Hours had passed since Muri answered the council's summons and Thonda wondered what they could be discussing.
Reeth's government consisted of it's highly revered monarchs and a council of five advisors called the High Circle.
There was Lirasen , the Chief advisor to the Celestials who stood by their side day and night. No one in the realm knew his last name, therefore no one knew what family he came from. Some believed that such a man was a danger and a threat to the King, but there were others who believed that if the Celestial King could be murdered by a man with no last name, he wasn't worthy to rule.
Lirasen was a known diplomat with a silver tongue who had successfully turned many disputes into alliances.
Then there was Jerald Quell, the Warden of the Vaults who oversaw the royal treasury, taxation and trades with other territories. He was a former merchant who had earned his place in the circle. His devotion to wealth led him to value every coin like a sacred scroll, but of course, that same devotion caused the other council members to be wary of him. A man who valued money more than his fellow man was not to be trusted.
As Keeper of the Flame, Yssandra Telune was charged with maintaining spiritual balance in Reeth, overseeing festivals, sacred rites and most importantly, honoring rituals and traditions. She could read a person's soul just as easily as she could read the stars.
Vethara the Veiled was similar to Yssandra– a hooded figure whose face was never seen and whose voice never raised. He spoke in whispers and controlled a vast network of spies and informants for the Crown. All over Reeth, mothers told their children stories of the great hooded monster who knew your deepest secrets.
"If you don't behave, D'av Velthara will see and punish you!"
It never failed to keep the children in check because not only did Velthara control spies, he enforced the realm's laws. As Arbiter of Scrolls, he was perhaps the most feared in the Circle. Velthara had been known to stop a rebellion before it even happened, dealing with foreign plots, internal dissent and magical anomalies.
Naturally, he worked closely with Yssandra, and no one could ask for a better pairing. The two were awkward and mysterious, often found lurking in corners or watching from a distance.
Velthara also had the King's ear when it came to advise on legal matters.
The High Sage was the fourth member of the Circle. He was an old man, so old that it was rumored he was there when Reeth was just a small province. Orren Kaelith provided knowledge of medicine, history, prophecy and sciences and was trained in all disciplines of ancient lore. Orren was a knowledgeable man who had forgotten far more than many men ever learned.
Last was the Lord of Iron – Commander Velka Dreth. Commander of Reeth's military forces and defender of the realm. He was a hard man that had served Reeth for many moons, earning himself many scars, each with a different story to tell. Velka Dreth had been in a total of ninety nine battles and had never lost a single one. You were sooner to see him surrender to the enemy before you saw even the smallest smile on his thin lips.
These were the five that made up the High Circle. Which one of them had summoned her mother? Thonda had no idea. It could have been all five, it could have been Velthara, it didn't really matter.
In the Lowercity, Muri had taken her daughter to The Bridge – a pitiful structure with moss eating away at its stone walls and several of these stones missing in various places. It connected the busier part of the Lowercity with the more quiet and less populated section where Muri had grown up.
"My grandfather brought me here whenever I threw a fit," Muri had explained. "I was a sad, bitter girl, angry at the world and its injustice."
Her parents were both activists, fighting against the inequality between the two cities. At first, the Circle ignored their futile protests and gestures, but when crowds began to gather around them in the squares, the Circle knew something had to be done. Muri was barely two moons when a messenger brought news to her grandfather – her parents had died in an 'unfortunate incident'.
That was just a nice way of putting it. They were murdered, silenced by the only person in Reeth who had ears and eyes everywhere.
"They always told me that they were trying to make the world a better place for me, and at the time, I believed them." Muri gripped the edge of the bridge, the memories flooding back. "But we were Halde's. Our name held no importance and no authority and so my mother and father could make no real difference.
"Do you know what my grandfather told me then?" She asked Thonda, turning to look at her with eyes that said more than her mouth did. Thonda shook her head no.
"You can be angry. Stay here and feel sorry for yourself or you can do your best to make things right. Make them proud,"
She leaned over slightly to stare at her reflection in the green waters of the river passing underneath. Thonda moved closer and did the same. Together they looked into the water in silence, Thonda not quite sure what the purpose of this activity was.
"He always brought me out here and I never understood why he couldn't just say whatever he had to in our cottage." She paused. "Until one day after he died, I came here alone. I was 19 moons then – about to be paired.' Muri stretched out her hand, drawing her daughter's attention to a spot close to the riverbank.
"There was a young girl who knelt beside the river with a wooden pail. I realized then that this river once ran clear and quenched the thirst of thousands. It is the same river that we read about in history books – the one that had been here before there was even Reeth," She sighed wistfully.
"It doesn't look like much now, but this was once the center of life, and if it didn't stop flowing out of pity for itself and longing for what it had once been, why did I need to feel differently? Thankfully, the gods smiled on me and I was paired with one of the most powerful men in Reeth."
Muri gripped Thonda's shoulders tightly, staring into her grey eyes. "No matter what life throws at you, feeling sorry for yourself is never the answer. Do you understand me, Thonda?"
Thonda had never seen her mother quite so desperate. She nodded quickly so that she would let her go, but like she had done in the markets, Muri looked deeply into Thonda's eyes, searching for…something.
It was there. Thonda didn't know what it was, but it was there and her mother saw it. Muri let her hands fall to her sides.
"I received a summons from the High Circle. We must return to Summit."
They flew back shortly after, and Thonda had come straight to her chambers where she now sat submerged in a tub, the water reaching her neck. Flowers and different herbs floated on the surface and Thonda took her time to wash, relishing in the scents.
Once she was clean, Thonda dressed in one of the many white robes she favored and sat in front of her mirror to brush her hair.
Could Muri have offended the Circle somehow? No, she was not so careless as that, but with every stroke of the brush, a new question formed in Thonda's mind.
Why was she worried anyway? Her mother was loved and respected by all, she would be the last person in danger and even if she were, her brave husband would defend her to the end.
Comforted by the thought, Thonda put down the brush and stood to leave her chambers, perhaps take a stroll in the gardens. She smiled to herself and almost laughed at her paranoia.
She turned to the doors at the same time they flew open and a small group of Celestial soldiers marched in. Lieutenant Thessari, their leader, was a man who had sat with her father on multiple occasions. He now stared at her with emotionless eyes and a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Thonda Kareese. You are summoned to the presence of the High Circle and Celestial monarchs. Resist and we will not hesitate to cut you down."