“Everyone, this is Aidana Wovril. She is a powerful Sorceress and the youngest Feykin to ever grace Thuraben’s Council of Elders.” Amorez said in Standard. Then she switched to Kinös Elda without missing a beat and introduced the Feykin to us.
“We have long been awaiting your arrival, Dragon Keeper.” Aidana said in strangely accented Kinös Elda. “With you now here, we can begin preparations for the retaking of Bakari-Tokai.”
“That is the exact reason we warped straight here.” Thernu said when I did not respond to Aidana right away. “If you know where Zhücka and Míjin are, we can gather them and the other generals, and begin the planning process in the privacy of the big pavilion.”
Aidana’s gaze finally broke away from me to look at Thernu. “I know where they are, but not where the other generals can be found.”
“Then we will just have to split up to find them.” Amorez said with a friendly smile.
Aidana agreed.
“I will take Xy in search of the Demon generals.” Freya announced in Standard. “I have a pretty good feeling I know where they can be found.”
“Alright.” Amorez nodded. It wasn’t long before we all split into separate teams to find the generals of each race. Kitfox and I went with Freya further into the woods while Thera, Pox, and Thernu joined Amorez and Aidana in their search. Kkorian and Teka went in search of the Hume generals. Zhealocera and Shazza left to find the Dákun Daju leaders.
◆◆◆
Even from a distance, I could tell the Demon Freya and Kitfox were leading me to was more animal that Hume. He was tall - standing head and shoulders over everyone around him - and did not wear a shirt of any kind. A thick tuft of black fur that stood on end ran the length of his spine and converged to form a tail. A wide, beaded belt circled his waist. Animal fur and strips of leather dangled from it. Like Kitfox and Freya, he wore no shoes, but fur wrappings were tied around his shins with thin strips of leather. Black, spiraling tattoos and scars covered great portions of his muscular body where his rust-colored hair did not.
Freya and Kitfox came to a stop just behind him and I behind them. Freya cleared her throat before speaking and the Demon’s ear twitched. “I beg a moment of your time, Honorable Alpha.”
The Demon slowly looked over his shoulder at her. Upon recognition, he turned to face her completely, but his gaze fell on me. I noticed then that his eyes were mismatched, with the left being yellow and the other being solid white with a jagged scar over it. I took a moment to study him further, learning that he was nothing like Kitfox or Freya. His thick mane of rust-colored and black hair fell to his shoulders and several feathers and beads were woven into the locks. More hair covered a great portion of his face, chest, and arms. His nose was broad and flat, his cheekbones chiseled and prominent, and his ears long, pointed, and covered in more reddish hair. Long fangs protruded from between his lips. He looked wild and untamable, powerful and intimidating. I rather liked him.
“I would like to introduce you to the new Dragon Keeper, Xyleena Renoan.” Freya’s voice stole his attention away from me for the briefest of moments. “Xy, this is Blood Fang, Alpha Elite of the Tahda’varett Demon Guild.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Blood Fang.” Unsure of how to properly greet a Demon as high-ranked as he, I resorted to bowing slightly at the waist.
Blood Fang remained quiet for a long while and I feared that I had paid him disrespect. Finally, he flashed a smile. “You hold quite an honorable position for such a young pup, Xyleena Renoan.” His voice was deep and surprisingly gentle; a sharp contrast to his appearance.
“She is no pup, D'go-Pahngíl. I thought you would have known that.” Spoke a woman’s voice from behind Blood Fang. A look of annoyance crossed his features and he glanced over his furry shoulder at the one who spoke.
I looked around him and gawked at the woman. She was about my height with flowing, bright crimson hair that fell to the middle of her back. Orange ears with tufts of black hair protruded from the top of her head. Her eyes were green and the pupils within were nothing but narrow slits. Her skin was as orange as Shazza’s eyes and covered in countless irregular, black stripes. A long, thin tail tipped with an inky spot swayed back and forth behind her. She was clad only in a black fur band over her breasts and a matching short skirt. A necklace of leather and talons was draped around her neck and a similar band ran the width of her thigh, where a knife was sheathed.
