Tovi’s heart missed a beat and he caught his breath. Everyone in the group stared at the young female ogre, who had stood, club in hand. It was only then that the Azyrean noticed Klunk nodding, a look of pride on his face. He apparently had faith in Kharla.
And suddenly, so did Tovi. “I’ve seen her fight. She’s brave, and she can fight really good.” He wasn’t actually sure she was a such a good fighter, but he had never seen anyone so fearless. He could picture her leading the ogres into battle. “She can do it.”
Virgil stood and eased over to stand before her. “I have no doubt. The question is, will the others follow you?”
Kharla hurled the words back. “They will follow.”
The captain considered her for a long moment before turning away. “Good. It is late and, at least for me and my people, it has been a long day. We’re going to rest now. I look forward to meeting the elven commander in the morning.”
Chapter 10: Crystal Sands
Tovi slept fitfully and was already awake when he heard the familiar shuffling of Klunk followed by the ogre’s hand on his shoulder. “It is time to get up, Tovi. The sun is barely hidden by the hills. If what the elves say is true, we will see a new portal soon.”
Tovi shot up from his pad. He found it hard to believe this day had arrived. He would see Marzi again. He hadn’t decided whether he was still mad at her. After all, it was her fault he was here. She was supposed to be watching out for him and she had let him get on that blue beam. She should have stopped him. He wasn’t sure how she would have done that, but she was older and she was supposed to know.
But there was something else. He had found a friend—the best friend he’d ever had. Klunk treated him like no one else ever had—like a real person rather than just a kid. And even Kharla, she was his friend too. And if it hadn’t been for the blue beam, he wouldn’t have been here. So maybe he should thank Marzi. And, after all, she was his sister. It never seemed important before. But now….
Klunk’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Come. We have cooked meat and roasted carod roots.” He gestured toward the large fire in the center of the gathering. “Come, Tovi. Eat.”
Klik, who had remained largely out of sight what with all the confusion, sneaked out from beneath the cloth covers and leapt onto Tovi’s shoulder, uttering his typical morning greeting—a rapid series of clicks.
“Yes, Klik, I’ll get you some nuts.”
Growl and River had remained oddly withdrawn from everything. They sat out near the far edge of the light, alternately watching the group and peering into the darkness. While they didn’t engage in any of the interaction, Tovi got the distinct impression that the two spirits—for that his how he now thought of them—were comfortable with everything that was going on.
Tovi sat down with his plate of food, but for once he didn’t feel like eating. He had a bad case of nerves, although he wasn’t sure why. He was just going to see his sister for the first time in… he had no idea how long it had been, but it seemed like a very long time.
The black eastern sky lightened to a deep blue with hints of purple and orange. Ran and Lar had made their way to a spot near where the portals had opened the night before. The ogres watched in silence. Tovi shifted his weight from one leg to the other and stretched his neck, hoping to see that first glimmer of sapphire light.
As if on cue, a faint swirl of light formed a large circle, easily twice the height of the largest ogre. A murmur rippled through the assembled crowd as the light grew more vivid and the swirling increased. Suddenly the center flashed a deep emerald green, and a tall female elf armed with a two-handed sword stepped out, stopped, and stared as though in disbelief.
No sooner had she cleared the portal, when another came through, and then another. A young female elf exited holding a staff and stood off to the side surveying the crowd. At that moment, Ran bolted from the group and ran over to her. “Hey, Elle. I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
A smile painted the young elf’s face. “I wasn’t about to let you have all the fun.”
“Is Rys coming?” He turned and gestured toward Tovi. “Oh, and, guess what? That’s Marzi’s brother, Tovi. You know, the one she’s been talking about all this time. He’s been here with the ogres.”
Tovi watched the reunion, especially alert since his name was mentioned. The young elven girl bowed and smiled at him. He started to return the gesture when he heard another female voice, this time deeper and more authoritative.
