Gerard paused in his work as he heard a knock on his door. “Come in.”
The figure that stepped into his office appeared deceptively human. Tanned skin, mildly lighter than what one would expect from a human of Mediterranean origins, covered muscles that showed his line of work as a warrior. His dark, curly brown hair was tied in a warrior’s braid, which Gerard had thought impractical until he witnessed the fate of those who made the mistake of grabbing it. Today it was adorned with a bright pink bow, no doubt the work of one of the little girls, probably Roisin’s. The maniacal grin on his face, as though he had just found a new foe to hack into pieces, would have disturbed most- Gerard had long learned it was the fae’s default expression.
“Trouble’s brewing.” Lahav’s tone matched his expression- the Trickster Demiurge was almost always excited about something. “Surely you can see the signs as well- something’s coming, events are beginning to unfold, much like they had so long ago at Godstow.”
“Yes, we have. Patience and I have been thinking of how we can deal with the problem before it unfolds. We have a few ideas-“ Gerard began, but Lahav cut him off.
“No.” Lahav’s tone was absolute, a sharp disagreement, despite never losing its excited energy.
“No?” Gerard was clearly confused, not understanding what his long-time friend and source of constant worry meant. ‘Trickster Demiurge’ was not a title that put people at ease.
“We mustn’t deal with it ourselves. We need to allow this generation to take care of it. What would be the point of the Knights if you sent Rhydian or me to take care of every threat that showed its face? The current generation would have nothing to do, they would never develop, never better themselves. Too much coddling stifles growth- you and I know that. At Godstow, we and many others rose to greatness, while those who have already achieved it sat in the shadows, helping us but doing their best to stay out of the spotlight themselves. We must do the same now- I’m not saying we should do nothing, but we should allow them to take care of the issue themselves. We can lend advice, or a helping hand if the situation escalates into something truly dire, but we can’t have them rely on us. Surely Patience understands this as well- it would have been trivial for her to take care of many of the early issues at Godstow, but it would have meant we would have been powerless to help when they escalated- and Merlyn might have ended the world at that point, had we all been powerless.”
Gerard sighed. As much as he loathed to let the danger fester, he understood the wisdom of Lahav’s words. It would not do to have the world rely on them. Despite everything, despite how long they have lived, and will live on, they will not be around forever. Not even the gods and saints are eternal, let alone men and fae. “What do you suggest we do, then?”
Lahav gave a maniacal grin. “Why, we call a meeting, of course!”