by Toni Cox
“Ah, I see. Let’s get to work, then.”
Being an architect, Aaron was used to coming up with innovative designs. For the work he was doing now, it also helped that he had studied mechanical engineering before settling on structural engineering and architecture.
Nevertheless, he had always relied on modern conveniences, such as electricity, 3-D renderings and models, computers, and a whole lot of items he could no longer put a name to. Now, he had to learn to work with wood, rope, hand-forged metal, stone, and magic crystals.
The materium crystals fascinated him and he had spent some time studying them. Yet, as he had discovered when they started their work on the Sky Busses, there was still much he didn’t know.
As the Builders taught him about materium, he taught them about tanks and Sky Busses. Together, they created what Jaik hoped would provide their armies with not only a faster and more convenient way of travelling to Greystone, but also a safer and warmer means of staying there while they waited for the attack. The tanks would double as barracks and as war machines.
The Builder led Aaron through the workshop past the work benches where varied projects were at various stages of assembly. He stopped to talk to some of the people and discuss their work briefly, before continuing on through the workshop.
Eventually, they reached the other side and exited through the enormous double doors and out into the open. There, with barely enough space and threatening to crush the neighbouring workshop, hung the Sky Bus.
Aaron chuckled; the thing was by no standards beautiful. On Earth, the Sky Busses were sleek metal machines with angled, glass windows, and an arrowhead shape that followed its narrow wings.
The only thing this Sky Bus had retained was the arrowhead shape. Aaron would have liked to work with aluminium to reduce the weight, but the Elves did not have access to it in such quantities on such short notice. Working with wood, however, increased the weight tremendously.
He would have also like to use Perspex, instead of glass, for the windows, to reduce more weight, but the only plastic-like substance Aaron had seen on Elveron was the black product the Vampyres used to manufacture some of their clothing. And that had been crude, at best. Making glass also proved more difficult than he had anticipated. Glass was just always available as glass on Earth and he never had to think about where it came from.
The Elves made glass by melting sand to incredibly high temperatures. The liquid then went through a complicated process until it eventually reached a stage where it was a sheet of transparent glass, which could be cut and shaped as required, before it was set aside to cool.
“We need the top rafters for stability,” he said as he looked inside the contraption, “but we can reduce the number of cross-braces along the sides here,” he pointed, “and here. How thick are the window panes? Can you make them thinner?”
Aaron spent another hour going over ways to lighten the Sky Bus, before setting to work on making the changes. During the course of the day, several curious people came to watch them make the strange-looking contraptions, before drifting off again.
Even to him, it looked odd, yet he could see them working. Jaik’s entire plan, no matter how crazy it had seemed in the beginning, was looking more plausible by the day. Aaron smiled as he thought about some of the surprises Jaik had in store for the Vampyres when they eventually came through the Gate. He hoped Maia would be back in time to see it.
Ig Longwind. As annoying as his name suggested. Jagaer sat opposite him at a long table, which was lavishly decorated and laden with rich foods. He poked at his food as Lord Longwind droned on about the hardships his country had to endure over the past two years, Jagaer’s appetite dwindling with every word the man spoke.
Jagaer’s men, however, had no such qualms. Ignoring the two heads of state, they helped themselves to every dish the Servers brought out, eating until their bellies were swollen and their eyes were falling shut.
The journey from Bron to Oberon had been gruelling. Assaulted by the worst blizzard yet, it had taken them six days. Without the dragons, they would surely have perished. Cold, weak and hungry, his men cared not for Lord Longwind’s pompous behaviour, but only for what he provided.
It was only for the benefit of his men that he endured the man’s speech and, once his men had eaten their fill, he excused himself and his men, bidding the king of Oberon a good night and reminding him that their meeting within the Hall of the Guardians was at sunrise the next morning, as he knew the Lord liked to sleep late.
It had been a long time since he had been to Elders Hope. Fifty years at least. It was, of course, because of its Lord that he did not come this way often, even though he was fascinated by the city.
Oberon, situated between the Grildor-Bron Mountains and the ranges to the north and west, once used to be a lake, many hundreds of millennia ago. With a surface area of close to eight hundred thousand square miles, it was similar in size to Grildor, yet almost all of it was flat.
Fertile soil and forests dominated the country and Oberon made its living with farming. The country did not have even one mountain. What it did have, however, was islands. Or what would have been islands when Oberon had still been a lake.
Upon these islands most of their cities were built. Elders Hope, the capital and largest city, was raised on an island almost five hundred paces high, surrounded in every direction by pine forests.
Built mainly from marble, sandstone and limestone, it looked to Jagaer like an ivory tooth sticking out of a sea of green. The people of Oberon always had a flair for the dramatic, as could be seen by their use of the islands as platforms for their cities, and statues, fountains, columns, and arches dominated their architecture.
Yet, as cold as their building style seemed to be, the people managed to incorporate plants in everything they built. Columns possessed cleverly staggered pockets to hold climbing plants, which wound their way around the columns, making them come alive with green. Windowsills held pot plants; every fountain had a unique flower bed; small trees lined their paved streets; topiary mazes decorated the city; rooftops held a variety of gardens; and, at night, the city was aglow with the lights from the Lumina plants.
