Chapter 5: The Council of Nine
"I'm going to have a word with a friend," Waxine informed Wicus as she breezed past.The message was delivered as a statement of fact, not as one asking for permission. Waxine was loyal but she never acted in a submissive manner. Quite the contrary, she was one bold candelabra.
Wicus turned to speak to his companion.
She was already floating away up, up, up to the high vaulted ceiling. Waxine gave the Moroccan lantern -- hovering not far away -- a withering look in passing, her flames rising slightly, no doubt for added emphasis should he dare speak.
Wicus’ lips twitched at the nonverbal exchange, noting that the lantern was not foolish enough to open his mouth. Shifting his stance slightly, Wicus rubbed his own palms together lightly and aimed a small smile in the lantern’s direction, meant to be diplomatic. He didn’t hate the lantern even is she did.
Glancing back at Waxine, he wondered what the candelabra’s friend might have to say about the present quest facing those assembled. “In it up to her eyebrows, no doubt,” he said aloud to himself.
As was often the case, Waxine may again prove to be a valuable ally at ferreting out information that others were reluctant to share. Her skills almost rivaled his own, Wicus thought. “Only she never seems to question her judgment the way I do,” he muttered.
Movement by the entrance caught his eye and a wide grin split his lips, spotting his former mentor, Ozel, walking in with a new acolyte. He rushed over to greet him with a one-armed embrace. The Paragon custom for those held in great esteem.
"Hello, my old friend."
"Ah Wicus, how wonderful to see you... well perhaps not in these circumstances," the elder hedged.
"So you’ve heard what’s going on?"
"Yes, yes, it’s a bad business I'm afraid... but we'll sort it out." Turning, Ozel motioned for his assistant, "Come Karl, meet one of the more interesting, former acolytes that I've ever had the opportunity to train."
"Oh, you are too kind Ozel. I remember making plenty of mistakes when I was working with you." Wicus beamed at the praise.
He had vivid memories of being in Ozel’s employ, seeing his fair hair gleaming under the hidden lights that the elder Paragon favored for illumination as he’d worked at the desk. Always one to play matters close to the vest, Ozel wouldn’t endure the scrutiny of a Luminary.
Light had also poured in through the open portals that the then soul minder, now council member, used as windows in his office overlooking the fjords of Iceland. Wicus had been young and eager to help with any project offered.
Of course Ozel was no longer a soul minder even though he’d been quite good at it.
The thought made Wicus wonder at how training with certain Paragons opened doors. He had not selected Ozel. Ozel had picked him. Were some born to be soul minders or administrators or security agents and the like? Was it a voluntary calling or an involuntary one? Clearly such predispositions didn’t apply across the board to all, he mused. Humans had scientists, inventors, artists and entertainers.
In this realm none of those vocations existed. Was it because his society only focused on mating souls? he pondered.
Much like Wellmus, Wicus knew what he was meant to do. He never questioned his duty to the souls under his care. Even if he sometimes questioned his judgment.
Wicus turned to Karl.
"I was fortunate enough to learn from this Paragon.... It’s because of his guidance that I was finally able to join the ranks of soul minders."
Karl, clearly impressed, shook Wicus' hand with both of his.
"Very pleased to meet you sir."
"I remember you were uncertain about carrying out some of my orders, especially if they differed from the course of action you believed correct. You can be a slowpoke and indecisive," recalled Ozel, "You were however always loyal."
Wicus felt a stab of disappointment. He hated being rushed. His smile faltered at the veiled criticism. Pulling his jaw back, lightly grinding his teeth, he was careful to make his expression unreadable. Standing a little taller, he straightened his shoulders and inclined his head in a formal way. Too polite to publicly argue with his former boss. Now wasn’t the time. So much for a pleasant reunion, he thought sarcastically.
"You can count on me to quickly carry out your wishes master," Karl said with great deference.
"Spoken like a true zealot," observed Wicus dryly. He had a gift for detecting bullshit and false confidence. "Who knows, perhaps you'll follow in my footsteps... we could always add another to the brotherhood."
"Save the recruiting talk for another time Wicus, it's only his first day," admonished Ozel, frowning.
Karl grinned.
Ozel motioned for the acolyte to follow as he turned toward the dais.
"Duty first."
The trio was spared further interaction by a council member with light brown hair-- raising his voice above the din speaking from the platform. Wicus quickly moved to listen.
"Soul minders, friends, Luminaries, all Paragons, cease your worry and this turmoil. In the coming hours we will find a solution to this disturbance in our work...none of your souls will go mateless," the council member tried to assure the anxious crowd.
The gathering drew back in anticipation that an answer to their shared dilemma was about to be given.
The other council members shook their heads in agreement. Beside them, Dimitry looked distinctly uncomfortable which was not normal for the head of the Protection Division, euphemistically known as the Safeguards.
The Paragon was older than Wicus, not by much, his eyes had only recently flamed red. He now stepped forward to address the multitude, eyes gleaming with intensity.
