He walked back into the room and felt a shiver run through him. While he had been talking to Wyla the atmosphere in the room had changed. If it had been a room full of suspicious dragons before now he felt outright hostility from them.
He glanced at Lou, who was still safe in the same spot he'd left him.
"Have a seat humans." The Elder motioned to the round table, two chairs had been brought out at some point. Compared to the ornate chairs that the dragons sat in, it was clear that these were pulled from some random place, but at least he could sit at last. The tension of the last half hour was getting to him. He looked at Lou and was pretty sure the younger man felt the same way, an assumption that was proved correct when Lou all but collapsed into the chair.
All the other dragons present sat and he soon followed their example. He did sit a little slower since his body was once again reminding him that he was still a little too injured to be falling down and moving around as much as he had.
His and Lou's seats were to the side of and a little behind the Elder since there was no room for two more seats at the table. Even if there was room Tate felt that it would cause a riot if the "humans" were seated any closer. He still didn't know the full scope of what was occurring here but he did know that these dragons considered themselves to be important and were probably considered important by others as well.
"What proposition do you plan to make to these two?" The one named Mort questioned.
"Yes, Elder, I'd like to hear this plan as well, as would we all. I know that you are the greater authority in the Nest but this council exists to promote the will of the citizens of our society. That being said before you go forward with any dealings related to these humans, I think we should all be informed as to what you are proposing." The one who spoke this time was a male who looked to be in his late teens. His eyes were crystal blue and even Tate couldn't help but think he was a very handsome male. He had the kind of face that made people take a second look. He was also composed and eloquent, his voice was surprisingly deep coming from that face. The combination was quite distracting and Tate soon realized he was staring when the male made eye contact with him.
Caught, Tate swung his gaze immediately to the Elder. Instead of seeing the Elder though he saw Lou's profile next to him. Lou was staring at the same male with a tight mouth and wide eyes. Tate watched as Lou's eyes dart away like Tate's had done when the male made eye contact. Then Lou's eyes darted around nervously, Tate couldn't help but be amused as he watched Lou's pupils shake because he couldn't find a safe place for them to land.
"Humans do not belong here."
The statement from the Elder broke the momentary silence. She had leaned forward towards the table. Her elbows rested on the table's surface and her fingers were interlocked. She'd rested her chin on her fingers and was turning her head from side to side to look at all the dragons in turn.
Even though she was young, she was very impressive. Tate could only marvel at how she masterfully controlled a room full of powerful beings with just a look. Her tone emphasized how she felt about their questions. She sounded bored and just a little amused, like they were small children that she was indulging.
They all nodded in agreement to her statement even as they flinched a little bit when it was their turn to be looked at by her.
"However, being a human is not a crime." She placed her palms down on the table and pushed herself back against the chair taking on an air of seriousness. "As for the barrier I will be sending out our top scribe as well as requesting help from the mage city to inspect it. We do need to make sure that this does not occur again. Let me remind you all that although humans were forced out of the greater world, it was not for any fault of their own. It was for the protection of our species as well as others that the barrier was made. Much time has passed since then and as you can see from the examples before you," she gestured to them. "The human society has moved on and their existence with the dragons beyond the barrier is viewed quite differently from how we would view such things. This only makes sense given how long those dragons have been cut off from their origins. I doubt that any of those dragons have any idea what the markings mean or why they create such a bond with humans. Looking into this one's mind," all eyes fell on Tate, "to the extent that I was able to I can assure you that the human's level of ignorance in this subject is even more severe. In the absence of truth, their society has created its own explanations for these things. I do not see any need to correct these humans at this time because I do not think revising that knowledge will be useful to their society when they return. What we see as an abomination is woven into the very foundation of their culture. I think it only right that we try to help them return to their rightful places since I don't think we have any real grounds to dispose of them."
"How do you propose that we send them back to where they came from?" A dragon who had not spoken before asked.
"I would like to introduce them to the most powerful mage alive today. I believe that person could do this task."
"Are you referring to the mage they call Kru?"
The Elder smiled then, a mysterious smile that made everyone shift uncomfortably.
"Perhaps."
"What do you mean perhaps? Who else would you be referring to?" The female, Nalana burst out.
The Elder shot her a glare at her tone, but the female didn't seem ready to repent.
