"Well, I suppose I should have expected that reply," he said shortly. "They believe you all to be traitors and will not get involved unless it is on the side of the woodland elves."
"That is not good news at all. Are you still planning on sending a message to King Derek?" Bronwen asked patiently.
"No, my hawk has informed me that he saw King Ciel's messenger owl, returning from the Forest of Aran. I believe that they too have made a pack with the elves not to recognize us. Our last hope remains with the dwarves," Yukio said dejectedly. I really believed the people ofLanden would have joined with us.
He tied two messages onto the legs of his faithful messenger. One was for King Kasim and the other was for King Jarvis. He instructed the bird to disregard delivering a letter if King Ciel's owl was seen in the vicinity of either dwarven kingdom. He did not want to give away too much to the ever-expanding alliance of the elves. The general knew that he could not waste any more time worrying about his diplomatic mission. It was clear that the elves were planning an attack on the high elves very soon. If it came to a war, he wanted to be prepared. He needed to take the troops that were waiting for his return and head straight for Mount Quang. He would need to send a couple of the high elves ahead to deliver the warning about those plotting against them.
"Do not worry, General Ibreshri; the high elves cannot fail. We have the goddess Kana on our side. She will not allow this treachery to stand," said Bronwen consolingly.
"I know. We will win this battle. If it is to be war, we will be victorious," said General Yukio boldly.
CHAPTER 7
The dwarves
As Yukio's hawk soared high above the Blaine River, the wind changed directions so that the prevailing wind was from the south. The smell of war was in the air. The warrior hawk was heading south to his next quarry and had been strongly instructed to avoid the Forest of Renshaw at all costs so this head wind he was fighting was exceptionally brutal. He was also told to fly as high as possible and to hide in the clouds whenever possible. Not only was he attempting to avoid the eyes of the elves, but the men of Landen and Aran. General Yukio had suspicions that the kings of men had made alliances with the elves. This meant that they knew everything King Ciel did. He was also concerned that there may be an attack on the capital of Alanderas being planned by these conspirators. He had left Queen Daria with her blessing to go and protect their newest ally. The general was determined to reach Queen Kira and the high elves before any real threat could be posed by their neighbors to the south.
The hawk was ordered to gather intelligence on its way to and from his destinations. The hawk's sharp eyes could see beasts and people gathering on both sides of the banks of Blaine. He could not risk descending to a lower altitude just to see exactly who it was that was preparing for war. Yukio's faithful bird knew that delivering his messages to kings Kasim and Jarvis was of the utmost importance. He needed to not only deliver Yukio's requests, but he also needed to bring back answers from the dwarven monarchs. The support of those two powerful leaders was vital to the safety of the high elves. If they had allies south of their enemies, they could crush them with relative ease. King Edric had assured General Yukio that all of the dwarves would be behind this new nation.
After flying for many miles in a southerly direction, the warrior hawk turned west to head toward Mount Adem. King Kasim would be the stronger of the two potential allies by virtue of his location. The mountain kingdom of Adem lay to the south and a little to the west of the Black Forest. They would be able to draw the attention of the elves to their southern border if King Ciel decided to attack the high elves. Yukio was going to appeal to the strong dislike the people of Kasim had for elves in general. He knew that it was going to be difficult to persuade the dwarves to ally themselves with the new nation because of who they were, but the general knew that by appealing to what they did believe in would win them over in the end. They revered Mistress Kana as a goddess and would do whatever she asked of them, so that was the strongest point in their favor.
The fortress of King Kasim Thokrog gleamed in the moonlight as the home guard stood at their posts. The silver and gold that was inlaid into the fine craftsmanship of the walls and towers was the source of the shimmering. The bulwarks were made of a substance that looked jet black and appeared to be as smooth as the scales of a fish. The width of these impressive barriers was equal to ten dwarves laying head to toe. There were several hidden stations where the guards hid themselves to keep watch night and day without being seen. An outsider would never be able to find them even if they were right on top of them. Commander Giles Bobrilir stood stoically on one of the parapets keeping watch on this clear cool night. He was in charge of the defenses of King Kasim and of his majesty's personal guard. He also had the sharpest eyesight of any living dwarf according to the stories told in Adem. This night was one of the first times that he proved his natural ability to his men.
"Captain, a warrior hawk is approaching! Prepare the archers!" barked Commander Giles in his gruff voice. He had seen the bird long before any of the bowmen could even see the speck in the night sky. He had a very suspicious feeling that this bird was a messenger bringing tidings they did not want to have any part of. He was prepared to shoot it out of the sky if it dive bombed them or made any other aggressive movements. If the unknown messenger proceeded on his current course, they would let it live and see what it was brining to them. The hawk was making for the front gate. This was the appropriate approach to any dwarven dwelling according to their customs.
"Sir, where is the beast?" asked the Captain. "I do not see anything out there, Commander." Has Bobrilir lost his mind? None of us see anything in the sky.
