They encountered Commander Silver and a quartet of guards halfway through the city. The Commander seemed to relax when he realised that Verdan was already heading for the council and fell in with them without comment.

  No one said much of anything as they threaded their way through to the council building. The repairs were done now, and though it looked almost the same as before, there was something different about it.

  The last time someone had tried to break into Verdan’s estate, he’d known he could rely on the council to back him up without question. This time, though, he wasn’t sure. Tobias had asked him to work with them, though, and so he’d give them a chance.

  “The council has come together to speak with Wizard Blacke,” Commander Silver said formally as they reached the waiting room. “I appreciate that you are here to show support…”

  “I apologise for interrupting, Commander,” Ciaran said, cutting in firmly. “But you misunderstand. Wizard Blacke is here to support us, not the other way around. If the council wishes to speak with him as well, we should address it all at once. Some of what we wish to speak of may well influence your council’s choices.”

  The Commander nodded slowly, before motioning for them to stay where they were. “I will consult with the rest of the council, but personally, I have no objection.”

  Verdan frowned slightly at the wording Silver had used. It had felt like he was distancing himself from the rest of the council. Was there tension between the different members?

  Smoothing his expression, Verdan simply nodded and waited as the Commander stepped into the council chamber. A few minutes slowly crept by as they waited, and then a guard opened the door and ushered them all in.

  The council chamber was a large meeting room that could house over a hundred people if needed, with a raised platform that held a long table, at which the councillors were sitting. Stepping inside, Verdan made his way to a pair of smaller tables with chairs that sat before the raised platform.

  The Thearns and shieldguards waited in the outer room, leaving just the Chosen, Sinead and Verdan for the meeting itself. Enough chairs had been set out for them all, and little was said as they took their places.

  The five councillors watched them with a range of expressions and Verdan took a moment to assess each in turn.

  Commander Silver was sat on the far left, his serious expression unchanged from earlier, but Verdan could see a certain tension in the man’s posture. He’d known Silver for a while now and despite how difficult the other man was to read, Verdan was confident that he was unhappy about something.

  Next in was Tobias, who looked just as uncomfortable as Silver. Verdan tried to meet his gaze, but the merchant studiously looked everywhere but at him. Turning to the next councillor, Verdan saw Arber Bardhi, who seemed to be the new leader of the council.

  Arber was an older, grey haired man with the bronzed, weathered skin of the far south. A retired mercenary commander, Arber now represented the adventurers of the city and had his own people working alongside the guards. His brown eyes and easy smile gave off a good impression, but he had a different view of the world than Verdan. Exactly what it was, the Wizard didn’t know yet, but the two of them had yet to agree on much.

  Fourth of the five councillors was Agnese Dervi. Much like Arber, she was from the far south, but where Arber was congenial and open, she had an annoying nasal voice and pinched features. Perhaps Verdan was being too harsh, but he had disliked her from the start, especially with how quickly she had taken over representing the crafting and industrial side of the city after Lessa had died.

  The fifth and final member was Edward Hobson, a direct descendant of the founder of the city and an influential voice within the construction and lumber communities. Edward was the oldest of the five, his big, powerful frame now turning portly rather than muscular. His dark eyes met Verdan’s without hesitation, and the Wizard could see the distaste within them with ease.

  Edward seemed to blame Verdan for much of what had happened to the city, and would no doubt oppose everything Verdan wanted on principle alone.

  “Thank you all for waiting,” Arber said, pitching his voice to fill the room and draw all attention to him. “I’m sorry for the delay, but we had only expected to speak with Wizard Blacke. From what the Commander has said, however, Chosen Macstan has urgent business we need to discuss, is that correct?”

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  Ciaran rose to his feet with a nod. “That is correct, it infringes on the safety of the city and all those living near the mountains.”

  “In that case, we will listen and render judgement to whatever you need to discuss first, and then move onto lesser matters afterwards.” Arber smiled politely at the Chosen, and Verdan had to wonder why the councillor had used that wording. Was that a veiled insult in his direction, or an attempt to flatter the Kranjir?

  “Thank you, Councillor Bardhi,” Ciaran said, bowing slightly to the council before clearing his throat. “The matter to discuss is related to the Darjee. As you are aware, I set off on a punitive expedition after bands of Darjee were reported to be harassing the area. Wizard Blacke was able to arrange for a group of scouts to assist us, and with their aid we crushed an outpost roughly a day’s travel from the mountains.”

