The Guardian Chronicles: Book 03 - The Dark Tide

by Steven R. Burke

  “Someone will need to inform Lady Khalida about this” replied Necia irritably. Flames momentarily encircled her and then faded away. Her frustration was not related to the encounter as the others thought. She realized that the encounter she just had was because of her former master. While she was still struggling with loyalties, it was no longer possible for her to delude herself as to what Kana was doing. She had summoned a powerful creature from the underworld. There was only one way to do that and that was with the darkest magic. She must have made a deal of some kind with the keeper himself.

  “Tirornil…you need to return to the capital to request siege warriors. Our magical barriers did not protect us in the slightest, so we will need numbers on our side as well if we are to protect against the demon army” Hilzarie ordered the elven mage calmly. She was oblivious to Necia’s internal struggle because of the recent conflict. She knew that dark magic from the underworld was being used and they could do much less than they had hoped to protect eastern Landen.

  “Yes mistress…” replied the wizened elven mage as he spread magically generated wings. He summoned a strong wind that picked him up and ushered him briskly toward the capital. Hilzarie sent a gust of wind to aid the mages flight. The elf was not expecting the help and was surprised by the additional thrust. His wings struggled to hold against the violent push.

  “I will deliver the message to our mistress while you work with the remaining elven mages to create barriers that will stop their attacks” Hilzarie said decisively. She did not look at Necia as she spoke…she was already focused on the next task. They would have to use non-magical means to properly defend themselves.

  “Good idea…I have some different methods of defense that I think will be more efficient than what we had in place. Hurry back” Necia said with a warm smile. Her frustration had slipped away and was replaced by a sense of purpose. Hilzarie always had this effect on her.

  “I will.” She shot up into the air with unfurled wings and was gone from sight within moments as strong winds push her toward her destination.

  ***

  Lord Keb walked slowly along the western cliffs looking down at the Blaine River. Lord Neb had just left to tend to the defenses of Renshaw and the river. Keb stood still as stone contemplating the various ways of defending this part of Landen. There were several cities and towns along these cliffs which worried the elemental considerably. The capital was also close to the western edge, so he was trying his best to think of ways to defend such vital areas of Landen. The eagles were going to help defend the high plains, so that did ease his mind slightly, but he was still overcome by the feeling that he was not thinking of something very important.

  Keb had many of the Landen soldiers stationed at the defensive positions along the cliff. He was now focusing on what strategies he could use to defend the walls without harming any friendly forces below the cliffs. It was a tricky proposition at best. As he continued to ponder the choices before him the sun began to set on yet another day. The earthen lord didn’t know that Necia and Hilzarie had had their first encounter with the new leader of the demon hordes earlier that day. His task of preparing the defenses had gone smoothly enough that he spent most of the day planning out different stratagems he could employ based on ever changing circumstances.

  Lord Neb crossed the river cautiously as he saw the mass destruction that had taken place under the eaves of the forest. The smell of nearly one hundred thousand dead orcs was repugnant. His eyes were quickly drawn to the spirit creatures flitting about the shadows. Seda…why on earth are we working with them? This does not make any sense at all. These vile creatures are very dangerous and should not be trusted. Their treachery cost us dearly in the past…what have they done to gain our trust? I know that the guardian trusts them; however that does not mean they have earned mine. His thoughts continued to whirl about in his head as he moved away from the western bank of the Blaine River. Suddenly a wall of Seda appeared before him and looked determined to halt his progress toward the forest.

  “Stop where you are! Declare yourself!” a raspy voice spoke unbidden in Neb’s mind. He flinched at the unwanted intrusion. The voice had a harsh quality to it that grated at his senses.

  “You know who I am…the question is why you are blocking me” retorted the water lord sharply. He was not going to tolerate such nuisances.

  “We serve the master of Tuwa and answer only to him…we do not recognize you, so we ask you once more…who are you?” the voice asked again in the guardian’s mind. The vile apparitions were being obstinate and he had little time for such diversions.

  “Tell me what master you serve and I will tell you my name” replied Neb calmly. He wanted desperately to vanquish as many of these traitors as he could; however, his loyalty to Lord Adair was absolute.

  “We are the humble servants of the high guardian. We desire only to serve him and he has ordered us to protect the forest and river from unwanted parties. Who are you?” the voice came again a little more impatiently this time. They knew who he was and they would test his loyalty as part of protecting their charges. Kana was a guardian at one time, so who is to say that another elemental would fall from grace.

  “I am Lord Neb…servant of the guardian and member of the guardian council. I have come on my master’s orders to lead your efforts in defending this part of Tuwa.” He was slightly perturbed by this encounter and did not pretend otherwise. He also realized that they were doing Adair’s bidding. He did not believe it until now.

  “Master Neb…” replied the voice as the Seda in front of him bowed and parted for him to continue into the woods.

