Chapter 597: Those With Darkness In Their Hearts
The dark breath of power that Nyrielle unleashed might have stripped away Aspakos’s attempt to conceal himself by diminishing his presence in the meeting, but it did nothing to strip away the bloody aura of power and mystery that clung to the Dark Feathered sorcerer. The veins of gold that held the shards of his broken beak glittered in the flickering light of the formal dining room’s many oil lamps, providing a singular bright spot in his otherwise dark appearance and drawing all eyes as he responded to Nyrielle’s question.
"My Lady," the aging sorcerer said in a resonant tone that commanded the attention of the entire room. "The Sorcerers of Sundered Earth cannot take part in this war. The blood that will be spilled if we do will be enough to turn rivers red and make the heavens weep," he said. "Do not force our hands. It is unwise for you and your people for us to become involved too early."
Sitting next to the ominous sorcerer, Hauke shifted awkwardly, trying to put a bit of distance between himself and Aspakos. The way the man spoke was eerily similar to how he’d spoken after using strange sorcery to divine Hauke’s destiny, as if he could see certainties of what was to come rather than speculating about possibilities.
When he’d spoken of Hauke, he’d said that the world would be a darker place without him in it, and at the time, the young lord was grateful that whatever vision Aspakos had obtained had swayed him to help the cursed Frost Walker. Now that he was speaking of rivers of blood and the heavens weeping, the mysterious man’s dark sorcery felt much less reassuring.
"Don’t resort to parlour tricks and cryptic phrases in front of me, sorcerer," Nyrielle said as darkness gathered around her with midnight blue energy swirling in her dark eyes. "A mended beak may break again, never to speak again if its owner can’t keep his promises," she said. "You said you came to face the ones who had followed the stars across the seas, to fight against the misguided children of the heavens who had seized power they weren’t meant to hold. Now that we’re preparing to face them, do you intend to go back on your words?"
With each word she spoke, Nyrielle’s presence in the room grew colder and heavier, and her voice sounded more and more distant, even as it grew louder, as if she spoke from the depths of the void.
Seeing the faces of Ollie, Heila turning ghostly pale, along with the faces of the remaining living members of the council, Ashlynn moved quickly, returning to stand behind her seat, summoning a faint aura that resembled a vast oak tree, sheltering the people at the table from the cold winds of the void that flowed through the room when Nyrielle spoke.
Even Thane moved, allowing shadows to gather around his shoulders, forming a great cloak that shielded the vampires in the room from the call of the void that accompanied Nyrielle’s display of power. Though Zedya barely seemed to suffer under the effects of Nyrielle’s power, Lennart slumped in clear relief when Thane unfurled his cloak of shadows, and even Savis and Tausau looked relieved that they weren’t the target of Nyrielle’s ire.
"I will not be intimidated, Lady Nyrielle," Aspakos said, raising a taloned hand that was shrouded in a dark crimson aura. With the point of one talon, he tore through the dark flow of energy that blew from Nyrielle, parting it like a stone in a river and allowing it to flow harmlessly around him.