"Who would you recommend to do such a task?"
"I believe that I am the only one who can be trusted to be faithful in shadowing you. You know that I have the ability to hide myself most effectively. I will be able to warn you when I sense danger. Please, allow me to do this for you. I do not want to lose you," he said pleadingly. If we lose Kira, then our cause is lost.
"It will be as you have asked. Follow me, and watch out for unseen dangers. I feel comforted knowing that you will be watching over me. I am sure that my husband would be most grateful for your loyalty to me. It sounds like a plan he would come up with as well. Remember, you are not to be seen by anyone," she said with warning in her voice. She did not want any harm to come to him while watching out for her. He is putting himself in great danger by offering this service. 1 hope that he is kept safe. 1 could not bear to lose him.
"You will forget that I am even there, Milady."
"Excellent. I must undo these protective spells on the hall so General Marek will be able to enter. I told him to meet me here as soon as he was done with instructing the home guard. With him at my side and with you watching my back, I should be safe," she said with ever-increasing confidence. She then removed the spells she put on the entire room and unsealed the doors. A moment later, the general knocked at the front doors.
"Come in, General Marek," said the queen.
He entered the room and bowed himself to the floor. He waited for the queen's acknowledgment before raising his head. She bade him to rise, and as he did so, he noticed that she was all alone in the hall. He thought that she was going to meet with Bronwen while he was away. She could sense his confusion and decided to interrupt his thoughts.
"Bronwen has left already. He exited through the back door on an errand for me. We had just finished our discussion before you arrived," she said calmly.
"Very well, Your Majesty. Was it a profitable meeting?" he asked tentatively.
"It was very productive, General Marek. Now, let us not waste any more time. I have come up with several ideas, and I wanted to talk to you about them. Let's go back to the castle and discuss them there."
"As you wish, Milady."
As they walked in the shade of the mountain, Bronwen watched. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could not tell what it was exactly, but it was there nonetheless. He watched over her from a distance as a chameleon would its prey over the next two days. The feeling of impending doom still pressed on him to keep vigilant in his duty. He saw no signs of danger and could see no one else watching the queen's movements. He thought that this should comfort him, but it did not. The only person that interacted with Kira was General Marek. The general appeared to be watching her every movement as a parent watches a newborn taking their first steps. He looked like he was very anxious as well. Maybe they were sensing the same unseen danger.
On the third day, both of Kira's protectors sensed eminent danger. General Marek acted at once, knowing that if he took too much time the queen would be at risk. A shadow flitted pass a window and seemed to land somewhere on the queen's balcony to her bedchamber. Bronwen immediately went to where he thought the intruder was, but there was no one there. He could sense a presence but could not see anything with his eyes. General Marek shoved the bed out of the way and opened the trap door. He hurried the queen down the passage below and hurried in after her. Bronwen ran across the floor to reach the door before it closed. He barely slipped past the door before it shut. He heard Marek utter the words "Twilight Cavern", and the trap door disappeared.
"My queen, we need to head to the heart of the mountain now! We need to put distance between you and that intruder. I do not think that the assassin is made of flesh and blood, so I am not so sure the entrance disappearing will stop it from following. It will be easier for us to make a stand, if need be, in the cavern," General Marek said emphatically.
"You are right, Marek. Let's go," she ordered. She glanced behind to see if Bronwen had been able to make it into the tunnel with them. She saw a quick glimpse of her trusted spy and felt reassured that everything would be all right. She started down the tunnel as fast as she could manage without falling. General Marek and Bronwen Merindiel followed suit.
The journey to the center of the mountain took much longer than anyone expected. After many hours, the narrow tunnel opened into a broad cavern. The ceiling was very high, and sounds of water dripping echoed through the massive open space. Their eyes scanned the heights at first before they even realized that General Yukio had outfitted the floor with everything they would need if they were to stay here for an extended period of time. There were beds, a well of fresh water, food storage, weapons, clothes, medical supplies, and books. There was enough provisions that they would be able to last for a year if need be.
"Your husband certainly knows how to plan ahead," said Marek in utter disbelief. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing. He took comfort in their surroundings and felt reassured that they would be able to defend themselves against any threat that may present itself. Little did he know that he was about to face the assassin in a way he had not accounted for.
As they settled themselves in to their new surroundings, they found some lanterns and lit them so they could try to see their shadow friend. As soon as the light filled the cavern, the shadowy assassin appeared. The queen and the general immediately took defensive postures as they waited for their mysterious tracker to attack. The shadowy figure began to shrink in size until it disappeared. Bronwen had been watching from behind a barrel of ale and noticed right away that the thing that had been pursuing the queen had entered Marek. He immediately sprang from his hiding place and undid his cloaking magic he had been using.
"Kira, that thing has possessed General Marek! Look out!" Bronwen shouted frantically. He had sacrificed the few fleeting moments that he could have protected himself to warn his queen.