“Ran.” The elven woman with the sword that had come through the portal first. She strode confidently toward Ran. “Report.”
Ran turned toward her and bowed. “Yes, Commander. As you can see, the area is secured. The ogre forces have been assembled.” He gestured broadly toward the gathered group and then specifically toward one of them. “This is Klunk. He speaks for the different villages. Beside him is Kharla. She will lead their forces in battle.” He turned toward the human contingent, who all stood back. “The human rebel force, or at least a part of it, arrived yesterday and is led by Captain Virgil.”
Corhymin nodded to Ran and eased past him to stand before Klunk. “I am honored to meet you and I bring the greetings of Empress Ariessa of the dark elves of the Bough, Lord Elondiel of the frost elves, and Lady Saige of the cliff elves. Our leaders will emerge shortly.”
Klunk stood, staring wide-eyed, seemingly unable to speak.
The elven commander approached the humans. “And to you, I am equally honored. From what little I know of the situation in your home realm, you have engaged the forces of your king. I am hopeful that this experience will help us to prepare.”
Virgil bowed. “Our pleasure. I regret that our numbers are small compared to your forces. As fortune would have it, we still need to engage the king’s forces back in Caravast. Our commander remains there, at least for the time being.”
Tovi watched in rapt fascination until a loud, familiar voice reached his ears and a force nearly knocked him over. “Tovi!” And before he knew it, Marzi’s arms were around his neck, squeezing him.
He started to put his arms around her, but she pulled back and grabbed him by both shoulders and shook. “You little weasel! Don’t you ever do anything like that again. You scared me to death. You could have been killed.”
Tovi stared at her, afraid to say anything.
Then she hugged him again and started crying—just like a girl, except that he also felt tears in his own eyes.
Chapter 11: Crystal Sands
Marzi was not able to get a word in edgewise. Her younger brother, once he started talking, never seemed to find a stopping place. As she listened to him ramble on about Klunk, Klik, Kharla, River, and Growl, her mind and heart grew lighter. Tovi was safe, at least for the moment. All thoughts of war and gods retreated, and she was left to wonder how her sibling had changed so much so quickly.
When he paused to take a drink of water, Marzi put her hand on his shoulder. They had walked about fifteen minutes to find a place in the shade at one of the oases. Sitting back against a tree trunk, she wondered about what Valyn had told her—that both of them, well, Jarek too, had been brought to this world for a reason. “You may not believe this, but I had a goddess talking to me, sometimes in my dreams but other times she actually visited me. She’s the one that helped us come through the portal.”
Tovi shrugged. “Yeah. Me too. Well, mine was a man, though, so I guess he’s just a god.” And he launched into a tale of an encounter with a demon posing as an ogre ghost, and shadows over the land, and fights with humans. The more he spoke, the faster the words came. “I got knocked out a couple of times. And I was bleeding and all. But I fought a human. And River and Growl helped me. And—”
Marzi laughed and interrupted him, “It sounds close to what’s been happening to me.” But, as she sat there contemplating her brother and thinking about their parents, the reality of the impending conflict returned. “Tovi, you know that it’s going to be dangerous here. There
is a war coming.”
“I know. But I’m not going to be here. Myhrren told me that I have to go somewhere else to kill the demon Dredwyn or something.” He spoke as though it was nothing more than riding moonbeams.
“What?” She felt as though the air were being forced from her lungs. “What do you mean you’re going to kill it? You will do no such thing! You’re just a kid. And who is this Myhrren who told you that? That’s stupid.”
His face betrayed hurt. “It’s not stupid. I’ve been in fights already and I did pretty good. And if Myhrren told me I have to go, then I have to go. He doesn’t lie to me.”
“Well then maybe he can explain it to me because it sounds crazy. All these men and women out here, these armies, and they are going to fight the forces of this demon or god or whatever it is, and you’re just going to go over there and kill him?” But in her heart, she knew, or sort of knew, what he was talking about. After all, Valyn had given her instructions that she thought sounded crazy. And yet, here she was.
