58 Answer the Call (1/2)
Leo checked his phone to see Bianca's name on his screen. 'Why would she be calling?' He thought as he pressed deny. He made it clear the last time that they spoke, she was not a part of their world anymore.
Michael looked to Leo with amusement. ”That's a name I wasn't expecting to see anytime soon.” His voice held no disdain nor irritation as a smile played on his lips. ”You sure you don't want to call her back?” He grabbed at his coffee in front of him. ”It could be important.” He blew gently at the contents within before taking a sip.
”Not as important as what we are doing.” Leo put his phone back on the table before addressing the room.
Since Will's message, Leo had gathered all of New York's Crusade to go over strategies. He knew the gist of what was happening in Ebonhart. Will's father had been found, Jonathan somehow had an earth affinity, and darkness had them as well as at least a hundred knights trapped within the castle. So, a normal day, huh? He thought as his eyes scanned the meeting room.
”I had hoped to wait until all of us were gathered,” Leo could pretty much feel the absence of Roy, Ben, and Jacob. ”But what's happening now is too important to wait.” He looked around the large room expectantly. The majority of the two hundred and fifty men and women in the room knew that if they were summoned from their patrols, it had to be something important.
”Will contacted me just moments ago with some good news, and bad news.” The Prince's adviser leaned back in his chair. ”With the help of a hundred Crimson Knights and the Earth Sage, the King has been brought from the dungeon.” He gave a moment for the news to sink in. Leo knew it wouldn't be easy news to break, the fact that their king had been locked away the whole time they had thought him uncaring towards their suffering.
”Why was he in the dungeon?” It was Michael who spoke first. His rage could be seen within his wide green eyes. Leo knew it would be most difficult for Will's uncle to hear the news, seeing as though it was the king who ordered him to protect Will in the first place.
”Most of you have heard the name Aremesis before, correct?” Leo questioned, looking around the room and saw a few confused nods. Finally, he looked at Michael, his eyes stayed unmoving as he awaited the continuation of the explanation. ”Most of you know that the name Aremesis has been used by the High Adviser to the king, yet none of you have not seen this man before,” he stated rather than questioning.
”There hasn't been a High Adviser to the king,” Leo continued. ”Not for many generations.” Even Michael seemed to take attention to the news. Leo noticed the man's eyebrow raising within the corner of his eye as he continued to make eye contact with the rest of the group.
”I'm not so sure I can believe that,” Michael disputed, abandoning his coffee and getting up from his seat. ”While the king had been absent, all the formal requests as well as dispatched patrols, decrees came from the High Advisor.” He paced the room within the limited space in which allowed him.
”I am going to repeat the same words the Earth Sage asked a hundred men not even an hour ago,” Leo said as he looked directly at Michael. ”Have you ever seen the man?”
Michael was at a loss for words which Leo had to savor, not so often could one throw off the man who had been guarding Will for as long as he had. A man who had to consider every possible outcome in order to keep his nephew safe.
”There is one more shred of proof I'd like you to consider, Michael,” Leo offered as his fingers traced the pattern of the ring on his right finger. ”If there were a High Adviser in King Ragnos's court,” he paused, allowing a tiny bit of his gold aura to surround him, ”how could you explain me?”
”There can only be one adviser to the King's Flame,” The girl Leo recognized as Chloe muttered under her breath. It seemed that some of the two hundred and fifty were educated in Crystallia's history. I'll have to see what else she knows later, Leo thought as he looked at the blonde-haired girl approvingly.
”Chloe is correct,” Leo shifted his attention back to Michael. ”There can only be one.” A slight smile appeared on his lips at the thought of his favorite martial arts movie reference. ”So, if I have this aura,” Leo extinguished the gold from around him. ”How exactly is there a High Adviser looking after Ebonhart?” He raised an eyebrow while looking around the table again. ”And how exactly do none of you recall ever seeing him?”
Michael shook himself from his shock. ”If he was there, how could anyone not have seen him? Just who is he?”
”That,” Leo pointed at Michael. ”Is the right question. If Aremesis is not the High Adviser as you all thought he was, as Michael put it, just who is he?” The question made everyone quiet. ”If he truly was always there, when exactly did he insert himself within the court?”
”You raise a great point Leo,” Michael said as he moved back to his seat and grabbed his coffee, a sign that he had calmed down slightly. ”But what does any of this have to do with Will?” He seemed to be losing patience from the obvious stalling the adviser was doing.
”I was getting to that next,” Leo waved at his friend to calm down. ”Aremesis is apparently a dark energy which has trapped the king, earth sage and one hundred knights within the entryway of the castle. The king has them protected now with his aura, yet he is growing weaker by the minute. Will has sent an SOS and needs all hands on deck.”
”I'm not sure what any of that means,” one of the crusaders spoke out. ”But it's about time, we've been away from our kingdom for too long already.” Many others murmured their agreements as they talked among themselves. ”The prince has been without protection within a land of tyranny for long enough.”
”What it means,” Michael said agitatedly. ”Is that we might be going up against the main source of corruption within Crystallia.” He gave a stern look to the teenager. ”Possibly the conduit of dark energy that corrupted Jake.”
Most of the Crusade knew of Jake through whispers, talks between Bianca and Leo while they sparred in Crystallia. All of them knew him to be the leader of the corrupt army which went against Will half a week ago.