Marek turned to face the revealed protector with an evil grin as he sent forth a strong gust of wind at the defenseless chairman. Bronwen was lifted high into the air where he hit the northern wall with a sickening thud. Kira immediately sprang to action by throwing up a protective shield that sent the blistering winds toward the ceiling. It hit the roof with an extreme amount of velocity, which caused the whole mountain to shake. Rocks began to fall from the area hit by the assassin's diverted attack. Kira quickly threw up another protective barrier around herself and her friend as the ceiling began to collapse. She hunched over her bloodied friend while projectiles bounced harmlessly off the shield around them.
After long moments of quaking, the mountain went still again. Marek's eyes were burning bright red as he stared down his queen. Kira bent over Bronwen face to see if he was still alive. His body was broken from the attack, and he lay motionless. As she sat up, the vacant eyes of her most trusted friend stared back at her. She cried softly as the truth sunk in. She didn't have time to indulge in her sorrow. The protective barrier had weakened as she had lost concentration and was consequently hit by several fiery missiles. Burn marks from the vicious attack appeared all over her body while smoke rose from her wounds. Her resolve and desire for revenge gave her new strength as she stood to face her attacker.
She straightened herself as she faced Bronwen's murderer and knew that she would have to kill one of her other trusted friends if she were to destroy this assassin. She did not hesitate a moment longer and sent a gust of wind of her own at the assailant who did not attempt to deflect the attack. The general was sent flying through the air some fifty feet backwards. Marek landed with a deafening thud and did not move. Kira sent balls of fire and rained down blocks of ice on the crumpled form of her loyal general. She then sent pieces of the cavern's ceiling crashing down on top of the motionless would be assassin. After the dust settled from the assault, no movement could be seen from the pile of rubble.
"Marek, are you still there? Are you still alive? Have I driven that demon from your body?" asked the queen with tears streaking down her scorched
face. She felt sick to her stomach because she was sure she had just killed her friend. She hoped that she had killed whatever it was that possessed him; however, she got the feeling that it might still be there.
Suddenly the pile of debris exploded in every direction, and Marek stood up unscathed. The shadowy figure started to separate itself from its host. The general's body went limp, and he appeared to be unconscious. The figure started to take on a familiar form as it rose higher into the air. Before she realized fully who it was, the assassin sent a fatal mix of hailstones the size of an elf along with a powerful mixture of wind, fire, and parts of the ceiling at Kira. The queen was much faster than her attacker thought, and she sent fire out to destroy the hailstones. Sadly, she could not fend off all of the deadly projectiles. She was struck hard in the head by one of the burning chunks from the roof, which crushed her skull. She flew back through the air gracefully as she reeled from the blow. She landed on the ground by the exit to the waterfalls. Blood flowed freely from the head trauma.
As she lay their struggling to make sense to what had just happened, she could just barely make out who her attacker was. Her vision was blurry and her mind could not make sense of who she had just seen. Tears mixed with blood ran down her cheeks as her vision finally gave way. As the breath of life left her body, her mind finally registered who had killed her. This realization was too painful to bear and only lasted a few moments before her spirit left her body and she knew no more. The queen of the high elves had been murdered, and no one was left who knew what really happened except for General Marek.
The general's memory of the events was incomplete, and the parts where he was possessed he could not remember. As he regained his consciousness, he saw that he was alone and that Bronwen and Kira had been killed. There was no sign of the assassin anywhere. He cried out in vain for help that would not come. His hoarse voice echoed dismally off of the still cavern walls. He silently knelt down and retched. What have I done?
General Yukio had been organizing his army to maximize the defense of the city for the past three days when on the third day an unnatural rumbling sound came from the heart of Mount Quang. His men all cowered at the sound thinking that this mountain was now possessed by the same demons that haunted Mount Konane. Yukio knew immediately that something had gone horribly wrong. He called for his horse to be brought to him as well as his armor. Once his horse was prepared and he was ready for combat, he took off out through the main gate. The troops stared after him in disbelief. They were wondering where he was going. All he had instructed them to do was to protect against an attack. In a matter of a few seconds, he was out of sight.
He pushed his steed hard as he circumnavigated the mountain. He was heading to the Gorgen Falls. His horse would have to be left behind because of the narrow passageway once he arrived. He made it to the other side of the mountain unbelievably fast and jumped off his horse as soon as he was at the falls. He tied his companion to a sturdy tree, jumped into the pool and leapt through the wall of water. Once behind the falls he pressed the secret button, and the hidden door opened to admit him.
As he raced through the winding passageway, his thoughts were on General Marek. How could he let something happen to Kira? He promised to keep her safe! His anger and suspicion grew as he drew closer to his destination. The distance between the falls and the Twilight Cavern was much shorter than the path leading from the castle. When he had reached the cavern, he immediately noticed the immense devastation. He was sickened by the sight of Bronwen's broken body and turned his head in disgust. He bent down to check his friend for a pulse and found none. He stood up to survey the rest of the battlefield. Immediately he saw a figure hunched over another body he instantly knew was his wife's.
