The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil) (36 page)

Among the first actions of the Council was to outlaw the Red Caste.
 
Followers of the order were hunted down and tried for their crimes against the magical world.
 
In time, the Red Caste was driven to extinction.

The Oracle has existed since the time of the veil – as far back as anyone could remember it had always been there, hovering silently ten feet off the floor in the center of what would become the Council chambers.
 
The large, greenish-blue crystalline structure never made a sound, but pulsed with a warm glow that seemed to permeate everything nearby.
 
The Oracle served as a peacemaker in the Council chambers on certain occasions and sometimes intervened when feuds broke out amongst the Council members.
 
One knew better than to draw their wand or staff in anger in the Council chambers, for the offending party would often be encased in pure crystal for several days.
 
Though not fatal, it was uncomfortable enough to dissuade most Council members from violence against one another during debates.

After the first Council convened, their first action was to establish the Declaration of Partition, which divided the world into two dimensions; one the dimension of Magic the other the dimension of the non-magic.
 
The Age of Division began in this way when the greatest of each order, along with the ruler of the dragons had defeated the Shadow and with the power of the Ancients, created the black star amulet.
 
This talisman was placed deep in the bowels of Pahret T’pur, a great fortress created before the War, to be protected and overseen by the Guardian.
 
The core of the amulet emanated a field of pure magical force that permeated everyone and every thing, rending the Earth into two equal worlds but in two different dimensions, shielding those in the Realm of Magic from the mortals on the other side (or vice versa).
 
Passage between the two worlds was still possible through the use of portals or gateways, that with time and practice most mages could produce.
 
The portals were strictly regulated by the Guardian, who could sense attempts to open a portal or breach the Veil with the powers bestowed upon him by the amulet.
 
Upon sensing a portal, he could allow it to pass or seal it and its creator in magical limbo forever.
 
It was decided by the Council that the Veil was to be in place until such time as humanity could accept and coexist with the practice of magic and the existence of the other races of magical creatures.

Though the Treaty brought a tentative peace to the orders, a group of the Great Dragons of the North abstained.
 
It was their belief that the race of Dragons was entitled to rule over the world, as theirs was the first among all races.
 
Indeed, they had existed at the time of the Ancients, when humankind served as both fodder and amusement for the dragons.
 
As such, it was their belief that humans were a race of servants and so it should remain.
 
In the end, the majority of dragons followed the mandate of the Alderdrache, the oldest and most powerful of their Elders.
 
He realized the cost of a prolonged war that they could not win and ordered all dragons to return northward to their mountain lairs.
 
Those that remained behind were declared ‘rogue’ by the Alderdrache, and openly fought against the three orders and the Council to destroy the Veil.
 
In the end, most of the rogue dragons were hunted down and all but a few were finally killed.
 
Those dragons that were spared and their few followers who remained were to be indentured to the Council until the Age of Reunification, when the Veil was to be dropped and humanity re-united.
 
They were pressed into serving the Council as couriers and were forced to give three of their scales and a barrel of their blood each year to the Council to be shared amongst the orders as ingredients in potions and spells.
 
Each was bound to his or her servitude by a talisman that clung to their breast.
 
Disobedience brought a severe shock to the beast, while outright defiance usually brought a very painful and violent death.

The exact timing of the Age of Reunification was the focus of serious debate amongst the orders and the Council itself.
 
The order of White was steadfast in its opinion that the time was still far off when magic and mundane could coexist in peace.
 
Furthermore, they argued the advancement in technology and science could be seen as an increased threat.
 
One could only imagine they said, if the world of science was suddenly provided with proof that dragons and goblins and elves existed.
 
The order of Black on the other hand viewed the dropping of the Veil as paramount in its quest for power.
 
The simple minds of the mundane were easily twisted and controlled and as such could be employed to advance the cause of the Dark Arts.
 
Lastly, the order of Grey, as one might imagine, was neutral.
 
They were ambivalent towards the views of the other two orders with one exception: To maintain the status quo was to maintain their power on the Council.
 
They were viewed as the peacekeepers that balanced the sides of Dark and Light, holding the crucial votes on any Council mandate.
 
Though the dissolution of the Veil did not immediately mean the disbanding of the Council, it will certainly be soon to follow as the world of magic melds with that of mundane.”
 

Excerpt from “A Brief History of the Magical World,” as written by Hefestus Whitestone, Year of the Veil 23.

Connect with Me Online:

My blog:
 
http://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com

My website:
 
http://www.theguardiansapprentice.com