Upon realizing she had my attention, she smiled, revealing needle-like fangs. “Good day to you, Dragon Keeper.”
“Hello.” I replied, feeling extremely awkward.
“She is Aralyn, leader of the Zön-Rígaia Feline Demon Guild and another one of the three generals placed in command by Freya and Amorez.” Blood Fang kept his eyes on her as he spoke.
The Cat Demon pouted. “Don’t sound so drawl, D'go-Pahngíl. You are so boring when you do that.”
“Um… Don’t take this the wrong way, but what does D'go-Pahngíl mean?”
Blood Fang looked at me as he answered. “D'go-Pahngíl means ‘Blood Fang’ in the tongue of our forefathers’ forefathers.”
I nodded and thanked him for explaining that to me.
“Such a polite little thing, aren’t you?” Aralyn chuckled. Kitfox and Blood Fang both shot her dirty looks.
Before anything could be said or done about the comment, I decided to cut in. “Perhaps we should get moving? We still have a few generals to gather for the meeting Amorez is calling.”
“Yes, that would be wise.” Said Freya.
With a snort of annoyance, Blood Fang looked away from Aralyn. “Cloud Strider should be over by the other horses of his guild.” He pointed to the trees in the direction we were to go to find the meeting pavilion.
“Alright.” I said and waved for him to lead the way. He quirked an eyebrow in curiosity and proceeded to lead the way through the throngs of Demons.
◆◆◆
Word of my arrival had spread quickly through the camp. As a result, it had not taken long to gather all twelve of the generals. Most of them had already been waiting in the large pavilion when I arrived with Kitfox, Freya, and the two Demon generals, Blood Fang and Aralyn. The Horse Demon known as Cloud Strider had met up with us just minutes ago. I couldn’t help but stare at him and the other generals I hadn’t yet met as we awaited Kkorian and Teka’s arrival with the Humes.
Cloud Strider was similar to the Gazelle Demon, Rhekja, who I had met long ago in Monrai. He was Hume from the waist up, and very handsomely built. His face was broad with high cheekbones and his eyes were a rich almond color. His chestnut hair was long and tied in several tight braids. The rest of him was a tan horse with black and white freckles. I later learned that he was the leader of the Schaakold-Vond’l Equine Guild.
The Dákun Daju generals were the most bizarre beings in the room by far. True, they were not half animal like the Demons, but their extreme height, odd hair and eye colors, and their meager, spiked armor made them look absolutely ridiculous in my eyes. The shortest one, a female by the name of Vitaani Utoahrína, stood over three meters high. I found it remarkable that she was actually quite attractive, despite her orchid pink eyes and spiky mohawk of neon blue hair. One of the male Dákun Daju generals, V’Nyath, would not stop his attempt to woo her. Irritated by his obvious lust, she had jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow and punched him in the face hard enough to knock out a couple teeth. When I asked if everything was okay, V’Nyath merely laughed and called it a ‘love tap’. Zhealocera, Shazza, and the other Dákun Daju male, Zalx, had to step in before Vitaani murdered him.
Then there were the Feykin generals, who all stood a bit of a distance away from everyone. None of them spoke a word, and they watched everything with an air of indifference. Yet I could detect a deep-seated curiosity in them, almost as if they were bursting to ask a thousand questions about those before them. Aidana seemed to have more control of herself than her younger, male comrades, Zhücka and Míjin, who kept their gaz
es moving from one new person or thing to another. And they kept ruffling their wings as if nervous about something. Amorez had asked them if they were alright, to which the blue-eyed Míjin refused to answer.
Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, Kkorian and Teka pushed their way through the flaps that served as the pavilion’s door. Kkorian apologized for taking so long and stepped aside to introduce everyone to the three Hume generals.
First to step into the tent was a young woman with skin the color of chocolate. Her jet black hair was curly and – for the most part – hidden beneath a bright green and yellow bandana. A great, billowing hat adorned with long, flowing feathers from exotic birds sat atop her head. It lilted to one side as if to hide her face from everyone. She wore a long, leather coat over a loosely tied, white tunic and green bustier. Heeled, thigh-high leather boots covered her skin-tight leather pants. And the whole look was topped off with several leather belts and sashes that held multiple rapiers and pistols.
