Ardette looked at the scholars and students as they walked sedately across the neat lawns to reach their new place of study. She immediately felt a small pang of regret that she never had the chance to study in a place like this. Her training was driven by duty and honor. She never studied something, just for the chance to know about it. She longed to sit in a large public library and read books on history and art for no other reason than idle curiosity. Unfortunately, duty reared its ugly head and she had no choice but to embrace it. To push the melancholy mood from her mind, she decided to have an idle conversation with Davion. Conversations with him always soothed her.

�One must be able to study anything in a university this large, don�t you think Davion?� It was a simple enough remark. Davion seemed to enjoy conversation as much as she did. He should be able to open up a beautiful response.

�Anything within limits. They don�t teach everything here, and they certainly don�t teach the important things,� Davion responded in a lofty voice.

�And which important things would those be? Dragon logic, flight logistics, scale polishing?� Ardette teased gently.

�Yes, as a matter of fact, except for the scale polishing part. People would be a lot better off if they had at least a basic knowledge of how the world really works. Most human logic makes no sense when you apply it to the real world.�

�And, what would you say, would account for that?� This conversation was not exactly going as planned.

�It has to do with all those messy emotions you humans have. You have no clear view of the world, because you�re too sentimental to see any real truth. Take love, for example. There is no true point to falling in love. It messes with the head and never gives you anything that you truly need.�

�So, I�m guessing that love isn�t exactly in a Dragon�s vocabulary. Or any other emotions either,� Ardette said in a hurt voice. Things were definitely not going as planned.

�No, not really,� Davion pressed on in a callous, unfeeling voice. �Dragons have a much clearer sense of the world than other creatures do. We don�t have any need for feelings clouding our judgment.�

�I see,� Ardette made her voice as flat as she could. If he could be cold, so could she. �It looks like we�re getting close to the Council chambers.�

�Yes, it does,� Davion�s voice betrayed a slight confusion on her change of tone, which satisfied Ardette�s wounded heart greatly.

Though the three buildings surrounding the main hall were all the same size, they were anything but similar. Each had their own style, which immediately gave away their residents. One had the airy sophistication of the Faeries. Another showed the delicate, yet strong complexity of the Elves. The third building�s elemental construction spoke louder than words that the Nymphs called it home. The main hall, however, gave nothing away in its architecture. It was perfectly circular with no hints of unnatural construction. It seemed to grow out of the ground, a large marble cylinder with three grand doors facing the three smaller buildings, graceful molding along the top and beautifully elegant windows covering the entire structure. Though by rough description it would seem to be blocky and large, but it was really quite elegant.

As Ardette and Davion approached the southeastern door that faced the Elven house, a tall, handsome man appeared to greet them. He had flaming red hair and deep golden eyes. Though his build seemed slight, he was actually quite muscular. He wore rich red velvet from head to toe, a doublet with its sleeves removed, hose, and half boots of very fine quality. As Ardette admired this man�s well-sculpted arms, she noticed a peculiar marking on his right arm. He seemed to have been burned at some time in the past, but the burn mark had formed into a design that looked like an intense flame. If Ardette did not know better, she could have sworn that his arm was still on fire.

�Welcome to the hall of the Council of Ostandi,� the man said in a rich tenor voice. �I hope your travels weren�t too fatiguing.�

�They were tolerable, Fenyx,� Davion replied familiarly. �How are things going here? Anything terrible fall apart, while I�ve been away.�

�Of course,� Fenyx said smiling. �Whole empires have fallen to dust in your absence.�

�I knew it,� Davion was grinning broadly. �I can�t leave you alone for more than five minutes.� The man called Fenyx doubled over in rich, boyish laughter.

�Oh, I�ve missed you, Davion,� Fenyx said after several minutes of trying to get his laughing fit under control. �Ostandi has been so boring without you.�

�Yes, I know,� Davion said loftily, though the hint of laughter remained on his lips. Ardette was astounded. This was the first time she had ever seen Davion show any full emotion. To cover her astonishment, she stepped forward to introduce herself.

