Sunset Shimmer: War Mage

Part II

The Great Hall was already packed when they arrived.  There were tens of Awakened Sparky had never seen, most of them keeping to the sides.  Staff had laid out numerous tables and chairs, so the group pushed two smaller ones together.  There was no food, though it looked as though no one was in the mood to eat.  Pixie had migrated to her father while Orchid held Violet.  There were a few other babies and toddlers at the meeting, but Pixie looked to be the only one in her age group.

The Trois Fleurs and Midnight found them and pulled extra chairs into what spaces they could.  They were all afraid; only Midnight kept a flat demeanour, though Sunset noted a subtle tensing of the teen's muscles.

"Any idea what's going on?" Wild Tart asked, looking at Midnight.

"Ace didn't tell me, and I haven't had a chance to do a reading.  I'm as in the dark as everyone else.  He went back with the other Councillors as soon as we got here."

"We did hear that there were attacks.  I don't know what happened, but it sounds like they got a few of us," Amber Wish offered with a shiver.

"Daddy, are the bad guys coming here?"  Pixie clung tightly to her father as her fear became stronger.

"Not here, Pixie.  See how many people there are?  They wouldn't stand a chance."

"What about the house?"

"Mum and the others have lots of wards in place, and Aunty Star Dust will know if anyone tries to get through them, plus Karen and Spike are there."

Link's words assuaged his daughter's fear.  All conversations ceased then as Solstice Cherry entered the Great Hall and stepped onto the dais.

"All cabal leaders and the following are to report to the front," she said, listing the additional Mages.  Midnight was the first to be named.  Sparky stood along with her two friends and joined the small gathering near the dais.

"Follow me," the Herald ordered.  She led them to the back hallway and into one of the conference rooms.

It was much larger than should have fit the space between the doors.  The Hierarch, the Councillors, and a few other high-ranked Awakened were waiting for them, the large table behind them mostly obscured from the newcomers' view.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Bronze Luck said.  "There is no point to sugar-coating the situation:  Ladies and gentlemen, we are at war."

Several voices began calling questions at the same time.  Jade Mind remained silent, only gripping Sparky's hand for moral support.  Midnight stood to Sparky's other side.  They waited for the Hierarch to restore order so that he could explain the situation.

"Silence," he called.  He barely raised his voice, yet it had the desired effect on the crowd.  "There will be time for questions later.  Look to the screens."

There were televisions mounted to the walls.  The eighteen Awakened spread into a half-circle to watch them.  A map of Consilium territory - which encompassed the entire county - appeared.  It was plain at first, then zoomed in to the city before symbols marking the Great Hall and the other public sancta appeared.

"This evening, a well-armed and well-coordinated group attacked four public sancta, five private sancta, and other locations around our city.  These attacks were performed at the same time, and all were successful in destroying Awakened property.  They killed all those present at the locations before setting the buildings to flame."

The circles for the smaller public sancta that had been destroyed vanished.  Light red 'X' marks took their places, also appearing at a few other locations on the map for a total of thirteen attacks.  Sparky noted that they included Sweet Apple Acres and Rarity's Carousel Boutique, as well as Sweetie Belle's former home and the animal hospital.  Darker red arrows first pointing toward the sites and then away from them were next.

"These arrows are our best guesses at the routes the attackers used.  Five of the locations attacked were uninhabited.  As of this moment, we have five Awakened confirmed dead, three Sleepwalkers, and forty-seven Sleepers."

An image of some of the attackers took the map's place.  The group of four looked much like the ones that had murdered Applejack and her family, except two of them were female.  Sparky looked again at the number of attacks.  If they had happened simultaneously and three or more were at each scene, there were at least forty hostiles in the city.

"We have been able to identify them:  They call themselves 'Witch Hunters.'  They are an old and skilled Vigilante Compact that seems to be backed by a large Conspiracy.  We are uncertain of which one it is, should that be true."

"Then let's get those motherfuckers before they attack again," someone called.  Several cheers of agreement followed.

Bronze Luck raised his hands for silence.  "It will not be that easy.  They are somehow shielding themselves from even our most skilled scryers.  Also, they are not the only enemy to have entered our city."

