***
Commander Fletcher Renar was in charge of the archers for General Sanjay’s army. They served King Derek who ruled the forest kingdom of Aran. Fletcher’s archers were some of the finest in all of Tuwa and were especially adept at finding high places to give themselves the advantage in a fight or an ambush. He was charged with protecting the borders of Aran from external foes. He had reported to General Sanjay several days ago that there was an orc army of immense size moving toward Tarisdell in the Black Forest. The general had relayed this vital information to the king, and they had been preparing to go to the aid of their elven brethren. While they were making their preparations, the commander returned to report another, more disturbing sighting.
“General Sanjay, I have seen the elven army being accompanied by a unified giant army hastening toward the crossing at the southwestern edge of the Landen cliffs,” reported the commander. “They were being pursued by that orc army we saw previously, and they were in company with what appeared to be elves.”
“What? Are you certain that there were elves with them?” asked the general, bewildered.
“Remember that we had received intelligence that there was a division among the elves some time ago, so this could be their army. I believe they refer to themselves as the high elves,” King Derek reminded them.
“That makes sense then. The elves must be retreating to Landen to take advantage of the superior natural defenses. How big would you say that orc army was? How many high elves were with them?” asked the general. His question was directed at Commander Fletcher, who immediately replied.
“I would estimate that there are three orc armies that are roughly one hundred thousand strong each. It appears that there are forty or fifty thousand high elves accompanying them. They are all led by a dark elf who commands a powerful brand of dark magic.” Fletcher had a distraught look on his face as he had said this. He could not help thinking that there was no way that their army could take on such massive numbers.
“Well, I am not too sure our hundred and fifty thousand troops would be able to handle such numbers. However, I do believe we could assist our friends in their fight against these treacherous forces. Commander Fletcher…” the king beckoned. “I want you to take your regiments of archers and cut off any retreat. If a group of orcs stays behind to build siege weapons, kill them all. Then report back to me.”
“How do you know that they would stay behind to make a siege works?” asked General Sanjay.
“Think of it this way: if you saw an orc army with massive amount of siege weapons and towers, wouldn’t you do whatever it took to destroy them?” the king asked wisely. “Of course you would. As a result of this, they would need to build a siege works to replenish and repair their siege weapons.”
“I see what you are getting at. So, Commander Fletcher, you will kill any orc that remains behind in the forest, but bring the high elves, if possible, to us. Do not harm any of them unless you have to. Maybe we could convert a few of them back to who they were before they left the elven kingdom,” ordered the general.
“I agree with the general. Please try to capture the high elves and bring them to me. I will deal with them personally. Maybe we could save a few of them. Those that do not change their ways will be put to death on the spot,” the king declared grimly.
“I will do as you have commanded,” Fletcher said with a bow to his king and a salute to his general. He did an abrupt about-face and marched off to his post on the northern border of the Aran Forest.
“So, what is your plan of action?” the king asked his general coolly.
“I will take our army north like we had planned previously. I will depart from the western most part of Aran before heading north so that I do not come across the orcs and give away our position. Hopefully they will be bent on pursuing the elves and giants into Landen,” replied the general.
“My guess is that they will go to Nodin to garner the support of the rock trolls. I do not believe that all of the rock trolls would have left their homes to fight against our friend King Jarvis.” The king had a thoughtful look in his eyes as he said this.
“You are probably right. I will take our army up to the city of Tarisdell and leave a small detachment there to defend the city. Then I will head east toward the middle of the western cliffs. I plan on using ladders to scale those sheer rock walls. I will send word to Landen beforehand to allow us entry into their country. I recommend having our archers remain behind in the forest until we have routed these fiends.” The general’s shaven head reflected the sun as it broke through the tops of the trees. He was stroking his long white goatee as he stood there conversing with his king.
The king nodded in agreement and said nothing more. General Sanjay knew Derek well enough to know that he was dismissed. He bowed low before his king and then left. He went directly to where the army was being assembled. He wanted to move out by nightfall. The king stood stalk still while he watched his general walk off. He was consumed with so many thoughts that he believed that his head was going to split in two. Finally he turned around and entered the jet-black gates that allowed entry into the capital city Agaroth. The entire city was surrounded by these thick black walls that were as smooth as glass. They had some strange magical properties to them that effectively dissuaded anyone from attempting to climb them or even touch them. No army had ever successfully compromised these stout bulwarks, and those that tried never made it home to tell the tale. Those who actually touched the enchanted barriers went mad and ended up killing themselves. Only the outward facing part of the wall was deadly, so the people of Aran felt very secure within their capital.