“I don’t know, Marzi. I’m not sure whether he’ll talk to you or not. He’s pretty funny about that stuff. He doesn’t even talk to me all the time.”
She shook her head and smiled. This sounded more and more like her experiences with the elven goddess. “Maybe.” But she wasn’t going to let her brother, or this Myhrren, off the hook that easily. “Still, if you talk to him, ask him to talk to me. Please?”
He seemed to consider her words for a moment. “Okay.”
As Marzi was considering how to push the issue, Ran meandered up. “Corhymin wants to meet with everyone in about fifteen minutes.” He pointed over toward a tent. “Over there.”
Marzi wondered who everyone was. Apparently, it included her, but what about Tovi?
“Does she want both of us there?” She nodded toward her brother.
◆◆◆
The tall, slender elven woman stood, hands clasped in front of her. “Thank you all for coming. I know that things are happening quickly. I also feel, as I am sure you do, that there is so much we do not know. And frankly, I am not sure I totally understand that which I do know. I have to believe that the knowledge and understanding will come. In the meantime, I believe it will be helpful if we organize ourselves and begin doing what we can to prepare.” Her gaze wandered as she spoke, coming to rest in turn on each person present.
The human who had identified himself as Captain Thomas Virgil also stood from his sitting position. “While I agree with what you say, it seems to me that we—humans and elves—are guests in the domain of the ogres. Perhaps we might hear what they have to say about all of this before we presume to organize ourselves.”
Corhymin stiffened and narrowed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she nodded curtly. “You are correct.” She gestured toward the two ogres present. “Do you have anything to say to us?”
Klunk glanced over at the female beside him, Kharla, as she had identified herself. He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet as he seemed to search for his voice. When he finally spoke, the words came out softly with no small amount of uncertainty. “I am Klunk. As I said, I speak the words for the ogre chiefs, but I am not their ruler. We were told to come here and prepare to defend our world against the humans that will invade.” He paused and lowered his gaze for a moment. “We are not warriors.” He gestured around toward elves and humans in the room. “You have experience in this. We do not. What we want is to live in peace. If we must fight to do this, we will. Kharla will lead our fighters. She has tasted the fight. But I think or perhaps believe, that this is more than just fighting. You talk of planning and organizing for the fight. Of that, we cannot speak. So, my words, the words of our chiefs, are that we will fight when the time comes. If you need to get ready, then we will follow you. I think that is all for now.”
Corhymin studied the ogre for a moment before turning to face Virgil. “Very well. Then we can continue. As I said, our first task is to organize. That means that we must select an overall commander as well as identifying the leaders of each group. I assume, from what I have heard, that you lead the human forces. According to Klunk, Kharla will stand for the ogres in battle. While I have come as commander for the elven forces, I make this proposal.” She paused and looked around, her eyes coming to rest on a tall, lithe elven man with shoulder-length white hair. “Saryn, a dark elf of the cliffs, will lead the elven forces. If it meets with everyone’s approval, I can coordinate as overall commander of the armies in Crystal Sands.”
Murmurs and rustling met her proposal. Finally, the human captain spoke, “While I am not disputing or rejecting your proposal, I do feel the need to question how you came to that conclusion—that you should lead the combined forces.”
Corhymin seemed to pick her words carefully. “I assure you, I mean no offense. And I, as an elf, do not aspire to any particular position of power for my own purposes. My reasoning is thus—the largest force by far is that of the ogres. Unfortunately, by their own admission they are not fighters and do not seek the role of overall leadership. I am sure you are quite capable, Captain, but you seem to be in a position of direct leadership of your small band. We elves have the luxury of multiple leaders and a rather large contingent. It merely seemed to me the most logical arrangement.” She paused, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. “I have not, though, considered whether having a female as a commander would conflict with human norms and expectations.”
