CHAPTER 39
~ United Council of Immortals ~
In the weeks since the equinox, Callie has dreaded this day. “Remind me again why we are doing this? Are they planning to charge me with some crime for killing Dysnomia? I must have over a thousand witnesses who can tell them that she was the aggressor. Besides, it was all out war, a war Dysnomia started by coming after me before Clara was even born or I had even been transformed,” Callie pouts as she adjusts the rather uncomfortable suit Morna had encouraged her to buy on that lovely shopping trip. A shopping trip which now feels as though it was ages ago, but in reality, only a few short months have passed since that day. The Ruby Dragon Queen and her two Consort-Sentinels are standing and alternately pacing before the closed doors of the main chamber of the United Council of Immortals. And while Callie doesn’t fear them, she knows this isn’t going to be a pleasant or friendly encounter. There is no doubt in her mind or the minds of her mates that Moros, son of Nyx and god of doom is behind this “invitation” to meet the Councilors.
Callie reaches up to brush a single strand of hair which is teasing her forehead and smiles. Earlier, Nyle had deftly pinned up her long brown tresses into a sophisticated chignon, and Callie couldn’t help but to be impressed. “You, my wolf are a male of many talents,” she had practically gushed before kissing him deeply. Nipping his lip painfully and savoring the drop of blood she drew.
Pulling away, Nyle had growled playfully. “I love it when my little dragon plays the aggressor.”
The comment had brought Callie up short. “I’m sorry, I know you like to be the top.”
The laughter of her two mates at her remark had made Callie blush profusely. “Aingeal mine, I am an Alpha Wolf, so of course I enjoy topping, but I am not so insecure that I require my lovers to always be submissive. The fact that my two lovers are not true submissives does not make me any less dominant nor any less Alpha.” He chuckles. “I think our time in the barn the day your dragon came out to play surely showed you that I am happy being the switch occasionally.”
That was when Kazar had moved in to wrap an arm around both of his mates. “We, as a fully mated triad, defy description and categorization by mundane standards. He chuckles; “Truthfully, the sex lives of most immortals defy such pigeon holing.” Her vampire kissed her cheek. “No worries, amica mea, we all get what we need, when we need it, from our very unique triad.”
Callie’s very pleasant mental wanderings are cut short when the doors to the waiting room, for lack of a better descriptor for the luxuriously appointed room, are thrown open to reveal members of the Twin Ravens and Nox Legion MC – along with their patron goddess, Nox Fortuna, the paranormal branch of the Native American Lighthorse Police, Ishki Opa – the matriarch of the so-called Little People, the leaders of Airendell – Morna and Lucian Michaels, the leaders of the Beast Realm – Mara and Logan Montgomery, as well as several clan, pack, and pride leaders who are closely allied to the Beast Realm, the Irish Raven – Morrígan herself, Valgullveig of Vanaheim, Erebus and Coramina, Anton Dacul in his Blood Gate Keepers cut, and finally every single Coven, Pack, and Clan leader of the Tulsa and Tularosa regions. The weight of the magick which Callie can feel radiating from this assembled group easily rivals what she senses beyond the closed door of the Council chamber.
Weird. Maybe the almighty UCI is not the powerhouse they would like for the world of supes to believe? Callie muses silently.
No, they are not, Erebus’ voice replies in her head. The UCI has held fast to the belief that only full gods and goddesses can hold a seat on the Council. And the mundane world simply does not worship the old gods as they once did. Therefore, the powers of these so-called deities continues to wane over the centuries.
“Well, this is about to get interesting,” Nyle mutters and moves forward to begin greeting their friends and allies. After momentarily being thrown off kilter by their appearance when she did not expect them to show up to support her today, Callie also moves in to greet the newcomers at Kazar’s gentle tug on her arm.
No sooner had the greetings began to quiet down, then the massive doors to the Chamber are flung open by a Minotaur and a Fire Giant. When the Minotaur winks playfully at Callie, she smiles back because she recognizes this particular Minotaur as one of Mara’s top enforcers. During her crash course on the ins and outs of the Immortal world, she had learned that every realm, independent clan, sect, pack, coven, and band of enforcers allied with the United Council of Immortals are obligated to send their top enforcers, on rotating schedules, for brief periods of service to offer protection when the Council convenes.
