“Secured enough for me to be here, your Majesty. And yours?” he answered quirkily.
“Good. We just cut off a major mining complex in the northern quadrant. We are shipping them here. The Red Prince’s intel gave me a heads up. I even secured some prisoners,” Aderon said.
“Good. Be sure to report that to Tamiron,” he answered and looked to Aderon who was already staring at him by then. “And stop calling him the Red Prince.”
Aderon smugly smiled, “The Red Prince asked to be called as such, so I will humbly oblige. Until he tells me that personally, I will call him as such. Now I shall be going, I need to attend to my men. Good day, your Highness.”
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. I just really want to punch you in the face, he said to himself.
“Your Highness?” his guards asked awkwardly before he went to his own way.
“Let’s go,” he said as he paced faster than before.
EVANGELINE WAS STILL at the top of the tower when she sensed something that she couldn’t explain. She was baffled when the disturbance made its presence once more. She focused on the energy it gave away and she immediately surrounded herself with a pink sheet of light until she was enveloped in an orb and when it finally opened, she was inside a tomb — she teleported to where the disturbance resonated.
It was dark. She could still sense the strange feeling. It lingered in the tomb, enough to make her shiver from its unsettling presence. She couldn’t tell herself for sure what it was, but the feeling was oddly familiar — yet felt very outlandish. She had no idea what to expect until she appeared to have stepped on something. She looked and gasped to see, a dead imperial soldier lying on the ground. She snapped her fingers and pink orbs of light illuminated the tomb. She was horrified to see more dead soldiers up ahead.
She investigated further as to what happened — why it happened. From afar she saw a blown up tomb with an insignia not familiar to her.
“Hurry! Quickly!” a voice said from outside. She looked again at the insignia then teleported away, before the onslaught of soldiers could see her.
End of chapter II
III: Horns & Claws
The command tent was busy when the High Army arrived. Tamiron was swamped as he tried to organize everything in place; not to mention that he felt as though Aderon would be walking in on him at any moment of the day.
He reviewed several reports from the armory which he instructed earlier to look into the destroyed armors from the recent battle. He noticed something different from it.
“Are these reports accurate?” he asked one of the soldiers inside.
The soldier looked into the report and answered, “Yes, Sire,”
He was intrigued. They didn’t need to change the armor of the entire army but only needed to have the breast plates upgraded. It was good thing he noticed it for it could save valuable time for them. He suddenly stood from the realization.
“I need to talk to Graveloth immediately.” he ordered for an owl and one was brought to him in an instant. “Yoe Ion Margog Graveloth,” he said the command incantation to connect with the correct owl and the owl proceeded to project Graveloth who was on the other side of the world.
“Tamiron, we are kind of busy right now. What is it?” Graveloth greeted.
“I’m sorry, Graveloth. It’s about the upgrade we are requesting. Has the Iron council approved of it yet?” he asked his friend.
“To be honest my friend, it is a very steep request you have. I can do something about the weapons. But the armors are a bit too much. There’s a good chance the Iron Council won’t agree to it. But I’ll see what I can do,”
“Its fine,” he smiled. “We need only the breast plates. The rest could remain as they are.”
Graveloth’s eyebrows met, “What do you mean?”
“I noticed that the Armedigors, or the Xerxecians only aim in the middle of the breast plate.”
Graveloth thought about it as Tamiron waited for his answer, “They never take prisoners — not something that would fight back. So they hit us where it hurts most. Our numbers are dwindling as of the moment. Because of this, we could at least let a soldier survive an initial assault for them to fight back.”
“Are you sure about this?” Graveloth asked again.
“I am absolutely sure,” He answered.
“I may be able to do something about that then. We are already starting on the weapons. I’ll deliver the request to the Iron Council. I’ll give you a head’s up once I get results. Don’t expect it to be within the week though. Still pretty frantic around here,” Graveloth warned Tamiron.
“I understand, my friend. Until then,” he said then both smiled at each other.
“So how is everyone there, Tamiron?” Graveloth asked as though the tension finally disappeared from both of them.
“We are doing good despite what had happened,” he said as he stacked the papers.
“By the way, these owls are fascinating creatures. However, I still do not understand how they work,” Graveloth said, eyeing the owl even closely.
“Well it is magic,” he said as drank his wine. “But to be more precise, as I remember it being explained to me back then, all the owls are connected to each other. You only need to mention an incantation that refer to a person. In this case, the incantation is ‘margog’. For places to be very specific, you have to say ‘Cervantes adlum’. Evangeline tried to explain it better but I’m at a loss because you have to understand the basics of their magic and whatnot,” he explained.
“I see. So pretty much anyone can use magic if they know the right words,” Graveloth told him.
“You could say that. But the my Orderian teacher told me its more complicated than that. Plus, only selected people are given a special mark to get to use them,” he further explained and he could see that Graveloth had a hard time trying to digest this knowledge. “Let’s just leave it at that they are linked together then.”
“Agreed. Enough lessons for today, Tamiron. I got a lot to worry about. I don’t want to over think the owls now,” Graveloth laughed.