Even as he spoke, attempting to quell the unrest, Wicus was assessing him. He’s cagey, Wicus thought, not a surprising attribute for the head of security. His people were supposed to keep alert for such anomalies. This marks a failure of some kind for the department. Again Wicus questioned the unit’s competency.
Dimitry seemed to consciously slow down the cadence of his words. His fiery gaze searching the crowd-- moving from face to face as if committing each to memory.
Does he think there’s going to be a test later? Wicus thought wryly -- and he’ll have to recite all the names of those here? Scowling. Perhaps the security chief is already facing repercussions. How could so many unmated souls be killed without someone noticing and taking preemptive action. If they had -- perhaps Emily’s soul mates could have been spared their fates today.
Fiery eyes around the hall were looking at Dimitry. Some of the expressions attached to them were bordering on belligerent. Are they thinking the same thing? Wicus mused. Moments later his face settled back into an inscrutable mask as he listened to the speech.
"We have assets among the vampires, immortals, witches, and werewolves… in many areas…and if our enemies in the human realm played a role -- I will get to the bottom of it. Rest assured I will find out what caused this... there will be an investigation into the death of each and every human killed today."
There was a murmur of approval from those gathered.
His words surprised Wicus.
"Wait! They were all killed today?" Wicus asked a little too loudly, his face growing slightly warm. "That's too much of a coincidence."
His words echoed across the noise of the hall. Others in the room and those on the dais gave him their full attention.
"Coincidences are our domain," Wicus stated bluntly, feeling puzzled and strangely uneasy. Was there a conspiracy afoot? Who would target Paragons and their work?
"Yes, yes, they are," echoed several others.
"We control coincidences that befall humans," chorused still more Paragons.
A member on the dais gestured at Wicus. His red-orange eyes glowed like charcoal briquettes as he waved his hand.
"Are you suggesting that someone is intentionally orchestrating this?" asked the council member with an angry expression, his fr
ustration at the implication clear.
Wicus shrugged, uncertain.
“The information’s clear…something is going on here. Do you mean to ignore it?” challenged another.
"Who would do such a thing?" Pockets of the crowd murmured.
"You must be wrong, no Paragon would attempt such treachery," muttered others. His observation ricocheted from soul minder to soul minder.
A legislator on the platform leaned down, quickly speaking to two of his acolytes. They went scurrying out of the chamber then he stood upright and nodded to another lawmaker who raised his hands, gesturing for the crowd to be silent.
It took some seconds before they settled down enough for him to be heard.
"Two of our nine have been delayed," the lawmaker announced.
His words created renewed unrest and rancor from the group, so again he gestured for quiet.
"We'll have to meet with them... All of us... and vote on how best to go forward. For now, go back to your provinces and determine your most viable candidates to replace those lost. We will reconvene shortly and finalize a decision about the scope of what will be allowed."
Rather than achieving the desired, calming effect, his comments touched off more upheaval in the room.
"More must be done," another soul minder abrasively objected.
“You know we must have an answer, there’s no alternative!” shouted one redheaded Paragon with yellow flamed eyes.
“YOU WILL HAVE ONE!” the lawmaker shouted back, red in the face. He gave the crowd a look of measured dislike.
"You can't set arbitrary limits!”
"I don't have any candidates who are even close."
"We have to act now!"
"My people need action, not waiting."
"There's no telling how long the retrofitting will take, we must act now."
“We have to act--”
“We must act--”
Their comments ran together getting lost in the general clamor.
Seeing nothing to be gained by joining in, Wicus clamped his lips shut. Exasperated. Could someone really be orchestrating this? he wondered, worried. Were they targeting unmated people in general or was there a reason?
A flaxen haired council member stepped forward with a determined look on his face, fair brow furrowed, shouting to be heard above the din.
“Go home!” he repeated, in a loud, stern voice. “Crowing about like a gaggle of geese will not settle the matter any faster. When our nine are together, we will let you know our decision!”
Groups of Paragons fell silent, obviously irritated.
The speaker turned abruptly away from the crowd to consult with other elders on the rostrum.
Wicus maintained a blank expression which belied his inner turmoil. Disappointed that the council was not leaping into action, he wanted to begin work right away. Or was Waxine right? Should they go behind the council’s back?
Emily Wren deserves a soul mate.
He rubbed his temple. The noisy uproar was starting to give him a headache. Pulling his fingers away from his forehead, he fiddled with the cuff of his tunic, not that it needed straightening, he needed something to do with his hands. His mind was buzzing with all that he’d heard.
For now he wanted to get away from the discord. Find a peaceful spot and sort this out, he needed time to think and plan as was his nature. He turned, eyes searching the ceiling for Waxine -- to motion for her in order to leave.
“Looking for me?” she asked, already hovering by his side.
Glancing at her alert expression it was evident that she was ready to go, yet he could detect traces of something else in her metallic eyes which made him wonder about the conversation she’d had with her friend. He looked at her quizzically, would it help ensure that Emily got her soul mate?
He was more worried now than before. What had happened to cause all of this? Doubt resurfacing. Was it the unmated souls who were targeted or the Paragons? Who would target a Paragon?