  As Neb moved past the Seda, he decided that a display of his power would probably ensure that these spirits understood who was in charge. He looked at the mounds of bodies strewn about the road and under the trees. He moved his arms and hands in a series of complex movements while he uttered aloud “Watnesé”. A geyser of water shot up from the river behind the specters which caused them to move away from the river and from the water elemental. He motioned with his arms forward and the water raised high into the air and formed itself into a gigantic ball. The watery sphere hung suspended over the dead bodies for a few moments.

  Neb dropped his arms dramatically which caused the watery orb to hit the areas that had the piles of dead orcs. The instant the water made contact; the bodies were liquefied and were absorbed into the ground. There was no trace of blood, guts, or even bones. The ground still had the scars from the battle that had taken place on it, but there was no evidence that dead bodies had been strewn about on it. There was a buzzing noise coming from the Seda and they came closer to Lord Neb.

  “Master is truly powerful. We are honored to serve the guardians. We have destroyed this orc army as a token of our devotion to your cause. Does our master trust us now?” asked the voice of the Seda. There was an eerie quality to the voice that echoed in his mind. It almost had a hiss like quality to it. It made Neb think of snakes, which is what he compared these spectral creatures to. To him they were still slippery devils; however, killing the entire orc army proved they were truly on the guardian’s side.

  “I do trust you…General Tomo’s army was a large and formidable foe. Did you lose any in the battle?” asked Neb questioningly. He did not know if the specters were susceptible to melee attacks. He knew full well that they could be killed by magical means, but they were able to defend themselves against most of these attacks.

  “They had no magic wielders among them, so we are still fully accounted for. Our numbers appear small because we were ordered to protect the entire forest, so we had to spread out. We will not be able to defeat an army of that size again because the fallen guardian Kana would have realized by now that we have joined your side. She will make sure there are magic users in her ranks from here on out.”

  “Very well then…let’s discuss some strategies then.” The light filtering through the black oaks of Renshaw cast odd shadows on the spectral creatures. The sight of Ne
b meeting with Seda in the forest had to be one of the most peculiar sights in Tuwa’s history.

  Dagnolir Fortress

  The mountain fortress echoed with the sounds of death as the battle for Mount Carrick raged on. Weeks had passed since the dwarves surprised their uninvited neighbors with a series of well-placed and timed artifices. The damage inflicted on the goblins and rock trolls was much more significant than merely a large number of casualties…the psychological damage was devastating. After some time Kana’s warriors regained their composure…until the arrival of the legendary brown bears that is. Huslu came roaring into view over the peak above Dagnolir’s castle with a sea of brown behind him early one morning. This avalanche of fur heartened the battered dwarves and caused the rock trolls to briefly halt their crushing barrage at the sight of this strange phenomenon. The impressive warrior druid Nariko was among the charging bears as they descended upon the trembling forces of goblins and bewildered trolls.

  The snow had stopped days ago which left the mountainside slick with ice because of the heavy foot traffic in conjunction with the freezing rain that took the place of the unnatural blizzard. General Yuki’s goblin troops had only made it close enough to shoot long range arrows at the bearded cave dwellers. The slippery terrain had made it impossible to get any closer. The combined army was beginning to run low on supplies and ammunition because the supply line that led back to the place that Yuki had intended to make camp was too treacherous…even for the rock trolls. At the base of the mountain was a pile of goods that the goblin home guard had transported over the past few weeks. They had attempted to reach their general, but they too were driven back by nature.

  The bears crashed into the temporarily stunned forces of Kana with extreme force. The goblins that were unfortunate enough to be at the front were torn to pieces like wet paper. Their black blood ran down the mountainside like a spring thaw before its time. The freezing rain began to turn into snow once more as the merciless assault continued. The rock trolls began hand to hand combat with the unexpected furry warriors from the north. This was a crucial point in the siege for both sides…if the bear army was successful in driving Yuki’s forces back to the base of the mountain; the new blizzard would likely keep them at bay for several days. This would provide the dwarves with a much needed breather during which they could regroup and rebuild. However, if the goblins and rock trolls were successful in slaughtering the advancing army, then they would have the tide turned in their favor once again. They would be able to re-establish their supply route which would help them be better prepared for the latest weather development.

  Lord Nariko reared up on his hind legs and transformed into his stout dwarven form. He raised his battle hammer high into the air while chanting some druidic spell. As the massive magical weapon came crashing down on the icy surface, the loud crash echoed across the suddenly still mountainside. The rock trolls knew at once what the little bearded magic wielder had done. They turned around and attempted to make a dash down the slope. An ear splitting cracking noise ripped through the snow filled air as the sheet of ice Yuki’s troops had been standing on began to break away right in front of the sly druid.

  General Yuki shrieked in utter frustration as she began to slide away down the mountainside along with her army. She shouted profanities in her native tongue and was soon out of sight as the snow’s intensity increased. Her voice was drowned out by the cries of terror from her goblin soldiers. Several chunks of ice came whirring through the air at the chuckling figure of Lord Nariko. The rock trolls had determined to have one final parting shot at the annoying bearded wizard. Nariko smiled as he raised his war hammer high above his head. He reared back and hurled the weapon at the deadly projectiles with surprising accuracy. The hammer smashed into the first ice block with shattering results. The magical weapon continued on to the other icy chunks before returning to the hands of its master.