“Until next time then, Graveloth.” He bid goodbye and the conversation finished. He looked at the soldiers inside the command tent.
“All right, deliver this message I’m about to tell you to the battalion commanders, along with the Generals —”
“Tamiron, I need to talk to you.” Aderon suddenly burst in.
He sighed as Aderon stood in front of him, “I’m in the middle of something here? Can’t you see?” he said to Aderon as he looked around.
“Every officer below my rank, leave the tent now. I need to have a word with the Red Prince,” Aderon said smugly.
The soldiers still waited for Tamiron’s orders. He nodded to them and the soldiers promptly left.
“I believe they have to leave too,” he added. Aderon looked and commanded his guards to leave as well. “What do I owe the pleasure of talking to you in the middle of a briefing?”
“Your message is unacceptable. Why are we stalled? We can recall some of the armies back and temporarily hold the elven armies position to push. Why aren’t you doing that?” Aderon said as he demanded an answer.
“Aderon, I already had it in the message that I sent. The Xerxecians have this all thought out. This is unlike we have seen before,” he countered, trying to reason out with him.
“What kind of loaded shit is that? The Elves — be it the Viris or the Venis– is known to exaggerate things, Tamiron. That is just an excuse for their incompetence,” Aderon said as he slammed his hands on the table.
He did not like the tone the High prince one bit. He did this before, even after the battle from a year ago and had not changed at all. He always liked to act tough and was starting to annoy him now.
“I was there. I saw it with my own eyes,” he stood slowly, face to face with Aderon. “They are trained, Aderon. They are stronger than the average soldier that we could muster here. And judging by the report that I ju
st received when your army arrived, you suffered losses too, which prompted you to come back,”
“What are you trying to say, Red Prince?” Aderon looked at him in the eye.
“I’m saying that you were caught by surprise too,” he answered.
“This wouldn’t have happened if I was given free control! We could’ve done our own scouting!” Aderon shouted.
“The Tigris scouts delivered and sent intel for goodness sake! We sent you the message immediately after the battle here. Maybe if you learn to read them as soon as you get them, then this wouldn’t have happened to you as well. And don’t you dare blame this on us. Your arrogance is the reason this is becoming even more difficult!” he shouted back, turning their little talk to a heated argument.
“No! This is incompetence! I’m leaving with more rations and taking the High army and a portion of your army too!” Aderon stormed out of the tent and he followed him.
“You will do no such thing, Aderon. I have let you do your bidding long enough! You will stay put!” he shouted to Aderon, who refused to follow his orders.
“I will do no such thing. Sitting idly by is a waste of time and resources. We cannot drag this war for too long and you know that,” Aderon said back as he began to command his guards.
“You and your army will stay put. That is an order, General!” he gave his final warning. Aderon stopped on his tracks and summoned his wings and looked back.
“Make me,” Aderon dared.
Tamiron ordered the imperial phalanx who already responded to the commotion to surround Aderon. His guards were alert as well. Aderon’s fists shook with anger. He was handed his mace when Aderon suddenly roared and attacked him, but he was prepared.
The mace he held glowed of blue and green and deflected Aderon’s aerial attack. He managed to get a hold of Aderon’s foot and slammed him to the ground. Aderon was about to stand up when he pointed his mace to Aderon’s face.
“You never learn,” he said as both breathed heavily and he looked to the eagle guards. “The High Army will stay put. That is an order from the Crown Regent, The Red Prince, Grand General and Commander of the Unibeltrasian Forces. Do you get that?” he ordered the guards. The guards looked at each other and saluted to Tamiron. “Now go and tell them. I’ll deal with your prince for now,”
He walked back to his tent as the glow from his mace slowly dissipated. Aderon tried to stand.
“Do that again and I swear I’ll strip you of your own army’s command and give it to Ravaen. I’m sure he would be pleased to take them,” Tamiron said, like salt to Aderon’s wounded ego.
“Sire!” a soldier shouted from afar caught his attention as he walked back to the tent.
“What is it?” he asked.
The soldier leaned closer and whispered, “A tomb was raided in the Agun’Der Mountains. Sixteen soldiers dead,”
“Why are you reporting this to me? It should go directly to the regional guard and the governor, not me,” he said, confused why the soldier had approached him.
“Your Majesty, this tomb is not in our records. The Queen herself have this message directed to you. The Queen already ordered the phalanxes to investigate since it’s their men who died,” the soldier said and Tamiron halted and looked at the soldier, “and pardon my mistake but they are not soldiers as well. They were imperial phalanxes. All sixteen dead,”
His eyes widened from the report. The phalanxes were the best of the best, yet all of them were defeated and killed. His hand shook and he started to break cold sweat, “And you said the tomb is unaccounted?”
“Yes, Sire,” the soldier answered.
“I need to investigate this myself. Prepare my taranos and have three — no four of my guards prepare as well. And call the generals to my tent immediately and prepare the owls to talk to the rest. Quickly!” he ordered.
