The Realm Protectors - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

"Quiet down, quiet down!" Officer Alexxi holds up his hands. The teachers and school masters go quiet. "Let's get this done and over with before the crowds get too rowdy for the kids to handle."
"Aren't your officers out there with them?" Mr. Redmond asks.
"Most of them, yes. The others are keeping the news crews at bay." Officer Alexxi sits back down.
We're all gathered in one of the meeting rooms inside Arch Hall. Two tables face each other, us eight seated at one and all the school masters and some of the teachers seated at the other. Officer Alexxi sits in a chair between the tables.
"We all know that the High Arches are dead. We're going to open an investigation with the new Arch of Intelligence to find out who did this." Officer Alexxi announces.
"So the new High Arches have been picked?" Headmistress Janssen asks. The bottom of her white gown is stained with blood from walking through the Atrium. My own boots are coated in a layer of crimson blood that makes me want to wash them for eternity.
"As the last Arch left alive at the time, Professor Grantwood recorded herself transferring power to the new Arches. We're still working to figure out what she said in the last part of the video." Officer Alexxi nods. He turns to the projector behind him and gives a signal to the intelligence officer standing in the back of the room with a laptop. She presses a button and Professor Grantwood appears on the projector screen.
The eight of us sit in silence as the teachers and school masters watch the video that pronounces us as the new leaders of an entire Realm. At the end of the video, the teachers who know us look at us in shock while the eight school masters talk amongst themselves about these names, asking each other if they're one of theirs, before they notice the silent room. They follow the others' line of vision and gape at us.
"Yes, these eight are the next High Arches of the Elemental Realm." Officer Alexxi says.
The school master from Mork – Dankworth, I think her name is – stands up and slams the table.
"This is outrage!" She hollers. "These are children! Children! And they are to be entrusted with ruling of the Realm?"
"School Master Dankworth, I understand your frustration," Officer Alexxi stands up to try and calm her.
"This is that Grantwood's fault, she chose all students from her school! Trying to keep power in her hands! Look at the little Voronkova, eh? She is no good!" Dankworth continues to holler. "I have her brother in my school and he is ten times better student! He deserves her place!"
"Hey!" Avani stands up, her chair flying behind her. "Leave Nikolina alone! She's a great elemental and she'll be a great High Arch!"
"Bah!" Dankworth waves her hands. "Just you wait! See now, she's trying to shadow herself!"
We look at Nikolina, who indeed looks a lot more transparent than she did a moment ago.
"Maybe if you hadn't started treating her like shit, she wouldn't feel the need to hide from you and your big ass ego." Avani snaps back.
Officer Alexxi steps between the bickering women and holds his hands out.
"Ladies please, let's all take a breath and relax." Dankworth sits back down and crosses her arms, tipping up her nose. Avani huffs and sits down, a little closer to Nik than she was before.
"Obviously Arch Grantwood had no idea she and her cohorts were going to be murdered." Alexxi says. "She probably intended to have plenty of time with the kids to help them grow into their positions. Obviously each of them has things to work on, but they'll get there."
"Professor Grantwood worked with Arch Price to find us and assign us our positions." Enya speaks up, her voice calm. She sits up straight in her chair, looking very regal. Nile sits on her left, looking almost like a bodyguard with the way he has his arms crossed over his chest. Ciana is seated on Enya's right. She's sitting similarly to Enya, clearly trying to mimic her calm stature. Faris, Lyra, and I are on Nile's left, and Nik and Avani are on Ciana's right.
"I trust Arch Price's vision." Mr. Sallow says, his dark blue robes marking him as the Headmaster of Tijd's School of Time. "Price was the best of us. He saw everything."
"Exactly," Officer Alexxi nods. "If all of the High Arches agreed on these eight as the next High Arches, obviously they could sense something in them."
"What positions did Arch Price assign you?" The Vesi headmistress asks. She's as calm as still water, taking in the situation.
"I'm Grand Arch, and Ciana is my Right Arch." Enya explains, pointing to each of us. "Nile is Arch of Intelligence, Carter is Arch of Academics, Lyra is Arch of Peace, Faris is Arch Ambassador, Avani is Arch of the Military, and Nikolina is Arch of Protection.
"Bah! She cannot even protect herself, let alone whole Realm." Dankworth exclaims. Nikolina takes a breath and says,
"With all due respect, School Master, I am a High Arch now, and you will treat me with the respect I deserve."
Dankworth stares at her, shocked. "Uūtoldłig lïten jent," She spits at her.
"Dû vił respektęr meg på ałłë spæk." Nikolina calmly replies. Underneath the table, her hands are shaking. I can see them from here, but Dankworth can't.
"There, now that we're all nice and calm, it's time to break the news to the crowds." Officer Alexxi frowns and stands up.
"Chief, wait." The officer with the laptop says. "I've fixed the end of the video."
