Her mind pleaded to itself, Please tell Me that this is not one of the peaceful villages.
But she knew that it was.
Her heart cried out to the loss of these most special Dungaras. These peaceful Dungaras that may have helped to change the course of The Realm. These that simply loved. And her heart grew angrier once again. She well knew that The Realm fought against the Dungaras for untold cycles, but she also knew that these particular Dungaras were peaceful only, and without weapons. They were slaves within their own society, forced to give pleasure to the warrior Dungaras. And the only hope for peace.
She became enraged ever further at the Mungardies, as well as at the Dungaras warriors, for this massive and senseless destruction. While the Dungaras had taken many of The Realm's lives, this village had been a peaceful one, only. No matter what she thought of the Dungaras warriors, these in this village didn't deserve this death. The High Queen was in full internal rage against the Mungardies who had shown their evil strength against such innocent ones. To her, this went against every warrior vow in all The Realm. As she walked silently, slowly, her heart screamed in its rage at the Mungardies.
Burn it! Burn it all into your memory. This is why you are High Queen. This is why you must do what you do. Burn it well into your mind so that you become not soft.
The High Queen looked at the Dungaras Leader with anger, “Such could have been prevented, but you have been overly weak to stand against the ones you should have. We are all punished this turn for your weaknesses. Never should these peaceful Dungaras have died. You should be ashamed of what occurred here, as you surely caused this torment the moment you entered into agreement with the Mungardies. Your punishment is the death of all these lives. I am fully shamed for you."
At the end of the first village, The High Queen turned, taking a last look at the town.
Uthrn bowed her head, “Is it enough, my Queen?"
With burning rage, yet softly, she replied, “No. Show Me the others. I will burn this into My mind so that I might never forget what the Mungardies do this turn."
"My High Queen. It is the same. All the villages are the same as this."
"SHOW ME, so that we may never forget!"
They went to all the villages, one-by-one, witnessing the remains of the Mungardies heartlessness. All the villages were, as Uthrn had said, the same. Each one had been one of the Dungaras’ peaceful villages, except one. San'lr'in'thel'ineln's heart broke and the voices of the innocents and tortured rose greater into her mind. The voices surrounded her, crying to her of all the evils in the world. It was as if a great choir was in her head, singing to her all the mourning of hundreds of innocents.
After seeing the remaining villages, she raised her head to the sky, “By the Spirits, there was not one weapon amongst all these towns!"
She saw a child. A child who was barely old enough to walk. Burned and tortured. Its eyes ripped from its sockets. Taking hold of the child, she fell to her knees and cradled it closely to her. She looked upon it, stroking its cheek.
Sle'nel’ went to her, bending down to her, “San'lr'in'thel'ineln'. Come with me. Come away from this. You have seen enough."
The High Queen looked upon the dead child so sadly it was as if it were her own, “They had no weapons. Even though they were Dungaras, these had no weapons and knew nothing of fighting. This wasn't war. This was slaughter."
Sle'nel’ took the child gently from her hands, “We need to help this child travel to another realm now, my Queen."
Sle'nel’ handed it gently to a guard, then turned back to her lover. She grasped her lover's arms, trying to help her rise, “Come. You have seen enough."
The High Queen just placed her face into her hands, trying with great effort to understand the senseless slaughter. Sle'nel’ knelt beside her, holding her, hearing her say, “They had no weapons. The Mungardies’ slaughtered them."
The voices cried in her head, screaming of the tortures they had endured. A highly trained warrior with more powers and skills than any else in all The Realm, The High Queen well knew the struggles and outcomes of battle against a prepared enemy. But she was never trained to accept such as this, and saw it only as the darkest of all evils. Her rage mounted in her until the voices became a roaring scream of strident discordant torture.
What evil is this? How can one do such as this to innocents? To those of peace, only?
She stood and looked upon the smoldering carnage. She bowed her head, breathed in deeply, smelling the odors of blazing flesh and rank blood. She looked back out onto the village. Her heart felt as though a knife had gone straight through it. Her mind raged against the sights it took in. Her body strained against its own pain of uselessness. In all her rage, she couldn't cry.
It wouldn't be near enough.
To the Dungaras’ leader, she said, “This should have been prevented, Dungaras’ Leader. But I am High Queen, and you are now defeated, so the blame falls to Me. I cannot undo what the Mungardies have done, but I do vow to you full revenge upon them, beginning this turn. Had we all been stronger, this wouldn't have occurred. But you should have prevented this. You allowed this the moment you allowed the Mungardies to command you."
With the heaviest of hearts in what should have been a more pleasant occasion, The High Queen sat with the Dungaras’ Leader to work out the details of the surrender. She vowed to the Dungaras’ leader that she would help them to rebuild, and would ensure their safety now that they were defenseless. For their part, the Dungaras’ Leader listened to The High Queen's story of her scout that was now partnered with a Dungaras. The Dungaras’ Leader showed no sign of emotion until she heard of the Mystic-Dungaras’ baby.
"I hadn't thought such as this possible."
