“Don’t fire,” Jake yelled as he watched the dragons change back to true form. He scanned the soldiers to be certain that they were not going to attack the dragons. When he saw that most of them were too stunned to move, he returned his attention back to the dragons and demons. The two dragons standing next to Kaedin both towered over him and their riders were on their backs waiting for Rin.
She started to issue orders in elven and the riders and Kaedin’s response was immediate. They all leapt into the sky and circled around the greater demon while it swung its sword. Splitting up, they came around the demon from three different sides as they breathed large streams of ice before banking hard to come around again.
While they were attacking the large demon, Rin unsheathed her daggers and began attacking the lesser demons on the ground. She seemed to dance through them as they stood no chance and soon laid dead in a pile at her feet. When she was finished, she let out a high shrill whistle while she sheathed her daggers. Kaedin veered from his original course as soon as he heard it, he streaked down low and plucked her up off the ground. He climbed back into the sky while Rin got situated on his back. As Kaedin approached the demon again, it stabbed its sword at them causing Kaedin to dive out of the way.
“Phanumura,” Rin said. A large ice spike flew from Rin’s hand and crashed into the demon causing it to stumble backwards. “Iliwenys, now.”
An elf with sandy blonde hair glanced her direction before his dragon banked hard to come back around at the demon. As soon as they were close, “Phanumura.” A large cone of ice shards streamed from Iliwenys’ hands while his dragon breathed another large breath attack. The demon roared in pain and fell with a crash that shook the ground around it. Sitting up, it roared furiously and threw its hand into the air causing a massive wave of flames to streak toward the dragons. All the dragons scattered as they dodged out of the way and circled back around.
Rin whistled again, this time in a lower tone, and both elves looked over at her while the dragons kept an eye on the demon. She held up both hands with two fingers held up as she pointed to each side of the demon before twisting her hands in a circle. The elves said one word to their dragons and they split apart. One headed for the left, another for the right, while Kaedin headed straight down the center. As soon as they were within range, all three dragons breathed their large ice attacks at the demon.
“Phanumura!” Rin and both elves cast enormous ice spikes and slammed them into the greater demon. It roared, sending frantic flames in every direction, before it started to flounder under the assault. With another ferocious roar it swung its sword at Kaedin causing him to roll onto his side, but he did not let up on the breath attack. A sickening growl came from the demon before it collapsed back on the ground and started to glow.
“Back!” Rin yelled in elven and all three dragons feathered away in time to escape from the large explosion of flames from the demon. As the flames died down, Rin dropped the force wall and the dragons landed in front of the group of soldiers. The two large elder dragons returned to elven form as soon as they were on the ground. During the battle more soldiers joined the ones already around the cave and they did not wish to accidently step on someone.
Rin watched until the flames were gone before she turned and walked back toward the general. Kaedin trailed behind her, being mindful of his steps, since he did not change back yet. He growled low in the back of his throat when his distrust of the soldiers around him caused his eyes to narrow.
“Stop them!” Ravencraft yelled when he appeared from out of nowhere. “They’re here to invade!”
Several of the soldiers moved toward Rin but a loud warning growl from Kaedin brought them all to a halt. He leapt toward Rin and was standing over her when a couple of the soldiers raised their weapons toward him.
“What are you waiting for?” Ravencraft yelled.
Kaedin shifted and his claws dug into the ground as he crouched lower in preparation of a leap. A low growl was coming from him when a larger dragon appeared over top of him. He glanced up and found Jaeha standing over both him and Rin.
“We are not here to fight you,” Jaeha said with a low growl. The soldiers glanced back and forth between him and Ravencraft.
“Stand down!” Jake yelled as he ran in between the dragons and soldiers. “They’re here to help us!”
“He’s not your superior officer,” Ravencraft snapped giving Jake a fierce glare. “I am, now follow your orders!”
The soldiers still hesitated as they looked up at the massive dragon looking down at them. When none of them moved, Ravencraft snatched one of the rifles out of a soldier’s hand and pointed it in Rin’s direction. She had managed to crawl her way out from underneath Kaedin and was standing by one of his front legs. Her head tilted when she noticed Ravencraft and she raised her hand into the air.
“That is enough!” General Riverwood ordered. “Everyone will stand down this instant!” He watched as all the soldiers lowered their weapons, relief evident on their features. Ravencraft hesitated while he glared at Rin before he lowered the gun with a scowl. The general narrowed his eyes as he observed the colonel.
“No one is to raise a weapon to these people again,” Riverwood continued. “And, yes, colonel that is an order.”
“Yes, sir,” Ravencraft growled, his voice dripping with contempt as he handed the rifle back to the soldier he had taken it from. He turned on his heel and stalked away without another word.
