My Clan: Part three

THE CROWN CLAN has the most beautiful spot on the planet. The ground is run with fresh meadows, lake, rivers, ponds, and has practically all the food you can want: if you’re willing to get up and get it. That is the problem with the Crown clan. Nobody takes advantage of the beautiful land they are on. They’re all scholars. Law and reading and writing and equations and constant crouching over books and numbers. I don’t know how they can stand it. Still, they have bothered about making it beautifully, and that almost makes up for it. Across rolling meadows, tiny waterfalls, creeks with multiple rainbows overhead, lies a golden castle. Jewels have been encrusted into the side of the majestic building: sapphires and emeralds. Several turrets rise in golden splendor from the base of the golden castle. At night it’s sliver. I’ve only been there at night once. I don’t have much time to admire the sparkling beauty of it, though. I pull Sapphire onto the nearest open drawbridge, hop off, and run into the castle without so much as a second thought. I almost immediately run into security.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Why do they always ask that. “I’m chief Rapturan’s daughter. I call an instantaneous.” I didn’t have very many options. I knew only the chieftain of a clan was allowed to call an instantaneous, but if everyone thought he had sent me to be a messenger, I might get away with. I also know that whoever calls the instantaneous gets talk first. I need to find out what the Blood clan was up to, but I also need to make sure I can stop it.

“You call an instantaneous? You can’t-“

“Chief Rapturan calls one. I’m just a messenger.”
“Alright, come in.” I can only hope I’ve beaten the Blood clan’s boar rider. Those things are wicked fast.

The guard led me straight into King Alastair’s throne room.

“Ginger?” He asked, his eyebrows raised. Me and the king have a sort of love-late relationship. I get angry and yell at him and call him an idiot every single time we have a council meeting, but he makes pretty good decisions in the end. “What are you doing here.”
I nod at the guards.

“Oh, yes. Forgive me,” He says to the guards while I tap my foot impatiently. “Would you mind stepping outside for just a moment?”

The guards nod and smile and leave the room.

“What’s-“

“Phoenix is planning something. We have to stop-“
The double doors banged open again. A guard and the Blood clan’s messenger burst in. King Alastair frowned. “I thought I told you-“
“Chief Phoenix of the Blood clan calls an instantaneous!” Alastair looks shocked.

“Well this is highly irregular. You’re too late. Ginger here says Chief Rapturan called an instantaneous moments ago.”
“Chief Rapturan-“ The messenger freezes, narrowing his eyes at me. I realize it’s Obsidian from earlier. “He can’t have! She just heard-“
“I’m sorry, it will have to wait for the instantaneous. Ginger, would you mind doing me the favor of alerting the other clans? I know you have a good relationship with them.”

I know this isn’t meant as a snub towards the Blood clan, but Obsidian’s face tightens all the same.

“With pleasure.” I bow, but I’m completely intending to wait until I’ve made sure Obsidian has left the room and has no chance of influencing Alastair when I’m gone. As soon as he is out the door, I’m on Sapphire, almost laughing despite the dire circumstances. My Clan is the the first one I’ll be informing.

I fly straight into the meeting hall my father consulting in. I don’t bother to knock or try to explain why I need in. I don’t even bother to wait for my father to finish speaking.

“Father!” I shout, flinging myself across the room. “We have a problem. A big, serious problem.”

He looks angry. I’ve never interrupted him before. “What has gotten-“
“It’s the Blood clan! Phoenix is running for mayor! He made a discovery, I don’t know what, but it has to be big to restore his relationship with Alastair! He’s called a instantaneous!”

“He what?!”

“I had no choice. He was going to, so I told everyone you’d called one yourself. I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do!”
All of father’s officials are staring at me now, but I don’t care. If whatever Phoenix has is good enough to run for mayor, it would be legal to override Alastair to wage war on us if we have no status on the council.

“You did well, Ginger.” My father says, nodding at his officials. “Get your birds, we’ll head to the council right away.”

“Alastair told me to alert the other clans, so I have to go.” I tell him.

“King Alastair.” Mutters one of his officials, but a sharp look from father tells him off.

“We ride the dawn, my friends.” He tells them. “Go, Ginger.”


I stop at the Water clan first. Merrial sitting out on the dock, looking lonely. I haven’t missed a visit with her for a long time. I drop down and tell her the news. Her eyes grow wide before diving back in the water to tell her mother, the Chieftess. I head to the Sun goblins next. Apparently, they’d been waiting for a council meeting. The harvest crop theft was almost enough to call instantaneous in and of itself. Moh is already dressed for the occasion in an old potato sack. Then he and his escorts head underground. The Morgn pulls himself from the tree clan, obviously irritated.

I stop at the night clan and told Crimson. He and his escort shot off into the air. He only had one escort because Fey are one of the more powerful creatures, and Crimson can more than protect himself. Alright, I admit it. I stay and watch a bit. If you’ve never seen a Fey take off, you’re missing out. The wings are full of muscles and it just feels satisfying to watch time snap up and down like that. Fire clan was next, but I decide to go to Stone clan first because I knew it would take them longer to get there. It turned out I shouldn’t have bothered, because the Blood clan have already told them. Brine looks ready to exploded: His clan was taking a nap, but he shoots off into the air anyway. Then I pull myself through the air and towards the Crown clan again, ready to protect my home.