by Tom Rogal
“It is good to see you, too.”
“What are you doing here at Fort Za? Last I saw you was nearly five years ago.”
Thetalis lit a pipe as well and took a long puff.
“Ah, yes. That was when I was a tad younger and more fun. Funny how life gets away from you. I've had a meeting with General Medkar about shipping some supplies here. One of his men rushed in and said that a combined elf, human, and mage force was coming here for more men. I couldn’t resist staying here longer. It just pains me that you didn’t come to me earlier. I’m sure I’m more pleasant company than the mages.”
Eraddor didn’t want to say anything, but they'd planned to stop by Desris just before going to Cordca, even though King Byrin told them that Thetalis would not be there. The incident involving Divi had changed their plans and route to Cordca. That story, though, was for another time. Eraddor took another puff on his pipe.
Thetalis added, “I also heard of this attack force for Barbata. Do you actually think that victory is possible?”
Eraddor replied, “This force is only formed to discover the plans of the Ettui and then return home. It’s not like we're trying to annihilate the entire Ettui race.”
“Yet I feel that is what everyone wants. I cannot deny that the Ettui have been a thorn in all our sides for the last few thousand years, yet this time I suspect there is an outside force driving them. These sporadic attacks are unbecoming of them since the Ettui Island War.”
Eraddor took a puff of his pipe and patted Thetalis on the shoulder.
“You were always a good man with good intentions. Never change.”
Eraddor got up and began to walk away. Thetalis took one more puff on his pipe before looking at his human friend.
“I am sending a small contingent of half-elves that traveled with me for your little trip. A few will contribute their bow and arrow, but most will serve as medical personnel. That includes me.”
Eraddor turned to face Thetalis and smiled.
“I appreciate your help.”
Eraddor headed toward some of the dock hands loading supplies to instruct them on where things went. The port was located on the northeastern shore of the island, which faced the mainland. This ensured that an enemy ship could only make landfall on the island's southern plains, thus giving the defenders of the fort a great deal of time to react before they reached them.
Thetalis took a couple more puffs on his pipe. It was here that he noticed a young human and a mage walking together−how unusual!
Thetalis stared, wishing he could hear what they were saying. It was obvious, just by their clothing that, she was a mage and he was a human. The staff the girl had strapped to her back was a dead giveaway. Though he was surprised to see that the jewel on her staff remained hidden, especially for a mage girl of her age. The jewel would only become exposed when one graduated from an apprentice mage to a master. It was the proudest moment for almost all mages.
Levus and Divi kept strolling along the deck as if no one else was there. A cool breeze rose from the waters of the strait that separated Fort Za and Lozela. Divi was happy to be on land again. They had stopped in Myyril for an hour to retrieve the fifty promised mages, but Divi did not feel like entering the city again. Tasi was one of the few who left the ship on that trip. He met with the council again to assure them their decision was correct and presumably try to squeeze a few more mages into their ranks. After the Myyrilian trip, four days were spent on the open waters. These were tense for Divi. Ever since the boat ride from Dyyros to Cordca, she was a little nervous about being on the water. She spent half the time leaning over the edge of the boat, though not to observe the beauty of the waves.
“What’s wrong?”
Divi looked toward Levus. She'd had reservations about this place, even from the first moment she stepped on the island. It was just a feeling she had, yet an unsettling one: something bad would happen here. It was the same feeling she had on the boat on her way to Dyyros. She hadn’t known what it meant at that time until Kile and his forces killed her father.
“I’m all right. Everything is good.”
Levus knew something was up. Divi could feel it. Hiding her feelings was not one of her specialties, and her human friend could tell. She guessed there was little need to conceal it.
“Something is out of place. We shouldn’t be here.”
“What do you mean? For once, all the races are getting along for a good cause.”
Divi didn’t know what to tell Levus. She felt that something bad would happen on this mission. Someone was going to get hurt. Unfortunately, her premonition was very vague. She smiled.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s probably nothing. You spend too much time worrying about me.”
“Well, seeing as how my boring life became interesting since I met you, you’re very important to me.”
Both smiled, both unable to take their eyes off the other. As much as Divi hated to admit it, meeting Levus Sintar had been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. Who knows what would have occurred if anyone else befriended her and found out what she was? Plus, he was always there for her and never gave up because the situation grew hard.
Divi eventually said, “Come on. I still want to show you the southern part of the island before we have to board.”
Levus smiled as they walked next to each other. He had noticed how close they were becoming. It scared him, but it was also exciting. It made him feel like a kid during the good years again. And with Leeta so far away and distant . . .
Thetalis was mystified by what happened. With the exception of Tasi, who frequented human courts as a diplomat, he had never seen a human and a mage accompany each other voluntarily. . . and in public. What worried him more was that it was a mage female and a human male. That was considered dangerous, especially with as many mages as were here already. He would have to observe how this situation developed. Thetalis took one more puff of his pipe before standing up.
