Free The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series by Christopher Williams

looked like they would fall apart if they were touched. There was a large desk, made out of oak, against the opposite wall. A thick dark brown carpet covered the floor, and a small oval window was directly behind the desk. On the wall to the left, was as an unlit fireplace. There were four chairs arranged in a half circle facing the desk, apparently King Darion used the study as a meeting place often.
    Henotairin walked forward and sat in the chair farthest to the left. Flare followed his lead and sat next to him. They sat there for a few minutes in silence, when Flare remembered the question that he had been about to ask in the hallway. “Henotairin, what is the council of Lords that you mentioned?”
    Henotairin leaned back in his chair as he spoke, “The council of Lords is a group of seven lords that advise the king on kingdom matters. Each of the seven lords, or their representatives, vote on an issue, and the results are relayed to the king. The king then considers the opinion of the council before he makes his final decision.”
    Flare found the discussion interesting. The elven king had no such formal council to advise him. “Are all the lords appointed by the king like Angaria was?” He asked.
    “No.” Henotairin answered, “Some of the lords inherit a spot on the council as their birthright.” Seeing the look of confusion on Flare's face, he quickly explained, “In Telur, there are four great houses that are right below the king in power. House Efflen is led by Lord Roderick. He is called the champion of the sunset.” Henotairin smiled slightly at the lost look on Flare's face, “He is called the champion of the sunset, because he is lord of the territories to the west of Telur. And though there is a standing army that guards the borders, House Efflen is charged with protecting the people and areas under his charge. Lesser lords in the western area pledge their loyalty to him and he pledges his loyalty to King Darion. Ever since House Efflen has been given the west, the leader of the house has been called the champion of the sunset.”
    “So Lord Roderick is permanently on the council of Lords?” Flare asked.
    “Yes, as his son will be, although Lord Roderick rarely attends meetings in person. He appointed a representative who attends the meetings for him, as do most of the lords.
    Flare nodded his head, “Well, while we wait, tell me more about the lords on the council.”
    “All right. The second of the four great houses is House Darkvale. House Darkvale is led by Lord Justin, and he is called the guardian of the north. Both house Darkvale and house Efflen have grown in power recently, due mainly to the lack of a threat from the west and north.”
    “Aren't the elves viewed as a threat?” Flare quickly interjected.
    “Yes, we are.” Henotairin answered, “But the elves do not raid across the border killing farmers and soldiers. Raiders have plagued the southern and eastern borders, and that has sapped the strength of two of the great houses. House Morningstar holds the eastern lands and is led by the Lady Julia, the protector of the east. Lady Julia is the steward until her son Geoffrey is old enough.”
    Henotairin leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his legs, “House Steel holds the southern lands, and their lord is Cedric. He is called the lord of fire and vengeance. House Steel has always been warriors, perhaps because they have always had to fight the armies and raiders of the southern kingdoms.”
    “Are they good people, or not?” Flare asked.
    “They are good and bad, each in his own way. None of them are cruel, but they are hard, determined people. If you get in their way, they have no reluctance in squashing you.” Henotairin answered. “They have mastered the art of politics, and they do it well.”
    Flare was enjoying the conversation, perhaps because it was helping to keep his mind off of the meeting with the king, but he also found it interesting. “Counting