Defenders of Ulthuan

by Graham McNeill

  Caelir urged his mount from the route they had been following and rode towards the cracked remains of the causeway. Understanding a measure of his sorrow, both Anurion and Kyrielle followed him, carefully directing the hooves of their steeds through the rubble.

  Caelir passed beneath the broken arch of the gateway, riding into the fire-blackened courtyard where the ghosts of the Goblin King’s invasion lingered. Splintered gates and doors hung on sagging hinges and everywhere he looked, Caelir could see the devastating fury of the goblin attack. Broken sword blades, snapped shafts of arrows and shattered shields lay strewn about, the detritus of war forgotten and abandoned.

  ‘They knew not what they did,’ said Anurion, surveying the wreckage from the back of his pegasus. ‘When the goblins came, only boys and old men defended the walls of Athel Tamarha and they say that when Moranion saw the green horde from his tower he knew that his home was lost.’

  ‘Where was his army?’ said Caelir tearfully. ‘Had he no sons to fight for him?’

  ‘His eldest son, Eltharion, led most of his army in the north against the druchii, while his youngest studied in Tor Yvresse,’ said Anurion. ‘By evil fate, the goblins had attacked at the worst possible time for Athel Tamarha and its doom was sealed.’

  ‘Eltharion the Grim…’

  ‘The very same,’ said Anurion. ‘Though he was yet to earn such a sad name.’

  Caelir dismounted and picked his way across the courtyard of the keep to stand within the fallen ruins of the central mansion. The ceiling had long since collapsed and piles of broken timber and fallen stone choked the once grand halls and elegant chambers.

  Kyrielle followed him inside and took his hand as he wept in the lost keep of Athel Tamarha, overcome with sorrow at seeing such a magical place destroyed. Though he had never heard of Athel Tamarha before now, he could see the savage goblins running rampant through its gilded halls, tearing priceless tapestries from the walls to use as bedding, burning irreplaceable tomes of knowledge for warmth, destroying ancient works of art for their primitive amusement and swilling wines older than many human kingdoms like water.

  ‘A palace that had endured for two millennia was levelled in a single day by a tribe of mindless barbarians who knew not what it was they destroyed,’ said Anurion, his voice little more than a whisper and redolent with the knowledge of times past.

  Such barbarism was beyond Caelir’s understanding and his anger towards the invaders surged hot and urgent through his veins. The battle fought here was long over, yet Caelir felt the pain of loss as surely as though he had stood upon its fallen battlements and witnessed its bloody ending. The tumbled ruins spoke to him on a level he had never before experienced, as though the memory of the violence done to it was imprinted on its very walls, the horror of its destruction passing to him and ensuring that its loss would never be forgotten.

  ‘We should go now,’ said Kyrielle, taking him gently by the arm and leading him back to his horse.

  ‘How could anyone destroy something of such beauty?’ said Caelir.

  ‘I have no answer to give you, Caelir,’ said Kyrielle, her normal sprightly vigour absent from her voice. ‘The goblins are elemental creatures and live only for their own gratification.’

  ‘I cannot understand it,’ he said. ‘It is just… wrong.’

  ‘I know, but Moranion was avenged,’ said Kyrielle. ‘Eltharion’s army returned from the north and led the warriors of Tor Yvresse in a great battle. You must have heard the ending of the tale?’

  ‘I have,’ said Caelir. ‘Eltharion sailed his fleet into the bay and his warriors fell upon the goblins from behind. It was a slaughter.’

  ‘Indeed it was,’ said Anurion. ‘But many elves fell that day and the city of Tor Yvresse was almost destroyed. The goblin shaman almost undid the magic at the heart of the Warden’s tower, magic that could have destroyed our beloved land. Though Eltharion stopped him, it was only at terrible cost.’

  ‘What cost?’ said Caelir, mounting his horse once more.

  Anurion said, ‘No one knows, for Eltharion will not speak of it, but it has blighted his life ever since. Together with the bravest warriors of his army, he entered the Tower of the Warden and undid the fearful damage done by the Goblin King’s shaman, stabilising the vortex created by the mages of Caledor. He was hailed as a hero and became the Warden of Tor Yvresse, but the cheers of the crowd moved him not. In all the days since, it is said that no beauty touches him, no tale of heroism moves him and no light dares enter his soul. From that day forth he became known as Eltharion the Grim.’

