The morning came early. I awoke at half past four o’clock, took a hot shower (I love magic), dressed, and departed so I would arrive at 5:15 as requested. My escort was with me as usual, and we arrived without incident after about a five-minute walk from my door to the keep.

  I entered the war chambers early, but I was the last one to do so. The steward met me at the entrance and walked me over to a side table with bread and fruit. I made up a small plate, accepted a goblet of water, and made my way to the main table, where most others had already gathered. I took a seat next to Isaac on his right, between him and Wizard Draconis. I got the impression they had saved the seat for me, placing each on a side to advise me if needed, or shield me if required. It also placed the three robed mages in one block together.

  I ate quietly, listening to conversations. As the new guy, I thought it best to watch how things worked before jumping in. Not that such advice had ever helped stop me before.

  A warrior dressed in earth tones made his way to me and introduced himself. His name was Lord Reginald Beigebriar, and he was the Royal Commander of the Rangers in this region of the realm.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Patron Istari. I have heard wonderful things about you.” He smiled and offered his arm. We clasped, and his grip was quite strong. “In fact, I have heard about you for many years. I am a longtime friend of your mother’s.”

  It was not surprising that my mother, a druid, would have friends among the rangers. Given her prominence, I suppose I should have realized she would know Lord Beigebriar.

  “Thank you, Lord Beigebriar. Mother has a way of making an impression on people.”

  He laughed. “That she does!”

  Another warrior joined us dressed in the uniform of the Watch. I recognized him, however. He was Lord Shalan Silverbank, and he was the commander of the City Watch. “Getting to know our newest member, eh, Reggie?” The commander asked the ranger.

  “Just about to congratulate him on his work at Barricade Park.” The ranger answered.

  “Which time? He held the barricade against the undead a couple of days earlier as well.” The Watch Commander said with a glint in his eyes.

  “Oh?” Lord Beigebriar remarked, “I have not heard that story.”

  “It’s a good story,” said a third armored person as she approached in her dark blue platye armor, although she was not a warrior. She was Lady Latrisha Sinestra, Captain General and Commander of the Inquisitors. “It is a rare day indeed when an inquisitor commends a mage, let alone two patrols doing so together. Lord Istari defended his honor and our faith well that day.”

  I noticed that the raven-haired commander placed honor before faith, an odd error coming from a priestly leader. She also rested her hand on the hilt of a blade, which was another departure from priestly behavior.

  I bowed to her as I could not stand up, given the crowding around this part of the table. “Your generosity in assigning a patrol as members of my guard is deeply appreciated,” I said.

  Of course, when all the other leaders sent their journeymen to me at the initial War Council, and the Bishop sent Steven, she had sat stony-faced and glared at me.

  The thought of the Bishop brought a feeling of sadness. “I am so sorry for your loss of the Bishop; he was a great and holy man.”

  She nodded, “Yes, his loss will be keenly felt for many years.” She remarked with a sad frown on her face that did not reach her eyes. She nodded to the others nearby and made her way to a seat further down the table between two other warriors, one of whom was the naval Commander and the other was the Marine Commander, both I met in passing. The Marine Commander would be in charge of all soldiers within the city. I’m not sure how his authority compares with the Watch Commander.

  The Ranger Commander took his leave as the rest of the assembled war council took seats. The Watch Commander reached down and squeezed my shoulder. “That is thanks from the families of the Watch and your kindness in providing food. It was as unexpected as it was appreciated.”

  The Duke entered the room and made his way to the only remaining empty seat. The chair was not taller or more comfortable than any of the others. It was almost as if he would have taken any empty seat available. It was not at either end of the long table, although it was at the center of one side. I noticed that his son sat opposite him and figured that instead of sitting at the head of the table, he chose to sit where he could hear everyone the best.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” he remarked as we all stood. He nodded to Lady Latrisha. “We will begin. Lady, as representative of your orders, would you please bless us with a prayer to start?”

  I was surprised by the gesture of faith, but no others appeared so. She led a common prayer of thanksgiving and asked for wisdom and peace. It was not a long prayer, and she completed it fluidly and without pause.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Thank you, Commander,” the Duke responded, using her military title now that the War Council had begun. Interesting choice of diplomacy. She had a hard reputation, but I had never had reason to interact with her personally.

  “We will begin with a brief introduction. The Lady Commander everyone knows, I am sure. The Bishop had long been invited to our morning meetings but had declined. His loss deeply saddens us, and we are grateful, under the circumstances, that the Holy Orders are present in the Commander of the Inquisitors.” He nodded to her again.

  “We are also joined by Commander Gwydion Istari, whom you also all know from our War Council meeting among the mages. He has certainly made a name for himself. He and his team, only days in service, served the city well last night.”

  “Hear, hear!” Said the Watch Commander, who banged his goblet upon the table. A few others smiled and nodded, and a few others stared at me without expression.

  “Welcome, Commander, and thank you for your timely service. Your addition brings us to seven commanders, an auspicious number, I believe.” The Duke remarked as he gathered papers before him.

  The Duke opened a folder with a blue sigil at the top, which I could not read from where I was seated. He picked up a clean stylus, which he dipped into the inkwell, and then looked up at us. “And now to business. Minister, please give us an update on food provisions and supplies for hospitals.”

