The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Chapter 198: A City Within

VIRION ERALITH

I took a seat on the cushioned chair of gnarled wood, casting a weary gaze at the two royal pairs already poised to lash out at each other; the only thing keeping the four of them silent was their respect for me.

In front of me was a transmission scroll that held the contents of today’s meeting sent to me by Arthur. A creeping suspicion that the boy in question had decided not to come straight back in order to avoid this meeting bubbled inside my head, but I let it go with a sigh.

I forgive you, Arthur. I don’t want to be here either, I thought, taking a moment to appreciate the luxuriously decorated room.

With a cozy fire burning in the hearth and several light artifacts set in gold sconces along the walls, the room was cast in a warm, friendly atmosphere—as if to mock the subtle hostility surfacing from those present inside.

The last shred of natural light from the window to my left dimmed as the sun dipped below the clouds. I took that as my cue to start the meeting. “Take a seat. Let’s begin.”

There was a moment of silence while the four in the room with me looked at one another before the head of the Glayder family cleared his throat.

“Well, we’ve all been briefed on General Arthur and General Aya’s report, so I say we get right to it. I believe we should keep our forces as is and send reinforcement to the Elshire Forest on an as-needed basis,” Blaine said. Despite the human king’s sunken cheeks and unshaved state that covered the lower half of his face with the same crimson color as his hair, he spoke resolutely.

I remained silent and neutral, as was my job until all sides—which in this case, two—have explained their arguments.

“Councilman Blaine. Sending reinforcements on an as-needed basis to the border between the Beast Glades and the Elshire Forest suggests you don’t see the elven territory worthy of defending,” Merial intoned coldly.

Years of being part of the Council had shaped my once lively daughter-in-law into a sharp and cold diplomat.

“Oh, don’t twist my words, Councilwoman Merial,” Blaine rebutted. “The report stated two separate attacks, but it was coordinated to happen at the same time. This means that, so far, only one attack has been made into the elven territory. Compare that to the near-daily attacks happening on the Wall, shouldn’t it be obvious that protecting Sapin’s borders takes precedence?”

“No one is saying that the defense of the Elshire Forest should take precedence over Sapin,” Alduin said, composed. “However, much like how there are elven soldiers stationed at the Wall to help protect Sapin, there should be at least some form of defense on the Forest border’s, don’t you think?”

“The Elshire Forest is a form of defense,” Priscilla Glayder added, pointing with her finger to the lower portion of the forest on the map laid out in front of them. “The mana-laden fog itself has been a form of deterrence to everyone but elves since its existence. Even the attacks attempted yesterday would’ve failed eventually if you chose to ignore the intruders. The Alacryans and beasts would’ve gotten lost and starved themselves to death long before they reached any outskirt cities of Elenoir.”

“The forest itself is a part of the kingdom of Elenoir, and there are still tribes of elves housed outside of the cities,” Alduin stated, his voice growing louder. “With that same reasoning just now, Sapin would also be better off abandoning the wall and the small outpost cities near the border so that there’s less land to protect.”

“How can you even call that an adequate comparison!” Blaine roared, slamming his palms down on the roundtable. “The easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is through the northern range of the Grand Mountains, from Sapin. If Sapin goes down, even the outer cities, the Alacryans will have far easier access to your lands as well!”

“Watch your tone, Councilman,” Merial snapped, her bright blue eyes growing dark. “You act as though the elves are in your debt when we have sent plenty of mages to help your forces fend off the Alacryans from your waters. If even a fourth of those soldiers were stationed to guard the forest borders, we wouldn’t even be needing this meeting.”

The former human queen spoke, her chilling voice soothing the heated argument. “The truth remains as it is. While you can say that the Elshire Forest is part of your kingdom, no cities or even towns have yet to see battle. Until such a need grows, sending troops will only weaken the borders that are continuously facing battles.”

Alduin rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. When he opened them, his emerald eyes locked into mine. “All we’re requesting is sending some of our men back to Elenoir so that they can defend their home.”

“There is no your men. Did you forget? The Council was formed to unite the three races because we predicted an outside threat. Our job is to stay impartial and lead the entire continent into a victory over the Alacryans, not just Elenoir,” Blaine rebutted before turning to face me. “I implore Commander Virion that he remains impartial for the sake of this war.”

“You talk of impartiality when you’ve been single-mindedly focused on what’s best for your kingdom!” Alduin argued, the tip of his ears turning red. “And if the whole sake of the Council was to unite the three races, yet one of the three races isn’t even present, doesn’t that defeat the whole point?”

“Enough!”

Those present in the room felt the palpable pressure that I cast on the place. Even Priscilla, with her core on the verge of turning silver, paled as she struggled.

“I’ve heard both sides, and before you further degrade yourselves by arguing like spoiled children, I’ll inject myself.”

Both Blaine and Alduin flushed with anger and embarrassment but remained silent.

I cast a sharp gaze to everyone inside before speaking again. “Based on the number of attacks, Sapin remains a priority for the Alacryans. As Councilman Blaine mentioned, the easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is from crossing the northern range of the Grand Mountains from Sapin, and since there have been small strikes near that area, we are to proceed under the assumption that the Alacryans know this as well. We’ll send more troops to solidify that area’s defense.”

“That still doesn’t—”

Another pulse of mana sent Alduin’s jaw to snap shut.

“As for the defense of the southern borders of Elenoir, we’ll have several units of the Trailblazer division stationed to only make expeditions down the dungeons nearby so that they can resurface and act as additional support in case of more attacks in the forest.”

The room remained tense, but everyone seemed satisfied—just barely.

“Good,” I nodded. “Now. As for the biggest issue. Our alliance with the dwarves has remained neutral at best the best of times, and hostile for the remainder. Even with the formation of the Council, the dwarven representatives have always had their own agenda and priorities, but I’m hoping that will soon change.”

I turned my head toward the single door, and everyone followed. After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat. “You can come in now.”

“Oh, damn, I missed my cue!” a gruff voice sounded from the other side of the room.

I could feel a smile forming on my lips.

The ornamented knob shook harshly before a brawny dwarf with a thick white beard and a decorated robe that seemed a few sizes too tight walked inside.

With a childish grin, he took a seat in the empty chair closest to him before introducing himself. “Buhndemog Lonuid. Pleasure to meet y’all.”

ARTHUR LEYWIN

Walking down the neverending flights of stone stairs, I remained entranced by the bustle of activity all around us. I couldn’t help but think how misleading the name ‘the Wall’ was—it was so much more.

Each flight of stairs led to a different floor within the Wall. The highest stories remained relatively minimal with reinforced metal and stones continually being maintained by human and dwarven mages. There were also teams of conjurers and archers stationed on these upper floors, responsible for firing down at the enemies below through the numerous embrasures.