Heart of the MountainChapter 9 Foul Beast
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It took almost three days before the full Council as well as their aides could be assembled due to ongoing work by its members as well as trying to get the various Bureau heads away from their necessary tasks. During this time we returned Artello to Loegria and received a promise from him to provide us with a mark II version of the frequency changer which would cope somewhat better with the mental frequency of a Seer. There was also a delay as Mage Vera was brought back to full health. Yet, finally, the day came. Morgana had also tasked the Enforcement Office to the highest state of alert for this meeting and all the defences of the chamber as well as the Nulled gateway had been inspected for tampering. Unlike the casual setting of the regular meeting, benches had been set around the edges of the chamber including a screened off area set aside for the Seers who normally did not attend a Council meeting as a group. Simon it seemed was not taking any chances and wanted any Sidhe spiritual parasites identified and caught if any were present.
The Council itself listened in silence as Simon reported the incident at Kurukshetra, including the fact that we now had an easy way to break down a Mages mind-shield; though he let them assume it was a magical way, not a technological one.
“So you believe the Sidhe may have tried to infiltrate the Council and the Bureaus?” Mage Cixi asked.
“I cannot assume anything else. Mage Cixi,” Simon replied.
“Reasonable assumption,” she acquiesced with a nod.
“The Seers can do a scan. However it is intrusive and needs to be ratified by the Council as a whole as it would breach our Charter to do otherwise,” Simon explained.
“I’m going to assume the Seers are uncorrupted,” chuckled Mage Julia.
“We’d best hope so. Mage Julia,” Simon replied with a grin.
“Once the Council is cleared, I presume you’ll move on to our staff and then the Bureaus?” Rowenna enquired.
“Indeed so. Mage Rowenna, and it will have to be a regular happenstance until the Sidhe problem is resolved,” Simon replied.
“No objections from me,” Rowenna agreed.
“Nor from me,” Morgana spoke up. “We need the instruments of our power and authority to be acting for us and not for a hostile power.”
“And if we do not wish the Seers to be poking around in our minds?” came a question from Mage Gudrun. “Not that I’m objecting, just wish to know what the consequence of a refusal might be?”
“Any Mage here is free to refuse should the vote be passed. However, a refusal will be taken as a resignation from the Council,” Simon stated.
“The Bureaus will not object. Mage Simon,” came the word from Mage Liang who was their spokesperson for this session. “Indeed some, like Mage Vera, are most insistent,” he finished with a chuckle, getting a few smiles from the assembled Mages.
“The consensus appears to be in favour,” Simon stated looking around and, seeing only nods from the assembled Mages asked. “Does anyone wish to formally propose?”
“I call for the Council to vote to permit the Seers to scan us and our aides to see if any have been corrupted by a Sidhe parasitical spirit,” Morgana proposed.
“I second,” Mage Julia stated.
“For?” Simon queried. “Vote is unanimous, no objections or abstentions,” he finally announced.
“You may begin,” Julia ordered the Seers at Simon’s nod.
I felt the pressure from the scan as the Seers checked everyone in the Council chamber. I wasn’t the only one either and several Mages looked very relieved when the Seers simply nodded and left the room.
“What now. Mage Simon?” asked Mage Zola.
“The Seers will now as a gestalt examine all our Bureau staff and any auxiliary Mages attached to the Bureaus,” Simon replied.
“They are certain they can detect these parasites?” Zola enquired.
“They said they could,” he replied. “The explanation I got as to how, was the usual Seer explanation that made no sense though,” he chuckled.
“Allowances have to be made for Seers,” chuckled Zola. “They truly do not see things as we do.”
“Indeed so,” Julia added. “The gestalts are starting the scan; the Mages in the Bureaus have not been warned, unlike the Council. I’ll expect a result within the hour for our Earth; we then have to check out Kurukshetra as well as the embassies we keep on other Earths.”
“What happens should we discover an affected Mage?” Cixi asked.
“My people are ready to apprehend them as soon as it’s safe to do so,” Morgana replied. “The Seers have capture jars for the spirits and have a ready team available who are not doing the scan.”
“My people are ready too,” Rowenna added. “The damage done to the mind is horrendous and will require a long time to repair according to Mage Benjamin.”
“How long, Mage Rowenna?” asked a subdued Mage Gudrun.
“Mage Clara is responding to treatment; however Benjamin has to go over each and every memory she has from birth. He thinks approximately a year for a full recovery; however Mage Clara should be functional again in about a month,” Rowenna replied.
“Dear God, how is the poor woman?” asked Cixi.
“Suicidal and under sedation and restraint,” Rowenna replied into the silence.
Morgana’s eyes lost focus for a few seconds and I could feel her giving out commands to the Enforcement staff congregated in our offices.
“Four so far,” she finally announced. “I’m sorry, Mage Amehlo. They were in your Bureau and part of the teams sent in to initially deal with the Sidhe incursion in Rwanda.”
“I understand, my friend,” Amehlo sighed. “Hopefully they won’t be too damaged.”
“We can but hope, my friend,” Morgana replied. “Damn, one in my old Bureau,” she sighed.
“Who, my Mage?” I asked.
“Mage Theo, looks like there may have been a Sidhe at Clumber Park as well as that Malakha,” she replied. “He transferred out of enforcement after his injuries and went to work in diplomatic, became very risk averse apparently.”
The minutes went by and Morgana informed the various Bureau heads of the traitors within their departments until finally at just less than an hour the scan ceased.