King Derek Udrugi was a stout man whose blues eyes could calm anyone who looked into them. He was a peace-loving person who was not afraid to use any means necessary to defend his people and his beloved forest. He was one of those rare monarchs that truly loved his people and served them rather than having them attending to his needs. As a result of this form of rule, there was not one person without a place to live or anyone who did not have something warm to eat. He had the uncanny ability to encourage people to be their best selves. King Derek was as good of a person as could be hoped for, but even he had moments where his faith in other people wavered.
As he walked the path that led to the people’s castle where he lived, his heart was full of foreboding. He felt like a black cloud was gathering around him as his thoughts became darker with each step he took. The king stopped after the darkness became too much to bear any longer. He shook his head violently to try and rid himself of the evil thoughts that were plaguing his mind. As he struggled to regain control, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The king whirled around to see a short, slight figure looking up at him. It was the renowned druid Zaide Ikofi who had brought the king back to his senses through his soft touch. King Derek smiled warmly, and all traces of the darkness left his body.
“What are you doing here, my old friend? Has King Leroy sent you?” the king asked urgently.
“I was asked by the good king to come and request your aid,” replied Zaide with a smooth edge to his warm voice. “I see that you are already planning on assisting us from the looks of it.” He gestured toward the army that had gathered outside the western gate of the city.
“You are correct. I am sending General Showia to Tarisdell to fortify that city, and then they will meet up with your troops who are guarding the western cliffs. We plan on sending in the entire army except the archers. We have asked Commander Fletcher to hide them in the Black Forest along the eastern edge to cut off any retreat into the woodlands,” explained the king.
“Yes, that sounds like an excellent plan. Your general will not need to worry about ladders or siege towers to climb the cliff. There is a secret passage that I will take them to that will allow them access to the High Plains,” replied the wistful druid.
“I thank you kindly for your offer to help us. Do you know if the elven capital has been deserted?” King Derek asked.
“I visited the city within the past few days, and I can assure you that it was empty at that time. The elves apparently did a full retreat to Landen and left their capital completely devoid of life. I believe that you are right to send some troops to the city so that it does not fall into enemy hands. Shall I join your general then?”
“Yes, please go with them right now. I feel at peace knowing that you will be helping General Showia. I am confident that nothing will go wrong with you two in charge. Thank you for your diligence, my old friend. Tell King Leroy that we will do our best to help defend Landen.”
The slight druid bowed low and then left to join the Aran army. The king watched his good friend go and felt a sense of purpose in his heart. He also had a calm come over him as he knew that his troops would arrive safely with the able druid directing them through safe paths. His thoughts then turned to the tasks that lay ahead. We must get supply routes established so that we can get foodstuffs to our archers who will remain behind in the Black Forest. I must also address the people and let them know exactly what is going on. The king never held back any facts or truths from the people. He believed that they would be more loyal to him if he were upfront with them. He believed that in a situation of war that honesty was the best policy. However, he was not foolish enough to believe that there would not be those who would try to spy on him during difficult times. So, he would share everything except tactical information about the armies’ movements.
The king stopped his musing and went into action. He called for a general assembly of the people the following day. He then called the council of the elders together to discuss the details of what the army would be doing. They would also determine whether or not recruiting would be necessary to add to their army’s strength. They would also need to send out spies and messengers so that they could know exactly what was going on around them. He knew that the dwarves in the south might need their assistance as well. His little mountain friends would not be able to break free from a siege, so aid would have to go to them. Kings Jarvis and Kasim were mighty rulers and would be able to fend off their foes, but they should not have to do it alone. What they needed at this point was an all-encompassing plan that would provide the needed support to the alliance of men and also provide assistance for the mountain dwellers. This will require careful planning and even more delicate implementation.
***
Commander Fletcher and his regiment of archers remained behind while the main body of the army pressed on to Tarisdell. They heard sounds of war machines being built in the distant forest toward the Blaine River. The men of Aran were very agile and light on their feet like their elven brethren. Their hearing was also exceptionally acute from living in the woods. The commander knew that the sounds they were hearing were from a group of filthy orcs. The plan was simple: send in scouts to find out where the main body of the army was and see if this group was different from the one they knew to be working on a siege works. The captains approached their commander, who had requested their presence so that they could discuss what they were about to do.
“Gentlemen, let’s get down to business,” welcomed Commander Fletcher. “We need to gather intelligence on our target before we do anything. Captain Jordan, do you have any soldiers that could retrieve the information that we seek?”
“Yes, sir! I can send two of my most trusted scouts to gather the necessary information,” replied the captain.
“Excellent. Send them right now. You are dismissed!” ordered the commander briskly.
“Sir!” saluted Captain Jordan as he did a quick about-face to carry out his orders.