The eyes of the home guard turned skyward to search for their quarry once more. After a few moments, a black dot appeared low over the plains. It was approaching rather fast and headed directly toward the main gate. The guards were impressed with their leader and his amazing eyesight. They could not believe that he could see so clearly at night.
"Captain, keep the archers trained on that hawk while I go down to retrieve the message. If the creature takes an offensive posture, kill it. If it approaches in a peaceful manner, let it live," ordered Commander Giles.
"Yes, sir!" said the captain as he snapped to attention. "Archers, you heard the orders. Do not lose sight of that bird."
The dwarven captain turned to tell his commander something, but he was already gone. Not only did their leader have amazing sight, but he was also the most agile and silent dwarf. As the captain searched for Commander Giles, he caught a glimpse of him approaching the front gate. He reminded the archers of their orders again and told them to be careful to not hit their fearless leader if they had to shoot the messenger bird.
The hawk landed lightly on the ground right in front of the main gate as instructed by General Yukio. He waited patiently for someone to come retrieve the message tied to his leg. The general had tied both messages for the dwarven kings. One was the color red to indicate that the note was for the king of the red mountain, Mount Adem. The other was colored white to indicate that this note was for King Jarvis of the snow-capped mountains of Mount Carrick. The dwarves liked to color coordinate their correspondences so that they would not get confused. King Edric had informed Yukio of this method and told him how to follow this protocol to ensure those who received the messenger bird would remove the appropriate note.
Commander Giles opened a hidden door in the wall on the west side of the gate. He scanned the open field for any signs of a possible ambush. He did not see anything aside from the very patient bird waiting to deliver its message. Right away the commander noticed that the hawk had two letters that were color coordinated. This puzzled him because this clearly indicated that the message was from King Edric because his people were the only ones who knew the dwarven system. They had not heard from their distant ally for quite some time. A note for each dwarven king of the southern realms had a special significance. He did not know what it coul
d be and decided to waste no more time. He walked up to the bird that then outstretched his leg to indicate to the dwarf to remove the red note.
He removed the note, and the hawk took off immediately. The bird soared high and headed due east. The commander returned to the safety of the walls through the secret door and opened the red note immediately. It was written in the language of the men of the northern kingdom of Nairi. How did they know how to deliver a message to us? King Edric must have helped them! Why would he do that? He was lost in these troubling thoughts for a moment and then decided to read what this person had to say.
King Kasim Thokrog,
I, General Yukio Ibreshri, have visited King Edric Nognili with an urgent plea from Queen Kira Tiranidrol of the new nation called high elves. He has pledged his support along with Queen Darla Thejar of the Nairi Canyons. These elves have left the Black Forest at the command of the powerful Mistress Kana. She informed them that King Ciel Tiranidrol was leading the people down a dangerous path and that she would assist them in building a new and better kingdom. One of King Ciel's daughters was crowned queen, and they took the name of high elves to distinguish themselves from those they left behind.
As they are still in their infancy, they are seeking the support of the good races of Tuwa. I am the husband of Queen Kira and her ambassador. The illustrious Kana herself blessed our union and has helped us secure the support of Queen Darla and King Edric. I have been instructed to request your support in our cause of freedom. The messenger bird that brought you this message will return in two days with the reply from King Jarvis and return to the main gate to receive King Kasim's answer. We fear that there may be an axis of evil forming against this new nation and the powerful Elemental Kana. Please reply to our humble request as soon as possible.
Best Regards,
General Yukio Ibreshri
Commander Giles was stunned by the request and its boldness. No one from the race of men or elves had ever attempted such a direct approach. Dwarves traded with the other races freely, but they never got involved in their politics. This general claimed to have the support of King Edric, but the commander simply could not believe this to be the case. He wasted no more time on pondering the particulars of this matter and left immediately to visit his king. This was one message his majesty would want to hear straight away. Normally he would wait until morning, but this note contained information that would take some careful consideration and time to determine the appropriate response.
As the commander passed his guards that he had called to attention earlier, he told them it was a message for the king and thanked them for doing their jobs. He told them that he would return shortly to fill them in because he needed to get the note to King Kasim as soon as possible. He nodded to the dwarves and continued his trek up the mountainside. He did not head to the entrance to the castle but to the east side of the interior wall. This barrier was not as thick as the outer wall, but it was twice as high. Situated atop the wall were trebuchets, catapults, and stationary arrow launchers. What were not visible to the naked eye were the numerous home guards hidden at various locations on the top of the bulwark.
Giles headed toward the far east end of this massive barrier. He reached the point where the wall met the mountainside and moved his hands gently over the smooth surface of the wall while muttering something in his native tongue. A secret door opened abruptly to admit him. He entered quickly, and the hidden door slammed shut behind him. He was engulfed in utter darkness, but this did not dissuade him. He plunged into the dark with reckless abandon. He moved deftly as he made his way to yet another secret entrance. He did the same thing as before, and this time the door glowed red for a minute before opening. This was the private entrance to the king's bedchamber. King Kasim was already on his feet and holding out his hand for the note the commander carried.
