“I am sorry my lords…please continue” replied Necia ruefully. She still did not completely believe what she was being told, however she knew that the right side in this unpleasant affair was with the guardian and the council. She felt that she should not give up hope that Kana was a lost cause. They may actually be telling the truth so I will stay with them for now. I just cannot give up on Kana…she would do the same for me if our roles were reversed.
“As I was saying, after quite some time of watching and waiting, I made my move. When I was sure that Kana was gone, I entered the prison that held our friend Keb. I immediately sensed the presence of the dark lord and bound him fast before he detected my presence. There were a few lingering spirits, but they vanished once I captured Drogan. Lord Keb was in a pitiful state by this time, so I immediately sent him back here to begin his recovery. I remained behind for a while to do some research.” There was a rush to the explanation; however, it was clear that he was irritated with Necia. He refused to look in her direction.
“I want you all to know that Kana found out about the Orb of Nitesh and that is all. She did not seem interested in our battle plans or any of your whereabouts. I am ashamed because of my weakness…” Lord Keb was saying in a determinedly calm voice. Darkness fell upon him as he sat there staring at the center of the table. He began to lose his human form again. It was as though a light was being dimmed.
“You have no need to apologize…a druid or an immortal elf would have ended their lives after the first round of torture” interrupted the guardian kindly. “You only gave up one secret in all those weeks of torment at Kana’s and Drogan’s hands. I applaud your determination and loyalty.” The entire council clapped loudly for their friend. This gesture gave Keb his confidence back as he smiled at the guardians. Even Necia was sincere in her show of appreciation. His human form solidified once more. He looked at the fire guardian with a sneer…he did not trust and would not no matter what his master said.
“Thank you for your kind words my lord” replied Keb with a humble nod to Adair.
“You are quite welcome…now on with my story” continued Lord Adair determinedly. “I discovered from the magical residue left by Drogan and his minions a bit of what their plans were. First, I learned that the vile wraiths escaped along with several small dragons, hydras, liche, shape shifters, and possibly a deadly leviathan. Second, they were heading to the Land of Lonna to prepare for a water assault on the eastern part of Landen. Finally, the dark lord has made his own secret plans to subvert Kana once his fallen mistress had achieved her designs in getting the orb.”
“How does Drogan think he is going to accomplish this?” asked Khalida. She was skeptical of the dark lord’s abilities especially since Kana had obviously grown more powerful in the past few months. Even with his connection to the underworld, he was still limited in what he could do in the world of the living.
“He believes that by the end of the war that his powers will have returned to their full strength and that he will then be a match for her.”
“He is still an insufferable dolt after all these centuries. I think that his extended stay in that icy fortress addled his brains” said Lord Neb critically. He knew that it was not the cold but the isolation from his master in the underworld that had weakened him. Still, he thought that the dark lord would have come up with something more than his weak plan.
“There is some truth to your assessment Neb…I spoke to the dark lord for some time after I leveled that accursed mountain. I returned with him to his home in the north where I reformed the barrier that had been breached. Kana only made a small break in it, but it was enough to allow Drogan’s fiends to escape. Once he knew that he was trapped once more, he told me everything about Kana and what her plans were. She is going to return to the battle for Landen within the next couple of days. She has moved the orcs around to balance her assault. She will likely join the demons once she learns that they are leaderless.” There were a few moments of silence at the mention that the guardian had decimated the mountain that was the source of all evil. Such a feat was not to be taken lightly…not to mention the fact he resealed the breach without their help. That mountain was the place the keeper was always so close to breaking free into the world of the living.
“We must return at once to aid the armies in Landen” replied Khalida resolutely as she broke the silence that had fallen in the great domed hall. She was a little taken aback by the power her master had used.
“You will return to them once you and the council have discussed strategies. I must be off…I have things that need attending to. I will be out of contact with you for some time, but I think that you will be too busy to notice. I will return when the time is right.” With a resounding crack Lord Adair disappeared. A fine mist swirled momentarily and the vanished just as the guardian had. As the guardian was disapparating, he looked at Necia one last time with a look that showed how much he distrusted her.
“Well, we should hurry this up a bit…it sounds like Landen is surrounded by three orc armies, two high elven armies, wolves, spiders, and Drogan’s fiends. They are going to need all the help they can get” Lord Keb said meaningfully. He seemed more substantive now as though he had purpose again. He still looked at Necia as though he wanted to snuff her out of existence for her loyalty to the fallen guardian.
“Too right you are Keb…let’s get on with it” chimed in Lord Neb. He slapped Keb hard on the shoulder to show his genial support and as a way of welcoming him back. He knew that though his friend would need to have him watch over him for a little while. He was clearly not fully recovered. Keb’s state of mind was the one thing that really concerned the water lord. He was already planning out how to keep track of the earth lord for the foreseeable future.