“This, mates, is Katchina ‘Black Kat’ Hayes.” Kkorian said with a roguish grin. “She was the first sheila to ever cap’n a pirate crew into the Myst to and come out alive. Learned a lot from her, I did.”
Katchina did not say a word as she strode further into the room. She did, however, pause by Amorez to nod her head in respects. Amorez did not return the gesture, which bugged me. I did not have time to dwell on the issue as Kkorian and Teka introduced the other two Hume generals who were just now entering the pavilion. The first of which was a lavishly dressed, middle-aged man with a military hair cut and a jewel-pummeled saber at his hip. His brown hair was graying at the temples, but it gave him a rather distinguished look.
“This here is Sir Nyx Killinger, Commander of the Dragonsworn Brigade and former Military Advisor to the High King.” Teka smiled as the Lord Knight paused to kiss both her cheeks before moving on.
Kkorian rolled his eyes and introduced us to the third and final general, who was waiting patiently at the doorway. He was surprisingly young, with short, dark hair and a trimmed goatee. He wore an immaculate, white tunic and dark blue pants. The pouch on his belt was emblazoned with a green crescent moon, meaning he was probably in the medical field. He carried no weapons that I could see, a fact that worried me slightly considering the company he was in. “This is Jaxith Carter-Reed and I don’t know anything about the bloke.”
Both Jaxith and Kkorian chuckled at that. After a moment, Jaxith took the initiative to introduce himself. “I am a fourth generation Healer, specializing in triage surgery. I used to own the free clinic in Aadrian, but it was practically destroyed when Dimitri decided to sack the city. On the plus side, I have actually been trained in hand-to-hand combat by a Dákun Daju Assassin, who recently became my wife.”
“Good on ya, mate!” Kkorian slapped Jaxith’s back. Though the Healer winced, he returned the slap with equal enthusiasm. I could only shake my head in amusement at the two.
“Right!” Amorez clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we are all here, we can begin planning for the retaking of Bakari-Tokai, and believe me, folks, it won’t be easy.”
As the former Dragon Keeper spoke, Thernu went around the circumference of the room, muttering a spell so quickly I only caught a few words. When at last she had returned to her starting position, she flashed a thumbs-up to Amorez, who nodded. Then the older Feykin cast another spell. This time, the center of the room was filled with an intricate and – as far as I could tell – accurate model of the Grand Capitol.
Amorez continued as if nothing had happened. “First, let me tell you all the latest numbers of our forces. The Feykin remain strong at 350 spell-casters. Another small guild of Demons has joined us, bringing their counts up to 983. The Dákun Daju remain unchanged at 1337. And the number of Humes has grown to just over 8000.”
I couldn’t believe that our army was so small! Especially when compared to the Grand Army of Ithnez, which we would most likely be facing the vast majority of in the days ahead.
Amorez continued. “Now, one of our spies has recently returned with some info. With this knowledge, let us review the new additions Dimitri has made to the city’s defenses, the numbers of his soldiers, and details of the Shadow Dragons. I suggest you all take notes.”
I sent a letter to the nearby Dákun Daju clan, inviting them to join us at the newly completed Temple. They returned it drenched in what I imagine to be blood. Try as I might, I cannot seem to find a way to peacefully resolve the Hume-Dákun Daju conflict. Perhaps I should listen to the advice of my Archbishops, and just let the quarrelling continue until each side realizes how foolish they are being. How does one merely stand aside while two peoples try to annihilate each other?
– FROM “MAKING PEACE IN A HOSTILE LAND” BY PALAVANT MIRANDA
We must have talked for hours upon hours in that pavilion. First we discussed everything we knew about the Shadow Keeper, his dragons, and the upgrades to Bakari-Tokai’s defenses. Then we began plotting ways to sack the city. Each idea was shot down one after another.
Tempers were beginning to flare.
