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The night before the festival was to begin, while many in the fortress city were making final preparations for a day of joy and celebration, a gathering of an entirely different nature was about to begin in a formal dining room deep in the caverns of the ancient fortress.

Unlike the last time Ashlynn had dined with Nyrielle, Thane, and the handful of others who made up what passed for a ruling council in the Vale of Mists, this time the room was filled to capacity and not a single seat at the long cedar table was empty.

Nyrielle took her place at the head of the table, dressed in a form-fitting black gown adorned with spills of dark crimson lace that accentuated the curves of her lithe figure while making her appear even taller and more imposing than she was on her own.

Though she kept her wings tucked away, it was impossible for her to conceal the aura of darkness that clung to her when her emotions ran high and the fresh, blood red coat of polish she wore on her pointed fingernails only added to the feeling of bloodthirsty menace that radiated from her as she gestured for the others to take their seats.

That aura of darkness melted like frost as sunrise as soon as Ashlynn took her place to Nyrielle’s left. One touch of Ashlynn’s delicate hand on Nyrielle’s slender wrist was enough to bring the powerful vampire out of her dark musings and place a smile back on her soft lips.

Of course, Ashlynn’s choice of attire may have contributed to the change in Nyrielle’s mood. While Ashlynn normally preferred natural hues of greens and browns that suited her nature as the Mother of Trees, tonight she’d adorned herself in a gown of deep crimson.

Paired with a half cape made entirely of dark raven’s feathers that gave the crimson gown an aggressive, martial feeling, as though she couldn’t bear to restrain her sword arm in the event that some violence should break out at the council meeting.

The dress, along with the absence of any of her signature hats, served as a reminder to everyone present that, although she was the Mother of Trees, a woman with status that could rival the Harbinger of Death herself, she was also Nyrielle’s Seneschal and tonight, she was making it clear which identity took precedence.

"You know, if you keep this up, my darling," Nyrielle said, her eyes shining with affection as she gazed at Ashlynn. "I’m going to need to find a larger table to accommodate your coven and my progeny."

"I’m sure that Ollie knows someone who would be happy to carve something for us when the time comes," Ashlynn said, laughing lightly as she looked down at what had become ’her’ side of the table.

To Ashlynn’s left, each member of her coven had come dressed in their finest. Whether it was Heila in her understated brown dress with its accents of coppery brocade, Ollie in his ice-blue tunic with its silver embroidered accents, or Virve in the formal midnight blue tunic with a crimson captain’s sash running from one shoulder to the opposite hip, each of them had come with an awareness that their actions in this meeting represented not only themselves, but the lady they served as well.

Even Hauke, who was large enough to loom over everyone else in the room, managed to make himself feel smaller as he set aside the chair at his place at the table to sit directly on the floor, reducing his stature until it felt as though he matched the height of the Clan of the Great Claw.

"Are you sure I should be here, Lady Ashlynn?" Hauke asked as he fidgeted into position. While Nyrielle’s formal dining room had been built to accommodate men and women like Lennart and Virve, if Hauke wasn’t careful, his iridescent horn would brush up against the crystal chandelier hanging overhead and the last thing he wanted to do was cause trouble by bringing the dozens of small oil lamps arranged within the chandelier crashing down on their dinner table.

"I’m not even properly a member of the coven yet," he added as he looked around the room at the other people taking their seats. "And I don’t know that I have much to add to something like this."

"Hauke," Ashlynn said gently. "You aren’t here because you may one day join my coven. You’re here because in a few years, you may find yourself the lord of the High Pass.

I cannot hold the title of Eldritch Lady of the High Pass forever, it belongs with you and your clan.

When that day comes, the things you learn by observing gatherings like this will be priceless. "

"Besides," she added with a knowing look. "You may find that you have more to say about the things we discuss today than you thought."

For a moment, Hauke looked like he still wasn’t sure he belonged there, but a reassuring look from Ashlynn, along with a gesture that he should stay put, stopped him from protesting any further.

Instead, since he was supposed to be here to learn, he turned his attention to the other side of the table and the several notable figures he had only barely met, if he had met them at all.

Opposite Ashlynn, Sir Thane led what had become ’Nyrielle’s’ side of the table.

The amber-eyed vampire seemed to be one of the only people who was immune to dressing up for the formal occasion, sitting comfortably in the same loose-sleeved white tunic and tight black breeches that he’d worn when he taught Ashlynn how to fight with a sword.

Only the intricately embroidered midnight blue sash at his waist gave any hint that he’d chosen to ’dress up’ for the occasion.

Beside him, Ignatious, still wearing the crimson and gold robes of the Inquisition, seemed slightly uncomfortable taking a place ahead of Zedya until he realized that it placed him directly across from Lady Heila, who smiled warmly when he took his seat.

Next to him, Zedya and Lennart both exchanged knowing looks as the former captain pulled out Zedya’s chair to help her into her seat.

"Marcell will be joining us later," Nyrielle said, nodding to the sole empty seat at the table as the final members of the gathering took their seats.

Commander Bassinger and Marshal Jakob looked distinctly uncomfortable in a room filled with so many powerful beings.

They subconsciously shifted their positions further down the table, yielding the more prominent seats to Savis, Tausau, and the broken-beaked Aspakos.

"Tomorrow will be a day of joyful celebration," Nyrielle began, taking Ashlynn’s hand in hers and gazing lovingly into the young witch’s emerald eyes for a long moment before she continued.

"But our people are also uncertain about their futures. I’ve brought an army like none the Vale has ever fielded, and Ashlynn has brought engineers and workmen to transform not only the city we live in but the way we live our lives each and every day. "

Looking around the table, Nyrielle saw a variety of looks from the faces arrayed before her.

Some, like Thane and Ashlynn, knew what was coming.

There would be no surprises for them in what Nyrielle had to say, and any objections they might once have held had been resolved in the nights leading up to this meeting.

Others were quietly confident, even though they didn’t know what was coming.

People like Heila, Ollie and even Hauke were too young to have participated in many grand undertakings and this was their first time joining a war council as participants.

Their quiet confidence came from the belief that people like Nyrielle, Ashlynn, Thane and Zedya would lead them well no matter what storms awaited them on the horizon.

It was the third and final group that created the only cause for concern Nyrielle had as she surveyed the council she’d assembled.

People like Bassinger, Savis, Tausau, and Jakob, who had been too far from the inner circle while Nyrielle underwent tremendous changes brought about by her bond with Ashlynn, had no way of predicting what the Eldritch Lady of the Vale would do now that she had returned with such a powerful force.

The doubts and concerns on their faces couldn’t have been more clear if they were written in black ink, but if any of Nyrielle and Ashlynn’s plans were going to succeed, they would need to dispel those doubts.

Because without the support of the people in this room, and several who weren’t able to attend as well.

.. everything they wanted to build was likely to collapse under its own unsupported weight.

"I know some of you must have concerns," Nyrielle said, looking around the table. "Tonight, speak your mind. I would rather resolve your doubts now than leave them to fester in the dark where they might poison us all."

"In that case," Thane said, stepping into the conversation as though he were expecting this exact opportunity. "There’s something that I think is weighing on the minds of several people in this room..."