No one spoke until Gandrig the Dwarven King stood up, his formidable frame compensating for his lack of height.
"Majesties all." He started in a quiet voice that bellied his fighting prowess in battle, "Long we have fought this war and much we have lost. But with the death of Glennas the Dark Adept, surely it is the end..."
"It is not." An equally quiet voice interrupted.
Everyone turned as a hooded figure stepped into the circle formed by the Council, pushing back the hood while doing so and revealed a woman of ageless beauty and a cascade of golden hair down her back.
"Who are you?" King Orion, King of Men, stood up indignantly, "And how dare you presume to trespass into our Council?"
"Calm, Orion." Mithrien, King of Elves, placed a warning hand on King Orion's arm, "let us hear what this prophetess has to say first."
At these words, the woman turned and smiled at King Mithrien.
"Perceptive you are to see my true identity, your majesty." She inclined her head with a smile that King Mithrien acknowledged with a nod of his own.
"My name is Larissia and I bid you to hear me out for I bring you not glad tidings but what awaits you in the future."
"Made-up stories more like it." Someone muttered from the group of pages standing near the door which earned indulgent smiles from everyone except Larissia who pointedly ignored the jibe.
"Much as you may have hoped, the Dark Adept, Glennas is not truly dead for his spirit still lives on."
"That's impossible." King Gandrig narrowed his eyes at her, "His ex-colleagues had already finished him off at Crystal Reach!"
"Physically speaking, yes. But he is not so easily destroyed. He is considerably weakened, that much is true but his spirit will not rest until the Orb is his."
"The Orb, you say?" King Mithrien raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Was it not destroyed when the 3 Adepts used it to fight Glennas?"
"The Orb like the Adepts are not of this world, your majesty," Larissia informed him, "it was created by the Season Gods before the world begun to strike a balance between good and evil. It cannot be destroyed unless the Season Gods are prepared to leave this world behind and move on to other worlds but it cannot be used for total good or evil because that will disrupt the balance and cause chaos."
"So you are saying that the Orb was not destroyed at Crystal Reach after all?"
Larissia nodded. "Yes, but somehow, it can't be found. I should know, I looked all over Crystal Reach but there was not even a sign that the Orb was there, except for the big crater the Adepts made when they were battling it out."
Queen Risea, leader of the Merpeople, who barely offered her opinion before now spoke up in a rich voice,
"If that is the case, then where is the Orb?"
Larissia spread her hands helplessly, "I cannot tell, the Orb has chosen to hide itself from my arts."
"But what has this got to do with us?" King Orion questioned her, "As far as I'm concerned, the Dark War is over and it's time for us to pick up the threads of our lives!"
Larissia looked at him with something akin to pity, "you still don't understand, don't you? Even if you pretend that the Dark Adept is not going to return with a vengence, your descendants will surely regret it when the time comes."
King Orion's eyes narrowed dangerously, "are you threatening me?"
"No," Larissia replied coolly, "I'm merely stating a fact, whether or not you like it."
"Will you two stop bickering?" King Mithrien sighed with exasperation, "We are all now troubled enough without you two adding to the headache as well."
King Orion looked as if he wanted to argue further but wisely kept his tongue.
Larissia, however, was determined to make them understand, even if they threw her into a dungeon. "Please, you have to believe me. If you choose to ignore my warning now, it would be too late when the time comes."
"Peace, child." She said, "We will discuss this anon, so why don't you wait outside for our reply?"
"Alright," She conceded, "I'll wait, but I beg you all to weigh this carefully for the fate of the world and other worlds as well lie in your decision."
"We will." Queen Risea promised as she waved at the group of pages at the door to open it.
Stepping out, Larissia wished that people would take her more seriously. She may be a prophetess who predicts the uncertain future but in her opinion, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Besides, the vision of doom had been unusually clear, unlike her customary fuzzy ones. That was what prompted her to come here today to warn them beforehand.