Callie straightens her shoulders and prepares to enter the chamber when she senses Logan come up behind her. He leans down to whisper; “Don’t react in any way, to whatever you see when you walk in there. I suspect they are going to put on a real show of power for your benefit. Just be prepared, there are likely over twenty raised daises in that room. But you need to focus on the five or ten directly in front of you.” He pats her shoulder reassuringly. “Pay close attention to Moros, Shiva, and Mars. Those males are not necessarily friends to any of us.” Callie simply nods, gently squeezes the hands of her males before confidently striding into the massive chamber, just a half step ahead of her Consort-Sentinels.
Suddenly, Callie is grateful for Logan’s warning. The sight of a room which resembles an otherworldly amphitheater filled with so many elevated platforms topped with intricate thrones and powerful gods and goddesses sitting upon them might have been intimidating without the heads up. Now, she just recognizes it exactly for what it is, a weak attempt at getting the new girl to join their clique so that she doesn’t disrupt the status quo. Too bad, so sad… it ain’t gonna happen. There is a new player on the game board these days, and things are about to even out considerably.
Once Callie and her supporters have assembled in the center of the room, Callie nearly chuckles because the UCI has rigged this set up from the git go. From their positions, they can look down upon anyone who comes before them, whether they be there for judgement or as a visiting ally. Callie nearly groans her frustration when the Minotaur begins bellowing out the names of the Councilors, beginning with the least prominent and working his way up to the biggest of the bigs. Finally, he reaches the core group.
Upon the central, and slightly larger, dais is none other than the Greek goddess of justice, Athena. She is the lead Councilor of the UCI. From all that Callie has learned, she believes this goddess to be genuine in her efforts to protect and govern the Immortal world with fairness and mercy. To Athena’s right, sits the mighty Ma’at of the Egyptian pantheon, who is known as the goddess of truth, balance, order, law, morality, harmony, and justice among her people. Yet another goddess whom Callie believes honorable in intent and deeds. Upon Athena’s left sits the Roman god Jupiter, who is known as the god of sky and thunder, sometimes also referred to as the god of oaths and justice. While this male’s heart is likely fairly pure, he certainly has a reputation as an elitist among the most ancient of the gods. Callie suspects he sees the newly emerging Western Péntearchy as upstarts. Next to Jupiter sits Shiva, the Hindu destroyer of evil and transformer of the world. He is one of the gods Logan just warned her about. Callie doesn’t believe this god sets out to oppress those weaker, but he shares many of Jupiter and Mars’ elitist views. Callie is not at all surprised to see Mars, the Roman god of war glaring at her dismissively. She knows from Mara and others, as well as her own brief meeting with the god, that he tends to especially view females as lesser beings. But when everything hits the fan, the Roman usually lands on the “right” side of the issue.
When the Minotaur announces Moros, Callie isn’t surprised. She had pegged him as the son of Nyx and uncle to Dysnomia the moment she walked into this massive chamber of judgement. However, now that she is getting a closer look at the god of doom, she is rather surprised. He is wholly unimpressive in appearance. Dark, closely shorn hair, dark, deep set eyes, gaunt face, sallow complexion, and a slender, almost effeminate build. But the moment he begins trying to push his power at her, she instantly understands why he is feared by so many. The feelings of doom, helplessness, and hopelessness would have been overwhelming had she not been so well prepared for just such an encounter by Logan and her goddess trainers.
Callie cocks her head and aims her thoughts at Erebus. Adrian, your son has some nasty mojo there.
He is not my son! He is the vile offspring of my former mate. Her offspring who follow her dark path, she spawned with the true essence of Evil, not with me or any other living male. She spawned Moros and those other vile beings she calls her children with Evil, for the purpose of spreading evil far and wide. I had no part in any of it! Callie almost flinches at the defensive tone in his thoughts.
I’m sorry… she begins. But the former Greek god of night cuts her off. I did not take offense, Callie. I am simply…prickly about being associated with Nyx’s dark spawn. I loved her once. Truly and deeply, but she changed. Evil seduced her and she liked it. I wanted no part of her plans to dominate and enrapture the humans and the leaders of the many realms, so I distanced myself from Nyx and her foul offspring eons ago. Once she murdered the last of your fore-mothers, I set out to work at cross purposes to her plans.