“At once, your Highness.”
This is bad. How could there be an unaccounted tomb? And why were imperial phalanxes guarding it without his knowledge? He thought to himself as he went in the tent with his personal guard and the generals along with the owls.
“Meet me by my taranos. I need to talk to the generals first,” he commanded his guards.
“What is this all a sudden?” Ravaen asked then the owls began to project the generals who were not in the camp.
“What is this? I have urgent matters to attend to,” Evangeline said immediately.
“That urgent matter can wait, Grand Sage,” Sevidon suddenly said to her but Evangeline only looked back.
“It is urgent and I do beg your pardon for disrupting you, Evangeline,” he said, prompting Sevidon to look at him. “I need to leave for Bastominad tonight. Something urgent came up that I need to address myself.”
“What? Can you at least tell us why?” Kaira asked.
He paused for a moment as he looked at everyone, including Aderon who just came in. “Fill him in,” he said to Glaivel and he began to tell Aderon what was going on. “And for now there is no time for me to waste, I need to move. I’ll explain it in Bastominad in four days. I will be waiting for all of you there.”
“What? So you’re just going to leave then? After you banned me from leaving?” Aderon suddenly said.
“I banned you from taking your army. But I order you to go to Bastominad,” he corrected him, clearly still annoyed at him.
“But why can’t we just go now?” Glaivel asked.
“And I’m sorry but that’s going to be impossible for me. It will take me at least a month or so to reach the city. And I’m stuck here with the Iron Council,” Graveloth said.
“I understand. Have your owl ready then in four days,” he said to Graveloth and he promptly left.
“Is that all?” Evangeline suddenly asked.
He only nodded to her when she spoke again, “Next time, Tamiron, a message from the owls would suffice. Again, I have far important things to do,” Evangeline pointed out and then she left.
“Tamiron, are you going to let her talk to you like that?” Sevidon asked and both of them only stared at each other.
“She has important things to do, as she already mentioned,” Tamiron said.
“Why didn’t she tell us what it is then? Is it relevant to the cause?” he asked him but Tamiron broke eye contact before he answered.
“Again, I will be waiting for all of you there,” Tamiron said then he left without saying anymore. The others were clearly dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. One by one they left the tent but all that remained was him.
He became curious of Evangeline. This was so unlike of her a year ago, but then again a lot had happened. He had this lingering feeling of uneasiness around her.
Something is off, Sevidon thought to himself. He took a deep breath then promptly left the tent as well.
EVANGELINE WALKED DOWN the hall of Sanctum with her council. They were all discussing something with her but clearly she wasn’t listening. Her mind was off somewhere else.
I need to find another way. She thought to herself, There has to be another way.
“Your Highness,” someone called her.
“What is it?” she asked.
The councilors all looked at each other, getting the idea that she did not pay attention to them, “Grand Sage, again I’m telling you, the myth of the Grand Orderian Library is not true. We only have but one library and that is directly in front of the Sanctum,” the councilor said to her but she kept walking.
“Councilor, with all due respect, I have already read everything in that library and I’m telling you that it is not the only one. I have cross-referenced every single text mentioning the library and far too many books have mentioned them. All of it started upon our ancestor’s arrival in this world,” she explained to them, clearly breathing in doubts from the councilors.
“But Grand Sage, we have looked for decades, centuries even. There is no such library hidden in the palace,” another one explained and all of them stopped in front of a huge wall with a façade of the
first Grand Sage. She looked at all of them then her eyes began to glow.
The floor began to shake and the she fired a beam of light to the façade which began to glow then suddenly it collapsed in on itself, with several barriers disappearing before revealing a stairway heading down.
“The Second Grand Sage hid it for the library contains too much information. Too powerful for anyone. He sealed the Grand Orderian Library which the Third Grand Sage failed to reveal herself. The information was purged from the current library to avoid any information of its existence from leaking,” she explained to the stunned councilors as she began to walk inside. The councilors tried to follow but magisters appeared and blocked their way.
“And I intend to keep it that way. This library is for my eyes and my eyes alone. Never mention this outside of the council as well or else,” she said and she slightly looked at them with her magisters sending them a clear message of what would happen. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Of course, your Highness,” the head councilor answered.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to do. Attend to the everyday matter of the kingdom for now while I’m gone,” she said as the facade slammed shut behind her.
She walked down the barely lit stairs. All she could hear was her footsteps and her own breathing. She reached the very end with only a beam of light from the ceiling and stood where the light had shined. She took a deep breath and raised her right arm then it glowed along with her eyes. She began to hover when three large rings glowed from the floor with its inscriptions glowing in fiery pink. The ground shook as the rings slowly rotated.
Then all of a sudden, light raced below her and it began to shine light into the pillars that ran across the walls of the huge circular room. Thousands upon thousands of books ran from top to bottom.
Her hands then glowed of bright maroon then books from every part of the room seemingly glowed with her and took themselves off the enormous bookshelves. The books began to rotate around the room all the while the sounds of their pages being leafed through echoed in the enormous library.
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