The Broken Council

by Steven R. Burke

  "You are here at my request," Kana stated without wasting another moment. "I have seen your destinies, and they are intertwined with one another and with the elves." Her voice was smooth and yet intense at the same time. It mesmerized the pair to the point of total submission. A glazed look came over their eyes, and their minds were blissfully at ease and defenseless once more. She told them many things and spoke, at times, in a language not familiar to them. They reached a point where they were aware again after what seemed to be hours of listening to the guardian. The Elemental had released her control over their minds so that they would remember this part of their meeting on a conscience level.

  "It is clear that you two are to be united as elf and man. Your union will be the catalyst for saving the elves from annihilation. Also, new friendships will be formed between races that were once enemies," the mistress stated confidently. She seemed to be glowing now as they looked at her. They simply could not take their eyes off her. They began to panic again at their lack of control. She spoke some more words they did not understand and cringed at the power they had when she uttered them. As she was speaking, clouds formed overhead and rain began to fall. This apparently symbolized the washing away of their previous lives and the beginning of their new ones as her servants.

  After a few minutes of rain the clouds dispersed and the heat of the day hit them with full force once more. The cold they had felt immediately vanished. They felt oddly cleansed and renewed after being chilled. They did not know that this Elemental had broken the laws of the guardians by intervening in lesser beings' lives and by commanding an element that she did not have stewardship over. She had used her command of the winds to bring the storm clouds to their location to do her bidding even though she should not command water in any form. As soon as her servants were cleansed, she commanded the wind to remove the clouds to their previous position. Then she commanded the heat of the sun to dry and solidify the change she had wrought in these two unlikely partners.

  "You two are now bound together forever. No one can break the bond that has been created here today," she said with a commanding voice. "Your mission is to bring the elves that see the truth of their plight to this place to begin building their new home. They will be blessed by the guardians for following their chosen servants."

  "We will do as you have asked," replied Yukio and Kira in unison.

  "Good. Now is the time to do the work of the guardians and to prove your loyalty to our cause," Kana said with a smile. At this point, it was unclear what she meant by this statement. The couple smiled back at their new master while peace filled their souls. They felt as though they were floating in the clouds above the cares and woes of their former lives. They just knew that their happiness would last forever, but it would be tested by the shortsighted elven High Council. They also knew that Kira's father, King Ciel, would not tolerate what they had done. He would try to make an example of them for sure.

  There was a subtle shift that could be felt throughout the different races of Tuwa. No one could explain what exactly had changed, but they all knew that something for ill or good had taken place. An elf had broken their sacred laws by marrying a man, and an Elemental had violated the laws of her order. Everyone felt a permanent change in their hearts that was unmistakably linked to the events that unfolded on Mount Quang. The guardians felt the rift more profoundly than anyone else because of the severity of the violations made by the guilty parties. They would have to wait and see what would arise from these heinous acts.

  The sun burst brilliantly over the high peaks of Mount Quang to illuminate the new and partially completed structures. The elves, who had recently seceded from under King Ciel Tiranidrol's reign, had given themselves a new name so that they would be unique and separate from their woodland kin. They took on the moniker of high elves because of their new location on Mount Quang and also because they felt morally superior to those who remained behind in Renshaw. Mist clung to the mountainside as the light of this new day attempted to burn its way through the thick, moist barrier engulfing the entire snow-capped mountain.

  Kira had been made queen, the rightful ruler of the high elves with Yukio at her side. He was a king in title only because only an elf can be a monarch over elves. The people had decided to hold uphold elven law with only a few alterations. Her sister was still a princess and was the next in line to the throne. While the people accepted General Yukio as the spouse of their queen, they did not like him because of his constant manipulation of everyone around him. Their attitude did not sit too well with the charismatic military man. He hid his displeasure so that he may be able to win the hearts of the people over in time. An envoy was sent out with Yukio at the head to the different nations of the free lands of Tuwa. He had been asked to act as an ambassador for the queen and the newly formed nation of high elves. He was the perfect choice for the job because of his connections with the leaders of the nations of men, giants, and dwarves.

  All of the homesteads had been completed before the high elves moved from the Forest of Renshaw into their mountain home. The capital city of Alanderas encompassed much of the southern side of Mount Quang. Scaffolding surrounded many of the buildings in the central part of the city like great skeletal creatures. These structures had not been completed before the people moved in because they were for meetings and commerce. The dwelling places were the most important thing to have finished, and that was why they were all finished. Some of the residents lived outside the city while the majority lived within the protective wall around the capital.