Wow, talk about dysfunctional family dynamics! Erebus and Coramina both chuckle at Callie’s stray thought. But the new dragon queen suddenly realizes Athena is addressing her directly.
“Welcome, Ruathar Bànrigh!” Athena addresses Callie with genuine warmth shining in her gaze. “Or do you prefer to be addressed as the Ruby Dragon Queen?”
“My name is Callie Boyd, so Callie will do just fine. If you really feel the need to be official, I guess I would be fine with being called the Ruby Dragon. I think the fact that I am the first true dragon to take to the skies in several millennia pretty much speaks for itself.” Her supporters chuckle. They expected this attitude and reply.
“Very well, Callie. I am, as the lovely Minotaur announced, Athena. I currently sit in the lead chair of this ancient Council. Welcome and thank you for joining us.”
“Stop humoring the upstart,” Moros insists. “I demand that she be charged with the murder of my niece!”
“Well, Moros, I am afraid that will not happen,” Callie intones boldly with an impassive expression on her face.”
“You upstart cunt!” he bellows and begins to throw his power at her. “You are a no-body! And yet, you murdered my kin! You must pay!”
“Cool it, Debbie Downer,” Callie replies drolly. “You can knock off trying to shove your gloom, despair, and excessive misery at me right now.” Mara chuckles and shakes her head at Callie’s SNL and HeeHaw references, even though she doubts the UCI is up on pop culture in America. “I’m not so weak minded or frail of spirit that you can get to me with your little mind fuckery routine. Your niece tried it as well, but when she threatened my innocent infant daughter, again, I realized there was no hope of redemption for Dysnomia. She wanted to reign anarchy in the human realm and was willing achieve her goals by any means. So, I ended her.”
Callie steps toward Moros’ dais and plants her hands on her hips. “It might have been my teeth which struck the final blow, but Dysnomia died because she and her blood horde murdered and stole the human lives of over a thousand human beings! A thousand! At least. That doesn’t even take into account the savagery Dysnomia, your mother, and dark siblings wreaked in my five past lives, against me, my families, and friends. Nor did I really even take into account the fact that I would never have even awakened as the Dragon Queen had Dysnomia not sent her minion, Finn Connor, to savage and murder me in a dark alley behind my consignment clothing store. I was a simple mortal woman, living a very simple mortal life, until your niece decided I deserved to die, just because I might become a threat to her nasty little plans for the human race. I survived that savage attack because my dragon had had enough. She was sick of the sorrow your kin has wrought to shifter and human alike.”
Callie shakes her head sadly. “Dysnomia was the author of her own doom. Her fears, her responses to those fears, became a self-fulfilling prophecy.” She turns and resumes her spot between her mates before turning her head to slowly meet the gaze of every single Councilor, finally stopping to glare at Moros. “Be careful you do not follow the same path as Nyx, Strife, and Anarchy. Since I have been shoved into this role as protector of shifterkind and humans alike, I will see the job through. I will help my sisters awaken and we will fulfill our joint destiny. Make no mistake. Do not underestimate the Western Péntearchy.”
When Moros rises to his feet and begins to scream obscenities and threats at Callie, Athena quietly orders him to sit down and shut up. Obviously, the mighty Greek goddess of wisdom still has many believers among the human realm because her power is very impressive. She forces her fellow Greek pantheon member to fall silent and flop onto his pretentious little throne by virtue of her will alone. When the kindly goddess turns to smile at Callie, the dragon knows what is coming next and hopes their plan is the right thing for the human race and shifterkind.
“Callie Boyd, Ruathar Bànrigh the Ruby Dragon,” the goddess intones in her official Councilor’s voice, “… thank you for your testimony. We will consider the evidence you have presented and then vote.”
“No.” Callie responds simply.
Athena’s head snaps back, almost as though Callie physically struck her when she uttered that one simple word. “Excuse me?” Athena asks gently. Not seeming to be offended, or angry, simply confused. “What do you mean… no?”