In Dungaran, The High Queen said, “Nor did we. But it is so."
All the Dungaras’ Leader requested was, “Please keep it safe."
Yet in Dungaran, The High Queen nodded and responded, “I vow this."
When the surrender settlement was complete, the Dungaras’ Leader rose from Its chair, then knelt before The High Queen, bowing Its head. It spoke in The High Queen's language the best It could, “All we have is now yours. I vow you our friendship, services, and defenses. Peace only shall reign between us from this turn forward."
Grasping the Dungaran Leader's arms into her own, as was the Dungaras’ fashion, The High Queen looked upon the Dungaras. In the Dungaran tongue, she said, “We have in our reigns seen much loss, fighting and torture. Let us vow to make The Realm a safer place for all our races."
The Dungaras’ Leader bowed her head, “The Mungardies will not halt so easily, my Queen."
San'lr'in'thel'ineln’ nodded, saying nothing. She knew that fighting against the Mungardies would extract an unbelievably high cost of The Realm.
* * * *
The affairs of the surrender would eventually involve The High Queen's Counselors, but The High Queen had completed the first stage. With that done, she began her revenge against the Mungardies. She didn't desire the revenge, but felt she had been removed from these battles far too long. She knew that she now needed to show her fighting abilities to the Mungardies so that they would be forced to reconsider their aggressiveness in The Realm. But she also knew that she needed to show her strongest stance to The Realm so that she would no longer be considered as weak, as the Spirits of the Falls had considered her. No more would she remain thoughtful. Her stance now was one of action.
She turned to Erthrn, “Call for My Private Guards. And have them bring My armor and weapons. Have them bring The High Queen's sword."
Erthrn gasped, “My Queen. Is that not drastic? Perhaps we might be able to fulfill your needs."
The High Queen's Private Guards were the best trained, most skilled, and most feared warriors across The Realm. There were less than a hundred of them throughout The Realm, but twenty-five were always present at one moment in the Valley. No one knew why San'lr'in'thel'ineln’ had called for The High Queen's sword, as it wa
s used only in battle, and it was unusual for The High Queen to participate in a battle of this nature.
She ignored Erthrn's statement, “I want them here by the late eve, on the second eve."
She was listening to no questioning this moment. She then turned to Ann'wn, “Have the Master brought to Me, alive."
Ann'wn nodded, “Will you be remaining here, High Queen?"
The High Queen merely nodded, yet angered.
Ann'wn bowed her head, “I will have a camp prepared for you, High Queen."
The High Queen's Healer came over, trying to tend to The High Queen's wounds, “Leave Me."
The Healer looked to Sle'nel’ for assistance.
Sle'nel’ nodded at her, going to her Queen, “My Love, let us see your arm."
She looked at her, trying to focus upon her lover, “Not now, My Love. Avoid Me well for the moment. Step not into My anger."
Sle'nel’ returned the look, unafraid of her, “You can shout out your orders while you are being tended to. I vow that The Healer will not speak, if this be your issue. But your arm must be seen so that it may heal."
The High Queen nodded, not having the moments for thinking on this, unwilling to deny her lover. As The Healer cut off her sleeve, she ignored the pain. She turned to Meera, “Warrior Woman of Woden. Call the Valley's forces to us. I want them here by early morn, in two turns. Ann'wn will tell you how this is done."
"Erthrn. Have Black Uthrn brought to Me."
Erthrn was about to inform The High Queen that Uthrn was overly wounded and could no longer move, but thought better of it, “Yes, my Queen."
The High Queen gave orders throughout the late after midturn, preparing for her personal battle and revenge against the Mungardies. She knew she wouldn't be able to defeat them during this battle, but she vowed to herself that following the battle, they would have good reason to greatly fear her and her name. And The Realm would think twice before questioning her any further.
Uthrn finally appeared, barely able to walk, a patch over one eye, a sling for one arm, but standing as tall and proud as she could for her Queen, for Uthrn now served only the High Queen. With great pain, she knelt before her Queen, bowing her pained head, “I am here, my Queen."
"Black Uthrn. Call the Black Guard to Me in two eves. I have great need of them."
Uthrn knew from legend how to call the elite force to her Queen. Another group of highly trained warriors, they were second only to The High Queen's Private Guards, but were for a different use. The High Queen's Private Guards were meant to instill great fear in all those they came across, being greatly intimidating in their stance and use of weaponry. When they entered a battle, the outcome was total annihilation of the target, with no grace. The Black Guards were more of the seek-and-destroy, being more secretive, acting only under the cover of the eve.
When learning that The High Queen had called two of her private forces together, both Ann'wn and Erthrn gasped, now knowing what was to occur. The High Queen was seeking her all-out vengeance and wouldn't rest until it was accomplished. Erthrn well knew the depths of The High Queen's rage, but often forgot her ability to stir great loyalty as well as great fear into others. She also knew that when The High Queen was singularly focused on a task, that task would occur in a great whirlwind of fury.