As he rose, behind a pile of barrels a hand became apparent. Finally, an Ettui head popped out for a few seconds before shrinking back.
***
On Barbata, an Ettui with a red band around his arm rushed from the docks. All the other Ettuiis began moving out of the way. They realized what important information this one had, so they knew it was best to let him go. Elf Speak was lost to nearly all the Ettui, though some still retained it, with range of about a hundred miles. Those were labeled with a red band and, according to Darca, were nearly as important as himself.
The messenger rushed up the dirt hill leading to a dismantled building. This was the second highest point in the remains of the capital city. The Ettui finally reached a broken wall and entered through it. The area was dark and stuffy. Water dripped over the rocks from a recent rain. He moved cautiously in the dark setting.
“What news do you bring?”
The Ettui messenger moved slowly in fear that his news would not please Ulcinar. He knelt and spoke without looking up.
“They prepare troops to come to Barbata. All the races are there.”
Ulcinar gave a sadistic laugh, much to the surprise of the Ettui scout.
“Excellent! Be sure the troops down south are ready with their orders.”
The Ettui nodded and eagerly moved to follow Ulcinar’s orders. The Dark Lord continued to face forward with a smirk. His gaze was focused on the waters by the docks. They had been planting underwater mines for days now. They were so numerous Ulcinar was certain that a small fishing boat would have a hard time navigating through it.
“The wheels of time are in motion. Kile!”
From the shadows, Kile walked out and knelt.
“Be sure things go smoothly. You know what to do.”
Kile stood up and lifted his head, “Worry not, my Lord. The sword will be in your possession by week’s end. I still believe I should have been allowed to cut the boy’s hand off at the wrist and take it back in Arnis.”
“Patience, my dear Kile.
We will have our chances. He was protected in that moment by an old adversary. It will not happen again. The boy has no idea the power of the metal. In time, the sword will be in my possession.”
Without waiting for a response, Kile walked past Ulcinar and headed for the dark city of Barbata where his transport awaited. As he left, a small group of Ettui came through the same entrance carrying a very resistant Oruthai Ettui. Ulcinar’s interest in the matter grew tremendously the closer the Ettuiis got. The group had to stop as they struggled to control the Oruthai.
“What seems to be the problem?”
The lead Ettui separated from the group and bowed at Ulcinar’s feet.
“Lord Ulcinar, we have discovered a neutral. He was trying to leave for Fort Za to tell of our plans.”
The Oruthai Ettui settled down a little from exhaustion. The others holding him captive eased their grips up slightly. Ulcinar started to walk down the disfigured steps to meet this small troupe.
“Very good work, my most faithful Rhuttana. Your race has been a true pleasure.”
Ulcinar directed his attention to the captive Ettui. It was amazing that some had still been able to hide from him, even after all these years. He was usually more thorough than this. That didn’t matter now. When he was done with him, he would have yet another faithful servant.
“Well, my young Oruthai. Your race was the last to submit to me and your resistance is not appreciated.”
The captured Ettui struggled as much as it could when Ulcinar neared him. The Dark Lord reached for its head.
“You will learn obedience!”
Ulcinar closed his eyes and began to chant a strange tune.
“Essamanatuminbut yunopt . . .”
The captured Ettui fought more. Ulcinar continued his chant.
“Inupatambutonim Erumininpoui Yoiuponi Sentupuna!”
A strange light began to emit from Ulcinar’s extended hand. The Oruthai struggled hard, but couldn’t escape the others’ grasp. After a few seconds, the it became dead weight and the light coming from Ulcinar’s hand died. It dropped to its knees and began breathing heavily. The Dyyros dictator brought his hand back to his side.
“Release him.”
The Ettuiis holding the captured one were hesitant to do so, but after talking with their leader they obliged. The Oruthai dropped to the ground hard. The group watched eagerly as to see what their prey was doing. He slowly got to his knees.
“Now, who do you serve?”
He stood up and stared at Ulcinar menacingly. The others were surprised at their captives’ actions. Ulcinar smiled as the Oruthai gave an evil growl.
“Excellent. Take him to the front lines. There is little time.”
The Ettuiis followed the orders that Ulcinar gave. He unleashed a strong laugh that echoed in the landscape. Everything was back to how it was originally planned. Even he even had doubts at first that this would work. However, the more he experienced of humans, the easier it got to predict them. Let them come. When they did, he would be waiting.
***
The three Cordcan-class ships barreled down the rough waters of the Barbatan coasts. The whipping winds could have made the trip very slow. That was why this class of ship was chosen. Cordcan-class ships were sleek, which allowed for fast travel when the wind was on their side. They were also heavily armored with strong hulls, making them safe vessel to transport troops in any weather. The ships had left in the morning with hopes to arrive at the Barbatan straits by the next afternoon. The unfortunate winds and unpredictable waters delayed them to the point that they just arrived at nightfall.