If Virgil was offended by the explanation, he showed no sign of it. He leaned back, his hands on the ground behind him. “I assure you, I have no problem with powerful women. As for your explanation, I confess it makes sense. But I do want to make sure there is an understanding, and I expect that the ogres will want the same assurance. We can submit to your leadership and coordination. But we do reserve the right to make our own decisions should the need arise.”
“Of course. Like you, I serve at the pleasure of my leader, Lord Elondiel. And, if necessary, the elven decisions will reflect an elven perspective. I would expect no less of humans and ogres. I merely suggest an overall leader for the purpose of planning and coordination, as I said.”
More murmurs around the group, followed by a shout from outside the tent. “Get out here! Quick!”
Chapter 12: Crystal Sands
Marzi stood beside Tovi, staring at the figure striding toward them through the thick desert air. He was human, by all appearances. Unarmed, he was clad in simple clothing—tan cloth pants, a leather jerkin, and worn leather boots. She watched him approach the gathering crowd, his gaze never shifting. The intruder stared straight ahead.
Corhymin moved up to meet the approaching man. As the two met, about five meters in front of the crowd of ogres, humans, and elves, the man spoke. “I have come bearing the terms from my lord, King Wyndred.”
The elven leader, standing straight, responded with authority. “And what might those terms be?”
With no show of emotion, the man reached out and grabbed Corhymin by the front of her tunic. Holding her up off the ground with what seemed superhuman strength, he stared straight into her eyes. “These are the terms.” And with that, he hurled her some twenty meters, where she slammed into a tall boulder and crumpled onto the ground.
The air was immediately thickened as the elven archers released waves of arrows at the man. He marched forward, staring straight ahead, the arrows piercing his body such that he looked like a slender prickly pear fruit. They seemed to have no effect on him as he continued to approach the gathered army and took no notice of the barrage.
A band of elven warriors leapt to the forefront, greatswords drawn in preparation for battle with this sole combatant. But before they could engage, the man came to a halt. He raised his arms into the air, his fists clenched, and shouted, “The king sends his regards.” And with that, his face and arms turned bright red and he began to swell. Barely a few seconds later, he exploded. Fire shot out from his body, incinerating a couple of the elves who stood closest. Those warriors who st
ood in the second tier were blasted back and fell to the ground.
Marzi became aware that she had held her breath through the incident. Her breathing came heavy as her legs trembled and threatened to crumble. Tovi stared, as though in disbelief.
Chaos erupted. Shouts echoed around the compound. Elves and humans sprinted forth into the desert from where the man had come, apparently to guard against further threats. Ogres ran to the fallen, pulling poultices from their packs.
Reality hit the young Azyrean girl hard. This would not be some group of ragtag human fighters scrapping with swords. She wondered whether there was anything within this newly assembled army that could stand against what this human king could send.
◆◆◆
“She is seriously injured. I will do what I can, but I fear that she will need more than we can give her here.” Arien, one of the elven healers, hovered over Corhymin, moving her hands over what appeared to be now deformed and crushed limbs. “So much damage.”
Elondiel, who, along with Saige and Empress Ariessa, had remained out of the center of discussions and activities, burst into the tent. “My daughter.” He bent down, his face contorted with grief.
“We are doing the best we can, my lord.” Arien stood and eased out of the way, making room for the distraught father.
Marzi had never felt so helpless in her life. She had watched an attack that seemingly took little effort on the part of the human. By contrast, he nearly destroyed this elf. And then, he had detonated himself in a fireball that had killed two elven swordsmen and severely burned seven others. The man had taken his own life and others’ as casually as if he had been drinking a cup of talonberry nectar.
And how could Corhymin be healed? The wounds could be treated and bandaged. And maybe the arms and legs could be somehow held rigid while they healed… if they healed. But the leader’s body seemed… broken. Marzi could think of no better word for it.
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