"Play it then, Terr." Alexxi says, sitting back down. Professor Grantwood's face appears on the screen again. She's pressed against the ground, blood starting to pool beneath her.
"Their Grandshield," She pauses to cough. "Their Grandshield is Tucker Brooks."
The teachers start chattering again, trying to place the name.
"What's a grand shield?" Ciana whispers to Enya.
"Basically our head of security," She replies back. Enya stands and the teachers go quiet.
"Officer Alexxi, I think it's time to announce the news to the crowds." She announces. "Could we have a minute alone before we do so?"
"Oh, uh, of course, your Highness." Officer Alexxi replies. "Everyone out. Teachers, you're on crowd control. Let's go." The teachers stand and file out. Officer Alexxi takes one last look at us, saying, "I'll be right out here when you're done."
He shuts the door and Enya slumps in the chair. She huffs a breath, looking around at us.
"I hope none of you have stage fright," She says. "because this is about to be broadcasted across the Realm."
"What are we going to say?" Ciana asks.
"Most of you probably won't need to say anything. Officer Alexxi will probably do most of the talking. Me as well. You may have to pipe in when I address the Realm, Ciana, but don't force yourself." Enya explains. "What's important right now is appearances. We have to appear like we are prepared and mature. We can't seem nervous or scared, or the people will eat us alive. We have to seem like, well, like High Arches."
"How can we do that?" Nik asks. She has her arms wrapped around herself, shadowed slightly again so she's almost invisible.
"We all remember how the Arches acted when we first met them in Professor Grantwood's office a while ago." I say. "Channel that."
We all stand and file out the door. Officer Alexxi nods and leads us out into the courtyard, where news crews are waiting with cameras ready. Outside the gates, it seems like the entire population of Center City has gathered to see what's going on. Children and adults are crying, and the sound wavers up to us from the bottom of the hill.
We spread out into a V shape in front of the cameras, with Officer Alexxi in front and Enya close behind him. We stay in the same order we were in in the meeting room, Ciana on Enya's right and Nile on Enya's left.
"You're live, Chief." one of the news crews shouts. Little red dots stare at us from every camera.
"People of the Realm," Officer Alexxi begins. "Today I have the sad duty of telling you that the High Arches of our blessed Realm have been killed." Gasps from the crowd. "The Capitol police department has already investigated the scene of the crime, and we're prepared to open the case. That being said, we found a camera with a video on it of Arch Grantwood, announcing the new High Arches."
He motions to us and the cameras pan over to us. Enya steps forward.
"Many people reacted with shock at the fact that Arch Grantwood announced eight students of her Academy as the next High Arches." She says. "One even accused her of favoritism. However, I can assure you that our positions are not only approved by all eight of the deceased Arches, but foretold by Arch Price. We understand the shock many of you feel. We knew we were set to take the Seats one day, but we did not know it would be so soon. It is with deepest sorrow that we accept the position of High Arches, and we promise to do our best to continue to protect the safety, sanctity, and statue of the Elemental Realm."
"Miss!"
"Ma'am!"
"Over here!" News crews call. Reporters surge forward with microphones in hand. Officers at the bottom of the patio staircase hold them back.
"What are your names?"
"What are your positions?"
"When will you be announcing the Arch Council?"
"Who is your Grandshield?"
Questions fly from the crowd and Enya takes a breath.
"We will hold an official press conference in a few hours, when we have time to set things up. Until then, Chief Alexxi has all the information the press needs to prepare themselves." Enya replies. "Thank you." She turns around and motions back inside. Officers keep the scrambling reporters at bay while Officer Alexxi says some final words to them and comes back inside with us.
"You handled that well, your Highness." He says, shutting the doors behind us.
"Thank you, Alexxi." Enya replies.
"I'll escort you all to the Arch Residence. We can meet there and get ready for the press conference." Officer Alexxi says. He leads us back through the Atrium, where other officers are still mopping up blood from Arches, guards, and maids alike, and leads us to a painting of the Realm. He pushes the frame aside, revealing a door. It swings open to reveal tunnels that we follow for a few minutes. Eventually we reach another door that opens up to reveal the pristine white halls of the Arch Residence.
The Arch Residence is built back into the hill that Arch Hall is built on, but from the outside it looks like a separate building behind the hill. The main entryway is made of thick glass that offers a beautiful view of the suburbs of Center City. There's comfy looking couches, a beautiful kitchen, and everything else a house could need.
"The rooms themselves are most likely still going to be filled with the Arches' things, so I'll get some people in here to clean up." Officer Alexxi says. "We'll need to hire new maids and guards, of course. I'll schedule the press conference for six o'clock, so you can have a couple hours to prepare yourselves. Until then, rest here."
"Thank you Officer," Ciana smiles. "You've made this a lot easier."
"Just doing my job, your Highness." He bows slightly before walking back into the tunnels.
"Better get comfortable." Nile says to us. "This is home now."