Page 10 of Lightningborn

“I don’t understand,” another council member said. “Why does a sky ship have anything to do with the island’s storm crystals?”

“Because, Councillor,” Aetrius snapped, his patience completely gone now, “if storm mages can power a sky ship, it stands to reason that they can do the same for the failing storm crystals. Not permanently, of course. But enough to keep them charged while we search for another solution.”

“Which brings us to the reason for this council meeting,” King Gallus said, gazing around. “Aetrius has spoken to the senior mages at the college, and they have all agreed to what must be done. The College of Magic will temporarily be shut down, and all available storm mages will be summoned to power the crystals.”

Gem sat straight up in her chair as several council members began talking at once. Shut down the college? That meant there would be no more magic classes. What would happen to all the students? What would happen to the mages in training? If all the storm mages were being called to power the crystals, they would have to figure out a solution before the college could open again.

“I know this is a drastic measure,” King Gallus said as the fervor died down a bit. “And it is one I would not consider if I did not think it was absolutely necessary. I am not shutting down the college to send the senior staff on vacation. I am shutting down the college to buy us time. We must figure out how to preserve and save the crystals, before it is too late.”

“How large are these crystals?” asked another council member. “How many mages are we talking about?”

“Too many,” Aetrius sighed, sounding tired. “Already, my senior mages have exhausted most of their energy trying to keep the crystals charged, and it has not made even a dent in the magic that is needed. The crystals continue to fail. I am afraid that if I continue pushing the mages beyond the limits of their strength, some of them will start to burn out.”

“And what does that mean, exactly?” asked a portly council member. “Will they simply lose their magic for a time? Or forever? A small price to pay to keep the capital afloat.”

“No, Council Member. It means they could expend so much of themselves and their magic trying to keep the crystals charged, they could literally be torn apart and die,” Aetrius said in a deathly flat voice. “Storm magic is of the Maelstrom; it is volatile and unpredictable. Learning to harness it safely can take years, but even so, if the mage is tired, or expends too much, they can lose control of the magic. You don’t see it happen often in the capital because we at the college emphasize caution and self-control over all else, but when a mage loses control and the magic goes wild, it can have catastrophic consequences.”

“Which is why we need to start pulling mages from other areas,” King Gallus said into the somber silence that followed. “The college cannot be solely responsible for such a monumental task. Other storm mages must be willing to step in. For our survival.

“Tomorrow, I will make this decree,” King Gallus went on, making Gem’s stomach turn anxiously. Her father didn’t make decrees often, and when he did, it was always for the good of the kingdom, but it still made her slightly nervous every time. “By order of the crown, all available storm mages must stop what they are doing and return to the college, where they will be given an undisclosed task.”

“Undisclosed?” The young council member Wick looked confused. “That seems very deceptive. Am I to understand that we are not going to tell anyone about the state of the kingdom?”

“Of course not, Councillor!” Aetrius shook his head in utter disbelief. “This must not get out to the citizens. If it becomes known that the islands are sinking, there will be kingdom-wide panic! I will be at the college to personally explain the situation to the mages, and they will be furtively escorted to the heart of the city to lend their magic to power the storm crystals. But we must not, under any circumstances, let this information become public. The chaos and panic it would cause would be catastrophic.”

“What about the other islands?” asked a council member, a steely-haired older woman who had been silent until this point. Her name was Beatrice, and she had been on the council as long as Gem could remember. “Their crystals could also be failing.”

King Gallus nodded. “I have sent word to the dukes and governors of each island,” he replied. “I have warned them of the need for secrecy, but they will each have to be responsible for collecting the storm mages needed to power their island’s crystals.”

The portly council member blew out a gusty breath. “This is going to affect…everything,” he muttered. “The kingdom’s sky ships cannot run without storm mages. This will ground countless ships, ships that import and export supplies across all of Gallecia. Citizens will be unable to travel between islands. Countless sailors will lose their jobs. The maritime industries will suffer a huge blow. If you proceed with this plan, the kingdom might never recover.”

“I am well aware, Flauvius.” Her father now sounded tired, and Gem clenched her fists in her lap. “I know what this will do to Gallecia. Aetrius and I have debated and argued and discussed possible solutions for days. Were there another way, I would take it.” His voice hardened once more. “But this is not a minor catastrophe. The storm crystals that keep this kingdom alive are failing. The islands are sinking into the Maelstrom. I am not thinking of fishing as much as the millions of lives that will be lost should the worst happen. Imagine what would happen should any of the islands fall. It would be…” King Gallus shook his head. “Absolutely devastating.”

Councilor Beatrice raised her head. For a moment, she seemed hesitant to say anything, but she then continued in a firm, calm voice. “What about the Ancient Ones?” she said quietly.

Gem’s stomach clenched. A gasp nearly escaped her lips, and she bit her lip to keep it down.

“What about them?” Aetrius said in a flat voice. He did not, Gem noted, immediately scoff at the idea of the Ancient Ones. Which meant that everyone at the council knew or believed that the Ancient Ones, whoever or whatever they were, were real. That they weren’t just the addled ramblings of pirates and madmen.

Councilor Beatrice frowned at the mage’s deliberate ignorance. “The Ancient Ones have knowledge of the world’s magic,” she said patiently. “They were around before the world broke apart. They were there when the crystals were formed. If anyone knows how to restore the storm crystals, it would be them.”

“The Ancient Ones are lost,” Aetrius said. “How do you expect to reach them? No one knows where they are. No one has seen an Ancient in hundreds of years.”

“I am aware of that, Archmage,” Beatrice said calmly. “But I thought that, given the dire circumstances, exploring all possible solutions would be a prudent idea. The Ancients are wise, powerful, and supposedly immortal. Seeking their help seems like a logical decision. We could at leasttryto find them.”

“No,” said King Gallus.

Surprised, Gem glanced at him. The king’s tone was final, and she wondered why. If the Ancients were as knowledgeable and as powerful as Beatrice seemed to think, why would he refuse to even try? “Thank you for your opinion, Beatrice,” her father went on, “but we cannot waste resources looking for the Ancients when there are things we can do right now.” He put both hands on the table, gazing sternly around the room. “This issue is not up for debate, council members. We must shut down the college and pull every available certified mage to help power the crystals. We don’t know how much time we have, but from here on, every second is vital.”

Aetrius tapped his staff against the floor. “Well put, my king,” he said. “I will return to the college to prepare for the arrival of the storm mages. Let us hope most answer the call and come quickly; as you said, we don’t know how much time we have.”

Turning stiffly, the archmage shuffled away, his staff tapping against the marble tiles, and the guards pulled the chamber doors open for him. Gem glanced at her father and saw him briefly press a hand to his face, and her throat tightened, wishing she could say something.

“Your Majesty,” Flauvius ventured as the doors swung shut. “What shall the rest of us do in this time of crisis?”

King Gallus dropped his hand. Glancing over the council, his jaw tightened, as if he were seeing them there was suddenly annoying. “Nothing for now,” he said. “Return to your estates. Remember, no one outside this room is to know anything. If I wake to panic in the streets tomorrow morning, all of you will know what the inside of a jail cell looks like.”

“But, sire—”

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