— Chapter Twenty-Four —
The Battle Begins
Hundreds of campfires burned beneath the heavy gloom of the Dira Nelar. Even the fires could not burn the rotting stench away. Although their numbers had been decimated by the Second Battle of Vila Eadros, every elf who could hold a weapon had united in the desperate attempt to regain the Quenya. Only the pregnant, wounded, and children were left behind. The journey had taken weeks, yet they had met little resistance. Their only conflict thus far had been when they had stumbled across small pockets of drakhalu. None of the creatures had survived the encounters to bring news of the elves’ presence back to their homeland.
Eranalfia looked at the grim faces of those who followed him as they performed their chores about camp. The lesser son of a minor lord, he had never expected to be the one to lead anyone into battle, much less a united elven nation. But he had won respect by staying alive without the protection of the Quenya, and uniting a ragtag band of misfits. Still, that was nothing compared to this.
The spirit of the elves had been broken since the theft of the Quenya. They wanted Valanandir and Iadrawyn to lead them, but many blamed them for not protecting their home and loved ones from the drakhalu. Since his sister and Valanandir had discovered the Quenya, they had risen to become something more than mortal among the elves, held to a higher set of standards. It was hardly fair. Eranalfia knew Valanandir and Iadrawyn had done nothing deliberate to encourage this near cult-like status, yet such was the price of leadership. If they had not stepped forward to keep the elves together, they would have long since disbanded.
After the speech they had given to rally the elves for the coming battle, no one could doubt their ability to lead. Valanandir and Iadrawyn had roused and united them. Those who had lived in Vila Eadros and remembered spoke of the golden years of the Age of Sunlight. Everyone agreed the time for hiding in the dark was over. It was time to take back what had been stolen. If the dark creatures kept the Quenya, they would eventually hold sway over all Ralvaniar, and the elves would either be dead or slaves of the drakhalu.
Eranalfia knew their plan was dangerous. If it was true Nargaz and Vlaz were working together, the elves were vastly outnumbered. Surely the dark creatures must be laughing at the army on their doorstep. But what else could the elves do? Living huddled in Melatelari had gotten them nowhere. They were slowly being killed off by raids. And when the dark creatures eventually turned their full force upon them, it would be no contest. The elves were fierce warriors and willing to die to regain what they had lost. Fates willing, they would take a sizeable contingent of drakhalu down with them.
As much as Eranalfia worried about the outcome of this battle, his thoughts were often with his sister. Would she and the others succeed? Theirs was by far the more dangerous road. If anyone could find the Quenya and bring it back out of the dark lands, it was Iadrawyn and her friends. He hoped he had not survived the purging of their childhood home to be reunited with her only to lose her all over again. He had understood why she had fled with Valanandir so many years ago, but it had been difficult to watch her go. Among their family, they were the only ones who understood one another. He sent a desperate plea to a force he had never seen or touched that was somewhere in enemy territory for his sister’s safe return.
His second-in-command called him, returning him to the present. Eranalfia smacked one of the wretched insects buzzing about his neck and returned to his duty. In a few hours, they would attack.
Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0) Page 45