The meeting room was hexagonal-shaped, built with light-colored wood and decorated with gold. I had only realized now that there were massive heaps of sunflowers that decorated the room. Earlier, while walking, I'd also seen some that lined the grand palace halls. Sunflowers were also tied to wrap each of the columns. It may have given me a lighter feel, but the eerie quietness of this room was much too heavy. The tension weighed between the Elder Council and the Khlorisian Temple that only a fool would not feel it. I can even see invisible thunderbolts surrounding them.
High Priest Marcus cleared his throat before speaking. The sound seemed to echo through the six corners of the room. These people's faces were as still as a rock. Or maybe they are rocks—they're so silent that they might actually be inanimate objects.
"So as you all know-"
"Yes, of course we know."
The high priest wasn't able to continue his sentence because a council member cut him off. All of our gazes were now shifted to that person.
A man of middle age touched his white mustache, a similar color with his hair, while speaking. "We are already aware that this girl wrapped up in bandages can call out perithia from afar. So what?"
"So... what?" The brown-skinned priest repeated the question as his eyebrows met, probably thinking that he might have heard wrong.
Even I was quite appalled.
"What's new with a descendant with a defect? Please, it's not that shocking anymore, really."
Did I hear that right? They're saying that I am a defect as a descendant?
Hearing him, the other council members snickered one after the other. The two ladies covered their mouths, but their mocking stares were evident. The faces of the high priests didn't look happy with their reactions.
"It's not a defect, she-"
"Can extract from far places, we know, we know. But her allergy to flowers is not cured yet, is it not? Misfortunate it may be, but the girl overlaps with the 'broken ones'. Is it not obvious?" The lady with ebony hair, the one who gave me a disapproving look just seconds when I entered the room, closed her fan with a snap. She then leers at my direction with her sharp obsidian eyes before facing High Priest Marcus. "Her ability is extraordinary and she can now bring life back to the East, I give her that. But that does not mean that we should be sitting here facing each other. May I remind you that the council has more pressing matters to attend to?"
The council members nod in agreement.
I thought my problem was serious? How could these people treat it like it's nothing? This day might not actually end without me not strangling a council member!
And what do they mean by "broken ones"?
"As do us, Lady Millicent." One of the high priests said. "But the temple thinks that this case needs attending to. And may I also remind you of how many times we'd advised you to refrain from calling our desendants 'broken ones'? The people are starting to call them that term as well, I fear the day that it might get out of hand."
"High Priest Jacques, Lady Millicent only speaks the truth. Surely we do not have the time to deal with a generation of malfunctioning descendants." One of the lords of the council crossed his arms as his mouth twisted into a mocking smile.
What the hell? He just termed the phrase differently.
"Do not call them that. These children are blessed upon by the goddess Khloris."
"Oh are they now?"
"You dare doubt the goddess?"
"No, but we do doubt the temple."
The argument went on and each of them snarled over each other like two packs of wolves fighting for whoever takes the prey laid between them. Only Gabriel and Marcus stayed silent as the dispute between the council and the temple went on. While I just sat there like I did not even exist. Passing and going, invisible like the wind itself.
What is up with these people?
"I told you not to invite them together." Gabriel leaned towards Marcus, lips pressed. "These people are just like oil and water, they repel each other."
The high priest sighed, "I just thought that they wouldn't go as far as fighting in front of a teenage girl. It's not that surprising, but they actually don't care much about their reputations after all."
He ran a hand through his face before turning to me.
"I apologize for this, young lady. Please bear with it a little longer. They will stop and then leave soon enough."
To stop was one thing, but to eventually leave? I raised my eyebrows before asking.
"How do you know that?"
"As young as we might be, we've been with these people long enough to know that they can never stand each other, so much that there is a hidden rule within the castle not to put the Elder Council and the High Priests in one room at the same time." Gabriel shakes his head as he leans back to his chair. "Marcus just doesn't learn."
Now that I realize, these two looked much younger than the rest. The others were already quite old—maybe aged forties or fifties.
"Why do they hate each other so much?" I clamped my hands beneath the table, hoping that my question did not sound downright offensive.
Marcus lets out a gentle chuckle and turns to the bickering people in front of us. "Just listen and you'll know."
A high priest suggesting someone to listen to other people's conversations? Now that was new.
"This is actually quite fun." Gabriel added, looking amused.
I focused and tried to make out the words they were saying.
Lady Millicent was already red, fuming with rage. "It is the temple's fault that the emperor has become a coward! You poison his thoughts with words!"
"It is not our fault that our suggestions deem worthy of consideration by the emperor."
"Are they really? The temple feeds him with nonsensical ideas! It's because of you people that he shrugs off the foregoing bombings everywhere in our empire. Why are the culprits not found yet? Is someone even looking for those bastards?!"
"We do not feed him anything. The Dryads are already working to track the perpetrators."
"Ah, the guild in the Northwestern Region, they're as much as your puppets as the emperor, am I right?"
"Just as much as yours is the Crown Prince."
"You cross the line."
"The line has long been crossed by the council."
And so they go on. From what I had observed, the Elder Council is angry that the emperor favors the Khlorisian Temple more than his assigned advisers. The once dreading silence of the room had been filled with enraged voices wanting to become louder than the other.
Booming voices, aggressive gestures, eyes that seemed to roll out of their sockets, gritted teeth—all of these seemed like common occurences to each of the groups' youngest members.
These people didn't forget why they came here, did they? They might have possibly forgotten that I'm here at all. But I don't care about adults and their petty fights. I came here to look for answers. I've already been waiting for days, a few more weeks wouldn't hurt. It looked like the high priest on my right was the only one interested in talking anyways. Still, I can already feel the stuffiness brought about by the bandages.
I just hope that they'll get over this as soon as possible.
The goddess seemed to have heard my little request since a council member stood up and slammed both of his hands onto the table. The room went silent for a second, all of our attentions went to him.
"I've had enough of this!" The white-mustached man shouted and walked out.
"Hmph." The ladies stood at the same before following the other.
The last one to stand turned and thrust out one finger to Gabriel before leaving. "You, stay here. Just report to us what's so important with the girl with bandages. Not that I expect her to be, anyway." His voice turned into a murmur at the last sentence.
After the four members of the council had disappeared, one by one, the high priests decided to stand as well. The last one to go only gave High Priest Marcus a pat on the shoulder before walking off.
They hate each other that they'd rather not go out at the same time, huh? Pretty intense.
Finally, the only ones left inside the now spacious room was the three of us. A bandaged girl and a single member left from both parties. The solitude seemed to stretch out. I decided to waste no time idling and start up a conversation.
"Uhh... we can talk now, right?" I asked, starting to feel the bile creeping up on my throat.
"Yes," Gabriel says, letting out a long breath of relief. "now that those old coots are out."
The high priest shifted his seat to face me while the youngest council member to my left also did the same. Both of them wore solemn expressions. In just a few moments, the air around us shifted into heaviness again. The brown-skinned priest lifted his mouth to speak.
"I want to tell you first that the informations I found are contents within ancient texts and are long since forgotten. I have gathered up a few theories, would you be willing to listen?"