The image of the Hunters faded.  A picture of the remains of a building that would have looked at home in news footage from a wartorn country replaced them.  The mass of wreckage indicated that it must have been large.

"This was a residential building.  A group of Banishers destroyed it to get at a Mage taking refuge within, killing all inhabitants.  We detected Paradox in the magick used and suspect they released it into the area."

Several people gasped, a few murmuring 'Banishers' like a curse.  Sparky knew of them:  Mages whose Awakenings were so traumatic or whose pre-existing beliefs clashed so strongly with the Truth that they could not accept their Awakened status.  Magick was usually painful to them, the product of their flawed Awakenings.  They were known to be inimical to all of the Orders, including the Seers of the Throne, and were one of the threats to come from within the ranks of the Awakened themselves.  Confronting them was one of the few ways to get Pentacle and Seer Awakened to cooperate.

"We are unclear if the Witch Hunters and the Banishers are working together.  It is also possible the Vigilantes chased the Banishers into our city and thereby discovered our Consilium.

"At this point, we have very little information.  We do not know where they are quartering themselves or how they obtained information on our sancta.  It is only clear that they planned this attack well and had too much data to use against us.

"As we prepare to mount a counter-offensive, we must adopt strong security measures to protect ourselves.  To that end, all public sancta are assumed to be known and targeted, so all except the Great Hall are to be abandoned.  Also, several cabals and unaffiliated are to be relocated together for mutual protection.  This is not optional, but the Consilium will reimburse all damages to unoccupied private sancta and Hallows as well as the expenses of the hosting cabals."

He had silenced the objections to say, "The Diamond Orders' leadership have already approved this plan.  Refusal to stay in one of the established defensive zones equates to a willingness to face a Witch Hunter attack alone.  We will not protect those who refuse to cooperate.  Any cabals listed as hosts attempting to abuse their temporary guests and guests doing likewise to their hosts will face Consilium disciplinary action."

A few angered mutters met his pronouncements, but there were no further vocal complaints.  He nodded to the screens, where a list appeared.  Most of the assignments looked to be based on existing relationships.  The Trois Fleurs and Midnight were to move into Sparky's sanctum.

"Roomies?" Jade Mind whispered.  She had a half-grin that did not reach her eyes.  "At least we get along now."

Sparky nodded, then turned her attention back to the Hierarch.

Someone asked, "What about the Kindred and Uratha?"

"That is my next point.  They will be doing what they can to assist us.  The Uratha packs in the Concord have agreed to allow us access to their territories for the purposes of tracking and eliminating our enemies.  They will also be searching for the Witch Hunters but, due to the viciousness of the attacks, several malicious spirits are already spawning around the city, as well as several new Loci.  The packs will be working to keep those from interfering or spreading a malignant resonance.

"The Kindred will provide support on a case-by-case basis.  We cannot risk allowing them to become additional targets."

At the new complaints, he explained, "Our Kindred allies are vulnerable during the day.  We cannot hope to protect them effectively, especially given the known number of hostiles present.  They will help us as they can.  Prince Night Star has already sent funds to assist the war effort.  They will be focused on assisting to find our enemies and distracting the Mortal authorities.  Once we find the Witch Hunters, the Kindred will help us put an end to their threat."

"And what's the Free Council doing?"

One of the other Awakened stepped forward.  Sparky recognised him as Jackpot, the new Synod of the local Assembly.

"We're partnering with the Consilium.  We were also attacked, since the Witch Hunters are looking for all Mages in the city.  We'll be coordinating our members' involvement with the Councillors."

Bronze Luck took up the lead again.  "We have no further information for you.  All members of each Order will now meet with their respective Councillor.  This includes a representative from the Free Council.  Inform your cabals.  If you are Nameless, you are welcome and encouraged to assist one of the Orders without obligation.  Cabal leaders should assign allied Sleepwalkers to assist whichever Order they deem best."

Sparky and Jade Mind went back to their table and informed the others of the upcoming meeting.  The Councillors were already gathering their members, necessitating an abbreviated conversation.

Sparky asked Link, "Based on what you know about the Orders, which one do you think you'd be able to help the best?"

