Chapter 13: The First

The three First were sitting at a round table in a spacious room, it was daylight, and the light fell from the window, illuminating the dissatisfied faces of the audience. Not far from the table, Ndaeldarim and Elnurian walked back and forth.

"Ndaeldarim, Elnurian, what's the rush? All went according to plan, didn't it? Why have we gathered here?" an elderly elf with a reddish beard and grey eyes asked.

"Raellellar, we will start an urgent meeting as soon as–"

Suddenly another elderly elf with a clean-shaven face and long straight hair appeared. His clear face made him look younger than the others.

"Gaellkoet UulBildallik, finally!" Ndaeldarim exclaimed.

"Sorry, I'm late, there was urgent business–" Gaellkoet began to speak.

"Never mind, please sit down," Ndaeldarim said.

And all six First sat down at a round table.

"As you all know, for the first time in the history of this, umm, very difficult planet, we were able to create a fiery reborn dragon! But, unfortunately, we could not control it and using the help of Ansellellor–"

"Ansellellor?! You used the help of the traitor?!" asked a short-haired elderly elf with a small grey beard.

"Yes, Itullannoth, we have made a deal with Ansellellor, and he managed to take Gaal to Kaartarnar," Ndaeldarim replied.

"I don't understand," Raellellar said suddenly, "why didn't we move all the ermirians to Kaartarnar? They would have lost their lives there instantly, and the problem would have been solved!"

"If Ansellellor helped, we could do that," Gaellkoet said, "but we, six of us... Raellellar, we will spend too much alanjruon, and when our strength is exhausted, any arrow or fireball may be the last for us.

"Besides, we've just found out that our glorious Gaal's mother killed three falsalvgudinas," Ndael said.

"Three more?!" exclaimed an elderly elf with a black beard and with fiery hair with black tips.

"Yes, Deldaniron, three more," Elnurian entered the dialogue.

"Even to make one we need a huge amount of alanjruon! It seems to me it's time for us to leave this planet!" Deldaniron said.

"So four of the eleven falsalvgudinas in this cycle were killed by dragons, one was resurrected, and three were killed by Gaal's mother, there are only five false mothers left, am I right?" Raellellar asked.

"Yes," Elnurian replied.

Everyone except Ndael and Elnurian looked at each other.

"And you also moved Gaal to another planet, our weapon, which was supposed to destroy the ermirians?" Raellellar continued to ask questions.

Suddenly Ansellellor, who had been present at the meeting for some time but was invisible, appeared.

"I'll tell you, even more, I've killed seven Ikhagatbers, which means that the ghosts will soon leave the mountains!" Ansellellor said.

"Ansellellor, how long have you been here?" the surprised Deldaniron asked. "And how did you kill the Ikhagatbers? How did you do it?"

"What is he doing here?" Raellellar asked.

"I am the most powerful First in the entire Universe, or have you forgotten?" Ansell asked, smiling.

"Ndaeldarim, Elnurian," Itullannoth turned to them, "you did not warn us that there would be a traitor at the meeting!"

"A traitor who solved our problem with the vile ghost makers!" Ndael remarked, defending Ansell.

"Yes, but now all the ghosts will come out," Itullannoth remarked.

"And the dragons will kill them all," Ndael suggested.

"You argue about things that don't matter now," Ansell said, "the problem is that the tukhtaashes outlanders came here!"

"We know what's going on, Ansell. Some barbaric dragons and their dark-skinned countrymen have landed on the shore, there are not so many of them, our dragons and mothers can deal with them with ease! We even don't need to restrain falsalvgudinas, since there are so few false mothers left," the smooth-shaven Gaellkoet noticed and, taking fruit from the tray on the table, and took a bite.

"My dear Gaellkoet, did you know that the tukhtaashes from Taashtar have learned how to control dragons?"

"What?!" Gaellkoet choked.

"Taashtar with their barbaric traditions was on you, Gaellkoet," Ndael said angrily, "you were late to the meeting, hiding behind some business, you didn't know what was happening on the territory entrusted to you! You've done less in a couple of millennia than the traitor Ansell has in these few days!"

"How can they control dragons?" Gaellkoet still couldn't understand.

"They can control them, and they were even able to control the reborn Gaal!" Ansell said with a grin.

"This is unbelievable!" Raellellar exclaimed, his grey eyes filled with surprise and horror at the same time.

"And more than that, our creatures may now be against us!" Elnurian said.

