It was the aroma of coffee that wrestled Finn from sleep. She cracked one dark brown eye open, confused about her surroundings. The library was how it always was; dim and comforting. She groaned softly and pushed her eyelids apart, taking it all in.
The large bottom level had a sizable hearth that extended into the middle of the room, encased in a stone façade that gave it the appearance of a glowing box pressed against the far wall. There was enough space around the fireplace for a lowered sitting level, furnished with pillows and ottomans of many dark colours and luxurious fabrics. The design was to avoid embers spitting and reaching the tomes but it was also a lovely place to read and get warm, especially in the cold months. The fire had been tended and was crackling away, illuminating everything softly in a flickering light. The walls were lined with built-in shelves, housing thousands of books. Or so she guessed, not yet having the time to read them all. There was no indication of what colour the walls had actually been painted, each exposed surface that was not the windows had been appropriated for more shelf space. Scattered throughout all of the bookcases were books that were actually lamps. They glowed and lit up the sections while individuals perused their stacks. They could be removed for an emergency light source. When not needed, they dimmed and flickered like candlelight.
A second level was available via ladders on either side of the large entrance doors. They stood mostly closed, suggesting that it was not a busy hour for the majority of the house. The level itself was slim, used primarily as additional storage as need grew over the centuries. To avoid accidents and congestion, it was required you ask a member of the council staff to retrieve any book from the second level. Heavy black velvet drapes were pulled closed and fastened on all six double paned windows, indicating that it must be daylight outside. Of all the rooms in the council house, this was the one she spent the most time in. By far her favourite.
Finn had been here for over 30 years. She had moved into the council house after an incident with her former werewolf pack, the Ironbloods. The council was made up of mostly enchanters, vampires and elves. No other species enjoyed the bureaucracy and the opulent spectacle of their gatherings and parties as much as the three majority races. She had been accepted due to her fraternal parentage. Her mother had been a werewolf while alive, and while many packs came to the council house for meetings and gatherings, very few stayed. Though strong, werewolves were not given the same respect as the other magical races and chose to spend their time elsewhere unless explicitly requested.
Stretching, she pulled herself up to a sitting position, knocking over the cup of coffee that had been left for her. "Fuck!" she cried, grabbing the already tipped cup. She quickly pulled off her dark sweater and used it to clean up the liquid, moving hastily to ensure no damage was done to the books on the table. She sighed and slumped back into the lush chair that had been her bed, a scowl on her face. She was about to wonder how long she had been asleep when one of the human staff materialized out of thin air.
"Shit! Joey, you gotta stop doing that," she hissed out in surprise. He stood like a statue by her chair. He was much shorter than Finn, only about 5'5. His hair was nicely cut and styled, brown curls kissing his forehead. His blue eyes stood out in the dark room, dancing when caught with the light from the hearth. He was slim and wore the standard uniform given to staff, a pressed black shirt with gold embroidery on the collar, black trousers and black loafers. He had worked for the council for many years and had recently been promoted to the Merlin's, the head of the council, butler.
"Enchanter Hellmut, the Merlin would like to speak with you," he said quietly.
Finn groaned, "please don't call me that. I have asked you hundreds of times."
"The Merlin has instructed staff to refer to all individuals on council grounds by their true names," he replied airily.
"It isn't my true name. I'm just the muscle," she stated with a sigh. Finn ran a hand through her hair, scratching her scalp. She grabbed the mass of bleached out hair, colours of the last dyes still evident like an aura and pulled it into a messy bun that sat on top of her head. It tilted to the right and she gave no care to it. "Is Obeus in his study?"
The Merlin's butler stiffened at her causal use of his given name. "The Merlin is in his audience chamber and has asked for you at your convenience," he replied coolly.
"Oh good, I can shower first then," Finn sprung up, grabbing her wet sweater off the table. She knew making Obeus wait would annoy both the Merlin and Joey. She smiled at that. Her continued personal war. One inconvenience after the last. As she was almost out the double doors and into the entrance hall, she called back to him, "thank you for the coffee". He said nothing, picking up the emptied cup and tidying the desk she had left, mostly out of habit.
She made her way through the labyrinth of the council house. Though called a house, it was truly a mansion. Perhaps even a castle. Finn was unsure of the specific requirements for each definition. Rooms upon rooms upon rooms. There were more than enough rooms for the residents as well as the guests, some of that may have been magic but she wasn't sure. She didn't spend much time thinking about her surroundings nor paying attention to the lectures on history she was given by the council members. When she finally made it to her designated bedroom, she scowled at the "F.H." stenciled on the door in an intricate gold font. She opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her.
