The capital city of Eanvyne was bathed in the golden light of a late afternoon. Several days had passed since the initial reports had reached the crown, and the tension in the air was thick enough to feel.
In the very heart of the city stood the royal palace, a massive structure of white stone and gold that represented the absolute power of the empire.
Inside the palace was the magnificent Great Hall, a room so large and grand that it could hold hundreds of people at once. The floors were made of polished marble that shone like a mirror, and the tall, arched windows were draped in heavy velvet of the deepest crimson.
On this day, the hall was not filled with commoners or tourists. Instead, it was gathered with the most influential and high-ranking figures of the empire. Among the crowd were the three mighty dukes, men whose names were whispered with both fear and respect across the land.
Duke Avner Cormac of Thinston stood with a cold, focused expression. Beside him was Duke Lucas Bertram of Finngard, who looked as if he would rather be anywhere else.
Then there was Duke Orson Chandler of Ghreman, whose sharp eyes never seemed to stop moving. Surrounding them were various high dignitaries, powerful marquises, wealthy viscounts, and influential earls, all waiting for the meeting to begin.
The Emperor sat at the highest point of the hall on a throne of dark, carved wood. He was a man who usually carried himself with great pride, but today, he had a very grim look on his face.
His eyes were tired, and he looked at the men before him with a heavy heart. They were all having a serious discussion about the recent concerns regarding supernaturals.
Reports were coming in from every corner of the empire, supernaturals were being spotted in smaller cities, quiet towns, and even the smallest farming villages.
These were no longer just stories told to scare children, they were real sightings that threatened the peace of the realm.
The room was silent until an Earl stepped forward to speak. "Maybe we should have some good witches involved in this," the Earl suggested, looking around the room for support.
"If we manage to find useful ones who are loyal to the crown, we can use their magic to trace out those bloodsuckers, the bad witches and the haughty faes. It would be a way to use their own kind of power against them."
As soon as the Earl finished speaking, another noble nearby let out a loud, mocking scoff. "Earl Calus, it seems like you are being quite biased," the noble said with a shake of his head.
"Don't you know the moment we give any of them a chance, we are done for? You cannot trust a supernatural, no matter how helpful they claim to be. If we let them into our circles, we are only inviting disaster into our homes."
The Emperor saw that the two men were about to start a heated argument. He did not want the meeting to fall into chaos. He held out a single hand to stop any more words from being said. The hall became quiet instantly.
The Emperor turned his gaze toward the Duke of Finngard. "What do you think of this, Duke Orson?" he asked, his voice echoing against the high stone walls.
Orson was a sharp looking man with light green eyes that always seemed to be analyzing everything. His ginger hair caught the light as he moved, and a small smirk played on his lips.
"Well, your majesty, you might find my ways to be a bit… unconventional," Orson said, his tone light and smooth. "After all, dealing with supernaturals is not exactly my specialty. Why don't we ask someone who is actually well versed in that aspect of life?"
With a mocking smirk, Orson turned his head to look at Duke Avner. Avner was standing perfectly still, his signature serious look fixed on his face.
He had a cold light in his grey orbs, looking like a man who was made of iron. He completely ignored the smirking duke next to him. Instead of responding to the taunt, Avner kept his eyes on the King and spoke clearly.
"I think we should use the royal sorcerers to fish out the supernaturals," Avner said. His voice was steady and carried a weight of authority. "The sorcerers have the training and the tools to find those who do not wish to be found. They are our best chance at locating them before they can do any harm."
Finally, the Duke of Ghreman, Lucas Bertram, spoke up. He had violet eyes that looked at the world with a sense of boredom, but his mind was incredibly sharp.
"But the palace has a very limited number of sorcerers," Lucas pointed out. "We cannot simply send them all away at this point.
If the royal sorcerers leave the capital, who is going to be left here to protect you and the palace? We would be leaving ourselves wide open to an attack."
Avner did not hesitate to reply. "We can hire the kingdom's sorcerers," he said.
"There are a lot of street sorcerers who are working for money throughout the cities. We can hire them, organize them, and dispatch them to assist the palace sorcerers. We do not have to rely only on the ones who live within these palace walls."
Lucas looked straight at Avner, his violet eyes narrowing slightly. He leaned back lazily against his luxurious cushioned chair.
"There would still not be nearly enough manpower to cover the whole grounds of the Kingdom at once," Lucas said, his voice trailing off as if he were unimpressed.
"I expected a more detailed plan from you, Duke Avner. This seems a bit disorganized."
Duke Avner responded with an even more serious tone. "I would like to know if you have a better idea then," he said, looking Lucas in the eye.
"And you never let me finish. We would not try to do everything at once. We do it city by city, taking on every two or three towns at a time.
We spread the word of our arrival to put fear in them. Some of the supernaturals may flee when they hear we are coming, which would be a benefit to us. It makes the job easier. Then, we weed out the stubborn ones who refuse to move."
He continued to explain the structure of the plan. "We will keep our best warriors alongside the sorcerers.
This will ensure the sorcerers are protected and provide support in case anything goes wrong during the search. It is a systematic way to clear the empire without wasting our resources all at once."
The hall was quiet as everyone absorbed the details of this thorough plan. It was logical, safe, and took the reality of their limited numbers into account.
The nobles looked at one another and nodded in approval. Even the Emperor seemed to find the idea solid.
Then, the silence was broken by a slow, deliberate clap. It was Orson. He had that same handsome, infuriating smirk on his face as he looked at Avner.
"As expected of the Duke of Thinston," Orson said, his voice dripping with a mix of sarcasm and genuine recognition. "You always have a way of making everything sound so simple and efficient."
The King nodded, looking genuinely impressed by Avner's thinking. "We will go through with this plan," the Emperor declared. "We will prepare the different groups of warriors and sorcerers immediately.
Some nobles will be chosen for supervision and will be dispatched by tomorrow morning. This is a matter of security, and we cannot put it off for any longer."
The men in the hall murmured their agreement. It felt like they finally had a path forward. Just as the meeting was about to break up, Avner spoke again, catching everyone's attention.
"I'd like to join the expedition," he said firmly.
The King was a bit taken aback by this. He raised a brow in surprise and looked at the powerful duke.
"Oh? And why might that be, Duke Avner? You are needed here just as much as you are needed in Thinston."
"Because it might be faster with my ability," Avner replied. There was a faint light in his grey eyes, a look of determination. "And it is my hobby to sniff out their deepest hiding places. I have the experience needed to make sure they do not slip through our fingers."
Everyone in the room understood exactly what he meant. They knew about the special bloodline of the Cormac family.
For centuries, the Cormacs had been known for their unique ability to sense the presence of supernaturals and to withstand their powers.
Having a Cormac on the expedition was like having a guarantee of success. They were the ultimate hunters of the supernatural kind.
The King nodded slowly, realizing the advantage of having Avner in the field. "Very well," the King said. "You have my permission to lead one of the groups. You may all be dismissed now to begin your preparations."
Everyone in the hall stood up at once. They bowed deeply to the Emperor, the sound of their heavy attires and accessories clicking in the quiet room.
One by one, they began making their way out of the giant hall and back into the sunlight of Eanvyne. The meeting was over, but the work was just beginning.
Duke Avner walked out with a steady pace, his mind already focused on the task ahead. He was ready to leave the comfort of the capital and head into the smaller towns to find the supernaturals who thought they could hide from the empire, especially one very mischievous one.
The plan was in motion, and by tomorrow, the hunt would truly begin. The empire was no longer going to sit back and watch; they were going to take back their land, town by town.