Part XVII - Circumstances have Changed
General Olcarlamon
“Of course we will not surrender the King to your guards, Lord Atticon,” I said emphasizing the Lord part instead of referring to him as King, as he demanded.
He bristled in front of me. I could tell he wanted to kill me, but to do so would’ve set off an Elvin civil war. Not even Atticon would want that. We’d only ever had a few of those in the history of Elves and they almost always ended with all parties dead.
Atticon looked toward the council. “If the boy is not willing to confront me, I have earned my place on the throne. He should be disposed of.”
The council didn’t move, not one of them, which I have to give them credit for. Finally, the head of the council, a very old Elvin woman from the old Nordic world finally spoke.
“The rules of the Elvin Council are very clear Lord Atticon,” she said referring to his accurate position, as I had just done a few moments earlier.
“The king is not required to confront his or her challenger, until they have matured into their powers, and the council is in agreement. This is something you know, or should’ve known.”
Atticon shook with anger, but he couldn’t challenge the council. They were old and powerful in their own right. None of them less than a half a millennium old. Among them, my mere three hundred years was still considered a youngster. Most of these individuals lived lives deep within forests, caves or other secret and unknown locations, only coming out when the council was convened.
The fact they communicated telepathically could be infuriating, even for those of us not having the council pass down rulings that regarded us. I could only imagine how an elf with Atticon’s temperament was dealing with them.
“I am the king of all Elvedom, and this council doesn’t hold power over me. I order you to hand over the boy or I will…”
Atticon stood stone still and I turned to see what’d stopped his outrageous screeching. I looked over at the council who as one were staring at the man. Not one word passed their lips, but I could tell they were working together to hold the powerful elf in place.
Then, one by one, the council members stood to go until the speaker for the council was the only one left in the chamber. She waved her hand and the spell that held Atticon was lifted.
“The council warns you Lord Atticon, that you are in fact subject to the rules set forth by our forefathers, and as such, the council has the power to silence you. Do not challenge our position again.” She said, then turned to go.
Atticon’s rage poured out of him as he chanted a murder spell and cast it at the Council leader. She disintegrated as the spell engulfed her then just as fast reformed in front of him.
“For that, you will have your powers restricted,” she said and touched his forehead with her index finger. Atticon shook as if she were electrocuting him, then when she removed her finger, he fell to the earth.
“Your powers are restricted for no less than three years Atticon, and if you make any other moves toward the high council, who have been given our charter by the actual kings and queens of this land, we will remove your powers permanently. Am I understood?”
Atticon was still shaking in a heap on the ground but he nodded. She disappeared again, this time not returning as Atticon’s soldiers rushed in and collected him from the earth.
I couldn’t have been more impressed with the council. I had no idea they had the power that they did. But, by restricting Atticon’s power, they had in fact given the real king time to mature into his power. Of course, Atticon had to use his power against them for that to happen. Something told me they had expected this to be the outcome.
I would never second guess the Elvin Council again, because they were certainly not to be taken lightly. A mistake the hateful, so-called King Atticon had learned the hard way.
I left before Atticon's men could come after me, gathering my own men and women around me. We teleported back to the camp, but not before I stopped in the void to watch the boy king.
I didn't make myself known, not even Clack could see me or the other elves.
I sent my soldiers on and remained to watch. I had no experience with this elf. His foster parents hadn't given me a lot of helpful information about him. Mostly, they saw him as a lovable clutz.
That made him a danger not only to himself but to my soldiers as well. We'd have to figure that out, and soon. How? I had no idea.
I watched as Clack woke the king then stared with admiration as he took the boy through training exercises. Well, I'll be, I said to myself.
Good job Clack, very good job. Yes, it was totally bad form, and had Milo's parents been alive, Clack could've found himself with a life sentence for treating royalty so, but training the young king was exactly what this situation called for.
I watched as Clack began teaching the boy how to jump. I cringed at how bad he was. Worse than bad. Horrible. Even if a human came at him, he'd be dead in an instant.
Clack was really good with him though. Better than he was even with the other young elves. Patient, friendly, always teasing but prompting him at the same time.
My thoughts began to stir then. Maybe, I could come up with a plan that would work. Maybe, I thought again.
I shifted out of the void and into my mate Litlebeiah's tent. When she looked up I bowed slightly then smiled. "I think I might have a plan, but I'll require your assistance."
Litlebeiah looked at me askance but nodded. If this was going to work, it couldn't be me involved. There were spies everywhere, even amongst my soldiers. This would require delicacy and secrecy on a level I'd never accomplished before. Unfortunately, I didn't have much of an alternative.
I was going to have to turn some of my elves into humans and hide them in a place where Litlebeiah could train the king as well as the other elves. Now, just exactly where was this going to take place?
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