He roared in rage at the sight, and Marek stood to see General Yukio charging at him. His sword was drawn and anger consumed his face. General Marek stood defenseless as his friend approached. He tried to shout at Yukio to wait a moment so he could explain what he thought had happened, but his pleas went unheard. In Yukio's mind, he believed that high elven general had betrayed him. He began to draw his sword back as he neared the scene of the disaster. His friend did not flinch and stood tall to face the bringer of perceived justice.
Yukio twirled his long sword in his right hand as he swung down hard on Marek's drawn blade. The clash of steel shook the air for a moment and then the battle was on. General Marek was an accomplished swordsman, but he was no match to Nairian general. After a flurry of parries and wild slashes, the fight reached its apex. After a feint to the left that unbalanced the high elf, a dagger appeared in Yukio's hand. The small blade was quickly buried in Marek's side. This move proved to be the prelude to the fatal blow to follow.
Yukio gripped his sword with both hands and raised it at an angle over his left shoulder. As the general twisted a little more to gain leverage, he looked into the eyes of the person who had destroyed all he cared about in life and saw something that did not register immediately. The Nairian general roared in rage and with one fluid stroke removed general Marek's head. As he turned away from the headless corpse that was falling to the ground, he dropped his sword and knelt by the mangled body of his wife.
Her eyes were cold and distant as he looked at her face. He placed his hands on her deformed head so that he could read her final thoughts and see her untimely death. He immediately saw Marek attacking his wife with magic and saw everything else that transpired. In his mind, he believed he was justified in executing his friend who turned out to be the assassin. While looking through his wife's memory, the events of what happened had been altered somehow to show the general acting of his own volition. There was no recollection of a shadowy assassin.
Yukio laid his wife's head back down to the earth and picked up his sword again. He walked over to Marek's body and spat into his lifeless face. After a few moments of muttering curses over his friend's corpse, General Yukio stopped long enough to shout out in absolute rage. His yell was so loud that the walls began to shake and tremble. He then came to his senses and realized that the cavern had been destabilized by the various battles. The ceiling was coming down, and he had to act fast to get out of there. He picked up his wife and started toward the exit. As he neared it, he reached down and picked up Bronwen's body. He had a dead body over either shoulder as he reached the exit. As he entered the tight tunnel, the cavern collapsed on itself. Small rocks hit Yukio in the back as he continued to run.
He quickly reached the falls and the pool of water that his horse was drinking out of. As the disheveled general emerged from the tunnel, his body began to weaken rapidly. He threw the dead to one side and fell unconscious to the ground. As he awoke sometime later, he could feel hot breath as well as a moist thing caressing his face. As his vision cleared, he saw that it was his horse licking him. He slowly sat up and saw that there was a thick fog surrounding him. This made it difficult to see what lay around him at first. What he did know was that something deep inside him had broken and that he would never be the same again.
As he stood up, he felt pain both physical and mental like he had never felt before. He walked gingerly over to the pool and looked at his reflection. He was covered in blood and dust from his ordeal in the cavern. He cleaned off the blood and dirt from his body and armor by jumping into the water. After a few moments he returned to where he had cast the bodies of Bronwen and Kira. He spent the rest of the morning digging graves for his friend and his wife. Before he laid them to rest, he took his wife's crown off her head and Bronwen's badge off his dress robes. He would use this tattered badge and contorted crown as proof of the treachery of General Marek. He covered the bodies with dirt and then a massive mound of rocks. He then stood on top of his wife's grave and pulled out his knife. He swore a blood oath then and there to avenge his wife's murder. He held the high elves, all of them, responsible for his wife's demise. They will pay for this unforgivable treachery!
CHAPTER 10
The deceived
The sky
was clear as the sun rose steadily higher as the morning progressed. General Yukio's army watched anxiously for their leader's return. He had left so quickly that he did not say when or if he would return. His men caught sight of something in the distance heading toward them at a steady pace. They immediately sprang into action and closed the main gate. The archers prepared to fire while the catapults were readied behind the wall. They were not going to let down their general by allowing anyone into Alanderas. The figure glinted as it continued up the path to the entrance.
As the visitor came closer, they could tell that it was a person who was heavily armored riding on a massive war horse. One of the archers, who had excellent vision, yelled out that it was their leader and to open the gate. As the rider approached, the gigantic doors swung open to admit him. General Yukio had a fierce look on his face and did not look at any of his men as he passed through the entrance. He brought his horse to a halt behind the walls and dismounted. He rummaged through his saddlebags for something while his men closed the massive gates and gathered around their leader.
"Men, we have been deceived," General Yukio said dejectedly. "Queen Kira, my wife, was murdered by General Marek!" He lifted the head of his former friend into the air for all to see. In his rage, he had picked up the severed head of the traitor Marek and carried it out of the cavern before its collapse. Consciously he did not remember doing this.
Silence fell over the troops; everyone was trying to get a look at the traitor's head. They simply could not believe that Kira's general could do such a terrible thing. Some noticed that he had something else in his other hand. They started whispering to one another to pass this new information along. They all tried to get a better look at what he was holding in his left hand.
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