The guardians talked for a couple more hours before they all returned to Landen. Ladies Necia and Hilzarie were asked to defend against Drogan’s hordes. Lords Neb and Keb were assigned to the western cliff and the eastern part of Renshaw. They would receive help from the Seda according to Khalida. Neb and Keb looked questioningly at one another when she told them this. Neither one believed her, but they would accept help from anyone at this point. Mistress Khalida would help in the south because of the wicked warlock that was in command of the armies down there. She would let the giants and the druid Yukio handle things in the north. All of them received the news of Yukio being the seventh druid surprisingly well and were even heartened to have the backing of at least one member of his order.
The Forest of Renshaw
The orcs made their noisy march north adjacent to the eaves on the eastern edge of the Black Forest. They did not venture further into the woods because of the uneasy feeling that emanated from the ancient oaks. They all felt like they were being watched and that the trees were moving in unnatural ways considering there was only a weak breeze. General Tomo’s army was marching at a feverish pace because they were supposed to reach Queen Kishi at the base of Mount Lamont within the next three days. General Synan’s much larger army had been reduced to the same size of General Tomo’s because he was at the front of the assault Landen’s southern cliffs. The general ordered his troops to halt for the day when they had reached the middle of the western cliffs. He had his soldiers begin work on setting up a new base camp further into the thick black oaks of the forest.
General Tomo’s army did not look back at those who remained behind in the enchanted forest. Even though the orcs were united under Kana, they were still divided by their different tribes. They remained loyal to the general leading their particular army and did not fraternize with anyone outside their respective clans. The fallen guardian had realized that it was no good in trying to make them get along, so she felt it was time to divide them up. She felt confident that by moving the three orc armies into positions in the north, west, and south that they would finally be able to have a balanced attack. She knew that this would give her minions the best chance of finally gaining some ground against the stubborn forces
that ringed the cliffs of Landen.
As Tomo’s troops began their work they discovered several old dilapidated buildings that had not been used for many years. Rust appeared to have done its work over centuries of neglect and lack of use. As the general’s commander made his way through these structures he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Commander Nolan looked closer at the rust color on the walls and discovered that it was actually dark red blood. A soft hoot of an owl overhead made the stout leader jump. He cast his eyes about to see where the ruddy bird was. He started to back away from the building as the atmosphere around him seemed to be closing in on him. As he turned his attention to his troops who had watched him enter the eerie place, he noticed that they all had frightened looks on their faces. He felt invisible hands reaching for him.
“What are you dogs looking at?” blasted Commander Nolan Sugguk harshly. He was trembling slightly at the unexplainable oppression around him. He shrugged as though he was trying to ward something off. He was not too happy that some of the soldiers saw his jumpiness. I hate this cursed forest!
“There are shadows or spirits in that place” replied one of his soldiers as he pointed to the buildings the commander had just left. This timid behavior was not acceptable to any orc soldier; however, no one seemed inclined to ridicule the one who had spoken since they all felt the same way.
“What are you on about? There’s nothing back there! Back to work!” barked the commander loudly. His anger was escalating quickly as he felt the situation getting out of control though he had no idea what was happening or even what the situation was.
The soldiers dispersed slowly while muttering beneath their breath about the evil spirits they thought were all around them. They did not try to hide their disapproval of making base camp in such an accursed place. They believed that the elves had twisted the forest to attack anyone who was not of their own race. Not a single soldier paid any attention to the commander who had returned to the buildings again. Commander Nolan was determined to discover what had happened in this place. He also wanted to rid himself of the owl who kept on hooting at him.
“Nolan! Why are you wasting time in there?” bellowed General Tomo in his deep, ruddy voice. The general was also sensing some kind of disturbance; however, he was more concerned with getting the base established. What are you doing in there? We do not have time to waste with trying to figure out what happened here!
“Do you see something moving in the shadows?” asked the commander unabashed by his general’s rebuke. His mind was quickly slipping from his control as though he was mesmerized.
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?” asked the general with a hint of concern in his voice. He had seen something moving in the shadows and did not feel like admitting it. One of them had to hold themselves together. An unnatural chill sent shivers down his spine as he watched his commander. Is this one of those cursed elven tricks?
“Look at the walls…they are covered in blood. How is that possible? This place has not had a living soul in it for centuries.” Nolan was the most accomplished orc tracker and was able to determine the age of something without much difficulty. He was bewildered by the scene in front of him because the blood was clearly not elven and was likely a thousand years old. The really strange part was that the blood had not been removed by the elements or the passage of time. These two facts made his hide crawl.
“This place reeks of elven magic and treachery! Let’s get out of here” urged the general with great intensity. His eyes shifted about quickly as he scanned the shadows for an unseen enemy. He reached toward his commander to urge him to leave the damnable place. The blood on the walls started to run!
“There! Did you see that? There are spirits or something in the shadows. This place has been marked with a dark curse. Something truly evil occurred here many centuries ago.” The commander had completely lost his composure and spoke at a feverish pace before going silent. He just noticed the blood that was running down the walls.