Thamalos watched from the helm of the middle ship. He could feel something wasn’t right. Even with his great vision, Barbata was difficult to see.
The elf prince had told General Medkar that he planned to make port in the capital as that is where Darca would be and confronting him at once would shorten the campaign significantly. The reports he received from the general were troubling, though. Apparently the Ettui had been placing mines in the water near the docks over the past few years, moreso in the past few days. Cordcan-class ships were strong, but not strong enough to sustain a hit from a mine. That left him little choice but to go further south . . . to the land that was his former home. There were other locations, but Thamalos figured this would be the best place to make landfall as it held its own advantages should they occupy it.
Levus walked over to Thamalos, who acknowledged his presence before he even arrived.
“What can I do for you?”
Levus joined him in leaning on the rail that surrounded the helm, “Is that it?”
“Yes, that is the Barbatan continent. We are taking the southern route because it is more discrete and the area there is less defended, from reports. The mountains separate the stretch of land we’re landing on from the rest of the continent. We should be able to shelter ourselves in the palace of my father in those mountains. The Ettuiis won’t even know we’re here for some time. By then we should be in the Dead Forest, which is only twenty-five miles from the capital outskirts.”
“How far is this to go?” Levus asked.
It seemed to the elf prince that the doubt King Valsuvis set in some of their minds was going to stick for some time. Did he want to one day reclaim Barbata for the elves? Of course he did. This was not the time, though. It would come. That much he could promise.
“We should only need to reach the capital. Our answers should reside there. Darca will be easily persuaded. He will trade information for his life.”
A moment of silence came between the two. What did the elf mean by that? Were they going to torture him? Levus was quite sure that the leader of their enemy wouldn’t divulge information without a little . . . help. Regardless of how he felt about that, it would need to wait for another time. He had other immediate questions about their opponents.
“What can we expect from the Ettui here? Will they be the same as those Divi and I fought on Dyyros?”
Thamalos replied, “You faced Cathuai Ettui on Dyyros, based off that hand. They are more docile, using stealth over strongarm force tactics. The other races, you will see, are extremely aggressive. Though they wear very light armor, they make it up with their speed. May I ask you a question?”
Levus nodded for Thamalos to proceed.
“Where did you get that sword?”
“It was a gift from my father. He disappeared a long time ago.”
Another short silence filled the air between them. The elf was hesitant, but he didn’t know what would happen once they landed . . . and he wanted to know as much as Levus could tell him about Jared. More importantly, though, as it was turning out, he had to know more about that sword. Before he could figure the words, Levus shocked him with a question.
“Do you have any idea what it is to lose a loved one?”
Thamalos looked forward at the shores of Barbata. He really didn’t know how to answer the boy’s question. An elf rarely had to witness death of one of their own except in war. Even then, it was seen as an honorable death, something he didn’t believe the human would understand. Someone dying in battle hurt less than losing a loved one in another way. That was probably what he would have told him if he answered his question. He never did, though. He instead looked further into the shadows ahead of him. His vision was much clearer now that the winds drove them toward the Barbatan coast, past the dark mist that veiled an elf’s vision.
Levus, noticing the change in facial expression, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Thamalos squinted as he focused on the coast. There was movement and lots of it. But how did they know?
He asked louder, “Thamalos?”
Thamalos’ eyes grew wide. He turned around and ran toward the cabin of the ship. He didn’t want to ignore the boy, but time was of the essence. He signaled to the elves, whom were the first troops on the boat.
“Selii wepada! Selii wepada! Tenara cunponda!” Draw your weapons! Draw your weapons! They know we’re here!
Levus followed the elf prince, but was clueless as to what was going on. Eraddor and Divi came out from below decks to see what the ruckus was about, followed shortly by Tasi. There was complete pandemonium on the deck. The mainly elvish and half-elvish forces were scrambling to ready their weapons.
Eraddor finally spotted Thamalos, who was instructing a group of elves near the side of the boat. “What is going on? We could hear the panic from below.”
As he asked the question, the captain of the ship ran to them. He was a portly fellow wearing leather and chain mail armor. He had a few scars on his face, but as a Cordcan military man, one would have to doubt that they were combat-related. Those “war” wounds most likely came from the edge of a broken bottle in a tavern and not the edge of a sword on the battlefield.
Thamalos replied, “The Ettui know we’re coming! They have a defense almost five thousand strong based on the formations I see and who knows how many are in the mountains.”
The captain laughed mockingly. “That’s absurd! The Ettui don’t have that type of intelligence.”
“Look for yourself!” shouted Thamalos, who continued to prepare the elvish troops.
The captain hesitantly moved to the highest deck. Here, a large telescope occupied more than half of the surface. Eraddor, Levus, Tasi, and Divi all waited as the captain gazed through the telescope, another gift from the elves to Cordca. It gave the vessel the ability to travel with the sight of an elf without having one on board. Similar lenses had been given to each major city so that they could see the distress call from Cordca, if it was ever needed.