Dragon Genesis: I Can Create Dragons - Chapter 518: Council Meeting.
Chapter 518: Council Meeting.
The flight back to Velmourn was quiet. The wind cut through the mountain pass, brushing against the cloaks of Kael, Lavinia, and Morvain as their beasts glided low over the frozen valleys.
Morvain didn’t speak during the entire journey. Her eyes remained on the horizon, her expression unreadable.
Kael, flying with Lavinia in his arms, was silent too.
Every person here was.
They were all… thinking, calculating, preparing themselves for what was about to come.
When they finally landed inside the outer courtyard of Velmourn, the guards hurried to them, somewhat nervous. After all, the news of a Stonefang warrior appearing at the Wall and calling Kael to… talk had already spread among the Velmourn soldiers. So the guards knew where they were returning from.
They all wanted to know what happened with the Stonefangs, but before they could ask any question—
Morvain raised her hand and with a calm but heavy voice—
“Call the elders for the Council Meeting.”
She commanded. Her sudden orders made the guard blink.
“So soon?”
Kael asked as well. He too seemed a little surprised.
Morvain turned toward him and—
“You wanted haste, didn’t you? Then we’ll do this quickly.”
She answered, and Kael…
He hesitated.
He looked around the courtyard—the soldiers nearby, the workers, the tired faces that glanced curiously in their direction.
“I was thinking…”
He began carefully,
“Maybe instead of the Council… we should address the people directly…”
The reason behind those words was simple. Kael knew the influence he held over the people; it was far higher than his influence over the elders, especially after the Draksis incident.
His logic was simple—if the people accepted, the Council wouldn’t be able to say anything anyway. But…
“I’ve already done everything your way, Kael.”
Morvain spoke in a strict tone as she stared into Kael’s eyes.
“But this—this is something the Council must be part of.
I won’t have the Matriarch’s seat reduced to a shadow in front of my own people.”
Her tone was firm, and her eyes made it clear that she would not bend on this.
Kael studied her for a long moment and then… he exhaled.
“I apologise.
I wasn’t thinking it through.”
He stepped back without pushing the idea further.
Morvain was right. The Council must be part of this decision or… the Council wouldn’t matter at all.
Lavinia too placed a light hand on his arm, as if acknowledging him silently. The two stared at the Matriarch and the Matriarch nodded back as they all understood it…
The next few hours…
It won’t be… peaceful.
Within fifteen minutes, the Elders of the Iron Council gathered inside the Elders Hall. The doors closed behind them with a low clang, sealing the council from the rest of the city.
The long table in the center, carved from stone, reflected the light of the small windows. There was still a patch showing how they had temporarily fixed what Igni did a few days ago with Magic.
A patch that would attract anyone’s attention and remind them of what had happened but… none of the Council Members focused on it.
They all sat in their seats, wrapped in thick furs, their faces tense with curiosity and worry. Just like the soldiers, they too knew that the group had gone to meet the Stonefangs. And seeing them return within a few hours… everyone wanted to know what had happened, eagerly waiting for Morvain to begin.
And that was what the Matriarch did.
She stood at the head of the table as her cold eyes swept across the room.
“Let’s begin,”
She spoke as the murmurs died down instantly.
For a moment, no one spoke—everyone waited for her to start.
Finally, Morvain began to explain.
“The Stormcallers are gathering all the tribes in the Heights.”
She said.
“They plan to unite them against us—to launch one final assault on Velmourn, and they have already started moving. The Stonefangs confirmed this themselves.”
“What…?”
The room stirred. The elders exchanged alarmed glances, their faces tightening, but before they could raise a question—
Morvain continued.
“They are using food as bribes.”
She continued.
“The Stormcallers are given supplies that they could never obtain themselves, and they are using these supplies to rally the tribes together. The hungry tribes basically have two choices ahead of them—die of starvation or… join the Stormcallers.”
The Matriarch spoke as her eyes then shifted toward Kael and Lavinia before she added,
“As for the source of their supplies…
There’s a high chance Drakthar is behind it.”
