His attention was ripped from the map projected into his thoughts by motion at the corner of his eye. The Elves were moving down the slope, approaching without sending any energy orbs toward the troops. Traven assumed they were sizing up the remaining Urlowen forces before attacking. When they reached the fallen tree, they mounted it and stood waiting.
The sides of the U-formation began shifting to enclose the Elves. At Wren’s command, no one fired. As the boundaries of the formation merged, the Elven girl turned slowly in a circle, noting the position of each soldier. Alex and Zavier appeared at the top of the hill and made their way into the Urlowen line now behind the Elves. For nearly a minute, there was silence.
“You’re surrounded and outnumbered,” Wren called out from his position. “Surrender!”
The white-haired Elf laughed. Traven’s stomach turned over, rising into his chest. The laugh was unnaturally loud. He was amplifying his voice with magic.
“I am Valaan Elwarden Trel, Councilor of Magic, member of the Elven High Council, and High Protector of the Elven Realms. This”—he motioned toward Aleena with a wave of his hand—“is Aleena of Avenfall, Elven warrior, Earthborn.”
His words echoed off the hills and reverberated in the trees. Murmurs ran through the Urlowen troops. The confidence that had once shone fiercely in their eyes waned before two legends come to life.
“We may be outnumbered,” Valaan continued, “but you, Guardsmen, are outmatched.” He let the words hang heavy in the air, then continued, “Leave this place with your lives, or advance to your deaths.”
Wren looked at Traven and saw his own apprehension reflected back. Traven slowly shook his head, mouthing, “Withdraw.” They were cornered, and Wren knew it. All the legends came flooding into his mind. Given what he’d witnessed in the battle up to that point, they weren’t the fables he’d once thought.
But with the Council meeting approaching, Denetaa wouldn’t allow a retreat. Wren took a slow deep breath, then sent two words through his multiband. Two words he was sure he’d regret. “Open fire.”
All chaos broke loose as plasma bolts flooded the air, all shrieking toward the two Elves. Aleena turned and twisted, blocking hundreds of shots almost simultaneously. Valaan materialized blue-white spheres in stacked circles rotating around himself. Each careened off to find its target, the Urlowen troops falling one after another.
Alex and Zavier dove to the ground, rolling behind the bodies of dead soldiers for cover. They fired repeatedly at the Elves to no avail. A soldier next to Traven pulled out a throwing knife and heaved it at Valaan only to find it loop through the air and plunge into his own chest, dropping him to the mottled grass.
Wren watched as his troops fell. He screamed orders through his multiband, trying to fill the gaps that were growing in the formation. Then, to his horror, he saw movement on the ridge above. Two squads of Alliance rangers had arrived.
The rangers opened fire on the back of the Urlowen formation, downing fifteen soldiers before they could spin around to return fire. With the Elves on one side and the rangers advancing from the other, the back of the formation crumbled.
Alex saw a ranger sight Zavier’s back with his weapon. To get a shot, Alex had to rise from the prone position to his knees, exposing himself to the Elven onslaught. Zavier was more a brother than a friend, so without hesitation, Alex got to his knee and took the shot. The plasma bolt connected, dropping the ranger to the ground. The last thing Alex heard was a cry from Zavier.
“Alex, no!” Zavier shouted, seeing Alex get to his knees in the corner of his vision. “What are you doing?” But before he started the second sentence, a blue-white sphere melded through Alex’s back, causing his eyes to light up momentarily with blue-white light. His body hit the ground with a thud.
A semitranslucent barrier, oval in shape, appeared around Zavier, just big enough to encase his entire body. Zavier suppressed the panic rising inside. What’s that sorcerer doing?
“Zavier, calm yourself,” a familiar voice sounded in his head. “The field around you is a protective shield. It’ll stave off the energy spheres and plasma bolts. I’ve got you. Quickly now, move toward Traven and Wren. This fight is over.”
Zavier relaxed a little. “Kalma! Where’ve you been?”
“Not now,” Kalma answered. “Get to your feet and run to the others. The shield can take direct hits. Now go!”
Zavier didn’t have to be told twice. There was one thing countless battles drilled into you: trust your team. He leapt to his feet, disregarding all cover, and ran toward Wren.
Just as Kalma had predicted, the energy spheres and the rangers’ fire splashed harmlessly against the shield. Given the new protection, Zavier considered running straight toward the two Elves for a hand-to-hand attack, but quickly disregarded the idea. He wasn’t sure what to expect from Elves in one-on-one combat and didn’t want to get a nasty surprise. Further, Kalma instructed him to run straight to the others.
Wren’s jaw nearly dropped when he saw Zavier running crazily through the fight surrounded by an enchantment. Before he had a chance to say anything, Kalma’s voice rang in his mind. “Wren, get ready to call the retreat. Order everyone to reform between you and Traven. I’ll take care of the rest.” Massing his remaining troops in a relatively compact formation directly in front of the Elves and the advancing rangers seemed like a terrible strategy. But with a lack of options and Zavier running like a lunatic in the open surrounded by a shield that came from who knew where, he complied, hoping Kalma knew what he was doing.