“No, my words to Moro’s and the rest of this esteemed Council were not my testimony, nor were those words to be construed as evidence in some trumped up case against me. The very moment Dysnomia kidnapped a human and forcefully entered Teleióti̱ta, the Dragon Homeworld, she committed an act of aggression against a sovereign realm. She essentially officially declared war upon the Western Péntearchy. As the High Queen of the Péntearchy, I simply eliminated a threat… in front of over a thousand witnesses, I might add. This esteemed council has no jurisdiction nor authority over me or my actions taken against an invader within my own realm.”
“Now you wait a damn minute, you overgrown lizard…” Mars leaps to his feet and begins to rail at Callie, but the amused chuckle of Ares, the Greek counterpart to Mars, seated next to him fills the chamber. “Don’t bother, buddy. She’s right and we all know it.” Mars opens his mouth and once again begins to rant, but again, Ares cuts him off. “Brother, we may be war gods, but we are not at our hearts evil. This Council was not created to subjugate nor to absorb other realms. We formed this Council to guard our way of life, to ensure our rights as magickal beings to live in peace. Callie is not threatening our mission in any form or fashion.” When grumblings begin from various Councilors throughout the amphitheater, Callie begins to wonder if she will get out of there without a fight.
Once again, Ares steals the show. When the powerful war god, leading Councilor, and head of the enforcement arm of the UCI rises angrily to his feet to glare at his fellow divine councilors, you can suddenly hear a pin drop in the immense chamber. “So help me, if you damn fools react out of fear and hubris, rather than acting with intelligence and rational thought, I will sever all ties to this body! I will take every single enforcer loyal to me, and every single likeminded follower along with me. I will not be a part of such foolish games when threats still loom over all of us!”
Ma’at chuckles at Ares outburst. “My dear war god, we are not the mean girl’s table in some high school cafeteria. I, for one, entirely agree with Callie. She is not subject to our judgement over her actions during the Autumnal Equinox. In fact, I am not certain she can be subject to our jurisdiction in any case. Her foremothers were not members of our esteemed Council, because we were, and remain, short-sighted enough to only recognize those who consider themselves full gods and goddesses.” She smiles. “As I gaze upon the Ruby Dragon and her most impressive band of supporters, I’d say our past hubris will likely bite us on our collective backsides if we do not tread carefully from this moment on.”
“Agreed,” intones Athena, Jupiter, Shiva, Thor, and many, many others.
“I am delighted to hear that…” Callie begins, but once again is interrupted by Moros’ obscenities and ravings. After just a few seconds, Callie has just had enough. Of all of it. She wants to go home to snuggle with her daughter, to relax with her males, and try to figure out how to mend the holes in her friendship with Susie. She needs to focus on the future and not the past. She sure as hell doesn’t have time to play chicken with a bunch of egotistical gods and goddesses. When she hears Erebus chuckle and sees an amused expression on the face of Odin and Cocidius upon their respective thrones, she knows they are listening in to her very thoughts as well. In that moment, Callie resolves to deal with that issue later. Allowing those meddling gods to eavesdrop at will is wholly unacceptable! In the meantime, she slams up the thickest mental walls she can manage and continues to address the Council.
Sick and tired of the now nonsensical and wholly obscene ravings of Moros, she throws up her right hand, not really expecting anything to happen… but when the god of doom freezes mid diatribe, she can’t help but grin. “Huh… who knew that would actually work?”
Her grin when she addresses the rest of the Council is positively radiant. “As I tried to say, I am delighted to hear this esteemed Council is so reasonable. The Dragon Queens have not, nor will they ever, swear fealty to this Council. We cannot effectively protect and preserve those in our care if we owe fealty to this mighty Council. However…” Callie licks her lips and decides to lay her cards out. They had planned to reveal the formation of the Western Association of Magickal Allies on the first day of November, but Callie thinks now might be better. But when she sees Odin shake his head no and give her an almost panicked look, she rethinks the matter and snaps her mouth shut. Maybe revealing what she playfully thinks of as WAMA or Wham-Uh, right now is not the wisest strategy. “However,” she repeats, scrambling to cover up her near miss-step, “… the Western Péntearchy will always consider lending our support to our Allies on a case by case basis.” Her invitation for the Council to become allied with the Dragons is plain, if not openly stated. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a child I wish to go home to.”