The First began to look at each other, trying to figure out what to do next.

"So now all seven ghosts will go beyond the wall, and we have only five falsalvgudinas left," Itullannoth remind them.

"Well, and how many true mothers are left?" Raellellar asked.

"Four," answered the knowledgeable Ansell.

"Four?! I see that our creatures do take the fight seriously!" Deldaniron noted with pride and surprise.

"Let's get to the point of the meeting," Ndael suggested, "Ansell suggests that we need first to destroy the tukhtaashes, then to destroy the ghosts, after that we need to tell the truth to the mothers, to the falsalvgudinas and the dragons about their creation, and the last thing we must to do is to convince the ermirians to let us start the extraction of alanjruon."

"And all our thousand years of work will lose all meaning?! After we came here, we've made a decision how to deal with natives!" Raellellar was indignant, "You, Ansell, until you turned away from us, said that the ermirians would not agree to earthworks on their territory! Indeed, you know what will happen when we start to extract alanjruon! Forest will be destroyed, and thousands of holes in the soil will be left by the verlaweiners! If I was an ermirian, I'd go to war with those who are destroying my home!"

"Well," Ansell suggested, seeing the indignant looks of the First, "I can move the ermirians to another planet, but only you will have to wait until I move as many as I can."

"A reasonable offer!" Ndael insisted, watching the doubt and mistrust on their faces. "We must, with Ansell's help, destroy the ghosts, the tukhtaash invaders, and come to an agreement with our creatures, and then Ansell will convince the ermirians to find a new home on another planet. And we will finally get down to our main work!"

"And what did the emperor say about this?" Gaellkoet asked. He saw the shifting gaze of Ndael and Elnurian, "Ah, you didn't tell him!"

"The emperor will approve our plan if we tell him together," Elnurian said uncertainly.

"Will you tell him all truth about your plan and that you took the traitor Ansell into the team?"Gaellkoet laughed. "He will cut off our heads!"

"Gaellkoet," Ansell intervened, "I saw how you bewitch and copulate with tukhtaash young women!"

"It's a lie!" exclaimed frightened Gaellkoet. "Everyone on this filthy planet has had a problem with clairvoyance lately, us included, so double check your information! Maybe it was some of your wallitarf!"

"I didn't see you with the help of magic, I was there and watched with my own eyes. Honestly, Gaellkoet, you can be blamed for the cruelty of the tukhtaashes!" and the old elf grinned.

"What are you talking about?! Ansell, how dare you?!" Gaellkoet jumped up from his chair.

"Calm down, Gaell, that's enough," Ndael said. "We will offer our plan to the emperor without mentioning Ansell, and we almost guarantee him that we will start extracting alanjruon soon."

"If everything works out, then we will ask the emperor for a couple of centuries holidays," Elnurian persuaded them, supporting Ndael.

"The only problem is that the ikhagatbers have told the truth to some dragons, and I've told the truth to several ermirians. It means that soon the truth will spread among all the inhabitants of the planet, but with distortions and inaccuracies, and hatred to the First will increase," Ansell said. "We'll have to completely rethink the strategy. I propose to give the falsalvgudinas, if they, of course, survive, the reproductive ability, let them have their children. And we must promise to the askaldenfirsts a happy life with their dragon children. But first, we will unite the mentioned, and attack the tukhtaash outlanders, and then we will deal with the ghosts."

"It's a good way out, and we have no other choice," Elnurian supported.

"There is always another choice!" Raellellar remarked. "You can let the ermirians fight with our creatures, and with each other, as planned, to thin out their population, and we could finish off the rest."

"Seven ghosts, Raell," Elnurian flared up, "Seven! They'll all come down from the mountains now, and many of them are mad villains! Imagine what would happen if the ghost could possess the verlaweiner. Madness, chaos, catastrophe!"

"I think I will support Ndael and Elnur's plan after all," Itullannoth said suddenly.

"So am I," Deldaniron agreed.

Raell looked at Gaell.

"Alright, it's a disgusting situation! There has never been anything like this on any planet in the entire history of our civilization! Well," Gaell said, "I also agree."

"Raell?" Elnurian asked, and his gaze turned to the old elf with a reddish beard.

"Well, this solution is unpleasant, but I have not come up with a better one," Raell answered.

"That's great," Ansell said and disappeared.

"Now let's discuss the plan in detail," Ndael said, "and then we'll inform the emperor."

The First nodded reluctantly.