Chains of Fate

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

I had been inexplicably wrong to include just "hands" in the definition of magical creatures.

There were also hooves, wings, and paws.

The council meeting room was in an atrium conjoined with the eastern part of the tower. Unlike the rest of the building, the atrium had clear windows that allowed sunlight to dance across the round table in the center of the room. Simple double oak doors were the only entrance from the tower into the atrium.

Astera seated us to her left around the table. I noted that she strategically placed Titus to the left of me, the furthest away from her. Hadrian sat on my right, tapping a single finger on the oak table. His eyes darted about the entire room as if he were waiting for one of the members of the council to transform into a monster.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

He gave me a quick look, then stared at his hands. "Nothing. I shouldn't be here. I need to get my caravan out of the forest."

Something told me that wasn't the reason he was anxious. Was he feeling the same way I felt right now?

Well, he probably wasn't so terrified he could wet himself.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise as Dhiren walked into the room and stood on the other side of the table. It should have been a given that Dhiren would be here as a council member—he was the leader of the centaurs, after all. He smiled at me, then at Hadrian, who noticeably grimaced and looked away. They almost reminded me of myself and...Clarice.

The table seated twenty-one creatures including Astera. Some creatures, like Dhiren, stood while others seated themselves comfortably around the table.

I stuck out so much that it was painful. I was blonde, human, and a Harbinger. A strange guest to have at a council meeting. Thankfully, I could sink into the deep cushions of the oak chairs to avoid the curious stares I kept getting.

A fluttering to my left caught my attention, and my stomach twisted when I saw who sat next to Titus. A ghostly woman with pale brown skin and flowing grey skirts seated herself in the chair next to Titus. I saw him gulp as he kept his gaze forward. I mentally thanked him for his sacrifice. I knew this was a woman—and that he was still getting over his anxieties with them—but she was far more than a woman. She was a shadow of death itself.

"When is this meeting over?" Hadrian muttered to me.

I gritted my teeth as I clenched and unclenched my fists beneath the table to cast out all the nervous bones in my body. It wasn't working. "I don't know. Why don't you ask the—" I stopped myself from saying the Queen herself because I knew he would do it. "Just be patient. When this is all over, your caravan will be free to go...I think."

He didn't seem the least bit satisfied as he leaned back in his chair, crossing and uncrossing his legs as I had my fists. I heaved a sigh, hoping he would hold his tongue about whatever worries he had about the meeting.

Wind made the hairs on my arms stand up, and I looked to opening doors to see a tall man. His dark hair was wispy and long, and his olive skin had a weathered look from working in the sun. The man seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen him before. He placed himself two seats from Dhiren, tucking his black cloak beneath him as he gave the council a cursory, intelligent glance.

I shifted in my seat as I examined the other council members as they filtered in. There were so many. Would we really have to convince them all to cooperate with us to make a treaty between Nor and Etheia? They seemed so strong, so poised. It felt like it was impossible—like they were so far above us that it was foolish to think that we could be on equal grounds with such superiority.