"Reports are increasing," Gideon muttered, stretching his black and royal purple wings and shifting the weight of the scrolls in his hand. "Vampires are beginning to encroach on our Realm. Subtle movements, but they're there."
Laric turned towards Gideon at his words. His ice-blue eyes scanned over the scrolls. "Any particular reason?"
"No reason that we can easily discern," Gideon admitted, his grey eyes flicking back down to the scrolls he held. He unfurled one, revealing a detailed map of the Realm. Each inked line showing the territories that had been set when the Realm was first made. They currently lived in the West, and the small red markings were scattered all over the map, but seemed to concentrate the most in the West and South.
"Perhaps they have grown tired of feeding on mortal blood," Laric suggested, though his voice reflected the doubt he felt in that statement. His ice blue eyes narrowing at the map. His black and white wings twitched restlessly, echoing his underlying concern.
Gideon nodded, a thoughtful frown shadowing his features. "That or something in the Mortal Realm is driving them away." He ran a hand through his purple braids, frustration palpable as he tried to think of why they were flocking to the Realm now when they never wanted to live here before.
"Something to do with the Mortal Realm..." Laric murmured, echoing Gideon's thoughts. His gaze drifted back to the map, scanning the red markings clustering in the West and South. "Perhaps we should send a scout...to assess the situation there."
Gideon nodded, eyes still on the map. "I'm thinking Riven's group." He held up a finger, though Laric hadn't spoken any objections yet. "I know six is a larger group. But I don't want anyone going in alone. They pair off well, and 3 groups of two will cover more territory. They also hold every element but Water between them, and have done well on scouting missions before."
"The larger group would indeed provide a safety net," Laric conceded, his gaze focused on Gideon, taking in the seriousness in his grey eyes before returning to the map. His long black warrior braids swayed as he nodded in agreement. "Riven's team has shown remarkable proficiency in their past missions. We also need to inform the High Council about these movements...Quietly, of course."
"They'll need to be apprised," he finally agreed, shoulders tensing slightly. "But we must tread carefully. This could easily start a panic amongst those that remember...or know about the last war." He rolled up the scroll, placing it onto the desk with the others.
Gideon's eyes met Laric's, sensing the other Warrior's shared concern. He had faith in Laric's ability to maintain discretion as well as his own, but the High Council...it was an amalgamation of personalities and motivations. While each species held council seats divided by types, the Demons held six. They were led by a mix of Flame, Storm, Shadow, Water, Air and Earth. Some ruled with calmness while others were more mercurial in their decisions.
"My Uncle has started to resume his duties," Gideon added after a pause. His tone held a note of relief. "But springing this on him may set him back. He will want to be right on top of everything, especially having been confined to bed rest. And the healers are not going to be happy if he overworks himself."
"I know your Uncle has been restless," Laric mused, his gaze drifting towards the scrolls piled high on their desk. "However, he should be made aware only when we have enough evidence. An unexpected and sudden burden will not do him good." Reaching out to lightly brush his fingers against Gideon's, he grins slightly. "Even if he has been driving you spare trying to get some of his duties back."
Gideon chuckled, capturing Laric's hand with his own and giving it a squeeze. "Indeed. It's been a challenge keeping him rested. But I'm grateful he is recovering, even if it does mean he's going to go back to meddling." He leaned in closer to Laric, their wings brushing.
Laric hummed appreciatively, leaning slightly into Gideon's touch, the warmth from his hand seeping through and offering comfort. "The last thing we need is for him to exhaust himself again. I think the healers really will bind him to the bed if he shrugs off their orders one more time."
Gideon snorted at the thought, "Uncle Damien, bound to a bed by disgruntled healers? Now, that's a sight I'd like to see." He relaxed into Laric's touch, his grey eyes sparkling with mirth for a moment before the sobering reality of their discussion came back to him. "But enough about my trouble-making uncle. We have other problems to deal with."
He sighed quietly, squaring his shoulders as he released Laric's hand to gather up the scrolls again. "We should prepare Riven's team...and start drafting a careful message for the High Council."
Agreed," Laric replied, his gaze turning serious as he helped Gideon gather the scattered scrolls into a neat pile. He moved one scroll to the top, this one depicting detailed illustrations of known vampire clans. "Once we give them all the information we can, I am sure they will be able to leave tonight. And then we can add that to the reports to the High Council. That we already have scouts out and will have more information soon."
Gideon just nodded, before turning to leave the room. Laric only a step behind him, both still worrying over what all this could mean.