�It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Fenyx. I am Ardette, Priestess of Wynlary and Guardian of the Dragetorien. Are you the resident Sorcerer on the Council?�

�Oh, no my Lady Ardette, though I am a Sorcerer. I am a servant of the Council in much the same capacity of Davion. Where are my manners? I am Fenyx, Sorcerer of Redim and unwilling Guardian the Phoenix Flame. Welcome to Ostandi, Lady Priestess of Wynlary. I hope your stay here is most illuminating and may the light of the Arts shine on you always.�

�And you as well, Lord Sorcerer of Redim,� Ardette said, finishing the age-old formula of the Arts. �And will you be escorting us to see the Council now?�

�Soon, my Lady,� Fenyx said with a beautiful smile. �First, I am sure you would love to freshen up and make yourself presentable. Also, we are waiting for another guest, who should be arriving shortly. After that, I will be more than happy to escort you to the Council. Now, may I have the distinct honor to take your arm as I show you to a place where you can make yourself even more lovely, though I am not sure if that is even possible.�

�Charming, isn�t he?� Ardette commented to Davion, trying to get a rise out of the man who had so callously wounded her heart. Unfortunately, Davion�s answering grunt left a lot to be desired. Ardette graciously took the charming Sorcerer�s arm and walked into the beautiful hallway. At the first door, Fenyx stopped and lifted Ardette�s hand to his lips.

�Here is where we part, my Lady. It has filled my heart to have spent time in your presence, but now I must go and await the arrival of our other guest.� Again, Fenyx raised her hand to his lips and then turned and walked down the hall. As Ardette walked into the door she saw Davion stop Fenyx in the hall. Staying out of sight, Ardette summoned a small sprite to listen to the hushed conversation.

�What guest are we expecting, Fenyx?� Davion asked, his voice sounding a little worried. �Is there trouble on the horizon? I thought this meeting only had to do with Darienne�s conversion.�

�You know as much as I do,� Fenyx�s voice was equally worried. �I was told this morning to not only expect your arrival, but also the arrival of another guest.� Fenyx raised his hand as Davion started to say something. �I was also told not to give you any information on the identity of this guest, so I cannot tell you anything more. Now I have to get going, I�ll summon you as soon as this new guest arrives.� Fenyx walked back down the hall to the Elven door. Davion turned to walk towards the door where Ardette was eavesdropping. Ardette moved farther into the room and sat down in front of a vanity to hide any hint that she had been listening. If Davion did know that she had heard their conversation, he did not show it when he walked into the room.

�There is a small room where you can change your clothes,� Davion said pointing to the small door on the other side of the room. � A wardrobe with formal attire has been placed in there. You should be able to find something suitable. I�ll change in this room,� he pointed to another door across from the first door. �Once your suitably attired, you can wait in this room until Fenyx summons us. I�ll be out shortly.� Davion turned and walked into the room he had just pointed to. Ardette walked into the room Davion had indicated and was pleased to see a bath waiting for her.

After a good long soak that eased her aching muscles, Ardette went to the wardrobe to choose something suitable. As she opened the wardrobe door, she could not help but let out a gasp. Only one piece of clothing hung in the wardrobe and it was more than suitable. Tears filled her eyes as Ardette took out her graduation robe that she knew she had left in the Tower. The emerald green robe fit even better than it had over a month ago. As she looked into the mirror, she had a sudden vision of her mother and felt a powerful connection with her.

�I will make you proud, Mother. I will show them the honor of a Wynlary Priestess, you can be sure of that.� Ardette sat down on the divan in front of the mirror and gently cried.

