A soft drizzle was falling over Almatheis tonight as Ariel watched the city through the large glass window of the Starwatch observatory, which also happened to be her father’s office. It’s so funny she thought to herself, how the people keep going on with their lives, day after day… unaware of what’s really happening around them.

     Ariel’s view from the top of the Zenith tower, where the observatory sat was blurred, as water drops running down the glass hindered the view of the city lights below and beyond. Where is that fool, she wondered. It’s been 4 hours already…

     She looked up through the glass dome on the roof of the office as rain clouds cleared away, revealing Minaroca, shining above like a beautiful full moon. She heard a soft shuffle next to one of the curtains that framed the main desk. Finally, she sighed with slight relief.

     There was a soft knock on the wooden double doors of the observatory as they opened, and a respectful voice announced “Lord Ardun Barakat, Master of the tower.” Damn… this will have to wait, Ariel took a deep breath.

     Her father stormed into the room, his face red with frustration, “Ariel!” he stopped behind his desk as she turned slowly to face him, her long white silk dress swirling as she did so. The door to the office closed shut. “What is the meaning of this? Ardun continued, “We didn’t… you arranged for this? This is not what we discussed!”

     She always wore her chestnut hair short, thought it gave her a more serious and regal look. “Father, what are you saying?” she replied with a confused look on her face, “You knew the risks involved in doing things this way, the hand is a loose cannon. I warned you…”

     “No!” Ardun silenced her, “people were killed, at the academy of all places…” he seemed to get lost in thought for a moment before continuing, “Students! For god’s sake. They were supposed to…” he lowered his voice, “they were supposed to cause some damages, maybe wound some guards…” he fell in his chair, “not…” his head slumped forward a bit, “no…” passing his hands through his snowy hair, golden rings shining, one on each hand.

     Ariel’s tall, slim figure approached his desk. “I told you before, the hand is not under my control, and are the only ones crazy enough to pull something like this. Besides…” she arranged several documents he had sitting on his desk, golden rings matching her father’s on her own hands “they allowed for plausible deniability on our part.”

     “Don’t give me that crap!” He snapped back, “do you even know where my grandchildren are? are they alive?” slamming his hand on the desk.

     She froze for a moment, taken aback by his words. How dare he ask me that question, she relaxed before answering, “father, I am just as anxious as you are to know the whereabouts of my children, but I am still waiting on Valiaq to arrive and give me a report, though he assured me before all this, that they would take special care not to harm them”

     Ardun’s heavy frame shifted in his chair, and he composed himself as he started loosening his turquois tie, which sat nicely on his overtight, celeste shirt “I um…. Well uh… let’s wait for that imbecile then, to arrive and give us his report.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a box of cigarettes, pulling one out and putting it in his mouth as he looked for a lighter “I’m just…” he found it “I just don’t want anything to jeopardize what your grandfather and I worked so hard for, and I hope this…”

     A new knock on the door came and it barely opened when a nervous voice asked “Lord Ardun?”

     “Yes?” Ardun answered, as his face regaining his formal blush as he struggled to light his cigarette “what is it?”

     “I’m sorry to interrupt you my Lord but…” the man stopped as if seeking for the courage to continue “it’s Lord Wolfe sir, he’s calling for an emergency meeting, he is asking for your presence.”

     “Son of a… of course he does. God dammit!” Ardun looked like he could flip his desk over and throw it through the window. “Tell him that… you know what?” he looked at Ariel as he got up “I’ll tell him myself.”

     Marcus Graham was approaching the entrance of the observatory, curiously looking at the guard that cowered by the door, when Ardun Barakat swung it open and stormed through, “Lord Barakat,” he managed to say as he passed by him without answering back.

     Ariel saw him standing at the door “Marcus? How are you? Don’t mind him, please come in” she signaled him forward, as she returned to stand by the window.

     “What’s going on Ariel?” he walked to stand by the desk, “everyone is talking about calling for a state of emergency. What the hell happened in Minaroca?”

     She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at him, “Valiaq’s contact in the Obsidian Hand went too far, but I think it will help our cause all the same.”