Her room was a good size, far more than she needed or used. A large canopy bed sat in the middle of the back wall, the dressings were all deep purple. The windows were shut and had expensive velvet curtains in a dark amethyst pulled closed. Each bedroom was decorated in the family colours of the current inhabitant. The Helmut crest was purple, expressed in the bedding and curtains. The room was sparsely decorated. A fireplace with an ornate dark marble mantle, a single standing ebony wardrobe and an embellished standing mirror were all the other furnishings. Everything was clean and tended, the bed was made. The fireplace had been cleaned and logs had been neatly stacked next to it. Finn threw her wet sweater on the floor, knowing someone would clean it up later.
She crossed the length of her room and opened the almost hidden door to the bathroom, beside the wardrobe. Stepping in, she pulled off the rest of her clothes and tossed them behind her. She showered quickly. She allowed herself only a moment of enjoyment of the warm water cascading down her pale, colourful skin before finishing and returning to the wardrobe. She pulled open the wooden doors and grabbed the first clothes she saw. She dressed quickly and stood in front of the mirror, taking herself in.
She was tall, standing at 6' without shoes. She wore a black tank top with black joggers. Her dark brown eyes appeared black in the diminished light. She was heavily tattooed, flowers and other flora as well as magical scrawl covered the majority of her exposed flesh. Her face and her abdomen were the only places that hadn't been decorated by a grisled human man named Jerry. Despite the tattoos, scars were still evident on her skin. One started at her chin and ended at her bottom lip. She sighed and pulled her wet hair back into a bun. She had recently cut most of her hair off, having it hang just to her shoulders now. The other residents of the council house were always aghast at her tattoos and bleached hair. Why permanently alter your body when magic could do the same with no commitment? Finn liked the pain and permanence of it but she kept that to herself. She grimaced at her reflection, her pale skin looked sickly in the dim light from the curtain cracks. As she was not a vampire, the windows were not darkened for sunlight as all the common area ones were. They once had been but she had requested the change.
She returned to her wardrobe and pulled out a black knitted sweater and pulled it over her head. She didn't bother with socks or shoes, slipping out into the hall. Finn slowly made her way down to the entrance hall again. The entrance hall broke off into two different wings, the residents on the right with the council chambers and private offices on the left with the library and feasting hall taking up the majority of the main house. She turned and started down towards the private offices.
(2)
At the end of the hall, she stopped at the Merlin's office door. Having been summoned, she didn't bother to knock. She entered the room and looked around. Obeus's audience chamber was richly furnished, like the rest of the council property. The green walls were full of portraits of men and women Finn couldn't place, maps of regions she was unsure of. The walls also housed intricate stained glass lights. Bottles and spell components were neatly displayed in a large cabinet at the back of the office, each compartment having magical scrawl etched into the glass doors. Books and parchment were scattered on all the other surfaces. A plush carpet depicting the Merlin's office crest rested on the floor, coloured in the green of the Augustus family crest..
"Fionn! Darling, come! Sit," Obeus Augustus called from behind his large desk. The comment was not just a slap in the face but a punch to the stomach, a knife to her heart. Finn visibly shrunk at this. She despised the use of her given name. Fionn was a male name, Irish, meaning "blessed". Finn never felt blessed, the progeny of a dark enchanter and an unwilling werewolf. She felt her name was a two-fold afront, a continued jab at her failures from birth being both female and unwilling to use her enchanter magic to any real extent. She, in her opinion, had been cursed.
The Merlin was old but his physical form did not show it. His long black hair was braided and tied with a bit of leather. His gray eyes looked up at her as she entered his office. He was a pudgy man, reaching 5'6. His light skin had been darkened by time in the sun. Or perhaps only time. Enchanters had extended lifespans that came close to the elves they were so bitterly jealous of.
"It's Finn, Obeus, and you know that," she said with a sigh as she walked towards the first available chair by his desk and took a seat.The mage laughed at her comment. Enchanters were known for their pageantry and flattery. Finn had no use for either and everyone who encountered her knew that. They delighted in calling her honorifics that turned her stomach. She always thought that the many magical beings were like drag queens in human culture. Colourful, witty and rather dramatic. She herself was normally silent, choosing to spend her time alone. Reading or prowling the council grounds. Her choice of attire and the permanent scowl that creased her face generally kept chatty individuals at bay. Her reputation kept the rest away.
"Joseph tells me you actually slept under our roof last night," he smiled.
"Unintentionally," she stated flatly. She hoped this wasn't another discussion of her refusal to use her room for anything other than storage and hygiene. She chose instead to sleep in a burrow that she had dug under the garden shed, where she slept free from magical eyes and jabs, much to the grand gardener's horror. This was a sore spot between herself and the Merlin. As well as the grand garden Alec, but Finn knew very little of the man.
"Your father..." the Merlin started.
"No. We will not discuss him. And if this is why you called for me, I shall take my leave," she was exasperated already with the old man and his prying. She had moved to stand but Obeus acquiesced, he threw his hands up in the air in defeat.