�It took you long enough,� Davion said with a smile. �I thought for moment that I was going to have send in a search party.�

�Very funny, Davion,� Ardette said primly. �It is a lady�s prerogative to keep a man waiting.�

�If that�s the case, then this elusive guest must also be a lady. She�s definitely kept both of us waiting.�

�How very insightful,� Ardette sat in front of the vanity and started to brush her long brown hair. After a few minutes of waiting, however, Ardette was ready to claw down the walls. Again she turned to Davion for relief. �So how long has Fenyx been serving the Council?�

�Oh, it has to be a good three thousand years, by now. He was recruited as a general during the Morcthaka-Anari War. After the war, he spent a lot of time helping the Council settle things down in the West. He mostly focused on Redim, since that was his birthplace. And, that is where he met Stration,� Davion paused. �After a few centuries, Fenyx returned to Ostandi and has been serving the Council in a more domestic capacity ever since.�

�And what happened to Stration?� Ardette asked curiously. �I assume that they were lovers. This Stration must have been quite a handsome man to catch Fenyx�s eye. Are they still together?�

�No, Stration died about 200 years after they met.�

Ardette gasped, �What happened?�

�Are you sure you want to know?� Ardette nodded. �All right, yes, they were lovers. For 200 years they had a beautiful relationship and everyone thought it would last forever. But fate had to intervene. You remember the mark on Fenyx�s arm?�

�Yes, it looks like some kind of burn, though the design seems a little too perfect to be natural.�

�It is a burn, and it is far from natural. Fenyx was out bird hunting one day, hoping to catch a nice dinner for Stration. He saw a large bird overhead, shot at it, and it fell. Satisfied, Fenyx walked over to retrieve his prize. Unfortunately, what he shot was not just any bird, but a phoenix. The bird was dying, there was no doubt about that, but Fenyx�s arrow was in the way from letting it die. So, Fenyx helped the bird by removing the arrow, so that it could burn and be reborn. The phoenix wasn�t exactly grateful, however. While it was dying, it attacked Fenyx�s arm and left that burn on his arm. The phoenix was not reborn.�

�How is that possible?�

�It turns out the burn was more than just a burn. The phoenix found a way to flow its essence into Fenyx�s right arm. Soon after the incident, Fenyx got angry and his right arm burst into flame. Its incredibly painful and its seemed to have shortened his lifetime a little, though no one is exactly sure by how much. Fenyx has learned to perfect the skill so that he can use it for protection when he needs to.�

�This is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with Stration�s death?�

�I was just getting to that. Fenyx�s arm doesn�t just react to anger; it reacts to any intense emotion. When he and Stration were making love,� Davion paused again. �Fenyx�s arm caught flame and Stration was burned to death.�

Ardette gasped again, �Oh dear, how did Fenyx take it?�

�Not well, not well at all.� Davion looked over to the door just as it opened and Fenyx came in. Ardette noticed something in his eyes that she had not seen before. Though he was happy and joyful on the surface, he still carried the pain of Stration�s death with him everyday. Ardette had an even greater sympathy for this handsome, powerful man.

�Our guest has finally arrived,� Fenyx announced, unaware of the topic of Ardette and Davion�s conversation. �May I present the Lady Idyllen of Hecastia.� Ardette recognized the name just as the familiar face walked through the door. Ardette had seen this blond-haired, gray-eyed woman two years earlier. She was a strong Arcaine Warrior as well as an Arcaine Healer. A rarity to be sure, and the power and control Idyllen possessed helped her rise to a level of great importance in Hecastian society.

�Ardette!� Idyllen exclaimed as she ran to embrace her friend. �What in the world are you doing here?�

�What am I doing here, what are you doing here?� Ardette held tightly onto Idyllen not wanting to let go to someone she had grown so close to. �How were you able to get away from your service for Carnela?�

�The Council summoned me, so Carnela couldn�t protest. Its good to see you, how is Edaine and Darienne?�

�Mother and Darienne��Ardette faltered.

�Enough time to catch up later,� Fenyx swooped into the rescue. �The Council is waiting. I�m sorry, Lady Idyllen, but you will have to keep on your traveling clothes for this meeting. Shall we go?� Fenyx offered his arm to Ardette and led the way to the main meeting chambers of the Council of Ostandi.

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