  The woman addressed, and the only other female in the room besides Lady Latrisha, was the Minister of Guild Councils, often referred to as High Minister. She was arguably as powerful and influential as the Duke in most affairs. She served as the chairwoman of the leadership council of the assembly of guild members. All the non-mage and non-military guilds belonged to this assembly, paid dues, and followed its rules and practices.

  Mostly.

  Each guild was still a little kingdom unto itself, but few mundane guilds wielded the same kind of influence as even the smaller magical guilds. But together, the guilds wielded significant influence, and she was the queen bee of that assembly.

  My father had spoken about her on many occasions, sometimes with praise and sometimes with disappointment. But he always spoke of her with respect.

  But despite her power among those in the city, in the war council, she was no greater or less than any other present, and the threat of war was clearly not an area of expertise for the commercial, professional, and laborer guilds. But if she was a fish out of water, like I was, she certainly did not show it. She commanded attention and had an air of charisma about her.

  Thus began a long discussion of supplies and logistics, followed by military reports and preparations with their own supplies and logistics. Each of the Military Commanders gave reports, and toward the end, when the Naval Commander was explaining the need for at least a twenty-four-hour delay in evacuating the city of children, the elderly, and the infirm, I anticipated that I would be next to report.

  And I was correct.

  “Commander Gwydion, Special Services bridges our military and magical strategies. As such, you will report next, followed by the Majordomo and Wizard Draconis. What updates can you share about your progress since our meeting before Mage Council?”

  I withdrew my notes and offered a concise update. I had added a bit more to the report than I had shared with the Duke since our numbers had increased, and also because I had not had a chance to get reports from some of the team leaders before the attack last night.

  “So, in addition to significant progress in magical rings of 300% over initial promises, we are also working on magical Single Use Spell garments to outfit a small contingent of warriors with invisibility cloaks for their own strategies, rune-enchanted exploding arrows-”

  “That worked very well against the goblins.” The ranger commander interrupted.

  “And targeted the goblin mages and shamans with especial effectiveness.” The Majordomo added.

  I waited for them to complete their thoughts and then continued, “and we expect a supply of a couple of hundred sling stones, which will also serve in the same capacity for warriors who are skilled in slings rather than bows.”

  The warrior commanders were listening keenly to my report, and their body language began to shift. There was more acceptance and even an eager acceptance of the improved weapons they would have access to.

  “Our engineering team is also working on ideas for distance, area of effect, and damage over time devices for use, which I hope to include in a future report.” I nodded to the guildmaster of Warriors, Sam. “A special thanks to Sam for several ideas that sent my journeymen and engineers scurrying back to the lab and a new set of work plans.”

  Eyes around the room shifted to Sam, a vocal opponent to my being included on the War Council. “The young patron has changed my mind. He’s still wet behind the ears, but he also knows how to stand firm. But what impressed me even more than holding his ground against the goblins was his openness to learning from mere warriors.” Here, he turned to the two master mages, “Not a typical attitude among your ranks.”

  Both mages chuckled. “Indeed not.” Master Draconis admitted. “The patron has shown significant respect for wisdom from all sources, even stubborn old wizards and stubborn old warriors, both.”

  The tension that began to build at Sam’s anti-mage sentiment, something nearly every non-mage in the room likely shared, was shattered with smiles and light laughter with Wizard Draconis’s final words.

  “I, too, was reluctant to have the patron at the table with us.” The Marine Commander stated in his rough, gravelly voice. “But I retract my concerns and, in light of his actions and my colleagues Commander Sinestra and Commander Silverbank’s trust. I offer you one of my officers to add to your staff as aid to advise you as needed along your path.”

  I saw a few people shifting in their seats and figured there was more here than met the eye.

  The Duke frowned. “Would you accept one of his staff to join you and advise you on your decisions, Commander?” The Duke asked gently. “Commander Istari is young, but he is as valued a member of this council as anyone else present.”

  The Marine Commander started to grow red but held his temper against the words of the Duke.

  Bella said, I cannot read it all, but despite how it sounded, the Marine Commander did genuinely mean to offer you assistance and not spy on you.

  I intervened. “My liege, I do not know all that has been said before I was present and what may or may not have been argued. But I take the commander at his word and would appreciate a veteran officer of his personal choice to join us. We are building weapons for war, and few of us are warriors. It is why we sought Sam’s advice.” I turned to the guildmaster and grinned, “And will likely do so again.” He nodded to me without smiling as I turned back to the Duke, “I see no challenge in having his officer join my leadership team.”

  The Duke stared at me and then nodded. “Then I approve.” He turned to the Marine Commander, “Forgive my abruptness, Commander. I hold each of you in deep respect, and we have had enough petty quarrels among ourselves over the years about protocols and spheres of influence that I forgot myself in the moment.”

  “There is nothing to forgive, my liege. I have been at the root of many of those petty quarrels that all seem so distant and meaningless given our imminent threat.” He replied.

  “Well spoken.” The Naval Commander agreed and nodded in what looked like an apology to the Marine Commander as well.

  There were certainly old troubles behind these words, but maybe a little more harmony was introduced to the War Council. As ironic as that seemed.