The Blinding

"Again," I ordered Gadiid, urging him to continue. We were in no man's land, outside the city. After our meeting, he insisted that he and his group were ready and willing to pledge their loyalty to the Council. Only the leaders held the secrets of our group, but we had Council members across the land prepared to fight for the cause, and they all needed proper conditioning.
Today, I found myself teaching hand-to-hand combat, another unexpected assignment. But I couldn't turn my back on these young recruits. We needed them, and they needed us.
The weather felt even hotter here than it did in the slums. Dust swirled around us, and beads of sweat mirrored on Gadiid's face and my own.
"Again," I repeated, this time more forcefully.
"I need a break," he gasped. I sighed.
"In battle, you won't have the luxury of breaks." Without mercy, I attacked him again. He stood his ground, but I bested him once more.
"Your hand-eye coordination needs work. You must watch my movements and remember to block, or you'll find yourself on your back in no time."
"I know!" he snapped, his body slumping into the dirt.
I almost relented. His frustration was evident, and I empathized with him. If the prophecy held true, the Shifters' atrocities would soon reach a critical point, and I sensed a change in the country. We needed as many troops as possible to face them, and I wouldn't send them to their deaths unprepared. They needed to be ready, whether the war came tomorrow or in fifty years.
"Get up!" I shouted. "You wanted to join the Council, and this is the price of membership. Remember that, all of you!" I addressed the rest as they paused to listen. "When you fight today, remember you're fighting for your freedom, for the right to have what others take for granted, for the family and friends we lost to those in power. Don't direct your anger at each other; direct it at them!"
My impromptu speech spurred them on, and Gadiid leaped to his feet with renewed determination. He fought fiercely, pouring all his energy into each punch.
Their improvement, while not significant, was marked by their spirited effort. I couldn't offer them much in return for their progress, but their evident dedication buoyed their spirits as our training session concluded.
After the physically demanding day, my clothes clung to me with sweat, and I looked forward to a quiet dinner at the motel. Tissa was already there when I arrived, just in time for dinner, and she appeared nearly as fatigued as I felt. The realization that I knew little about her daily life struck me, but I refrained from asking about her day. My plate was already full, and I didn't want to burden myself further.
Once I finished eating, I quickly washed up and was hit with a second wind. Craving a cup of tea, I returned to the lobby, where Tissa still sat, examining her fingers intently. She seemed to halt her scrutiny abruptly when she noticed me. I paid it no mind and took a seat, the sight of the steam rising from the teapot on the coffee table beckoning me. I silently offered thanks for Cook's existence.
As I settled into my shaah, the warm liquid soothing my senses, I was jolted from my tea-induced reverie by the realization that I wasn't alone in the room. The silence between us was stifling. It seemed as if Tissa had something to say, but I hesitated to ask. I opened my mouth, then closed it abruptly. Where was Hani, I wondered. Perhaps she could alleviate the tension hanging between us.
"Hani had to step out for a moment," Tissa offered, as if she could read my thoughts.
"Hmph," I grunted in response.
We continued in silence for a while, and I resigned myself to counting the tears in the armchair. Finally, Tissa broke the silence with a question.
"About this Council," she began, "what exactly is it?"
I thought for a moment. I had already shared more with her than I had intended. The Council was a somewhat unspoken secret; most mages knew of its existence but not the inner workings.
"I assume you'd never heard of it until yesterday?" I asked.
She nodded.
"The Council consists of a group of mages who have come together across Macrobia to advance our people's cause," I explained, offering the standard explanation.
Another nod followed, but her face showed dissatisfaction with my answer. I groaned internally, anticipating more questions.
"But what does 'the plight of our people' actually mean?" she asked curiously.
I searched for an answer that would satisfy her curiosity and divert further inquiries. "It means whatever the Mages need - food, sometimes housing, money - anything that benefits us. The shifters in power do nothing to help."
She contemplated my response between sips of tea. "But," she started again, "what do you actually do?"
"That is classified," I stated simply.
"Who would I tell?" she persisted.
"It doesn't matter. Only those who have taken an oath are privy to the specifics of the Council, and even they don't know everything."
"Tell me this, then. Is the Council planning a rebellion against the palace?"
I choked on my tea slightly but managed to maintain my composure. Most believed that to be true, but I hadn't expected her to arrive at that conclusion so quickly.
"No, and such words could put us all in danger," I replied honestly. While there was no rebellion planned, the palace would likely seek the mage if they knew of the prophecy, and a confrontation was imminent. However, that wasn't Tissa's concern.
"Hmm," she contemplated. "And what if I were to take the oath?"
I cleared my throat. "Is that something you'd consider?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I don't know much about the Council or what mages have endured, but living in the slums, it's not too hard to imagine."
Changing the subject, I asked, "How was your day?" It was a question I'd been avoiding.
"Alright, I suppose, but exhausting," she replied.
"Oh? What did you do?" I inquired.
"You know how this goes. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she joked, referring to our previous conversation.
I chuckled, unsure if she was joking, but I agreed. "I started my new job today. It's not as significant as your involvement with the Council. I'm looking after the grandchildren of a friend."
"Ah, and how is that going?" she asked.
"I don't think I'm qualified, but a job is a job, I suppose. Alright, your turn," I said, and she seemed excited.
"Well, today I simply conducted some business for the Council," I replied slyly, a smirk forming on my face.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," she huffed, and I couldn't help but laugh.
Hani eventually returned, and we settled in for the night, playing cards. My mind briefly found respite from the challenges that lay ahead.