The High Queen then sent for her High Counselor. Mil'der'in came quickly, kneeling and bowing before her. Upon seeing her Queen, she realized that while some may have felt free to question The High Queen's decisions prior, in her present stance and expression, no one dared.
"My Queen, I have come to you, as bid."
"I have had an escort and your horse prepared. Return to the Valley in all haste and inform My High Counselors of what I now do. Whether they approve or not, it will occur. If they disapprove, then so be it. Then let them come and fight against the Mungardies."
She noticed that The High Queen hadn't released her from her kneeling position. Remaining as she was, she said, “Yes, my Queen. But they will not disapprove. My Queen?"
"Yes, Mil'der'in. What is your question?"
"What is it you would like me to tell them that you do?"
"Tell them...” She paused for a moment, “Tell them I release My rage on the Mungardies."
"Yes, my Queen. You release your rage upon the Mungardies. Will they understand, my Queen?"
She looked down at Mil'der'in with a rage in her eyes that Mil'der'in had never prior seen, “Then make them understand, High Counselor. Tell them of what you saw in the villages. Tell them of the defenseless Dungaras in those most peaceful of villages. Tell them of the tortures and carnage. And if they understand not, or if they refuse to understand, then bring them here to me!"
"Yes, my Queen. As you bid."
The High Queen waved her hand in dismissal, “Rise then, and go quickly. You will be well guarded. Meet Me back in Rns'deln'."
The High Queen had taken command, working all the after midturn and well into the eve to bring her mission together. Now all she could do was to wait for her forces to arrive to her. Throughout the eve and well into the morn, she took a well-distanced stance away from all others, preparing her powers.
During the next turn, she studied the map of the Mungardies’ lands carefully, often conferring with whatever force leader who happened to be about. When she wasn't studying the map, meditating, or bringing her own great powers forth to her, she was pacing, turning over and over in her mind which would be the best strategies. She knew she had given impossible commands in regard to the moment of arrival, but she also knew her Private and Black Guards well, knowing that they would somehow arrive within her need.
Just prior to the sun's final setting on the eve of everyone's arrival, she called her lover to her.
"I have need of your sorcery, My Desire."
"It is ever yours, my Queen. What do you need?"
The High Queen told her. Together, they brought lightning bolt after lightning bolt into one spot just at the borderlands until a great blazing hole was created in the ground.
She looked at it, assessing its depth and heat, “Good. I am now ready. This will make it easier."
"What is it we conjure up, my Queen?"
"Something more dark than the evil of the Mungardies. Those Mungardies who live through next turn will live to well regret what they did to the Dungaras’ villages."
All The High Queen's immediately available forces were racing toward her, ready to act on her command. It had been long since any of her warriors had witnessed The High Queen unleash her full force, but they all knew that it was fearsome when she did so. And to a one, all felt sorry for the Mungardies for their most dangerous underestimation of The High Queen.
At late after mid-eve, the camp became alive with excitement as The High Queen's Private Guard arrived. All came out of their tents to see the arrival of these most revered and feared of all warriors. Sle'nel’ stood by a tree, watching and observing from a slight distance, astonished she had never prior heard of them. What she saw was the most fearsome sight she had ever seen, and felt intense relief that these warriors were on the side of The Realm.
Twenty-eight warriors came thundering into camp, riding upon their enormous shiny coal-black horses that stood half again than did The Realm's horses. Each Warrior wore an identical uniform of armor upon her legs, knees, arms, chest, back and head. A large blood-red feather adorned each helmet, except for their leader who wore three. Each warrior stood as their horses, standing almost half again taller than any warrior about them. Their bodies were solid muscled, chiseled by their daily practice into muscles of near-stone. Each had more weapons than Sle'nel’ thought she could lift, let alone wield. Each had two swords, both heavy and large. Each had a bow with arrows, three knives, a spear, a shield, and many other weapons that Sle'nel’ had never prior seen. She had no doubt as to the fierceness and strength of these warriors. But of all their characteristics, Sle'nel’ was most surprised to see their reactions to their Queen.
The
y came charging and thundering into camp, halting quickly their frothing and frenzied horses. They dismounted, jumping off their horses and walked urgently to their Queen. The High Queen stood in front of them, waiting, gladdened for their quick arrival.
As her Private Guard neared her, they clasped their armored hands to their chests, making a large thundering noise, “High Queen. We are here for your bidding."
They knelt on one-knee and bowed their heads deeply. Looking small in comparison to them, The High Queen placed her hand upon the leader's head, “An'ther'on. Leader of My Private Guard. The Realm has great need of your services."
One of the Warriors of the Sword had thought to help hold and tend to The High Queen's Private Guard's horses. As she went up to one, it reared onto its hind legs, beginning to fight against the woman of Rns'deln'. One of the Private Guard looked back at the disturbance, shouting, “Approach not the horses. They are trained to kill whoever comes up to them."
The High Queen quietly outlined her plan to An'ther'on. An'ther'on nodded, giving her Queen the salute she had done earlier, “As you bid, my Queen. Only one village?"
The Realm's Mystics [Mystic Women of The Realm Series Book 3] Page 42