Jagaer had never seen the city during winter. When they arrived, the blizzard had been too bad to see and, had it not been for the dragons, they would surely have gotten lost. They landed in a clearing atop the island outside the gates of Elders Hope and, once assured the dragons were taken care of, had been taken into the city by torchlight.
Exhausted as they had been, Jagaer had not paid the city much attention. Now, however, on their way to the Hall of the Guardians for their audience with Lord Longwind, he tried to see the hardships the man had spent the entire evening talking about.
During the night, the blizzard had blown itself out and the sky was blue once more with the sun just rising to the east. Jagaer noticed the people kept the city swept clean of snow and, even after the blizzard last night, the paved streets were already clear for them to walk on.
The trees that lined the streets were evergreens, as were most of the creepers and climbing plants, as well as the mazes. Only the fountains, still for the winter, and the flowerbeds, bare of flowers, let Jagaer know that Elders Hope did not use magic to enhance their gardens.
Coming from Lord Longwind’s palace, they first passed the district of the Elders and Nobles. The cold, opulent, beauty of it fascinated Jagaer. Then they passed through the common districts, but even here the wealth of the city was apparent.
By now, people came out of their houses to go about their business, and Jagaer noted their fine clothing, jewellery, and ornamental weapons. When they passed the market square, Jagaer spoke to one of the local Traders to inquire about the stores and was assured Elders Hope had enough to last them through the next winter.
Once out of the residential districts, it did not take them long to reach the Sparring Grounds. One of the Guards awaited them there and led them to the Hall of the Guardians.
&nb
sp; “I must apologise for My Lord’s absence,” the man said. “I assure you, he will be with you presently. Please, make yourselves comfortable in the meantime.”
The Guard bowed towards Jagaer, then turned and closed the door behind him. Having expected Lord Longwind to be late, Jagaer made his way towards the armchair at the fireplace. The moment he sat down, the door opened again and two Servers entered, carrying steaming flasks of hot beverages. The Servers put down their trays and retreated from the room.
Archer poured Jagaer a cup of spiced tea and brought it to him, before settling in the armchair opposite him with his own tea.
“Forgive me, My Lord, for my frankness, but I must express a dislike for Lord Longwind. There is something false about him that sends shivers down my spine.”
“You are forgiven, Archer, for I feel much the same.”
“Do you think we should be concerned?”
“Concerned? If you are thinking that he is in league with the Vampyres, then fear not. The man abhors blood and things getting messy. My only concern is that he will refuse to help us because of this.”
“But he is sworn to the alliance. Surely he cannot refuse.”
“Of course he can refuse. They all have the right to refuse. It would remove them from the protection of the alliance, but it would be their right.”
“I do not like the look in the man’s eye. He is more likely to stab you in the back than to assist us in this war. Even here, in this chamber, I worry for your safety, My Lord. I feel there is something afoot. We should tread with caution.”
“Aye,” Jagaer agreed. “I expected Lord Longwind to be late, but for him to not even have one of his Commanders entertain us in his absence is suspicious. Talk to the men and have them be at the ready.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Jagaer sniffed at his tea, of which he had yet to take a sip. It smelled normal. He threw the contents in the fire.
“And don’t drink that.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Archer copied him, throwing the contents of his cup into the fire, before rising to speak to the men. Jagaer watched with amusement as, one by one, his men came to discard their drinks into the fire, almost dousing it. It Seemed none had touched theirs either.
They waited for another hour before Lord Longwind eventually graced them with his presence. Trailed by the Guard who had led them to the chamber earlier, he sat down behind his desk sleepily, but his hair was perfectly oiled and his clothes immaculately pressed.
“Lord Longshadow, please forgive my tardiness, but I do suffer from migraines in the mornings.”
“No trouble, I assure you.” Jagaer clenched his jaw.
“I have read the royal letter of request that accompanies your visit and, to save you time, I will come straight to the point.”
Taken aback by the directness of the usually long-winded Lord, Jagaer leaned forward in anticipation.
“I am not a man of battle,” Lord Longwind admitted. “When we first heard about the attacks in Grildor, we wanted nothing to do with them. I am ashamed to say that I threw your letter of request for aid then into the fire.”
“We won our battle,” Jagaer grumbled.
“Unfortunately, the scourge of the Vampyres spread across the land and eventually they found their way into Oberon. I was, and still am, terrified for my people, so I did the only thing I could think of to keep them safe.”
“What did you do, Lord Longwind?”
“I recruited every able-bodied man and woman into the Legion and then sent all my armies to my borders. Had you not been flying on your dragons, you would not have been able to enter our country. We have been on lockdown for over a year and have not seen a Vampyre within our borders in almost as long.”
“You sent all your warriors to the borders?” Jagaer asked in disbelief.
“Yes, all of them. The Legion, the Regiments, the Sentinels, the Night Watch, and even the Scouts. Just my Guard has stayed here with me and only the most essential personnel has remained within the cities to keep them functioning.”
