The hunting party was taken to the council building, Memor and Luni weren't spared either, dragged along by the messenger from the council. From the wagon, Memor could spotted many eyeing them with curiosity, it was not everyday that the villagers got to see official business.
Near the center of the village, where the soldiers and subordinates lived, stood the Council building, in which the three council members and many subordinates waited for Salvos's arrival.
The council building had a peculiar look, rather than being made of sandstone, it had blueish wood for its columns which were engraved with swirls, with walls covered in grey bricks.
The messenger led the crew into the council building, which consisted of one big hall with no windows, only illuminated by wall torches. At its center a large roundtable stood with three figures sitting on one side of it facing the party members. At the edges of the room, human silhouettes could be made out, they had a beam of bricks above them, sheltering them from the warm light of the torches.
Memor and the crew stood silently in front of the council members, at the forefront, Councillor Tryphon emanated a sense of solemnness in his black robes and reading glasses. In front of him placed on the table, a report issued from officials missioned to track Salvos's movements.
Councillor Tryphon stood up, report in hand, he nudged his glasses and spoke."The meeting shall begin. The Salvos have taken a normal human out of the bounds of the village, normally if a mortal man plans to travel to another village that shall be allowed, but this time it was for a hunting trip, we will discuss the punishment they shall receive." Councillor Tryphon sat back down, he interlaced his fingers and waited for a person to speak up.
It really is a big deal to bring a normal human out hunting, huh? Or is it Councillor Spyro's doing? Memor glanced at the side of the roundtable where Councillor Spyro sat leisurely, cross-legged, he wore an unbothered expression.
Theano, as the leader and representative of Salvos, stood a few meters in front of the rest of the party, he had a look of annoyance in his eyes."In the village there is no such rule as a mortal not being allowed to hunt. If I remember correctly, during the beginning stages of establishing this village normal humans went out hunting daily. So what are we being persecuted for?"
Councillor Tryphon responded,"It is not what you did that is the cause of your punishment, but the effects you have caused…" He lifted the report,"...we have an upcoming project ready for execution just a few days from now, but with you going on that hunting trip, we have received twelve resignations, and 4 requests to form new hunting parties just today."
Theano was speechless, he had been briefed on the upcoming project from Elena who was leading it, but he didn't expect his actions to have such effects.
On a seat at the council table, Spyro smiled."Don't be so harsh on the children Tryphon, it's like they said, they haven't broken any rules. There's no need to punish them when we have other options."
Councillor Tryphon pinched the bridge of his nose,"Councillor Spyro must I remind you again to address me as Councillor Tryphon, and please, be clearer with your suggestions."
"Oh, of course," Councillor Spyro leaned forward on the table."Theano is a sensation within the village, it wouldn't do him right to publicly shame him." His eyes shifted to Memor," We can allow mortal men to go out hunting, under the rule that they have a Grade 1 Mnemonist or higher escorting them."
What does he want to do? Grade 1 Mnemonist is like Calypso and Theano right? No it should be everyone in Salvos, they each have pulled the wagon, something a Learner like Luni is not capable of. The Council room grew quiet, in the background murmurs could be heard from the black silhouettes.
Councillor Spyro spoke again, this time looking at Councillor Vicktor, who was a stocky man,who wore light armor."Vicktor-I mean Councillor Vicktor, you've always wanted to train your younglings outside the village, didn't you?" His eye shifted back to Councillor Tryphon,"We won't have to reject those fools' requests either."
"Spyro!" Tryphon raised his voice.
Councillor Spyro, raised both his hands apologizing. Councillor Tryphon shook his head then continued."The voting shall begin, Who wishes the new law Councillor Spyro suggested to be issued."
The three Council members raised their hands. In the background, many individuals stepped forward from the shade of the beams, in total thirteen people voted for the new law to be issued, much more than the ones that disagreed.
Councillor Tryphon lowered his hand and said."The new law shall be issued immediately after the end of this meeting. " He shifted his eyes to the group,"as for Salvos, what you have done would still be punished, Everyone in Salvos excluding Elena shall guard the dungeons for ten days, as for the two of you." His hand rose to gesture at Memor and Luni."You will volunteer in the following project under Elena's watch. This meeting is adjourned."
Councilor Tryphon stood up, turned around and left the council room through the back door. The rest of the bystanders circled around the hall, leaving through its front entrance.Spyro eyed Memor, with the same disturbing curl on his lips he always had when speaking to Memor.
So that's his play, huh?
45 days until Memor becomes a Learner.
953AF Day 168.
Memor sat at his desk, skimming through one of the novels he had on his desk. It was early in the morning, Memor had just cleansed himself and had his share of Bayel flower, but even if his emotions were locked up, boredom was a real thing.
The book had a red-leathery color, at the front a guillotine with a heart as its blade.
This book, Love by Guillotine…It's a simple story really, a man and woman slowly fall in love, then the female lead gets accused of some crimes in which she couldn't prove her innocence, and finally the man sacrifices himself, admitting to her crimes. He is then put on a guillotine and executed in front of his lover.
How many times have I read this book? Three? Four? Twenty? I don't know. Somehow everytime I read it I see a different story. It felt like a sacrifice for love the first time, then a question of how far one is willing to go for something that mattered. And now, it seems more and more like the female lead did the crimes and only seduced the male lead for his sacrifice.
Am I thinking too far? No. Probably not.
He shut the book, placing it back with the rest. He had nothing to do, Luni had told him that he wouldn't be available until the village project's beginning, Uncle Ceres was busy trying to figure out what Councilor Spyro was planning to do in the upcoming project, so there was no training.
In the past four days Memor has just been shut in. He would go out every morning to clean himself or collect water to cook in his backyard. Once a day he would walk towards the village library, staring at it, each time he would attempt to enter, but would be stopped by his uncle who stole his thought of entering the library, leaving him standing in a stupor.
Memor turned his head around, watching as the golden beams slowly shorten, he watched for long, so long that the sun stopped shining through his window.
Sighing, Memor stood up, did a few stretches, then left his home. It was the afternoon, the workers hadn't left their jobs yet, leaving the streets quite deserted. He walked through the paths he had always walked, he would meet the nice lady sitting on her porch, or the children who played tag under a tree. With each interaction he had in the past, his acting has become no different from reality. Sometimes, he would even wonder if the front he put on was his real self reflected from his sealed emotions, or just another mask hiding what lay within him.
Not even realizing it, Memor had ended up standing in front of the library again. Its elegant design had always mesmerized him, just like the church would way down the street, which he never got the chance to see.
Why not, huh? He took a step, and another, and another, nothing stopped it, before he knew it he was right at the door.
Uncle Ceres, are you sure about this?
'...'
He couldn't remember when he started yearning the library, but right now it somehow felt wrong, wrong to touch the handle, wrong to walk in. He walked in.