The remaining captains huddled in closer to their commander as they continued their discussion. They talked about all of the various possibilities, including that fact that the orc and high elven armies may already be across the river. If that were the case, then they would merely set up a base camp and organize the archers into a net that would catch any retreating orc or high elf. Their meeting continued for several hours before the spies returned from their quest. They approached at a swift pace, which indicated that their information was not only vital but also urgent. Commander Fletcher raised his hand up to halt the two out-of-breath scouts and waited patiently for them to report their findings.
“Sir, the entire high elven army has crossed the river and is already skirting the southern cliffs of Landen. The main hosts of the three orc armies are crossing as we speak. However, there appears to be a group of siege warriors from one of the orc armies that is staying behind to build a siege works,” explained one of the scouts. He was still breathing very hard from the long run.
“We think that we could surround these orcs with relative ease because they are working in a clearing that they created and are making no effort to conceal their presence. The noise from their labors will drown out our approach and give us the element of surprise,” added the other scout in breathy tones.
“This is good news! We may be able to wipe out the entire group of orcs before they even knew that we were there. We will position ourselves in the trees and rain down arrows on them from above. We will then send in sweepers to make sure that no one survives our ambush,” said the commander confidently.
“Then let us not waste another moment to put our plans into action. I will take the troops who will not be involved in the ambush and set up a base camp,” offered Captain Jordan.
“Agreed. I will take the archers with me to set up the ambush while the rest of you join Captain Jordan in setting up the base camp. Move out!” ordered Commander Fletcher.
The group of leaders dispersed and went their separate ways. Within two hours, the archers that went with Commander Fletcher were already high in the trees around the artificial clearing looking down on their prey. The commander had elected himself to give the signal for attack. He would hoot twice like the black owl that was native to the Forest of Renshaw. The archers would count to ten after the second hoot and begin their volley. When the commander gave the signal, the orcs stopped what they were doing for a second or two and then went back to work. After a minute of nothing but a storm of arrows from above, every single orc lay dead or dying on the forest floor.
Giant Defiance
The giants who did not act fast enough to protect their eyes or close their mouths were writhing in pain hours after the wicked warlock had attacked them with the purple ray. Lord Marcello used his healing magic several times during those hours with little success. He had never seen such dark magic before and did not have a clue about reversing the effects of the attack. At least they knew that the high elven magician was dead or near death because his unquenchable fire wall had dissipated shortly after the last giant who was sick to his stomach finished throwing up. They could easily see that the axis armies had gathered together in Nodin to regroup and possibly join with the rock trolls. Lord Marcello and the other giant leaders knew that this was not the case because they had received messages from King Leroy that the entire wasteland had been emptied weeks before. The trolls had joined up with the wretched goblin armies and were currently laying siege to Mount Carrick.
King Angus remained at the capital city so that he could direct General Lang, Lord Marcello, and the other commanders in their defensive efforts. The king was surprised by the knowledge of the situation that King Leroy possessed. He was even more impressed by the fact that an elder Elemental would become so involved in the affairs of the people of Tuwa. Angus had heard tales told by many of the elven rulers of a time when the guardians were seen quite regularly about the lands of the middle Tuwa. Something happened during the last great war which involved all of the races that caused the Elementals to not only pull out of the lands in which they helped to make free, but they also stopped communicating entirely with lesser beings. It was clear that the demise of the Eldar was the catalyst for this drastic change in behavior. Sitting alone in the king’s court, the giant king thought over the many stories and legends about the guardians. I would give anything to meet one of the nob
le and all-powerful guardians.
“Be careful what you wish for, Angus Vokias,” said a silky voice from the shadows that filled the edges of the great hall.
“Who said that?” asked the king, who was shaken by the sudden break in the silence. What concerned him even more was the fact that this mysterious person could read his thoughts.
“You have nothing to fear from me, giant king,” replied the smooth voice. “I am Mistress Khalida, the very Elemental you have heard so much about from King Leroy. I have come to make a special request of you and your people.” As she spoke, she moved into the open so that Angus could finally see who it was that was speaking to him. His eyes widened at her appearance and his mouth hung open slightly at her great beauty.
“Whatever malady asks of me and my people will be done according to your command,” replied the king as he stood erect and then bowed low on one knee. The ground shook slightly as his knee slammed to the floor.
“I knew that you would be willing to help me. Angus, by assisting me in my request, you will probably save this land from our enemies. I need you and your army to take up all of the defensive positions around the country of Landen. North, west, south, and east alike will require your troops’ presence. I need the army of General Yukio to push back the high elven army in the north all the way back to the Nairi Canyons. The army under the command of General Lysander Ehagrukiel will need to prepare for a push against the orcs and high elves in the south. They will combine their strength with the army of General Sanjay from the forest of Aran, who will be arriving at the capital within a few days.”
The Fallen Guardian tgc-2 Page 11