     “Are you sure about that?” he grabbed the cigarette box that Ardun left over the desk and studied it, “we still have to find a way to lay all the blame on the old man…” he put the box back on the table, moving close to her “do you think you can still manage to take over? to have him removed so that you can assume the head of the council?” he grabbed her by the shoulders “you know you have my unconditional support on this.”

     She softly pulled away “I know, my friend. I am most grateful for it. I know that with your help I can move our agenda forward… refresh this council with new blood before it crumbles under its own weight and we lose everything to the stupid new rings,” she scorned.

     Marcus’ face matched her feelings, “I don’t know why they decided to bring in people from the surface, it has only weakened us. These new rings… they are unworthy of our secrets, of this power,” he rose his hands to his face and observed his own twin steel rings.

     “We’ll be fine,” Ariel replied as she walked to a library that dominated the far end of the observatory, and pushed a secret button behind some books, opening a door that revealed several liquor bottles hidden inside. “just please… give me a moment by myself, I need to figure out our next move,” she opened up a bottle of scotch and started pouring herself a cup “you should probably get going anyway, you’ll be summoned yourself for that meeting downstairs anytime now.”

     “Yes” Marcus said, looking longingly at her as she was turned away, “you’re right, I’ll be heading to the meeting hall. We can talk about this tomorrow.” He walked towards the door, stopping by a small table close by. On top of it was a jigsaw puzzle portraying five people sitting on thrones, floating in the sky. Five pieces were missing though, one for each of their faces. “You never found the rest of this puzzle, did you? We spent so many nights putting it together when we were kids… and all for nothing”

     “No,” she spoke softly from the back, “I never found them… but I have never stopped looking.”

     Marcus smiled, and left the room.

     Ariel stood in silence drinking from her cup in deep meditation, your time has come dear father, you’ll see. It’s time to pay for your mistakes… she set her cup down on one of the libraries shelves, speaking out loud “so, Valiaq… what information do you bring back from tonight’s events? Are Adelle and Desmond alright?”

     “Lady Ariel,” a voice answered back as a tall, bent man came out of the shadows behind one of the heavy curtains next to Ardun’s desk. He wore a plain white shirt and jeans as he stood behind her, “the attack at Minaroca went as planned, and the academy is in complete disarray, there were no casualties on our side so there is no one left as evidence, and no witnesses alive to tell the tale. Your children of course, were long gone, and are unaware of what has happened, and unharmed.”

     “Why didn’t they wait more before attacking?” she seemed regretful, “there were still too many students left in the reception hall. They could have waited until most of them had gone through the displacement chambers… it was a bloodbath.”

      The man was impassive as he answered, his voice neutral “the hand decided it would send a clearer message. I believe that to be true, looking at how things are developing currently.”

     Ariel grabbed her cup again and took another drink, “what about John? Did you find him? Did he have the rings with him? Are they real?” She turned around to face Valiaq.

     He stood there staring at her for a couple of seconds before answering, “I am afraid to inform that John Poet is dead… he died fighting off the hand when they discovered where he was hiding.”

     Ariel seemed disappointed before she spoke, “well… good riddance. He deserved that fate for all he has done” her face didn’t reflect her words. “So, did he have the rings then? Do you have them with you?” she looked at him curiously.

     “Lady Ariel, I regret to say that although he died fighting, he managed to send the rings away. They are real, but the hand failed to retrieve them for now.” Valiaq lowered his head slightly in shame.

     “What?” she seemed surprised, “They are real? Wait, what… how did he send the rings away if he died?

     “He wasn’t alone.” Valiaq stood, unmoving.

     She looked at him quizzingly, “what do you mean he wasn’t alone? Who else was in this with him? I though he was operating alone.”

     Valiaq raised his head to look directly at her as he answered. “Lady Ariel, John died defending someone, and that person managed to escape with the rings.”

     “That’s impossible” Ariel spoke back, louder than she intended, “I know John, he was looking for evidence of the ancient ones throughout his life, he would never have let those rings in the hands of another after finally finding them.”

     Valiaq once again lowered his head as he replied, “when the hand arrived they discovered something they were unaware of, something regarding the person that was with him…”

     “Well man, spit it out!” Ariel said impatiently.

     “Lady Ariel,” Valiaq finally said. “It seems that the man John died defending, was his son.” He looked at her, speaking one last time before leaving the room “John Poet has a son.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 3