Chapter 120: On the Horizon (1/2)
Emmanuel Garthun sat heavily in the comfortable leather chair, resting his weary feet. He'd developed the bad habit of teleporting places he needed to go, and therefore found the long climb up to the conference room in the Spire a major chore. Unfortunately for him, whatever material the structure was made of blocked Space Magic transfers, forcing him to take the stairs once he had arrived at the ground floor. He sighed as his heart rate finally started to slow down.
[I'm getting too old for this.]
The other members of the University Board hadn't arrived yet, which was not surprising, since the emergency meeting notification was only sent out a half hour ago. The Headmaster wasn't there either, but Emmanuel figured that the man wanted to make one of his trademark dramatic entrances.
Eventually the other department chairs arrived, starting with Emmanuel's least favorite person. Amanda Beasley, chair of the Arts Department fluttered through the door in a riotous blizzard of color. He could tell that the thin, middle aged woman had designed a new outfit for herself, which seemed to consist of dozens of multicolored strips of cloth sewn into a loose framework of cord. Only one end of the strips were attached, allowing the rest of them to fly freely, and showing a bit too much skin for his taste.
”Ahh, Emmanuel. Good day! We have been blessed by such excellent weather today, it makes me feel like bursting into song.”
”Please don't, the last thing I need right now is a headache.”
”Haha, you always have the best jokes.” She said with a laugh as she selected a chair and gracefully sat.
”I'm completely serious.” This only earned another laugh.
Master Liam arrived next, nodded his greetings to the two current occupants, and took a seat as well. Emmanuel never really knew what the quiet Martial Arts Department Head was thinking, but he made sure to listen whenever the other man spoke.
Following closely behind the martial artist, was a severe looking, bespectacled woman dressed the brown tunic and pants of the Finance Department. Victoria Sharpe took her seat, and without so much as glancing at the others began looking through a pile of papers she had brought with her.
Emmanuel shook his head at the sight. He knew Victoria loathed wasting any time that could be better spent managing the complex and intricate web of financial contracts which helped fund the University, in addition to her duties as department chair. That said, she could at least spare a little time for a simple greeting.
The last one to arrive was Agari Junthin, the Science Department Chair, who was pulled in by a disgruntled looking student. This student promptly left after Agari was seated. Judging from the female rat beastman's appearance, it was clear that she had just been forced to leave some kind of experiment. She was still dressed in a tattered lab coat, gloves, and safety goggles, and was looking around as if trying to figure out where she was and how she got here.
Five of the six seats in the conference room were now filled, and exactly as Emmanuel expected, the Headmaster chose that moment to enter. The door was flung open, and the bald headed man strode in, his boots creating staccato notes on the wooden floor in the silence that had descended.
Tall and broad shouldered, Alexander Potrarian, cut an imposing figure. From the top of his shaven head to the thick military-style boots, the man looked more like a general than a teacher, and indeed he had served as such during the most recent war with Tennundi.
He stopped in front of his seat and addressed the council. ”Thank you for gathering at such short notice, but I have dire news that demands immediate attention.”
Finally sitting down, he made sure to look each department chair in the eyes before continuing.
[This sounds pretty serious. I haven't seen him this intense in a long while.]
His deep baritone voice rang out again, ”I'm sure you are all aware of the conflict currently taking place in the Court. Traditionally, the University has avoided taking sides in any dynastic dispute. At the same time we have the responsibility of protecting our students from harm, regardless of the origin of that harm.”
Emmanuel felt his heart sink. He had a feeling that the royal twins would cause him some trouble.
After a brief pause the Headmaster continued, ”It has come to my attention that a group of radicals may be seeking to kidnap or assassinate some of our students. You should all know who among your rolls would be a potential target. I ask that you take care to provide them with every available security resource. I will be mobilizing the University Guard as well as the reserve forces for the next few weeks.”
Agari, the Science Department chair, raised her hand, ”Do we have any idea specifically who is in danger? I can't think of anyone in my department that would be involved in politics.”
”The two in the greatest danger are enrolled in the Magic Department. I trust you know who I am speaking about Emmanuel. The others are spread among the Finance, Art, and Martial Arts departments.” Alexander replied.
The beastman nodded, her short, rounded ears flicking in mild annoyance. ”Then, why am I here? I was in the middle of an important experiment when the announcement hit.”
”A fair question, one that will be answered by my second piece of news. You must understand, what I am about to say doesn't leave this room.”
He paused to give the board another glare. ”It was reported early this morning that Tennundian troops had invaded the Western Marches and are laying siege to Kadin Citadel.”
A stony silence fell on the group as they digested the news. They all understood the danger of an invasion, especially now, when the country was so divided by internal conflict.