“You are a cheerful one. If this place is cursed like you say then why don’t we leave? I will order the troops to stay away from this place.” The general began to back away slowly as he scanned the shadows for unseen demons. His muscles tensed as looked for that which could not be seen. The blood on the walls started to flow like water from a fountain. He had tried to sound dismissive and unconcerned.
The two leaders did not notice the Seda that were encircling the massive orc army while they had been distracted by the cursed village of Kylrilion. They did not realize that this was one of the villages of the long extinct Eldar. Commander Nolan knew that the place had never been inhabited by elves, but he could not determine who had actually lived there. While the Eldar were not exactly elves, they were the forerunners of the elves who inhabited the Black Forest. This was partly why the commander could not positively identify the blood. The other reason was the new blood that was flowing over the old blood…which was clearly not the same type.
The orcs had stumbled upon the threshold of the most cursed dwelling in any land in Tuwa. An unbelievable act of barbarism had taken place here and had marked the entire village with a curse. Anyone or anything that entered the city would suffer an excruciating death. If the two orc leaders had been paying attention, they would have noticed that even the Seda avoided the dwellings. The curse was not from the lands of Tuwa and was from a time long forgotten. Even the ancient order of druids did not know of the origins. The only thing that they did not was that the curse involved the life of someone innocent.
One of the soldiers who had watched Commander Nolan earlier quickly approached the general on his right side. He was slightly out of breath because of the haste he had made in order to reach Tomo. He had come to inform them of the Seda forming a wall behind them. His eyes were drawn to a surreal scene unfolding itself before him. General Tomo and the messenger watched as the commander was lifted high into the air by some invisible force. Then with a sickening crunch, Nolan was twisted like a wet towel. His body went limp and fell to the ground with a thud. He had died the instant he had been wrenched in opposite directions. His blood spilt all over the ground as he lay broken in the middle of the stained dwellings. A black mist rose from the blood on the ground as is eerily seeped into the dirt.
“No one is to come near this place…got that? I want everyone assembled right now!” ordered General Tomo angrily. His pride had blinded him to listening to his fears, which had warned him to leave the unholy grounds they had trespassed on. Waves of heat radiated off him as he turned away from the broken body. He had never heard of such devilry.
“General, I have come to deliver a message…” began the shaken messenger. He had temporarily forgotten his original purpose while watching the gruesome spectacle. The black mist continued to swirl above the desecrated orc body. The blood had vanished into the ground without a trace. It was as though the dirt was drinking the orc’s blood.
“Right…get on with it then!” shot the troubled general. He eyed the soldier with a dark, lethal glare. He was in no mood to waste time. His massive shoulders heaved as he looked at his minion.
“The Seda have formed a line directly west of us as though they are there to prevent us from going into the forest” the soldier replied quickly.
“Like I said…gather everyone together and we will discuss what needs to be done next!” ordered the general with deafening finality. He had not really heard what the messenger had said…he was still thinking of what action to take. He had been shaken by the horrific death of his faithful commander. He had to get his troops far from this cursed place before fear spread through his ranks like wildfire.
After nearly an hour of Tomo’s troops gathering together, he addressed them. “I wanted to bring you together to discuss some rules that will need to be followed for your own safety. Commander Nolan demonstrated for me what happens when you venture into the cursed village to the west…you bloody well die! No one is to go near that area.” His voice echoed
ominously as he spoke. His temper had gotten worse with the hour that had passed, which was hard to believe. He knew that they needed to be moving out, however, the size of his army was simply too great to move any time soon.
“Commander Nolan is dead?” shouted one of the commander’s soldiers in utter disbelief. A murmur rippled through ranks at this news and the blunt manner in which they were told. Fear started to spread through the ranks like a wave heading to shore.
“Yes, he got too nosy for his own good and paid for it with his life. A good lesson for the rest of you lot…when I tell you to do something, you do it!” The considerable muscles around his neck bulged as he strained to control himself. Veins were pulsating on his forehead as he stood there. The fear was eating away at every orc.
“What about those wretched spirits from southern Renshaw?” another soldier asked as he looked over his shoulder at the moving spectral creatures. It was clear that the orcs were more afraid of the wicked spirit fiends than what had happen to Commander Nolan.
“They are of no concern…they are merely blocking our way so that we do not go farther west into the forest.” Somehow this did nothing to quell the fear that was ravishing all the orcs. Now the murmuring could not be heard over the uneasy shifting going on. Massive orcs swaying in heavy armor was not the most pleasant sound to be heard. The metals groaned and shrieked as the mass moved.
“What about the ones on the river?” another soldier asked pointing toward the Blaine River. Silence met this question. The air became suddenly thick and oppressive. Dreadful fear gripped the hearts of these stout soldiers.
“What are you…” began the massive general as he turned his head toward the rushing waters. He stopped speaking as soon as he caught sight of the Seda hovering along the river for as far as he could see. He then quickly looked around and finally noticed that they were completely surrounded by the treacherous creatures.
The Guardian Chronicles: Book 03 - The Dark Tide Page 4