The soldiers moved toward their new positions, taking heavy losses along the way. Zavier rendezvoused with Wren and took cover between the twin trees.
“How’d you do that?” Wren asked.
Zavier shrugged, lifting his hands in disbelief. “Kalma. Kalma did it.”
The moment the last Urlowen straggled into position, Kalma’s voice resounded in the Guards’ heads. “Get ready to fall back but wait for me.”
Traven responded instinctively, having not been privy to Kalma’s other communications. “Kalma?”
“Hey, buddy. Miss me?” Kalma replied, almost melancholy.
“Where are you?” Traven shot back, clearly annoyed.
“I’ll be there in a minute. Gotta take care of a few things first. You’re going to love this.”
As soon as his voice died in their minds, an energy barrier rose from the ground around them and encompassed the entire Urlowen line. It started slowly, then began increasing in speed as it shot to the sky and arched over their heads, sealing directly above them. They were safe—all of them.
“Don’t fire inside that thing,” Kalma said through the multiband. “Your shots could ricochet.”
Valaan and Aleena stopped their assault on the shield when they realized nothing was getting through. Valaan scanned the forest, looking for the magic wielder. Aleena’s breathing quickened. The few Guard members scattered through the Urlowen troops had so far been unexpectedly weak. Not one had performed any magic throughout the course of the fight. The sudden appearance of the barrier indicated there was a newcomer, and whoever it was, he reminded Aleena of the ancient Guard. The Guard who’d chased her through the forest to a stasis chamber. The Guard who’d slaughtered the entire Elven race on Earth. The Guard who’d mastered both technology and magic.
“Get down, get down!” one of the ranger commanders screamed.
Aleena spun around to see three rangers fall to the ground, their eyes giving a faint blue-white glow as energy overwhelmed their bodies. More spheres flew out of the forest, along with a barrage of rifle fire. Aleena conjured protective shields to block as many shots as possible from hitting the rangers but found it difficult to predict the targets. Their opponent was concealing his intended targets in his mind, and there was a flow of magic in the air preventing her from discerning the shots’ trajectories. It was some form of confusion magic. Then, from out of the forest behind the rangers, a single Guard emerged. Valaan focused all
his shots toward the Guard, but each were deflected.
Kalma ran through the rangers, firing and simultaneously blocking the attacks from the Elves and rangers combined. He was certain he could defeat the older Elf one-on-one but wasn’t willing to risk a fight with all of them. He made it past the Elves and through the shield to Wren.
“That’s it,” Kalma said. “Let’s get out of here. We’ll finish this another day.”
Wren gave the order to fall back, and the Urlowens began their retreat toward Madison City.
Aleena jumped off the dead log, preparing to chase the retreating Urlowens, but Valaan grabbed her arm. “Let ’em go. We should return to your friends.” He turned to face the rangers. “I suggest we return to the others.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” one of the captains said. “Let’s go before the Urlowens change their minds and come back for us.” Signaling his troops, he made a circle in the air with his hand, then pointed back toward the pickup site. “After you,” the captain told Aleena and Valaan.
The two Elves, along with the rangers, began the short journey back to the ship and to safety.
Chapter 33
Kalma walked through the halls of the Madison City palace in his pressed black dress uniform. Councilwoman Denetaa had formally summoned him but without explanation. He walked in silence, running through various scenarios for the meeting. If he’d played his hand correctly the past few weeks, then this meeting would place him exactly where he’d planned. If not, then he may need to make a quick exit.
The door to the councilwoman’s office slid open as he approached. A secretary sat at a large oak desk in the antechamber, watching as Kalma entered the room and advanced to the desk.
“Guard Dryenaugh, I presume,” the secretary said. She was a short stout woman and not all that easy on the eyes. Yet somehow, that seemed fitting for the councilwoman’s secretary.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kalma responded.
“The councilwoman is expecting you. Please leave your multiband on the table and follow me.”
Rising from her desk, she led Kalma to the left side of the room, stopping at the wall. A portrait of High Councilman Malikyne hung just in front of them, and she pressed her fingertip on the bottom corner. After a small beep confirming the identity and access authority of the secretary, the wall next to the door inched backward several feet, then slid to the side to reveal a doorway into a secured hallway.
Kalma followed the secretary to the right, down the hallway. At the end of the corridor, an energy barrier stood. The secretary placed her hand on the blank wall next to the barrier. Immediately, words appeared above her hand:
Anetta Yloum
Secretary for Councilwoman Denetaa
Access Granted
The barrier disappeared and the two followed the hallway to the left, stopping before a large door with a single handle. Again, the secretary placed her hand on the wall next to the door. That time, however, the voice of Councilwoman Denetaa was projected into the hallway.
“Has our guest arrived, Anetta?” the councilwoman said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Send him in, please. And that will be all, Anetta.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The door slid aside, and Anetta motioned for Kalma to enter the room. As Kalma walked through the doorway, Anetta turned, making her way back to her desk.
The conference room was barren with simple white walls, although each were capable of video displays, and a large oval table that hovered in the center of the room. Five chairs were spaced equally around the table, with each of their inhabitants turned to face the newcomer.