  “For which we are grateful,” Arber said with a grave expression. “The Darjee are a threat that must be taken seriously and I regret that we were unable to provide more assistance to your efforts to deny them. I assume, however, from what you said earlier, that the outpost was not the end of the threat?”

  “It was not.” Ciaran paused to gather his thoughts. “The scouts were able to cover a large amount of land in the area, and reported back at least two other outposts, and signs of several smaller groups moving through the area. This is far more than we expected.”

  “How so?” It was Commander Silver who spoke up this time.

  “It means that they are gathering for some sort of attack. Perhaps on my people, perhaps on the villages that are isolated. Perhaps even here or over the mountains.” Ciaran shook his head with a heavy frown. “It is impossible to know, but if we act quickly we can prevent them forming a warband. My people are not enough to do this alone, though. We need support from the city, from your adventurers and from any allied Sects. The more we can bring to bear, the easier this will be to deal with.”

  “What are your estimates of their strength currently?” Silver asked with a concerned expression that only grew as Ciaran shook his head.

  “Impossible to say at the moment. The minimum will be hundreds of Darjee with dozens of warbeasts, but that could extend up to several thousand Darjee and hundreds of beasts depending on how many are drawn to the new warband.”

  “Commander, how would we fare against such a force?” Arber asked, turning to Silver questioningly.

  “We have tall walls and well-trained guards, with a store of enchanted bolts that will penetrate the armour of most monsters,” Silver said with clear reluctance. “Our northern wall was built thicker and taller for exactly an attack like this. It would be difficult to hold off such a force, but we would have a chance.”

  “Excellent, then we have no need to worry,” Arber said with a broad smile as he turned to Ciaran and ignored Silver’s attempt to say more. “As you have heard, we are confident in our defences, and you are welcome to shelter in the city.”

  Ciaran blinked, seemingly caught wrong-footed. “You surely can’t mean to ignore this threat?”

  “Of course we won’t ignore it,” Arber said quickly as both Silver and Tobias stirred in their seats. “But our first and foremost duty is to the city and ensuring that those within it are safe. Unnecessary conflict has weakened us in recent years, and we must learn from this. If the Darjee attack us, we shall cast them back. However, we will not seek them out in their homes.”

  “It is hardly their homes that I’m concerned about!” Ciaran seemed to struggle to keep his voice from rising too much. “A warband loose in the region will mean roving bands of Darjee intent on hunting, skinning or enslaving anyone they encounter. At the very least, trade with my Clan will stop until they are dealt with.”

  “Then that is an unfortunate consequence that we must live with.” Arber didn’t even blink at the threat. “You will do as you must, just as we shall.”

  Ciaran seemed lost for words, and the other Kranjir were just as shaken. Eventually, the Chosen gestured to Verdan and addressed the council as a whole. “You all underestimate the strength of the Darjee. Your wall will not be enough if they have even a few siege beasts with them. Ask Verdan if you need a second opinion from a trusted ally!”

  “Invoking the Wizard’s name hurts your case more than it helps, Northerner,” Edward Hobson said, his deep voice filled with scorn. The disrespectful tone and address was enough to have Maeve on her feet, but Ciaran placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

  “I see.” The Chosen looked over the council one last time before sighing and turning to Verdan. “I regret that we will have to cancel our deal. I cannot risk my clansfolk remaining in a city like this.”

  “Nor can I blame you,” Verdan said tightly, trying to keep his growing anger under control. He would never have believed that they could dismiss or talk to Ciaran like that. Not after how the Kranjir had fought and bled alongside them.

  Well, he could believe it of the newcomers, but not of Tobias and Silver. To give them their due, neither looked especially happy with what Arber was saying, but they also weren’t speaking out against him.

  Ciaran walked over and leaned in close to whisper to Verdan. “I have a feeling that what will come next will not be pleasant for you. We will be forced to leave the city, but I will delay that until tomorrow. If you have need of us, simply send me a message.”

  “Thank you, Ciaran.” Verdan took the hand he was offered, touched by the Chosen’s offer. It was good to know that he still had some steadfast allies.

  With a last look if distaste in the direction of the city council, Ciaran led the Kranjir out of the room.