  Caelir took a last look around the achingly sad ruins of Athel Tamarha and said, ‘I will remember this place.’

  ‘Good,’ said Anurion. ‘It is right that we remember the past, for we shall surely rue the day we forget those who came before us. Whether for good or ill, it is they who shape us, form our thoughts and send us into the future with their memories.’

  Caelir nodded and said, ‘And what will I leave for those who come after me? I have no memories. What will be my legacy?’

  ‘Your legacy is what you do from here onwards,’ said Anurion. ‘You are on a path, Caelir, and where it leads I do not know. You are young and the impetuous fire of youth burns in your heart, but I do not believe there is evil in you. Even if Teclis is unable to restore your memory, you have the chance to make new memories. Since your rebirth in the ocean, you have been creating new memories and that is the legacy you will carry with you. That and the lives you touch along the way, for we are all the sum of those whose influence touches our hearts.’

  Caelir smiled in thanks to the archmage of Saphery, feeling his spirits rise at his words.

  They rode out through the gates of Athel Tamarha and even though the sadness of the ancient palace’s destruction was still lodged in his heart like a shard, he felt better for having seen it, as though the grief was like a cooling balance to the heat of his anger.

  Once again, the company set off towards the south and Tor Yvresse.

  Home of Eltharion the Grim.

  A bitter wind was blowing from the west and Cerion Goldwing was feeling the weight of his years as he walked the length of the Eagle Gate this cold and gloomy morning. The scent of the sea air was carried on the wind, a dark, musky aroma that sent a chill down his spine as he thought of the cold, evil land that lay beyond it.

  As though to dispel such morbid thoughts, he turned and cast his gaze eastwards to the land of Ellyrion. This high in the mountains, the rolling steppe of Ellyrion was a faint golden brown haze and it warmed his heart to see such a bounteous land and know that it was kept safe by the courage and heart of his warriors.

  Passing the Eagle Tower, he surveyed the mountains that towered above his command, the silver peaks of the Annulii glittering with magic like a frosting of ithilmar. The magic here was so strong that even a simple warrior like him could see it and the haze of whispering energy that hung over the mountains promised more activity for his soldiers.

  ‘Strong today,’ he said to himself, feeling the magic pulse in his veins.

  When the magic blew strongly, the creatures of the mountains were drawn to the rush of powerful energy that swirled around the island of Ulthuan. Such raw magic was capable of almost anything and many of the creatures drawn to such magic were unnatural monsters of Chaos.

  Tall and clad in a simple tunic the colour of an autumn meadow over a thin, yet incredibly strong coat of ithilmar mail, Cerion was a stately figure of an elf. His silver helmet was tucked into the crook of his arm and he kept another hand on the hilt of his sword, a blade hammered out on the anvil by his grand sire.

  His features were drawn and had once been handsome, though the passage of years had not left him unmarked. A druchii blade had taken his left eye nearly a century ago and when the blade of another had snapped, the spinning shards had left a scar that ran across his temple and over the bridge of his nose.

  As he continued his morning tour of the walls, the soldiers of t
he Eagle Gate smiled warmly at him, though he had made no special effort to be liked in his three decades of command. The respect his warriors showed him had been earned. He was a warrior of proven courage and strategic skill, and it had been a willingness to share in the hardships endured by those who served under him that had won their respect.

  He stopped beside a warrior with jet-black hair who sat cross-legged on the battlement with an unstringed bow propped beside him on the parapet. A quiver of arrows sat next to him and he worked industriously on weaving a string for his bow.

  ‘Good morning, Alathenar,’ said Cerion. ‘Something wrong with your bow?’

  The warrior looked up with a smile and said, ‘No, my lord, nothing wrong with it.’

  ‘Then what are you doing?’

  ‘Just trying something out,’ said Alathenar. ‘My Arenia has been growing her hair for the last few years to weave into my bowstring and now it’s finally long enough. I think it might help me get an extra ten or twenty yards of range.’

