The Times Between
by Kimra
Title: War Council
Book: Realms of the Gods
Between: The Barrier's Collapse (prologue) and The War Breaking (chapter 1)
Numair shifted slightly when Daine walked into the room, wondering about his thoughts, these sudden ideas that consumed his attention.
Her hair was a bundle of mess, a hair tie clenched between her teeth. Her expression betrayed hurried disorganisation. Strapped across her back was her sling, her bow was strung and clasped in the hand that simultaneously tried to support the pink dragon (angry - pink? I can't remember exactly right now and I've lent my books to a friend). Her other hand which also helped cradle the squirming immortal clutched a bottle.
Daine looked about the people at the table, the assembly was organised and awake, she ignored the obvious distinction between herself and them as her eyes fell on him. He found himself feeling uncomfortable as the fixture of her stunning blue-grey eyes, then she smiled in relief. Numair felt his chest tighten at the smile, amazed by the reaction within himself and trying desperately to ignore it. Daine strode over to him and with an astonishing show of coordination managed to drop the lively dragon onto his lap without it catching on either of the items she clutched.
At the separation the young dragon began to squeal.
"Kit!" Daine gasped exasperated as she slammed her bow onto the table.
Claiming his often relied upon duty as the dragons distraction Numair caught it's muzzle tightly and turned it to face him.
"Be quite." He warned making his expression stern. Skysong wiggled in his grip like an unruly child then stopped unblinking eyes caught on the mages expression. With a sigh Numair released the dragon and looked up at Daine.
She had removed her sling and thrown it onto the table beside her bow, and had quickly deposited the bottle. Her checks where spread with a blush as she pulled her hair back as neatly as it would allow and tied it down. He marvelled at the curls that refused to be tied back, tumbling about her face in a show of defiance, framing her face perfectly. Daine paid little attention to them, her wide eyes on the assembly who where trying not to notice her disgruntled appearance. With an exasperated sigh she threw herself into the vacant chair beside his.
Kit gave an experimental chirp and Numair rested his hand on her scaly head reminding the dragon of his presence.
"The beastie hasn't given me a second peace since I woke." Daine growled as she picked the bottle off the table. Kit scrambled unceremoniously out from below his hand and jumped the small gap to Daine's lap. Deftly Daine opened the bottle and handed it to the pleading eyed dragon.
"The immortals are unsettled." King Jonathan announced watching Kitten as she gulped down what appeared to be milk.
"Everyone is unsettled." Alanna snapped with bitterness. Her violet eyes and the gem at her throat blazed with the uncertainty her anger was trying to conceal.
Numair noticed Daine stroking the dragons back gently, eyes intent on the speakers. Skysong seemed calmer for the drink, and Numair suspected Daine had gone out of her way to get it. For all her morning grouchiness Daine was not angry with the dragons antics. In truth Skysong rarely acted out of turn when Daine demanded it, but he could understand the feeling of the barrier shattering still lingered in his mind. But it was subsided, it had hardly kept his thrall for a second.
"We don't even know where the attacks will start!" Gareth the younger, Gary as his friends called him snapped, brining the conversation no one wanted to start forwards.
Numair looked at all the faces of those in the room. They where all angry, worse they where all scared. The only person that seemed unaffected was Daine, although he knew better. Her eyes flicked about the table with uncertainty, she had seen war, battled creatures from myths almost forgotten, she had gone wild and come back again but she had never seen these people scared. Numair suspected she was preparing for battle, what ever battle they sent her to she was preparing to win.
Watching as the others debated he found himself transfixed with Daine, watching her out the corner of his eye absently. Kitten was a strange shade of purple, having clamed a bit, but her attention jaunted from speaker to speaker like a cat watching mice. Daine's hand rested on Kittens flank as loath to part with the immortal as the immortal had been with her. And he watched her young face, her brows where creased as she followed the conversation with intensity, a conversation he could hardly make himself recognise yet alone pay attention to. The corners of her lips turned down made his throat tight with worry, she rarely let anything deter her beautiful smile.
"I hope they attack soon." Daine muttered bringing all conversations to a halt. Numair turned to face her fully, appreciating the excuse and mortified that he was so struck by her when the night before no thought of the kind had seemed to exist. The more he watched her, as she shifted rather uncomfortably under the stares of the assembly, the more he wondered how long he had been tricking himself into believing she was merely a friend. "I mean." She stammered blushing slightly at the oddity of her own words. "I mean, if they wait, there going to be organised. There's more chance of it being an invasion. Instead of lots of little groups of nasitis wreaking havoc here and there as they please." The others continued to stare at her a little taken by the words. "It would be easier to fight an army of them, all in one spot higgledy-piggledy. But the chances of winning are higher with pockets of immortals here and there." She fell silent watching them all, the corners of her lips turned down further then before. Alanna breathed first, looking sobered by Daine's words.
"You just made me wish there where immortals beating on the castle gates, Daine." Alanna's voice betrayed her fear and every other face in the room had lost all pretence of anger as they stared at Daine.
"What are the odds of them attacking as an army?" Jonathan's voice shook with the words as he looked about the room. Her words had a sobering effect on all of them, not just Alanna. Though Numair was inclined to reach over and clasp Daine's hand reassuringly, she looked as shaken as the others. He tried to decide if the day before he would have had the same urge and knew he would have, still he fought it down.
"We don't even know if the immortals are aware the barrier is gone yet." Thayet interjected practically.
"Skysong is very much aware of the barriers destruction." Numair waved his hand at the dragon who chirped at her name. "And I would guess, that if the majority have not begun attacking yet we have to expect a full fledged war." Numair wished he didn't have to say the words, but knew they had to be said.
"An immortal war." Daine whispered forlorn and without thinking he caught her hand squeezing it gently. She smiled gratefully at him and the reaction in his body to her smile made him resolve never to repeat the action.
"Then we wait." Jonathan's defeated tone stunned them all, although there had been few other options. "We fight the bands that show up when they show up and wait for this army to make it's first move." Everyone let the words soak in, then slowly like a ripple they responded.
"So mote it be."
Best of luck with everything and for those who where concerned I'm feeling much better now. Thanks all.
Kimra
EXTRA Note: For some reason there is a spare chapter apearing in the count, however it doesn't exist, it's a ghost chapter and I don't know where it came from or how to get rid of it.