“Your country is almost of an equal size of Grildor. How are you able to patrol that much border without any Vampyres getting through?”
“We have enough men,” Lord Longwind replied. “After recruiting, I think the numbers were close to seventy thousand.”
Jagaer’s mind reeled at the thought of adding an army that large to his numbers.
“Your country has grown since we last saw each other,” Jagaer commented. “You have done well.”
“Thank you.” Ig Longwind inclined his head at the compliment. “We have been blessed with fertility over the land and our people.”
“As you said, we are in a hurry to return home. I would like to be in the air by noon if possible, so if we could conclude our discussions favourably now, I would forever be thankful.”
“Favourably? Jagaer, I think you misunderstand. My armies are deployed. I have none to give you.”
“None to give me? You have seventy thousand men. As you have said yourself, you have seen what the Vampyres are capable of. Do you really want these monsters to rule our planet? We need to rally now, fight together, and win this war for good. If our calculations are correct, the Vampyres could have an army a million strong. We will need as many warriors as we can find. Please, even if you send only half your men, do what is right.”
“I cannot, Jagaer. My armies are protecting my country. I need to look out for my own now. If I withdraw even one Regiment, the Vampyres will break through and destroy everything we have worked our entire lives for. My people are counting on me to keep them safe.”
“As all the people of the alliance are counting on me to keep them safe. That includes your people,” Jagaer said, his voice hoarse with anger.
“Then I do not want to be part of the alliance any more. I see no benefit from it. So far, you have failed to keep Grildor safe from the Vampyres, while my country has had peace. Our borders are safe. I cannot and will not give you my army. Now, take your dragons and fly back to your country. I wish you luck, Jagaer, and may the Mother watch over you.”
Maia looked out of the window one more time and sighed. She wished they did not have to ride through the city, but Lord Elderbow would ride with his Guard leading the Regiments, followed by the Legion, and he wanted his son by his side when he rode out.
The politics behind the action was clear; Lord Elderbow was letting the people know that Blaid was back in his favour and a son of Elbendal once more.
Making sure she had left nothing behind and shouldering her pack, she followed the Server from the room.
What she saw when she had shared Jaik’s mind worried her and she wondered how severe Silas’ injuries were. She had felt no more from Jaik since the incident; neither had she felt anything from Silas. Hoping those were good signs, she held to the hope that Jaik had managed to get them out of the situation they were in.
Nevertheless, Shadow Hall had been under attack and the Vampyres were active even during the cold Moons of winter. Her father had not planned for this. All his preparations had been for the spring, after the snow-melts.
Maia now regretted being so far from home and her only consolation was the fact that she would be returning on dragonback. Siana had assured her that her Fire Dragons flew at speeds considerably faster than Plains Dragons, although not as fast as Soul Dragons, and almost matched the Plains Dragons in stamina.
After some serious consideration, Blaid eventually agreed to leave Lilith in his father’s care. Having Midnight carry her again would slow them too much. Blaid hated the idea, but he agreed that they needed to get back to Shadow Hall with all haste.
If all went well, his father’s army would reach Grildor within the next six Quarters, hopefully before the Vampyre’s main army attacked, and he would see Lilith again. Blaid said goodbye to her last night and settled her in a stable while acquainting her with an ancient Horse Master of exceptional skill. Maia had her doubts and would have used some of her
magic to help the mare accept the man, but after seeing the Horse Master handle her, she knew they would get along.
For the parade through the city, Maia would ride Lady Luck once more, Blaid on Shadowhound. Her boots thudded dully on the flagstones of the hall as the Server led her through the warren of passages of the castle, and Maia peered anxiously through every window looking over the crowded streets. She could see the waiting horses in the courtyard below.
“Do not be nervous,” Blaid said, suddenly appearing beside her.
She took his hand. “I see the necessity of it, but I wish we could just be on our way.”
“I know.” He rubbed his thumb over the soft skin of her hand. “We will be airborne soon and once you feel the wind in your face, you will feel better.”
“I hope so. Thank you, Blaid.”
“Come, it is almost time.”
Together, they stepped through the double doors the Server held open for them. Although cold, with a frosting of snow on the ground, the sky was clear and blue. They wove their way through the throng of horses and people until they reached their position in the line-up.
Even in the fresh, morning air, the smell of horses and men hung heavy over the courtyard and Maia’s skin prickled with the warriors’ sense of anticipation for the upcoming march. Just when she thought she could not take it any longer, the king stepped through the doors, Siana at his side, making his way towards them.
“Time for the hunt,” he said when he reached them.
“Aye, time for the hunt,” Blaid repeated somberly.
They were a large group, even with the main body of the Legion awaiting them outside the city, and it took some time for everyone to mount their horses and take their positions.
First went the eleven members of the Guard, followed by King Elderbow. Prince Blaid and Princess Siana rode side by side behind their father, with Princess Maia behind them.
The Commander General of the Regiment, with all eleven Regiments and their Commanders, followed. After that came the Commanders of the Legion, the Night Watch, the Sentinels, the Scouts, and the Horse Masters.