The Debate Begins
The Debate Begins...
Three men stood around a table whose surface was littered with writings. These ranged from crude carved tablets to elegant parchments, some with wax seals still intact, and still other were papers even now smoldering around the edges.
A stout man on one side of the table stood scratching his wiry ginger neck beard, “Sooooo..,” he offered, as he awkwardly broke the silence, “Do 'ye still think 'dey was joost buildin' safe rooms?” At the inquiry from their stout friend, those around him nervously glanced at each other before turning their eyes back to the table and falling back into silence.
A moment later a figure on the opposite side of the table spoke, daring to look to each of those gathered in the room as he searched for words,“Whatever is happening now I still believe their intentions were true. They wanted for nothing more than discussion about the nature of the city; an open forum where we could gather in safety and try and make sense of why we were called here.”
He thought a moment before continuing, “These new debates are sending us into chaos. Brothers are taking up arms against brothers. And now the battlefront is not just made up of our brethren turned against each other. We're receiving new reports every day about dark figures tracked in the wilds. Men are vanishing and when and if they do return they are raving mad and speaking of a dark horde. Things are rapidly descending into madness.”
A silence descended again. At the mention of the dark ones, all three men looked away from each other. It was clear none of them wanted to show fear and yet at the same time none of them wanted to address the issue.
A strong yet feminine voice spoke this time from the corner of the room, causing the men to start. “If men are willing to destroy each other over philosophical debate then the darkness we are now discovering has already won. They stand as children building their pretty rooms and citadels as if this reality is like any other.”
She paused then, allowing the weight of her disdain to settle upon those gathered, “Debate whether or not you are truly free and in control if you will, but there are forces all around us that have motivations of their own. We are not alone, your rivals also think they are the masters.”
Gloved hands reached out, delicate fingers taking up one of the stone tablets. She considered it a moment before snapping sharply in half. The act was rewarded by cries of protest from the men around her. Her response was simply a roll of the eyes and a smirk, as she reached to the core of the tablet and gently wiggled loose a folded mass of paper. With a flick of the finger she sent a small piece of the broken clay towards the ginger man, “It doesn't matter to me if you listen or not. We will continue to study the dark time and understand what you would like to deny exists.” With that she stepped back towards the corner of the room and vanished before the figures at the table could finish saying her name.
“She is right you know.” offered the previously silent figure standing at the table, “The debates of the Free and their opposition are going to continue. They genuinely believe they are arguing in defense of freedom, choice and a liberated destiny. Furthermore there is rumor of the Cabal knowing of a heart of chaos and a soul of the city. The violence will only increase. This is not scholarly debate, this is becoming zealotry. This is becoming madness.”
He picked up a paper from the table, its edges flaking away where it had been burned. “Did we really think it would be as simple as defining a connection to our waking lives? Were we truly that naive?” His question lingered in the air as the men sat. No answers came from any of them as the flickering light of the braziers kept them and their thoughts company. As they sat in the awkward silence a klaxon sounded. They cast apprehensive looks at one another before taking up their arms and silently exiting the room.
- Aaronyes