The instant that name was said, the air inside instantly became even heavier.
At once, all the eyes turned toward Kael and Lavinia. After all, the two of them had already said this before; they were constantly warning them something was wrong with the tribes, that it was highly likely that Drakthar was planning something, and that they needed to be careful.
The two had warned them time and time again, meeting after meeting, but… none of them believed them completely because the idea of the tribes—who held such strong hatred against each other—working together just didn’t… sit well with them.
And even now, Nymeris, the High Chronicler, broke the silence.
“How sure are we that this news is correct?”
She asked in an unsure tone. Her voice was soft but quivering; after all, what was being discussed went against everything she believed in.
All the records she read, relied on, and protected all her life… it went against everything those records said.
“This… goes against all recorded history. The tribes have never united before. They hate one another more than they hate us.”
“Stonefangs said the Stormcallers offered them food,”
Morvain replied.
“And they didn’t seem to be lying. As for Drakthar’s involvement, it’s still a suspicion—but considering the timing, the possibility is high.”
Nymeris frowned deeply.
“But what if the Stonefangs are lying?”
She pressed.
“It is possible.”
Morvain admitted and then—
“We’ve already started investigating.”
She spoke as she glanced at Kael and Lavinia. Seeing her gaze, the elders too turned toward the two of them.
Everyone in the room knew what Morvain’s gaze meant—they were the ones investigating the matter.
“We’ll have answers soon.”
Kael gave a small nod and didn’t elaborate.
The Elders didn’t expect any further explanation either. Kael’s information network had always been a secret, something none of them knew about. What they did know, however, was that the information he brought was scarily accurate to the dot.
If he was the one investigating, they knew they could trust him.
“How long would it take…?”
Nymeris asked in an unsure tone and Kael—
“Four hours.”
He answered confidently, an answer that surprised the Elders.
“Before, you said it would take a week.”
Nymeris frowned and Kael—
“Before, I needed to investigate the entire Heights. Now I know where to begin and what to find. There is a difference.”
He shrugged.
Of course, he knew that his Ants couldn’t move. Because of the uneven terrains, his Ants would still need a week to spread through the Heights, but since he needed information urgently…
This time, he sent Cirri.
The Primordial Sky Dragon, in her Sky Form, would directly move into the Stormcallers’ base and investigate properly.
And the Dragon wasn’t alone; Lavinia too had sent her Spirits with her. It was only a matter of time before the group returned with a confirmation.
Of course, none of the Velmourns needed to know any of it. They simply needed to continue the discussion.
And that was what Morvain did.
“So until then,”
The Matriarch spoke.
“We treat it as true and we plan accordingly.”
The Council Elders turned toward each other with solemn, heavier looks on their faces.
“Then… what do we do about it?”
Finally, Korvath leaned forward and asked in a gruff voice. A question that came to every elder’s mind.
“If all the tribes unite, the Velmourn army won’t stand a chance. We’ll be outnumbered ten to one, and this is just a rough estimate; it could be even higher in reality.
If what you are saying does happen…
We will be wiped out.”
Just when Korvath finished, another Elder spoke up.
It was Aelindra, the Warden of Provisions.
“Why did the Stonefangs tell you any of this?”
She asked in a suspicious tone.
“If the tribes are uniting, shouldn’t they be part of it too? Why warn us first? Is this some sort of trap? Or is it some sick game they enjoy?”
She asked, and instead of Korvath, Morvain turned toward her.
“They fear the Stormcallers.”
She said.
“They believe they’re being used. And once they’ve served their purpose, they’ll be discarded.
They do not wish to be discarded like tools that are no longer useful. They can see accepting their offer is not a permanent solution and might lead to their end.”
Tarevian raised his eyebrows at those words.
“I did not know the Stonefangs were capable of thinking that far ahead.”
He looked genuinely surprised.
Aelindra, however, wasn’t done.
“Even if that’s true, even if they doubted the Stormcallers,”
She pressed,
“Why come to us? What do they need from us?”
And as that question settled into the hall…
Morvain… hesitated.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
