4May 31st, 2006: I haven't updated for two years! I've decided that my writing style before was too juvinile, so I'm rewriting my current chapters, then moving on to write new stuff. To my few readers who thought I dropped off the face of the planet, sorry! Hopefully my new writing style has matured and makes for a better read!
Risanth bowed his head in apology to the head of the council. He stood in the center of a large marble amphitheater, with twenty-one elevated ornate chairs arranged in a circle on the edge of the room. All but three of the chairs were the same height. Those three were taller than the rest, all situated in front of Risanth. The middle chair was the tallest and most decorated of them all. This was where the head of the council was seated.
The head of the council shook his head gravely. He was an elderly man in sapphire blue robes with eyes to match and grey hair that cascaded down his shoulders. "Risanth, this is the third time you have come before the council, and the third time you have failed," his voiced boomed across the expansive room. "I am afraid your faith in the prophecy seems a little misplaced." The other magi in the room began to chatter amongst their neighbours at this proclaimation, their voices a low buzz in the background.
Risanth, an elderly man himself, clad only in a plain white robe with equally white hair, bowed again. "Perhaps, my lord, but I will not claim to perform every spell perfectly on the first try. This is no different." Risanth's voice was calm, steady, and low.
"A fool!" A voice hissed from Risanth's left: another council member, a mage named Kazar. Decked in a hooded black robe, he kept his face hidden within the shadows of the cloth. "The prophecy is nothing but lies concocted by those who refuse to accept reality!"
The head of the council glanced at Kazar and paused for a moment before returning his gaze to the white-clad mage in front of him. He sighed, "I do not believe that Kazar is necessarily correct, but he does bring up a valid point."
"And what point is that, oh wise one?" A hint of sarcasm had crept into Risanth's voice. The white-clad mage stared at the head of the council intensly.
The blue-robed head of the council thought carefully about his next statement, noting Risanth's tone. "Perhaps the prophecy is not accurate, or perhaps we have mistaken it for something more than it really is." Again he glanced at Kazar, who's smug smile could be seen under his hood. "Perhaps it is just false hope," he added, his face contorting angrily.
"False hope?" Risanth spat. "Better I have false hope and act against this encroaching evil than to sit and do nothing!" The white-clad mage spun around, his long hair wrapping around his neck and shoulder. "Believe what you will, Lucent," Risanth stated, using the head of the council's name. "You know as well as I that dark times are ahead of us, regardless of the prophecy. At least I shall have a clear conscience when the time comes." He strode towards the large silver double doors at the opposite end of the room.
Lucent watched Risanth exit through the doors and then ordered the council to silence. Brooding for a moment, he decided perhaps there was something that was missed. "I require three magi to volunteer to research the prophecy again. Retranslate it, cast auguries, compare it to the legends of every race in Ameranth. Whatever it takes to glean more information from it." He let his gaze linger on each of the other twenty magi in the room.
"A waste of time," Kazar hissed loudly. His voice then dropped in volume, "We have already researched it, it means nothing. We require all of our considerable powers to slow the encroachment."
Lucent shook his head and sighed again. "Our powers only slow it, not stop it. We need to find another solution." Again, Lucent met his eyes with each of the magi in turn, until three magi had, albeit reluctantly, volunteered. Not surprisingly, Kazar was not one of them.
Lucent bit down on his lip for a moment, thinking to himself. He turned his head upwards to address the council one last time for the day. "Thank you. Now, we must pool our knowledge and resources again and find a way to stop this encroachment once and for all!"