Riverwood watched him leave before he looked back at Jake. “Come with me.” He headed up the hill toward the cabin. Jake hurried over and grabbed Sara’s hand before he followed his father. The others, after casting wary glances at the soldiers, fell into line behind Jake while Jaeha brought up the rear still in dragon form. When they reached the cabin, Kaedin transformed back to elven form and followed Rin into the cabin with Jake. The other riders remained outside with the wagon. Jaeha glanced at Wren as he laid down in between the riders and the rest of the camp. When he got a slight head nod from Wren, he turned his attention to the human camp sprawling across the slope below him.
Jake followed his father up the stairs and into what used to be the living room. His eyes narrowed in irritation when he realized that all of the furniture was gone and had been replaced with a large table and chairs.
“Where are all of Uncle Steve’s things?” Jake asked, his voice hard, as he looked over at his father.
The general motioned toward the chairs. “It has been stored,” he replied as he pulled a chair away from the table in the middle and sat down. He paid no attention while the others moved to take a seat.
Rin glanced at her brother with a raised eyebrow when he moved to sit on one end of the table and not in the center. He noticed her expression and leaned closer to her. “I wish to observe,” he whispered to her in elven. She turned her head away from him with a subtle nod and sat down in the chair facing the general.
“Bring the other senior officers here now,” Riverwood snapped at the aid who was standing in the room. He scurried from the room before the general returned his attention to Rin.
“Now, what’s the story?” Riverwood demanded.
Rin raised an eyebrow, “What story is it that you wish to know? I am certain that I know several, but they are generally for children.” Her voice grew hard by the time she finished, and she folded her arms across her chest.
“Why were you gone with my son for so long?”
“As your son informed you, it was a long journey.”
The general was about to retort when the aid reappeared in the room with several more officers. They crossed the room and sat down in the open chairs around the table. When Rin noticed that Ravencraft was among them she frowned.
“Forgive me,” Rin said, looking back at Riverwood. “I have no desire to have any further dealings with the colonel.”
Riverwood glanced between her and Ravencraft. “He’s part of the senior staff and must be present at any type of war council.”
> Rin tilted her head. “General, in our world honor, respect, and trust are highly regarded,” she said choosing her words carefully. “I find him untrustworthy and with little honor. If you wish for us to deal with him further than you must vouch from him. Any discretions he commits will be considered yours.” She paused and locked eyes with Riverwood. “Will you vouch for him?”
Riverwood narrowed his eyes as he regarded her. It appeared like he was trying to decide whether she was serious. “No, I will not,” he replied finally.
“Then he must leave, or we cannot proceed.”
The general frowned before he looked over at Ravencraft and pointed toward the door. The colonel’s face started to flush a deep crimson.
“Do you seriously intend to let this little girl dictate how these proceedings will be handled?”
Rin bristled at being called a little girl but managed to keep her reaction hidden. She glanced over at Wren and saw that he was not concealing his disapproval so well.
“Out colonel.” Riverwood’s short tone brought her attention back to him.
“Is that an order, sir?” Ravencraft hissed causing anger to flash through the general’s eyes.
“Yes.”
Ravencraft slammed his hand down on the table causing Sara to jump where she was sitting. Jake glanced at her before he reached under the table and took hold of her hand. Her gaze flicked to his face when he touched her, and he gave her a small smile before returning his attention to his father.
“I have done as you requested,” Riverwood said, his voice short. “Now, why did you bring weapons in those wagons and not silver? How does that help us at all?”
“It is not practical for us to attempt to supply you with enough silver for your projectiles,” Rin said with a frown. “The katanas may be used more than once.”
Riverwood was already shaking his head, “What’s impractical is trying to train all of our men to fight with a new weapon. Did you even think of that young lady?”
Rin’s eyebrow shot up, “The rider pairs that I intend to send to assist you shall be in c--.”
“Rider pairs?” Another officer cut her off. “You can’t mean the twenty men that you brought with you. That’s nowhere near enough men.”
“Besides they all look like they’re kids,” the general chimed in. “How much experience could they really have?”
“The men that I intend to send to you are highly trained with many years of combat experience. The--.”
“Young lady…,” the general trailed off when Wren suddenly stood up from his chair. Rin leapt to her feet and moved so that her brother could take her seat.
“I believe that I have heard enough,” Wren said, his disapproval visible on his face. “Is it your custom general to disrespect those who have made a long journey to offer you assistance?”
Riverwood gave Wren a hard look, “Who are you?”
Rin scowled at the general. “You would be addressing my older brother, Prince Thallawren,” she said, her voice sharp.
The general shifted in his seat when he realized that he had just insulted royalty. A second later his expression hardened, and his arrogant exterior returned.
“I find it quite unpleasant to watch you disrespect my sister. If it were not for her and your son, I would not be inclined to offer you much assistance after seeing how you treat your guests.” Wren paused and made eye contact with the other officers around the table. They all shifted under his gaze. “We seem to have a matter that must be settled before we may continue. It is apparent that you are judging us by our appearance. What do you know of elves, general?”
“I don’t know anything about elves,” Riverwood replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “They’re just a made-up story.”