  “Brilliant…you always know what to do at any given moment” said Huslu to Nariko’s mind.

  “Once you and your fellows had dispatched several of those vile green beasts I noticed that there was a clear line between the two forces. I thought it would be prudent to send those vicious pieces of filth on their way so that we could all get a breather. It was quite a trek from Renshaw to here and I did not want our fatigue to play into our enemy’s hands” explained the druid smoothly. He was panting from the recent fighting and his muscles screamed at him from overuse. He stood erect and did not show his fatigue as he watch the last vestiges of their aggressors go over the edge. Dwarves were able to fight much longer than any other race or creature. Some thought they were literally made of stone.

  “As I was saying…you always know what to do. How about we get out of this blizzard and warm up a bit?” suggested the leader of the brown bears of the north. She shook her body to rid herself of the snow that was quickly building up on her. She was massive in size which made her look unbelievable huge next to Nariko.

  “Let us be on our way then…I am sure King Dagnolir would like to repay our timely intervention. I get the feeling that our rest will be short lived…the people of Carrick are being attacked in the tunnels below as we speak” Nariko said with a fierce look. While he put on a confident front, he was greatly concerned with the well-coordinated assault on the mountain fortress. We did not give the goblins and trolls credit for their ability to work together in such an efficient manner.

  The battle under the mountain was much more arduous than the goblins and rock trolls had anticipated. While the number of casualties down below was significantly less than what General Yuki had experienced up above, the lack of any progress was driving the trolls, in particular, to their breaking point. They still remembered the fiery deaths of their comrades at the beginning of their misfortune. The massive brutes had taken out their frustrations on their smaller counterparts when it became clear that they could not make any sustainable push against the stubborn dwarves. One of the most significant blockades was their own dead. There were so many bodies blocking the only entry way into the bowels of the fortified city that they could not make any head way. They had spent a considerable amount of time unceremoniously throwing their dead or dying into the abyss they had finally crossed weeks earlier.

  “Commander Toan…what news from above?” asked Commander Jabari impatiently. He was growing weary with the lack of success and was hoping that Lord Trahern and Commander Vahe were having better luck.

  “I am afraid that the news from above is not good at all. They have had a major setback due to the arrival of those furry beasts from the north” explained Toan resignedly. He too was overly tired from this whole bloodied affair that was filled with nothing but disappointment.

  “Vragen dűn lienzen!” swore Jabari in exasperation. He slammed his massive fist into the cave wall next to him. A large chunk of rock broke off and fell onto an unsuspecting goblin. The poor soldier was instantly crushed. None of the rock trolls took notice of the goblin’s fate. They all agreed with their comrade’s assessment.

  “Too true…however, that is not even half of it. That wicked dwarf who can turn into a lienzen was with those fluffy bears. He used his war hammer to crack the ice our comrades were positioned on” explained Toan dejectedly. “Our troops slid all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. In addition to this wretched news, they are being hit by another blizzard.” His face was as animated as a troll could get which looked really painful. It was clear that they did not have many facial expressions and that it took considerable effort to change between them.

  “Well, at least they will have a chance to recuperate down below” Jabari replied thoughtfully. He had never felt so dejected or tired. He yearned for something to go their way for once. He lifted his leg and brought it down on the chunk from the cave wall. The rock was ground into powder and the goblin was nothing more than a smear on the ground.

  The two massive rock troll leaders stood stoically as the goblin soldiers around them muttered mutinously to each oth
er. They could not tell what the massive brutes were doing because they were communicating with their minds. All the little soldiers could tell was that their commanders were not happy. The biggest clue was one of their fellow soldiers being crushed to death by Jabari. The goblins were at their limit because of the treatment at the hands of their supposed allies. They were being killed by both sides of this conflict.

  “Looks like the big dumb brutes are not happy again” said one little goblin archer. He spat on the wall next to him in disgust. His gesture was appreciated by every goblin that was able to see what was going on.

  “Not surprised…they are always mad about something” replied a goblin captain. He sneered at the motionless brutes that had been standing there for almost an hour with no indication as to what they were planning. He was voicing what everyone else was thinking. There were definitely serious issues developing between the trolls and goblins. The rock trolls did not care that the goblins were unhappy with the treatment they received at their hands. The goblins were done with the senseless killing of their own by the brutes who were supposed to be on the same side.

  “I think we should start making our way back to Sheldon…this is not worth it” interjected another. The soldier was trying to build on the expressed distrust. The war effort was not benefiting them and they were beginning to wonder why they should continue the fight. They feared the fallen guardian who ultimately led their cause and it was only this fact that would likely keep them in line.

  “Or maybe you weak freaks will go to the front line!” Commander Jabari said irritably to the three dissenters. He turned ominously toward the trio and glared down at them. He had been listening to their entire exchange. That was one of the advantages of the rock trolls’ lack of expression, you never knew if they were paying attention to you or not.