Not to mention, the room was quickly growing uncomfortably hot and the air was beginning to reek. The sweat on my forehead dared to trickle into my eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what those little fish felt like when they were stuffed into the old cans.
Finally, with no end in sight to the planning, Amorez called for a meal break. Thernu promptly canceled her spells and the door flaps were opened. We all filed out of the pavilion, eager to cool off in the fresh, night air and fill our bellies. What we least expected was to hear panicked shouting from the opposite side of the camp. Without a moment’s hesitation, the lot of us rushed towards the commotion. Even Visler, who had been fast asleep on Thera’s shoulder through the entire meeting, squealed and raced ahead of us.
We arrived in the clearing where the commotion was within minutes, weapons drawn and fearing the worst. We had severely over-reacted. In front of us, holding aloft a white flag of truce, were a dozen Wakari. They wore armor that looked like hollowed out mountain rocks. At their waists were a menagerie of awkward-looking hammers and axes, all of which were crafted of more rock. All twelve sat proudly astride their wooly, six-legged mounts. And Visler was perched on the shoulder of the Wakari holding the flag aloft. I could not help but feel a bit relieved at the visage. Pyrex had kept his word and managed to gather allies amongst his kind.
I called for everyone to calm down as I took the lead in approaching the mounted Wakari. An awkward hush fell over the four races that made up the Army of Light. They observed my interaction with a race long forgotten.
I graciously welcomed the Wakari in Kinös Elda and apologized for the reaction of the soldiers.
After a moment, the Wakari immediately left of the one holding the flag ushered the Tetrapex forward. As the six-legged mount crossed the short spans towards me, the Wakari removed the hollowed rock of a helmet. I instantly recognized her as Breccia, the Shaman of the Corundum Tribe.
She flashed a yellowed, toothy grin and spoke, “Breccia come. Bring army. Ready for big fight under blue.”
“It is good to see you, Breccia, and thank you so much for coming to our aid.” I couldn’t suppress the huge smile the little Wakari had brought out in me.
“Just how many soldiers did you bring, Honorable Shaman?” Thera asked as she, Kitfox, and Shazza all joined me in front of Breccia.
“Breccia bring many from all tribes. Hard to convince fight worth it.”
“I understand.” I replied with a nod. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had only managed to convince these eleven to come with her. As I swept my gaze over them, the Wakari holding the flag removed his helm.
It was Pyrex himself. And he was smiling very smugly.
“We somehow convinced some one hundred and fifty…” he paused to gauge my reaction. I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
Only one hundred and fifty? I sighed inwardly. Well it was better th
an none.
Pyrex’s smug smile widened, “… thousand Wakari to join the fight.”
I gaped at him in total surprise.
Shazza broke the surprised silence with a loud inquiry in Standard, “Did he just say one hundred and fifty thousand Wakari are here to fight with us?”
◆◆◆
The news spread through the Army of Light like wildfire unchecked. Several thousand more warriors had arrived. Morale was at an all time high despite the fact that the new arrivals were only a meter tall at best. They were able warriors. They were here when we needed them. That was all that mattered.
As we broke bread with the Wakari, some details about the battle to come were exchanged. Amorez admitted to not having a plan worked out yet, but now that the Wakari were with us, there was a better chance at forging a successful campaign.
Breccia only made one demand. “When battle of big city won, Wakari want mountain home under big blue.”
Amorez looked sidelong at me to see if I knew what the little Shaman was talking about.
“You want to build a new Wakari city on the surface?”
Breccia nodded once.
I leaned back on the bench as I considered her request. It had been several centuries since the Wakari were last on the surface of Ithnez. I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of things would occur between them and the Dákun Daju, who they once warred with. Especially considering the war was never officially ended; just put on hold when the Humes arrived to colonize the planet.
While Amorez inquired about details on the Wakari’s plans for a new city, I snuck away to speak with the Dákun Daju generals about the idea. The three of them plus Zhealocera, Shazza, and – oddly enough – Kkorian were seated with them. Vitaani and Zalx greeted me as I walked up to their table. V’Nyath merely waved.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your meal and conversation, but I have a rather touchy question to put to you.”
Culmination Page 31