who had only ever heard Wise Ones speak with confidence.

'Fellow Seren-ilians, today ... well, today is one of the most unhappy days in the history of our happy land. We have lost two Trowster-Friends, Selentaya and Piacho. Even though Piacho no longer wears the Trowster cloak, for his own reasons, we consider him a Wise One. We have called this meeting to draw on the ideas of the whole people of Seren-ila, and to find a plan to restore our friends to their rightful place.'