Jake grimaced when he saw the flash of anger in Wren’s eyes as the elf regarded his father. He could not imagine what his father was thinking.
“I shall once again ignore your insulting comment so that I may enlighten you,” Wren said, his voice becoming sharp. “We do not age the same as you. While you see us as quite young, I can assure you that we are not.” His eyes narrowed. “My sister, who you are fond of insulting for her age, is in fact over four hundred years old. I am over twelve hundred. Every single one of the elves and dragons that are with us and may be sent to you, are lifetimes older than every one of you.”
Riverwood could not keep his eyes from widening in surprise, “That’s impossible.”
“As are the dragons and demons that are on your doorstep.”
The general stared back at Wren for a few moments before he glanced over at Jake with a frown.
“Everything he tells you is the truth,” Jake said, answering the unspoken question. “It would be best if you actually listen to them.” He did not break eye contact when his father seemed to be considering his words.
“We might have gotten off on the wrong foot,” Riverwood said as he looked back at Wren. “I suppose we should find out how we should be addressing you.”
Wren raised an eyebrow at the once again sarcastic tone. His eyes narrowed when he realized his sister was right, this man was arrogant. He wondered for a moment how Jake had turned out so much different than his father before he returned his attention to the general.
“I am customarily referred to as Lord Wren while my sister is Lady Rin.” He paused and tilted his head. “Or you may use our rank if you prefer, we are both generals. The choice is yours, as long as it is respectful, I am not overly concerned with titles.”
Riverwood nodded with a heavy sigh before he looked up at Rin who was still standing behind her brother. “Continue,” he said.
Rin glanced down at Wren and waited until he gave her a slight nod. “As I was saying,” she began. “The riders that I intend to send to you shall be in charge of training the soldiers with the katanas. They will more than likely take on most of the fighting responsibilities until Captain Iliwenys deems that your men are prepared.”
“There’s no way that a group of troops are that good.”
Rin narrowed her eyes, “They are equivalent to what I believe you call special forces.” She glanced at Jake when she was uncertain, she had used the right word.
Jake nodded before he looked over at his father. “They are like special forces on steroids. What you saw today was only three pairs.”
Riverwood frowned, it was obvious that he still did not believe everything that they were telling him. “How many are you sending?”
“I shall bring two hundred pairs of my riders to assist you,” Rin said. “However, there shall be some stipulations on their use.” The officers in the room started murmuring amongst themselves causing Riverwood to look over at them.
“Sir, do we really want that many of them here?” One of the other colonels asked. “What if Ravencraft has a point?”
The general looked back up at Rin with an expectant stare, but it was Wren who answered. “Gentlemen, if it was our intention to invade it would already be finished,” he said, his mannerisms becoming serious. “You have multiple issues with the layout of this camp, and we would have accomplished it with just the few we have present now.”
“That’s impossible,” Riverwood scoffed. “We could easil--.”
“Rin could take out most of this camp on her own with one spell,” Jake interjected with a frustrated sigh. “I’ve seen her take out many enemies alone and you just watched her kill ten demons on her own without magic. They mean what they are telling you.”
“Prove it,” Riverwood snapped.
Rin appeared taken aback for a moment before she tilted her head with a frown. “You wish for me to destroy your camp?”
“No,” Riverwood said with a shake of his head. “I want to see a spell that could take out our camp. There is no way you are capable of that.”
Rin’s expression did not change as she looked down at Wren. He was observing the general with a look of disapproval. It took him several long minutes before a frown became firmly fixed on his face.
“Very well,” Wren said, his voice short. “This is the only time I shall allow such a thing. Our magic is not for your entertainment and once we show you, there will be no more doubts.” Once the general nodded Wren continued, “If any of your soldiers raise a weapon to my sister when she casts this spell then negotiations are over. You shall be on your own.”
“Fine,” Riverwood snapped as he stood. Only the general, one other officer, Wren, Kaedin, Jake and Rin stepped outside the cabin. Riverwood pointed to a large clearing beyond the tents that was twice the size of the camp.
Rin followed his gaze before she glanced up at Wren, he gave her another slight head nod and she looked back at the clearing with a sigh. She took several steps forward and put the palm of both hands together. She closed her eyes and began twisting her hands in a circular motion, “Āega bulāe.” Pulling her palms apart she began twisting them around an invisible ball that she made larger. When she opened her eyes again, she pushed both hands toward the clearing and a fireball shot from her. It was the same size as the clearing, and it exploded just above the ground. An intense wave of heat washed over everyone a few seconds after the explosion.
Riverwood stood staring at the clearing in stunned silence for several long minutes. He had not expected them to be telling the truth and now that he realized they could destroy his entire camp in seconds, he was now wary of these strange people.
“Alright,” Riverwood said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and it appears that I might need to more open minded.” He headed back inside the cabin without another word and the others followed him. Once they were all seated again, Riverwood continued, “What are these stipulations you mention earlier?”
Whispers of Time Page 46