Upon seeing the room’s occupants, Kalma immediately dropped to a single knee and lowered his head. The reaction was one of habit, though a habit he abhorred.
They should bow to me.
“I expect introductions are not needed, Guard Dryenaugh?” Councilwoman Denetaa said.
Kalma had perfected the proper platitudes for these situations, though no one at the table would recognize him with his current appearance. “No, ma’am. The Council of Five grants me a great honor to be present in their assembly. May your words and deeds guide the Urlowen people to peace and dominion in the universe.” The words turned his stomach sour as they rolled off his tongue.
“Impressive, Guard Dryenaugh. The traditional Council greeting is not a widely known etiquette even among our people. You’ve been surprising me more and more as of late,” Denetaa said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Kalma responded with his head bowed.
“You may rise,” Councilman Urmyne said. He was a heavyset, balding man with a commanding presence.
Kalma stood at attention before the Council of Five.
“We’ve heard of your efforts in the recent incident in the mountains,” Councilman Talik said. “It’s been a long time since a member of the Guard’s been able to produce an aerial shield for himself, let alone one that could save as many as you did.”
“Defending against two Elves is an impressive feat, especially when one claims to be the long-lost Councilor of Magic and the other an Earthborn,” Councilman Urmyne added. “If those claims turn out to be true, then we’ll desperately need a man of your abilities going forward.”
Kalma perceived the compliments as genuine, and even noticed a bit of admiration in the councilmen’s eyes. So easily impressed. Malikyne’s weakness has even infected his underlings. Kalma glanced at Councilman Raysaa and noticed that he and Councilwoman Sheena were the only two not enamored by his work in the forest. In fact, they looked a bit uneasy.
“Kalma,” Councilwoman Denetaa continued, “in addition to the war on Earth, the Council is concerned with the state of the Urlowen Territories. In fact, that’s the primary reason for our meeting. We’re in need of a powerful soldier to help us bring stability to our people.”
“I am at the Council’s service,” Kalma responded.
“You need to understand that the things discussed in this meeting are to stay between the six of us,” Councilman Urmyne said.
Kalma nodded, indicating his understanding.
“Good,” Denetaa began. “The Urlowen people are suffering under the rule of the High Councilman. He takes no interest in the Council of Five and rules as an emperor.”
Kalma stood stone-faced, showing no response of any kind. He noticed Councilman Raysaa shift slightly in his chair.
Denetaa went on. “Unfortunately, Malikyne has so deceived the Urlowen people that many don’t recognize the oppression in which they live.” She paused for a moment, staring at Kalma. “With your help, we intend to demonstrate his cruelness here on Earth. News of certain events will be leaked to our people and they will rally to our cause—to their freedom.”
“And the Council of Five will take its rightful place in leadership of the five nations of old?” Kalma inferred.
“As it should be,” Councilman Talik responded.
“High Councilman Malikyne has many loyal subjects,” Kalma said. “It’ll be a difficult task to convince them to join you.”
Urmyne gave a single nod. “Indeed, it’ll be difficult. However, many of our people have already joined our cause and wait patiently for the proper time to rally together. You can be the instrument that brings others to our side.”
Councilwoman Denetaa rose to her feet. “Malikyne is not what we’ve been led to believe.” She looked over toward Talik, who gave her an approving nod. “There are rumors that the succession of the High Councilman, starting from the very beginning with Malikane and stretching all the way to Malikyne, have in fact been only one man. A very powerful man. The few who have been positioned to know such matters are too fearful of his wrath to attempt persuading the Urlowen people.”
Everyone at the table seemed to be studying Kalma, looking for a sign of an ally or an enemy. Kalma let a little surprise show on his face. “The same man?” He pretended this was new information. Kalma knew exactly who Malikyne was and was not. “That’s impossible,�
�� he added for effect.
Councilwoman Denetaa took her seat again. “I wish it were, but magic can be a powerful ally to those who are gifted in its use.”
“There are also rumors,” Talik continued, “that Malikyne himself is not of Urlowen descent. As powerful as he is, he could easily change his appearance throughout the years to look like other men or another race.”
“As I said before,” Kalma replied, “I’m at the Council’s service.”
Denetaa smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “Your efforts will bring freedom to our people. Go about your duties as usual, and we’ll contact you at the appropriate time with further instructions.”
Kalma bowed again and exited the room. He returned to the secretary’s office and retrieved his multiband, then made his way back to the Guard’s tower. Once in his quarters with the door shut, he made the appropriate commands to open the hidden communication channel within his multiband. While he waited for a response, he thought of the meeting he’d just attended.
“My dear Kalma,” a low grating voice projected into his thoughts. “That is what you’re calling yourself now, is it not?”
“It is, Your Eminence.”
“You have news?” Malikyne asked.
“I’ve infiltrated the traitors’ circle,” Kalma replied. “They suspect you, Your Eminence.”
Malikyne’s voice remained calm and unperturbed. “Many have through the millennia, as you well know, and you have quelled them each time. I’m certain this will be no different.”
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