Black Horde: War Horn (Book 1)

S
ilence..., a deadly silence dominates around.  Ilimael dismounted down from his high deer with  widely grown horns like the roots of a big tree, turned up wide in the air; he  stepped  deep on the plains  of Merren  Rannalla ( land near the sea), now soaked with blood like a sponge. Sun intimidated by bloody struggle got dressed in heavy black clouds, it pale light was cut by a petty rain that quick as a playful child had gathered in streams and red puddles. Plain in noon grown in bodies, hundreds of corpses infested the earth; the battle was over. Orcs had been defeated by the elves of the black forest. It was a bloody battle...

Ilimael steps carefully, exhausted as if calculated every move in mind, still smiling; His face was streaked with warm raindrops and his hair unwind like a peacock tail in the breeze coming from the sea. He jab his sword deep into the earth and the sticky mud of the plain had received a sword and surrounded like a cobweb imitating a strange game of love.

-I want water, said with a harsh tone,

A young rushed elf, brought a brimming bottle of cold water from the secret springs of the Kautominta (the citadel of elves in the black forest) water reached the prince, but the reaction was not what was expected .... Ilimael was watching thoughtfully at the horizon, his blue eyes were looking for something that cannot be found, cannot be touched. He forgot about the water, he looked to his comrades who lay slain by the enemies, to the plains in the noon, to the sea;

- Report someone, said with monotone voice

-213 dead, majesty, 36 wounded, more than twice the losses in the previous attack of orcs, said Kassel, one of the captains of the elves forces.

-Something happened, fixing his eyes to Guono-mur's lands (island populated by orcs) said Ilimael, something attracts these orcs to Kautominta, they do not want to understand that we never will give forest and grab water from servant hands.

-Your Dad, your majesty...

-Do not speak to me about my father,  broke the prince  the one who dared to speak to him, my father is living in peace there in the forest and here we fight, we lose our friends and brothers, we, we, we," cried indignantly Ilimael. My father did not want to understand that orcs become a danger, we rejected them 3 times in this year and we should spoil their  plans till  is not too late.

-King, majesty, has managed to keep the peace and welfare by wisdom in these lands, has sought to avoid wars, only to keep the sons and fathers at home.

- I know, replied ferocious with menacing  voice Ilimael ,but peace today here has come to an end, orcs become more and more each time, and day when we will be more few in number and I am afraid that plain  will be our grave. Orcs have not recently stepped into the lands beyond the sea, and if they do so this means that something calls them here…

Ilimael without  to finish his sentence had been interrupted by a voice heard from far away.

-Majesty, majesty , a familiar voice resound in the quiet of the plain. A envoy elf had emerged from the crowd of soldiers gathered around the prince, in his hand he held an envelope sealed with red wax and the emblem of the Black Forest, after a sign of respect letter had been handed over to the prince:

-It’s from the king, your majesty

- What has happened, king knows that we are in the mission to guard the borders of our kingdom and that we get back to the Kautominta over 2 full moons, said Ilimael;

-Majesty, I just execute orders ,answered the elf and with a sign of respect disappear  in the crowd.

Carefully Ilimael broke down the seal, unrolled letter and began to read. He read silently, but his lips were making chaotic movements as though wishing to make the words heard to all, after a few seconds of silence prince broke the letter and said:

-Kessel we are going home now, you have two hours to gather the bodies of our fallen brothers, we will get them back  home,  to Frey, for the sake of Alheim and eternal life.

              Dead silence of the plains had been pierced by the authorizing shout of the captain Kessel.

-Soldiers, gather death bodies , gather the weapons, we go home.

The preparations for the main beam headlights do not took a long time, in less than two hours, group moved from the site of the remaining. The plain remain alone again, shrouded in smoke of burning orcs. The string of marching elves  had adventured toward the horizon in the direction of forests. Their figures grew smaller until they had vanished in the distance.

Elves were moving fast, they travel large distances without more days to rest, so in two days they were at the gates of  Kautominta.

The great gates worked in solid wood of the older trees from the species of gray  elms, were  fortified with heavy metal, tissue himself in wood, by the best craftsmen of the place, they opened slowly with enormous noise, cause they opened very rarely, once a few months, when was the need to get out or to enter a larger number of elves. Thus elves were using other gates and lower inputs built into the city walls to get out from their placement.

When the group of soldiers arrived home, it was a cold winter afternoon, the winter was coming and the work inside the city was in full swing.

Elvish city lay hidden somewhere in the woods among oaks, fir trees and elms. The yellow  of the autumn  make from Kautominta a very picturesque place, very loved by its population. Kautominta was more a fortified town than a city, was one of the oldest elves settlements, and no elf could not appoint or  could remember when draws its origin, but they knew that the first white elves have laid the foundations of the current existence. On the whole perimeter of the city had been raised a high wall of approximately 6 meters and made for security and standby mode as far as a tower was placed at a distance of 50 meters throughout the city. Kautominta was sitting on the highest point of the woods, an inaccessible, studded with granite boulders, heavy with long and sharp peaks, which in seconds can tear large pieces of meat of those who trying to transverse them without knowing any way. Elves called him ,,the hill of the eagles” and they very rarely tried to shout across, however elves sharpness went to the emergence of a lot of secret paths and roads to and from the city, thus avoiding the hill. North wall of the city had been built on the edge of a  70 meters deep cliff, and on its bottom had found shelter  a  not too deep river, but with cold and crystalline water. Despite the power and settlement strategic location, elves not only once showed bravery defending their town and homes, because Kautominta from ancient times had become a city coveted by all peoples from Sur-Manar (big continent).

