1817 Shadow War (Part 1)

Lith had just noticed a skeletal draconic figure that looked like a Lich right beside Aalejah when Feela stood up and gestured them to approach the Council.

On top of that, mana sense revealed that both Athung and Aalejah had deep violet streaks covering their cores, showing that by pooling their knowledge they had come close to discovering the secret of the violet core.

"Let's take a break for now." The voice of the Behemoth echoed throughout the room, putting an end to the debate. "Our main guests have arrived and I want to hear everyone's opinion before the Council makes the final decision."

Much to Lith's surprise, Feela wasn't just pointing at him but at Tista as well.

"I was glad to hear that you've joined the war efforts of the Kingdom, Lith." The Behemoth said. "Because the Council needs you as well but for a much more important mission than conquering a measly castle.

"Today, we are going to write history." Her words were met with enthusiasm from the Council members and indifference from Lith's group.

"With all due respect, Feela, but the war started months ago and this is the first time that I'm hearing anything about the Council playing an active role in it. I know what happened during the night Thrud made her move and of your plans about training your own army, but that's it."

He looked at Athung, with whom he had assumed to be on good terms, at Feela, who was still helping him to train his Tiamat form, and even at Leegaain.

"I'm the one who discovered Glemos' alliance with Thrud and Meln. I warned you all about their intention of wiping out the Council and taking your resources for themselves, yet so far you have washed your hands of this war.

"If you want my help for anything else, you need to tell me what makes this mission so important."

The Regional Lords sneered at him while the Council representatives chuckled at his naivety. Inxialot the Lich King who had been pleasantly working on his research until a second ago, rose his head from the notes and misunderstood the situation.

"Off with his head! Why do we have to always judge this idiot? Let's kill him and avoid any further problems."

The chuckles turned into exasperated sighs as Raagu repeated him for the umpteenth time why they were there and what they were doing. For some reason, she was the only one Inxialot listened to.

"I can understand your anger. This war has already taken away someone you cared about and the Dead King has relentlessly attacked you over the past few years." Feela said. "Yet the Council didn't sit idly as you think.

"In the past, there have been countless madmen that by chance discovered our existence and tried to enslave or kill us, but they always failed. This time it will be no different.

"You see, after the start of the war, we have withdrawn the bulk of our forces not only to train them, but also to use them to gather intelligence." She pointed at the locations of the Undead Courts that they had discovered and even that of the Golden Griffon.

"Also, we never washed our hands of this fight. The Council has helped the Royals from behind the scenes just like the Dead King does for Thrud."

"Did you follow my advice and form an alliance with the Royals?" Phloria asked.

"Not yet." Feela shook her head. "They are fake Awakened and letting them into Council matters is something that we prefer to keep as a last resort. Once they learn about our names, numbers, and resources, there is no turning back.

"They might even be tempted to attack us if at the end of the war we've suffered too many casualties. Today's ally can become tomorrow's enemy."

"I'm sorry, but you are making no sense. Every one of you is stronger than my brother and there are hundreds of you. How can the war still be going on if you are helping the army as you said?" Tista asked.

Her reasonable question sounded incredibly stupid to the Council members that held back their vicious comments only because they needed her help.

"Stop thinking like a human and think like an Awakened, child." Lotho the Treant said, standing up from his chair and towering over her.

The giant oak tree stared at Tista with his amber eyes blazing with mana and squirrels ran over his bark due to the sudden movement scaring them.

"A war is nothing but a trifling matter that may last months, years, sometimes decades, but it always becomes just a few pages in history books, given time.

"If the Council unleashes its full might, Thrud might become desperate enough to divulge the secret of Awakening to the public and at that point, there would be no way to stop it from spreading.

"Such a revelation would turn a measly war into a world-breaking event that would change life as you know it. It would rewrite history and cause events whose consequences would still ripple even after most of those present here will be dead.

"On top of that, the Mad Queen's Awakened army is immortal whereas every one of our losses is definitive. It's not just a matter of winning, but also of limiting our losses and not being wiped out by our next enemy.

"We are indeed strong, but the death of a single one of us means the loss of hundreds, if not thousands of years of magical research and the potential loss of entire legacies. Each one of our lives is worth thousands of non-Awakened, if not millions!"

His rage made the room tremble and Tista stepped back in fear. It wasn't just his massive size but also his bright violet aura that made her feel as helpless as a child in front of Dragon.

"Calm down, Lotho." Feela stepped between them, protecting the young woman with her aura. "Tista isn't even a full member of the Council. She's an apprentice and by disrespecting her you are disrespecting her master, Faluel, and even me."

Lith was no longer Faluel's apprentice, but she still considered herself his mentor, just like Feela considered the Hydra her friend. Unlike most of the other races, the Beasts looked out for their own.

"Tista, what Lotho said is right. We can't use our full power, but that doesn't mean that we have been sitting on our thumbs either. You have no idea how important the role of the Dead King is in helping Thrud to keep the cities she has conquered.

"People didn't submit overnight and many of them don't really believe in her hero charade. Yet they don't rebel because they have no other choice. The Undead Courts keep attacking the civilians regularly and without her help, they would be lambs to the slaughter.

"At the same time, the Undead Courts keep the Royals from committing the full force of the army and the Association with guerrilla tactics. To assemble enough troops to move against the Golden Griffon, the Royals need to weaken their defensive forces since the number of soldiers at their disposal is limited.

"Whenever that happens, the Undead Courts attack the areas with the highest people per soldier rate, forcing the Crown to withdraw."