  The city looked beautiful and decadent, but it was also fortified against any potential assaults. High walls had been erected around the perimeter to provide a certain level of protection against unwanted intrusions or most aerial attacks. The walls were three times the height of the tallest elf. The width of these walls allowed a wagon to ride easily along the top. Naturally magic had been used to speed up the construction of these solid barriers. Trebuchets lined the top of the walls as the main deterrent against a siege. There were several areas where the elven archers could be posted with a reasonable amount of shielding. The main entrance had a gate that was half as thick as the defensive walls, which required ten elves on each side of the dual doors to open and close them. Alanderas was truly a mighty fortress that could not be easily taken from any direction.

  The design used to build this enormous keep was patterned after the impenetrable dwarven strongholds. The queen and her family resided in a castle located at the very heart of the city. This building was surrounded by another massive wall that was twice as thick as the outer wall. The dimensions were double that of the first barrier in every respect. In addition to the trebuchets and archers, there are swordsmen and knights patrolling this inner perimeter atop the massive bulwark. There were catapults situated strategically behind the defensive barrier as an additional protection against intruders. The defenses were most impressive and awe inspiring to anyone who saw them. Those who did see these deterrents believed that no one would be able to penetrate the impregnable fortifications of Queen Kira's inner sanctum.

  Queen Kira felt it was vital to have protection and security this intense. She did not know how the elves would react to the division she had caused. Also, she could not predict how some of the other races like ores and goblins would react to this new power in the north. They might view the high elves as being weak and possibly vulnerable to an attack. They might take steps to destroy them before they got an opportunity to grow. She secretly wondered how the other Elementals would react to the intervention of Mistress Kana. The only time a guardian got involved was to punish or destroy lesser beings. Her confidence wavered at this thought. She did not know if Kana would be able to protect them against the other guardians if they too chose to get involved or if they wanted to rectify the situation that the high elves had instigated.

  General Yukio had a small group of high elven warriors with him to help protect the chairman of the high elven Council as they carried out
their diplomatic duties. Bronwen Merindiel was the leader of the council and was a very close friend to Queen Kira. He was also a good friend the queen's father King Ciel of the elves. It had been a difficult choice for him to leave the Black Forest, but he knew that Kira's ideas and beliefs were more in line with his. He knew that the elven kingdom was headed down a path that would diminish their standing in the Tuwa over time. He could not bear the thought of such weakness when he knew that there was a better way. He truly felt that the queen was inspired in her actions. The fact that an Elemental was on their side brought him a great deal of comfort and resolution.

  Chairman Merindiel had long silver hair that glimmered softly in the early morning sun as he rode along the eaves of the northern edge of the Black Forest. He had very dark skin that contrasted this shimmering silver mane. He was so dark that many of the elves referred to him as "the dark elf." Any person who had never spoken to this wise and gentle leader would probably assume that he was evil because of his ominous appearance. There were many of the high elves that distrusted him and worried that he would betray their new queen. This line of thinking could not have been further from the truth. Next to General Yukio, Bronwen was the most faithful and loyal supporter of the new monarchy. This skewed perception of the council leader would cost him dearly in the end.

  "Where are we off to first, General Yukio?" the chairman asked airily.

  "I have been absent from my responsibilities for too long, so we are going to make our first visit to Queen Daria," Yukio replied. He had been gone for over six months without returning to Nairi since his initial report after his union. Queen Daria would want to have an update from her general. She would be very pleased to make an alliance with the high elves. King Ciel had denied an equal partnership with any race, so this was an opportunity for mutual trade and for developing a strong relationship that renewed old ties. He was confident that this first meeting would produce the best results out of all their visits.

  "That sounds like the most prudent course of action of course," Bronwen agreed. "We could definitely use a strong ally like the people of Nairi. Their proximity will allow a new nation like ours to grow quickly and safely." The chairman truly believed that this plan was a good one. I hope that Queen Daria is as accepting as the good general believes. His dark face hid his reservations while he put on a confident smile to shore up Yukio's diplomatic plan. It was still difficult for him to overcome his prejudices about men.

  Queen Kira sat in the newly constructed council chambers pondering a course of action she would need to take if diplomacy did not work. She was fairly certain that her husband and the chairman would be successful as ambassadors for the high elves; however, she was worried about their last visit. She did not think her stubborn father would want to have anything to do with her or the elves that followed her. She stood up and began to pace around the open space where the council table would soon be situated in front of her throne. I certainly hope that we are able to ally ourselves with the race of men and dwarves; that way we will be able to withstand any retaliation from the elves. She shook her head at such a dubious thought. This was going to be much more difficult than she had originally thought.

