All three of them were early for the council meeting but they found Bal-Simba already in the council chamber with an elaborately chased bronze bowl before him.
“My Lords, My Lady,” the big wizard greeted them as they entered.
“Have you found them?” Malkin asked, noting the scrying bowl on the table.
“We are not sure, but we have located the place where the effect is most powerful.”
“Where?” Wiz, Danny and Malkin demanded as one.
In response Bal-Simba gestured. The water in the bowl darkened and then the image sprang up bright and clear. The image of a ruined black city on the slope of an extinct volcano.
The City Of Night!” Wiz breathed.
“So it would appear,” Bal-Simba said grimly. The force is strongest in the caverns and tunnels beneath the place.”
“We should have wiped it off the face of the earth,” Wiz said bitterly. “It’s been nothing but trouble since the Dark League built it.”
“Do not be so eager to upset the balance of the World,” Bal-Simba told him. “Still, we have been remiss in how we watched the place.”
Theoretically the City of Night was deserted, save for occasional roaming monsters left over from the Dark League’s reign. Part of the city had been destroyed in the climactic magical battle in which Wiz and the Council had broken the League’s power and killed many of its members.
In practice the place had needed the attentions of the Council twice since, once when Wiz was kidnapped there by a remnant of the Dark League and once to lay the slaying demon Bale-Zur, who had been the League’s most potent weapon. Since then the Council had watched the place by magic and occasional patrols of dragon cavalry but otherwise left it alone.
“What do we do now?” Wiz asked.
That is for the Council to decide, I think”
“Hmpf!” said Malkin, in a tone that left no doubt about her opinion of the Councils decision-making ability. Wiz tried to ignore her and look on the bright side.
Four hours later it was abundantly clear that Malkin had been looking on the bright side.
“So we are at least agreed, are we not, On the need for action?” Bal-Simba rumbled wearily. That produced a general murmur and nodding of heads all the way down the table. Of course, Wiz noted sourly, some of the older heads were nodding because they were having trouble staying awake after going around and around over the same issues.
“Oh, certainly,” old Androclus said from his seat halfway down the table, “but,” he waggled an admonitory finger, “with caution.”
“Caution be fornicated,” growled Juvian. “We must act before this thing strikes again.” He traded glares with Androclus, they being opponents of long standing.
From his seat next to Bal-Simba, Wiz looked over at Malkin sitting against the wall. They exchanged looks of complete sympathy. If some of the older members were having trouble staying awake at this late-night session, Wiz and Malkin were having trouble keeping from strangling the council members. Danny and June had taken Ian to bed a couple of hours ago when it became abundantly clear where this session wasn’t going. Wiz and Malkin had stayed and fretted and fumed.
“My Lords,” Bal-Simba said. “I think we need to sleep on this before we decide further. “Let us meet again at mid-day tomorrow. By then perhaps we shall know more.” That produced the strongest agreement Wiz had heard all evening and the meeting broke up without having decided anything at all.
“Well,” Wiz growled to Bal-Simba as they left the room, “that was a complete and utter waste of time.”
“Because we did not set out on crusade this evening?” the big wizard asked. “You judge too quickly, Sparrow.”
In reply Wiz drove his fist into the stone wall beside them. The scabs on his knuckles broke and blood marred the smooth white limestone.
“Speaking of wastes of time,” Bal-Simba said mildly.
“Yeah, but it’s so frustrating! We’re spinning our wheels wasting time and Moira doesn’t have much time.”
“A wizard must be the master of his frustrations. If you let them master you they will lead you to disaster entire. Besides, we learned several things this night.”