Ilimael arrived in front of the royal house in an later hour, he command soldiers  to rest a few days, to visit their families and to begin to make their supplies, because they will start as soon as they can to road beyond the woods.

Ilimael was the eldest son of the black forest elves king, Mitry, after elves data he was a high elf, even higher than most elves, blond-haired, a solar blond; prime of life, after elves calendars, he was about 176 years and was the head of the royal guard of eight years. His supple body always was hiding in royal armor, but after it, had found peace a sensuous body. His ardent character  made from Ilimael a skilled and feared warrior even by many of his elves, is to know that elves do not were known with the feeling of fear. He had fight in many small fights and was very well prepared in the art of war, techniques and strategies of attack and defense, he had been entrusted with a group of 500 soldiers from the royal guard:100 archers, 200 ground soldiers  and 200 deer riders. The prince was in the prime of life, after elves calendars, he was about 176 years and was the head of the royal guard for eight years.

Prince entered into the royal apartments, the wide corridors illuminated by the light of a virgin moon were fill by the noise from prince steps. It taken some time to reach the room, sustained by his slowly walk, he get to his bedroom. Ilimael opened the door and entered into the room with a prolonged exhalation of relief. He was not married, that’s why in the room as usual he  had not found anyone, the sad candle lights  watching carefully to the prince, Ilimael removed his hard armor and the shoes. On the  room wall the whole process of undressing turned into pale light of candles, into a bizarre game of shadows and light, a war of white and black.

On the table were waiting for the prince, fresh fruits and vegetables, collected from gardens of the city, but appetizing array of colors  slowly lost interest of his majesty, despite the time spent away from the royal tables.

His hard head like an avalanche fell hard on soft bed, sleep  stolen him immediately, without letting some time for  plans and prince Ilimael  in the pale lights of night soared on  “Lamtuumer's” wings(warm wind from the sea), he fly in sleep beyond Sur-Manar, as a vulture on air currents and looking deep to the earth risks. He slept much, more than would allow a prince, sweating a lot during sleep, the prince was dreaming about still not started war and about the danger that has not yet given any sign. He was awakened by a slight kick in the door, kick that betray a finite gentle hand, a perfect symbiosis of meat and wood, resulting in a sweet “knock-knock”. Ilimael wince from sudden noise and his hands automatically reached the sword placed in the evening near his bed.             

-Who's, said Ilimael, while raised and try to cover his body with some clothes.

-Ilimael, I am, Bhelemer.

-Come in, my sweet.

              Not even finished the sentence, because the door opened at ease as a mast in the sea and in the room with rush steps entered  a slim lady, thin like a rose in full bloom dressed in a light coat of white elves fabric  that betrayed all she’s femininity. She embrace Ilimael with so much passion that you could say that this is the last time she sees him, Bhelemer kisses him playful on the cheek and said with a revile voice:

-Brother I thought that I not going to see you again,

-Oh you start this theme again, I said and I repeat again: I will be always with you, loving reproached Ilimael,

-I know, but some days ago, I listened to the discussion in the hall of wars between father and a soil, can not remember his name, and he said that you prepare for an invasion of orcs and I was worried because I know what kind of enemies you had to fight.

-Please, Bhelemer, how do you know who are the orcs? Black forests  have not seen orcs from the times of Naruin (grandfather of Ilimael), that is about 300 years ago, so…

-So, I know who they are, step in Bhelemer, even  I have not seen them and I do not want to see them in future, mother told me about them that they're  hideous children of  darkness, who do not know the laws and which should be forever imprisoned.

-Oh, Bhelemer, if would be so, I would not worry, but I feel that our fate grabbed another way these days, the way on wich ...the prince was interrupted by a tight hug of his sister,

- I do not care about them, you must do not ever go away from me, whispered she in his ear, I am very glad that you came back alive and well and I came to tell you that you are welcome in the royal hall, go, all want to see you again.

Ilimael and Bhelemer  had left the bedroom and headed in a perfect family style toward the conference room of kings.

King’s Hall was one of the most important halls of Kautominta, its walls were endowed with large picture of elves battles, with the portraits of city great kings and with views that makes you froze, the unseen beauty of black forests. Here royals were discussing and prepare daily activity of the city and here finally were given the biggest elves feasts. The room was full of elves, prominent elves from the city, generals, historians, writers, royal family and other important elves in the city life. The room was delimited in two by a long table carved in elm that gave the impression of a massive ponderosity to the hall. On the table were present various dishes prepared thoroughly for the return of prince back home. This view was overshadowed by the greatness of King Mitry, who sat at the head table like a vulture that oversee his  nest somewhere from the heaven, comfortably installed in a high throne carved in granite brought from foot of the city and encrusted with stones of  a blood divine  red dight with a pair of huge antlers.

Image of Ilimael entering into the room went to a series of positive reactions. King had risen from his seat like a  green tree  in the middle of winter, in his right hand he was holding a glass of white wine, crystalline and  the left one he breaks  into sign of welcome to his son. After his movements, entire hall stood up and filled with bustle, sounds and whispers.

-I am glad to see you, Ilimael, my son, defender of our home and for you who bring peace to the land of our nation, I raise my glass and say welcome back home, King had finished his speech sipping a little wine from the glass. The hall resonate in voices: Welcome back, glad to see  you…

The answer appeared without delay:

-I am glad, my king, my father, to find you  healthy, while with hasty step  he  headed to the King,

As a sign of mutual respect, he bowed his head and embraced the kind.

-Father, I have bad news, told the prince near the king ear.

-Not now my son, now I'm glad that you have returned home from your mission, please take seat at the table,  replied the king in the same royal manner.

The dominant noise in the hall has been murdered by the fierce voice of the King:

- Refectory must begin!