Unbound

Alister sat on a balcony above the chamber where the Grandmasters were meeting, sipping tea next to his favorite fire mage. He and Atar had no real desire to be in attendance, but Alister couldn’t help being curious about how it would all go. He knew the complexities of diplomacy were not Felix's strong suit. While he did not wish to impose himself between the powers of dozens of Grandmasters, Alister feared something would go wrong.

"Stop worrying," Atar said between bites of a biscuit.

It was easy enough to say, Alister supposed, but far harder to embody. Felix stood with Zara and Vilas Tern alongside his crystalline throne, waiting patiently as Legionnaires led the Grandmasters up from far below. Apart from being the most obvious place to meet a powerful delegation, it was also the center of the Ourea Anima’s power. While the Breath of the Beast aura did not much matter in this regard, the other, more protective aura did. If the Grandmasters were truly foolish and they tried to escalate things to violence, the Primordial Shelter would fizzle out their attacks.

In theory.

Yet as they watched the former masters of Levantier settle into the seating in the audience chamber, Alister noticed a distinct calm among their Spirits. None of them seemed willing to start fights, and even noted rivals were, if not cordial to one another, at least tolerant.

"Ignore them," Atar said. "If Felix needs help, we're here. But he doesn't. I'm more interested in how you feel."

"How I feel? Oh," Alister set his cup and saucer down. "You mean because of the Link?"

"Yes, because of the Link. It's new for you, and this was your first influx. How are you handling things?"

"Well enough, I suppose.”