"As to that, there might be someone more powerful than the mage available."
"Since when?" Mort asked.
"Before I answer that I need to test something about this human." She looked at Tate. "It will only be worth my time to make introductions if I can confirm a few things."
"What test?" The blue-eyed dragon asked. All the dragons looked just as lost as Tate felt.
The Elder smirked and looked at them all once again, when her gaze met Tate's he felt that pressure again. She stared at him for what seemed an eternity but was probably only a second before moving her gaze to Lou who looked like her gaze made him dimish in size.
"On second thought, you are all probably right. What am I doing trying to go out of my way to get them back to their rightful place." She nodded to herself and looked at her hands before letting out a longsuffering sigh. "I apologize my council, I was trying to overcomplicate things. Let's just dispose of them, they're not our problem anyway and no one from their side of the barrier will know what happened to them either way."
Tate felt his heart freeze, suddenly he could hear his own breath. All the dragons seemed suspended in time for just a moment. He saw a thousand thoughts and emotions flash across different faces.
Mort moved first. Quicker than a human could dream of moving he rounded the table and grabbed Lou by his hair. He dragged him backwards causing the chair to flip and Lou let out a cry of pain and terror. It was a sound that Tate would never forget.
He remembered hearing those kinds of sounds all through his childhood. He had often been the reason for people making those kinds of sounds. His ears rang as memories came flooding back and everything before him became a mixture of reality and his past.
In his eyes it was Aquana there, her jaws were clamped around Lou's shoulder and Lou was whimpering in terror. Tate had stood and turned towards Mort and Lou as soon as Lou had been dragged backward without even realizing it.
All the dragons were on their feet and a few were moving towards Tate but Tate was oblivious to it all. Everything had slowed down for him.
A hand full of claws appeared at Lou's throat. Something grabbed his own shoulder and he tried to pull away but couldn't.
He saw a line of red appear on Lou's neck.
It just happened, he wasn't even in his right mind at this point.
"Stop it." He growled.
Everyone froze.
======
Everyone but the Elder was paralyzed. The Elder looked on with satisfaction. It was as she'd suspected.
The poor boy probably wouldn't remember any of this, he was too out of his mind at the moment. Seeing the proof of what he could do she couldn't blame him, it was an ability that would put a human out of his mind.
She watched as his nose began to stream blood, and then she saw it pool in his ear a moment before falling down.
"That's enough." She said softly.
Everyone jerked slightly when they were able to move again. "Mort, let him go."
Mort took a moment to comply, but she knew that was just because he was too startled to react at first. A blustering braggart Mort may be but he was no fool.
"Everyone sit back down." She commanded. In their shock for once, they all complied easily.
The younger human male stood where he had been left, trembling like a leaf.
She snapped her fingers three times and a female entered the room.
She stopped and bowed before the Elder. "Amiea, please bring me a vile of gold."
The woman bowed and backed away and in what seemed mere moments she returned with a clear vile of a liquid that looked like gold to those who were not familiar with it. The Elder took it from her hands and then gestured to the petrified little human. "Please escort this human to the small guest chamber, and give him something to help him sleep."
Amiea again bowed and went to the younger human. She took him by the wrist and he allowed himself to be led away in a daze. Poor little thing.
The Elder looked at the one called Tate. "Here, drink this." She handed him the vile and he took it from her hands. He looked at her without a word and didn't move.
"It will heal you, I suggest you take it quickly or you're likely to pass out and then where will you and your fragile companion be?"
Still not looking away from her or making an expression at all he uncapped it and downed it in one go.
It only took moments for it to take effect. His eyes widened and he took a deep breaths. She nodded in satisfaction as she noted that no new blood was dripping from his nose or ears.
She looked deeply into his eyes again and had to smile to herself thinking that she would never get tired of looking at his eyes. She spoke to the room at large. "I will introduce him to the most powerful dragon mage if he can pass the traditional trials. Only such a mage can open the barrier at will. If he fails then we will just dispose of him and the other one. After witnessing my test, does anyone here object."
She finally looked away from his golden eyes and looked around. The young ones were all shaking their heads vehemently. She was satisfied.
She looked at him again, pleased. This poor little human didn't know what he'd just done. He had no way of understanding what was about to happen, but he would learn.