  Cerion knelt by the archer and watched him at work, his fingers deftly working the thin strands of hair into the length of his bowstring.

  ‘An extra twenty yards?’ he said. ‘You’re already able to put an arrow through a druchii’s eye at three hundred yards. You really think you’ll be able to coax more out of that weapon?’

  Alathenar nodded and said, ‘She travelled to Avelorn and had the strands blessed by one of the handmaids of the Everqueen, so I’m hoping some of their skill and magic will have passed into it.’

  Cerion smiled, remembering a misspent youth in the forests of Avelorn when he had joined the wild carousing of the Everqueen Alarielle’s court and partaken in the indulgent lifestyle practised beneath the magical boughs of her forest realm.

  Consort of the Phoenix King, the Everqueen was one of the twin rulers of Ulthuan and her court roamed like a great carnival through the forest of Avelorn, its silken pavilions ringing with music, poetry and laughter. He well remembered the Everqueen’s handmaids, elf maids as skilled with spear and bow as they were fair of face and lithe of body…

  ‘Well,’ he said. ‘If any warrior’s blessing can pass into a weapon it would be theirs. Be sure to let me know when you have put your bow together and we’ll see how the magic of the handmaids holds up.’

  ‘Of course, my lord. We’ll have an archery contest when I’m off duty. Maybe wager a few coins upon the outcome…’

  Cerion tapped his ruined eye and said, ‘I do not think you need a blessed bow to outshoot me in an archery contest.’

  ‘I know,’ said Alathenar, ‘That’s why I was going to let you wager on me.’

  ‘You are too kind,’ said Cerion, pushing himself to his feet. Alathenar was already the best shot with a bow in the Eagle Gate’s garrison and though Cerion doubted the addition of a maiden’s hair to the bowstring would make any tangible difference, he knew well enough that the superstitions of soldiers were a law unto themselves.

  Technically, Alathenar was on duty at the moment and, in disassembling his bow, was in dereliction of that duty by not having his bow at the ready, but Cerion was wise enough to know when to apply military law with an iron hand and when to let it bend like a reed in the wind. Besides, such a competition would help the morale of the garrison and strengthen the bonds between his warriors.

  If only others could appreciate such things, he thought sourly as he saw his second in command, Glorien Truecrown, marching towards him from the Eagle Tower. Alathenar caught his expression and looked over to see Glorien strutting towards them.

  The younger officer wore an elaborate ithiltaen, the tall, conical helmet of the Silver Helms and a magnificent suit of ithilmar plate, the armour gleaming and polished. Glorien’s noble status entitled him to wear the ithiltaen, though most nobles considered it unseemly to wear such a helmet without first having earned it by serving in a band of Silver Helm knights.

  Cerion nodded briefly to Alathenar and went to meet Glorien, hoping to head him off before he reached the archer and decided to discipline him.

  ‘Glorien,’ said Cerion. ‘Good morning.’

  ‘Good morning, my lord,’ said Glorien, his tones clipped and formal. ‘I have transcribed the latest reports from our scouts.’

  He held out a leather scroll case and Cerion took it reluctantly, already aware of what it contained, having spoken with the scouts when they had returned the previous evening.

  ‘You know you don’t have to do this, Glorien,’ he said.

  ‘But I do,’ said Glorien. ‘It is expected.’

  Cerion sighed. ‘Very well. I shall read them later this morning.’

  He saw Glorien looking over his shoulder and knew exactly what he saw. As Glorien was about to speak, Cerion reached up to turn him around and march along the length of the wall with him.

  ‘Was that Alathenar the Archer without a string to his bow?’ said Glorien.

  ‘Never mind that, Glorien,’ said Cerion, leading him towards the stairs cut in the face of the mountainside that led to the Aquila Spire, a narrow projecting tower built into the southern cliff face that served as his personal sanctuary and study.

  ‘But he is without a weapon! He has to be disciplined.’

  As loyal as Cerion was to his race, he now cursed its love of intrigue and petty politicking.