"Commander Giles, this had better be important," said the king imperiously. There was not a trace of tiredness on the stoic leader's face.
"It is very important, King Kasim. I would not dare wake you in the middle of the night if I felt it could wait until morning," Commander Giles replied confidently.
The king opened the letter and read it through quickly. His brow furrowed as he continued down the page. He had a look of disgust by the time he was done reading the note from General Yukio. He looked at both sides of the letter and read it through again to make sure he did not miss anything. He did not believe one word this supposed general said. He looked up at his head of the home guard as if to ask if King Jarvis had been sent the same drivel.
"My king, another message was attached to the hawk that delivered this message colored after our fashion. It was white, and it was clearly intended for King Jarvis. The bird took off immediately and headed due east toward Mount Carrick," reported Commander Giles.
"Please retrieve General Magnar and Thanos Thrargoin immediately. Have them meet me in the war room in fifteen minutes. We need to discuss this further and determine what, if anything, we will do," commanded King Kasim. He was not pleased with what he read at all, but he knew that he should ask his most trusted advisors what should be done.
"I will return with them in fifteen minutes' time," replied Commander Bobrilir. He turned to the private door and silently slipped through.
"General Magnar and my dear Thanos, thank you for coming on such short notice," welcomed the king. He bade them to sit down at his table so that they could discuss what would need to be done. The surface of this unique table was covered with a map of the lands of Tuwa. Commander Giles turned to leave but was hailed by the king to return and join them in the discussion. He turned about-face and marched back to the table and took a seat next to the mighty druid Thanos. He sat quietly as the king read the letter to the other two. He still had the feeling that this message was treacherous, but he wanted to hear what the others thought before expressing his concerns.
The group discussed the letter until the sun came up. They finally decided that they would continue with their policy of not mingling in other races' politics or affairs. They would send this message back to General Yukio when his bird returned. In the meantime, they would dispatch their own messenger to go visit King Edric and find out what he was thinking. Spies would also be sent out to discover what else was taking place in Tuwa. They all agreed that something was happening, and they wanted to be prepared. They knew that the ores were on the move because they have seen a great deal of activity on Mount Tarin. Maybe they had something to do with this treachery, thought Commander Bobrilir.
The home guard of King Jarvis watched the warrior hawk approach their main entrance. They had no idea who would be sending them a message in this manner. If it was from another dwarf, they would use one of their own to send a correspondence. However, the bird followed all of their protocols, so they did not shoot it out of the afternoon sky. The hawk landed softly on the ground just in front of the massive steel gate. The dwarves looked down at the little speck on the ground with great suspicion. The walls of King Dagnolir's fortress were as thick as King Kasim's, but it was made of steel and stone. Lord Nariko watched the bird that appeared to have a great deal of patience from outside the fortress. As a druid, he would be able to communicate with the hawk to some degree, so he felt it was up to him to greet the unexpected guest.
The enormous brown bear that had been walking near the fortress changed at once into a dwarf. He walked calmly up to the messenger bird and retrieved the letter. He reached down again and gave the bird some of the meat he had been chewing on before he had changed shapes. The warrior hawk took the food gratefully and focused on eating. Lord Nariko uttered some unintelligible words to the hawk, and the bird replied as if he understood what the druid was saying. They did this for a few minutes, and then the hawk went back to chewing on his treat. The druid's attention returned to the letter. He opened it and read it through quickly. It was almost exactly the same as the letter to King Kasim.
Nariko reached down and picked up the messenger bird and
placed him on his left arm. He walked resolutely toward the main gate and demanded entrance. The doors opened slowly at his command, and there were onlookers all around trying to get a glimpse of this mysterious visitor. He continued to walk up the main thoroughfare until he reached the entrance to the castle. The king's guard halted him and asked him to state his purpose. He explained that he had an urgent message from Queen Daria Thejar's general. The contents of the note were intended for King Jarvis himself. They let him enter and bowed as he walked past them. The dwarves respected all shape shifters and would do whatever they asked. Lord Nariko Kromnog was revered as the most powerful and wise of the druids in Tuwa.
King Jarvis Dagnolir stood and bowed slightly as the druid entered the king's council room. Lord Nariko stopped where he was and returned the show of respect. He was the king's most trusted friend and confidant. They would be able to decipher the truth of the message and generate the appropriate response. Reasoning together had always yielded the best result in the past, and it would not be any different this time.
"Mighty king, this warrior hawk brought us this letter from a General Yukio Ibreshri. He is the general of Queen Daria's armies and the husband of the newly crowned queen of the high elves, Kira Tiranidrol. They say that the guardian Kana inspired the break from King Ciel's people and the formation of their new nation. They also believe that the union of this man and this elven princess was blessed by this Elemental. However, I sense that there is treachery on the part of this particular guardian," explained the master druid. Of all the Elementals, Kana is by far the worst! She is up to no good. I can feel it.!
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