  The door to the hall opened slowly to admit a slight dark figure. After a moment, Queen Kira recognized her sister as she walked further into the light that shone through the stained glass dome. She immediately sensed something different about her sibling, but she could not attribute the change to any one thing right away. Kishi did not have a favorable look on her face as she stared at her sister. Clearly something was amiss and, from the look of it, it was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

  "Kishi, what brings you here?" Kira queried pleasantly.

  "Why you of course, my queen," Kishi replied sarcastically with an equally mocking bow. She had a wry smile on her face.

  "Kishi, there is no need for formalities between us. What is it that I can do for you?" countered the queen. She had knots forming in her stomach at this point. She had never seen her sister act like this. What is going on? What is she playing at?

  "My queen, do you truly think it wise to trust a god to help us without reciprocation?" Kishi was not going to waste time; they did not have much left. She did not trust the guardians and was even more concerned by only one of them showing any interest in them. It also was troubling that the other Elementals did not choose to involve themselves in something as trivial as a coup. Something does not add up. What is Kana doing getting involved with lesser beings? Why help my sister of all people? What makes her so special?

  "You do not believe that the guardians would help lesser beings like us. You do not believe that they help others for the purpose of doing good. You have never trusted anyone but yourself," Kira retorted angrily! "You have always looked out for yourself and cared for no one else. Why did you even bother coming with us if you did not believe in our cause?" Her face flushed red with anger. This is pointless to fight amongst ourselves. Why is she really here? What does she want?

  "I do not need your permission to do anything, dear sister. I am more capable than you in every way imaginable, and you know it." She was not going to tolerate her younger sister's idiocy. "I came here because I too believe that the elves were on the wrong path. Politics had taken place of traditions and freedom. I believed the bureaucracy had taken over and that our inept father could no longer control them or use them. I do not believe, however, that you should be the one to lead these people!" An uncomfortable silence fell between the two powerful sorceresses.

  Kira straighten up and walked toward her sister who stood in the very center of the room. "What are you saying? Do you really believe that you could lead the people? You only care for yourself and your own rapacious needs!" The words were like venomthoughtless, but lethally intentional.

  "I take what is rightfully mine, dear sister. I am the eldest and should therefore be queen. Just because you have a husband does not give you any more claim to the throne. I believe my ability to look out for myself gives this new nation the sense of direction that your miniscule mind could not possibly imagine!" She was not going to hold back her true feelings anymore. "Yukio is nothing more than an unworthy little man who wants fame and glory! He is not fit to wear a crown even though he has no real power. It is an insult to the high elves. There are many who agree with me and are willing to follow me as their leader. They recognize your weakness and do not think you are capable of leading them. Think about that!" Kishi felt all of the anger and resentment she had bottled up for the past few months leave her body in one big rush.

  "Well, dear sister," Kira said while keeping her rage in check, "you have made it crystal clear where you stand. The question now is what are you going to do? Will you stay here with us or are you leaving? I know that you are good at the latter," the queen said in icy tones.

  "Why don't we let the people decide? Or are you afraid of what they would say? The monarchy serves the people, not your own selfish desires. If I am guilty of greed and being self-centered, then a vote would help you to inventory yourself. You may find that you and I are not so different after all. The keystone in my life is that I recognize and embrace who I am. You pretend to be something you are not."

  "Now is not the time to make more changes. We will wait until the city is finished and then bring the issue up with the council where these matters should be addressed," Kira replied coolly. She turned her back to her sister to make it clear that the conversation was over. I'm the queen, not her. She is just jealous of what I have.

  "I will wait until the time you have appointed, my queen. Make no mistake; I will present this issue to the council when our fair city is complete. All I ask of you is to honor whatever decision they make," Kishi replied confidently. She has given me some rope, and I am going let her strangle herself with it!

  "I agree. We will wait until then, and I will respect the ruling of the council. Until that time, I am still your queen, and you will not openly disagree with me. Understood?" Queen Ki
ra stated, with her back still to her sister.

  "I will wait until the appointed time to make my case. You have my word," the princess replied sardonically.

  Kana soared high over the sprawling Forest of Renshaw on a strong easterly wind. She smiled as she looked down at the third part of the elves moving toward their new home on Mount Quang. She thought that these inferior creatures would have been more difficult to persuade, but they seemed only too eager to do her bidding without even questioning her motives. Her plan was working perfectly thus far, but she knew better than to lure herself into believing that there would not be any hiccups along the way. She still had to keep up her guard with the other Elementals for the time being. She firmly believed that Lady Necia and Lady Hilzarie would join her when they heard her plan. As she continued to congratulate herself on her first victory, she turned with the wind to head toward the guardians' homeland. She could not be seen from the ground as she glided amongst the white clouds. She changed shapes randomly as she continued her journey so that she would not be seen by searching or wandering eyes.