“Thirteen victims,” Morgana announced. “Thirteen blighted souls.”
“Do we have them all, Mage Morgana?” Simon asked quietly into the deep silence.
“Yes, although we took casualties taking down Mage Randolph in the Department of Magical Regulation,” Morgana replied.
“He’s a good man and a very powerful Mage,” Hermione sighed.
“Damned good, Mages Rinku and Nisha will be in intensive care for months growing a new set of legs,” Morgana said with a wince.
“Have them transferred to the medical wing at Kurukshetra, Mage Rowenna. They’re in your care now,” Simon requested.
“Kurukshetra is clear?” Rowenna queried.
“Yes, Mage Rowenna,” Julia confirmed. “Both parts.”
“Good, I didn’t think a Sidhe could hide their nature too well amongst the medical Mages, but I was worried,” Rowenna replied, alluding to the fact that the Seers had travelled to and scanned Loegria, not the medical facility on Kurukshetra.
“We need to pass on this information to the other Earths, Mage Simon,” Julia stated.
“Indeed we do. Please see to it, Mage Julia,” Simon replied.
“Of course, Simon,” she replied and left the chamber.
“Will the other Earths be able to seek out our enemy?” I asked Morgana.
“Yes, well the human ones at least all have the equivalent of Seers,” Morgana replied.
“And the non-human Earths?” I asked.
“God alone knows, John. We presume a lot about them as we rarely interact. We have nothing they really want and they don’t really like or trust us as we outnumber them by a huge margin,” Morgana replied.
“Well, we don’t really bother them ... well, our Earth anyway,” I replied
“Us no, but the Tuatha Dé Danann have not exactly got a great track record when it comes to dealing with anyone else, human or otherwise and many of the non-humans regard us all as a whole, not a lot of competing Earths,” Morgana explained.
“Yet there are an abundance of empty Earths too,” I mused.
“They don’t have a great track record with settlements either, unlike the Æsir. They have a command military economy and can barely cope with the four planets they have, which is why they intrigue and attack other Earths to give their military something to do other than plotting endless coups against the current ruling junta,” Morgana explained. “In essence they are a bunch of bandits living off or trying to live off the largesse of others.”
“And the other alien races see us as all being the same?” I asked.
“Mostly yes, they tend to ignore us unless it’s blatant and will then act accordingly, like the Mazdani did. Though fortunately the Mazdani at least recognised that the other Earths will not interfere against any acts of aggression against the Tuatha Dé Danann,” Morgana explained.
“I’m told that retribution ended the aggression of the Tuatha Dé Danann for nearly two centuries,” I chuckled.
“Yes, they had to rebuild Finias from almost the ground up. They nearly abandoned it, would have, save only that the Mazdani only destroyed the cities, not the farms,” Morgana replied.
“I’ve never met a Tuathan. What are they like?” I asked.
“Arrogant, domineering and will attempt to take advantage of any sign of weakness ... or what they perceive to be weakness,” Morgana explained. “Haven’t met many myself, though I was present the last time they sent a delegation to the Council to demand we send them tribute as they defeated the Sidhe here about 10,000 years ago.”
“Did they?”
“Doubt it. As far as their own official histories go, they were the first to gain independence from the Sidhe. However the Rutasin records are much clearer in that their God-Emperor led them to victory in 4000 BC and that they were the first. They then recorded the Craebh Ruadh, followed by our Earth, then the Tuatha Dé Danann in about the time the first pyramids were going up. The Tuatha Dé Danann then expanded and conquered three other worlds, the final one, Murias, giving them their current level of technology in about 300 AD. After which they broke their teeth on the Æsir off and on for a thousand years before it all came to a screeching halt with the Mazdani incursion,” Morgana went on. “After that, most worlds’ Mages were more than capable of beating off the Tuatha Dé Danann in any invasion, so they started raids and attempting to undermine human expansion as well as picking on the alien races as they see them as easier prey.”
“Nice neighbours,” I chuckled.
“Yep, they’re eventually going to piss off some race like the Veda or Djinni big time and have their existence ended permanently,” Morgana stated. “And no, we won’t help them, nor will any other branch of humanity. They’ve well and truly burnt their bridges with their own species.”
“Take it they’ve tried to get hold of modern arms?” I questioned.
“Yes, John. Even had the arrogance to demand that we give them free of charge,” Simon chuckled.
“Ouch!” I replied with a grin.
“Yes, they got out-arroganced by Hermes, just before we think Merlin got to him,” Simon added.
“So he did have his uses?” I chuckled.
“Yes, John. In the right circumstances, he was the right man for the job,” Simon replied.
“Yes, Mage Simon,” I acknowledged.
“As it is,” Simon went on. “I’m requesting you, Mage Morgana, pass this message on to the Maraú-Uxuí, as other than Hermes, you are the only one ever to have had dealings with them in the near past.”
“That was almost 700 years ago, Simon,” Morgana replied with a wry smile.
“I know, but they are very insular and isolationist and we don’t know if the Sidhe even are having any interaction with them and we’d like to know,” Simon requested.
“Insular, isolationist and deeply creepy too, Simon.”
“Nevertheless...” Simon began.
“Oh don’t worry, I won’t refuse the ‘honour’, Simon,” Morgana interjected. “I’m taking John, Arch, Róisín and Thea though.”
“Good idea, they may help keep you sane,” Simon chuckled.
“Trust me, insanity will be the least of our problems if they decide to extend negotiations,” Morgana replied. “Keeping our food down is one factor that springs to mind.”
Bess
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