  Cerion knew that Glorien Truecrown had only secured his appointment to the Eagle Gate through his family connections rather than any ability as a warrior, for the Truecrown family could trace its roots to those linked with the Phoenix Kings of old. Their factional power in the court of Lothern was in the ascendant, enabling them to secure prestigious positions of authority for scions of their family members.

  Glorien was simply biding his time until Cerion decided to retire and thus secure the position of Castellan of the Eagle Gate, but he knew in his heart that Glorien was simply not ready for such an important position.

  ‘You would discipline the best archer in this fortress?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Glorien. ‘No one is above the rules. Just because Alathenar can loose an arrow with some skill is no reason for him to believe he is exempt from following the rules.’

  ‘Alathenar is more than just a skilled archer,’ said Cerion. ‘The warriors of this fortress respect and love him. His successes are their successes and when his name is spoken of in the barrack halls of other Guardian Gates, it reflects on them too. They look up to him, for he is a natural leader.’

  ‘And?’

  Cerion sighed. ‘Discipline Alathenar and you will alienate all the warriors in this fortress. If you are one day to command the Eagle Gate, then you must learn to understand the character of those you lead in battle.’

  ‘Command this fortress? The Eagle Gate is yours,’ said Glorien, and Cerion almost laughed at his clumsy attempt at denial.

  ‘Spare me the massage of my ego, Glorien,’ said Cerion. ‘I know your family tried to have me replaced in order for you to take command here. Thankfully, saner heads prevailed.’

  At least Glorien had the decency to look embarrassed and Cerion felt some of his anger fade. Perhaps Glorien could yet learn how to be a soldier and a leader, though he suspected the odds were against it.

  ‘There is more to command than simply getting warriors to follow rules and regulations,’ said Cerion. ‘You cannot simply apply your rules and mathematical formula to the defence of a fortress. It is in the minds of your warriors that a battle will be won or lost. Warriors will fight and die for a leader they believe in, but not for one they do not trust.’

  ‘But discipline must be enforced.’

  ‘Yes it must,’ said Cerion. ‘But not when its application would do more harm than good. Discipline Alathenar now and you risk losing the hearts of your soldiers.’

  ‘I do not care to win the affections of the soldiery,’ said Glorien.

  ‘Nor do you need it. But without their respect, you are lost.’

  Cerion glanced over his shoulder, knowing that the wa
rriors of the Eagle Gate did not need to hear their superior officers arguing. Thankfully, the elven warriors in the courtyard were sparring with swords or practising formation spear discipline and were too intent on their labours to notice the discussion.

  ‘I will think on what you have said,’ said Glorien, but Cerion already knew that the younger elf had dismissed his words as the ramblings of an aged warrior long past his prime.

  ‘Be sure that you do,’ said Cerion, ‘for if this fortress does become yours to command, you will be entrusted with the fate of Ulthuan. If an enemy army were to breach the walls, Ellyrion would suffer terribly before the armies of the Phoenix King could muster to fight it. Think on that before you decide to weaken the defence of this garrison by disciplining its best archer.’

  Cerion brandished the scroll case Glorien had given him and said, ‘Now, if you will excuse me, I think I shall retire to my chambers to read these reports.’

  He had no wish to read Glorien’s pedantry, but it gave him an excuse to be away from his subordinate.

  ‘Of course, my lord,’ said Glorien before saluting and turning on his heel.

  Cerion watched him go and his heart sank as he pictured the Eagle Gate under his command.

  In its prime, Tor Yvresse had been considered the jewel of Ulthuan, but time and invasion had taken its toll on the once great city. Built atop nine hills, the great, spired city dominated the landscape, its mighty walls high and white and carved with protective runes. Glittering gold and bright silver shone in the afternoon sun and the titanic towers of its palaces soared above the walls, linked to one another by great bridges hundreds of feet above the ground.

  Since the city had come into view, Caelir had stared, open-mouthed, at the magnificent spectacle. He had vague, disconnected memories of Tor Elyr, but nothing that could compare to the sheer magnificence of Eltharion’s city.

  Tor Yvresse shone like a beacon against the dark rock of the landscape and the green shawl of forests draped over the mountains behind it.

  ‘It’s magnificent,’ said Caelir once again and Kyrielle smiled at his awe.