"Yours," he replied without hesitation.  Orchid did not look surprised and neither was Sparky.  Link was passionate about protecting his family, despite not having magick.

"Okay, follow me.  Pixie, stay with your Mum."

While Pixie and Violet may have technically fallen under 'allied Sleepwalker,' Sparky was reasonably certain the Guardians of the Veil would not attempt to give children any duties.  Sparky's few interactions with Marble had been positive, and she knew the Councillor would not place Pixie into active roles.  Despite the situation, though, she could see Marble suggesting Pixel Bit be tasked with 'home defence.'

They departed to join their respective meetings.  Pixie took Midnight's hand so that Orchid could continue to hold Violet.  Star Dust and the Trois Fleurs were all in the Silver Ladder.  Dusk Shine followed Ace and the rest of the Mysterium.  Almost thirty of the Mages Sparky did not know were Libertines; based on what Wild Tart had told them, that had to be nearly the entire Assembly.  That left Sparky and Link to trail Flawless Sword.

The Adamantine Arrow may not have been a formal military like those seen on bases around the world, but anyone in the meeting that had attended boot camp kept order and waited for instructions.  Sparky was a Talon, having completed the training despite her injured knee.  She stood toward the back and kept Link beside her.  The First Talons were in the front as they were directly below the Adamant Sage, Flawless Sword's official title within the Order.  Link was hardly the only non-member present; most Nameless and Sleepwalkers had migrated to the Arrow, likely feeling most secure amongst the militant group.

Flawless Sword briefly repeated the information from the earlier meeting for the benefit of the larger group.  Link was not the only one to pale upon learning how many had died, especially the numerous casualties of the Banisher attack.  He was afraid, but his clenched fists made clear the determination within him.

He listed five names, Sparky's included.  "You are hereby granted the position, title, and all associated responsibilities of Banner Warden for your respective cabals and those temporarily under your care.  You will report directly to First Talon Storm or to me."

Though such an assignment meant she was not going to be on the front line, it brought great prestige.  Banner Wardens were trusted to be able to use whatever was available to them - even if they were alone - to protect a cabal.  It was only assigned to cabals with invaluable resources, which proved how important Midnight Radiance was to the Consilium.  Sister to a Councillor or not, she was the most gifted Witch in the area.

In the event of another attack, all Talons would receive an alert.  Those able to respond to the location were do so immediately.  When it came to combat, they wanted captives taken whenever reasonably possible, but Flawless Sword warned them not to place themselves into needless danger.  Sparky and the other Banner Wardens would be kept abreast of the situation, but they were not to leave their posts to aid in battle without direct orders to do so.  Those with work or other responsibilities they could not miss still needed to ensure they had a way to keep their cabals safe.

When he was sure everyone was following, Flawless Sword laid out an initial strategy that mostly involved protecting important sites while the other Orders attempted to locate their enemies.  They would also join the hunt when they could, though they needed to use their skills to prevent more death.

"Until we figure out how to overcome their anti-magick protections, we're pretty much just on defence and reaction for the time being."

When it was time to launch their own attacks, they would receive more information.  With a pause to allow requests for clarification - there were none - he dismissed them.

The Arrows were the first Order to finish their meeting.  Not that they were necessarily the best-organised, but their pseudo-military training meant they took instructions and only asked questions when necessary and did not dwell on topics that had already been covered.  Objections, likewise, were rare.  Those likely to make it to Talon had to possess the mindset for it.  Despite appearances, the Order did like suggestions as well as members thinking for themselves when such was appropriate.

In more than six years of membership, Sparky had never once heard talk of using overt violence outside training scenarios.  The Order considered it the final resort when nothing else worked; killing another was generally considered the failure's route.  That it was the only option given at the night's meeting was disconcerting.  The Witch Hunters had made their intentions clear, forcing an Order that abhorred violence to go straight to it.

'I told you that you'd need me.'

'Violence doesn't automatically equate to killing.  If I have to do it to defend my sanctum and the others, I will do it without you.'

As the First Talons began distributing guns and other weapons, she wondered if she would be able to keep that promise.