The Fallen Guardian (The Guardian Chronicles 2) (12 page)

As
he walked the path that led to the people’s castle where he lived, his heart
was full of foreboding. He felt like a black cloud was gathering around him as
his thoughts became darker with each step he took. The king stopped after the
darkness became too much to bear any longer. He shook his head violently to try
and rid himself of the evil thoughts that were plaguing his mind. As he struggled
to regain control, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The king whirled around to
see a short, slight figure looking up at him. It was the renowned druid Zaide
Ikofi who had brought the king back to his senses through his soft touch. King
Derek smiled warmly, and all traces of the darkness left his body.

“What
are you doing here, my old friend?  Has King Leroy sent you?” the king asked
urgently.

“I
was asked by the good king to come and request your aid,” replied Zaide with a
smooth edge to his warm voice. “I see that you are already planning on
assisting us from the looks of it.”  He gestured toward the army that had
gathered outside the western gate of the city.

“You
are correct. I am sending General Showia to Tarisdell to fortify that city, and
then they will meet up with your troops who are guarding the western cliffs. We
plan on sending in the entire army except the archers. We have asked Commander
Fletcher to hide them in the Black Forest along the eastern edge to cut off any
retreat into the woodlands,” explained the king.

“Yes,
that sounds like an excellent plan. Your general will not need to worry about
ladders or siege towers to climb the cliff. There is a secret passage that I
will take them to that will allow them access to the High Plains,” replied the
wistful druid.

“I
thank you kindly for your offer to help us. Do you know if the elven capital
has been deserted?” King Derek asked.

“I
visited the city within the past few days, and I can assure you that it was
empty at that time. The elves apparently did a full retreat to Landen and left
their capital completely devoid of life. I believe that you are right to send
some troops to the city so that it does not fall into enemy hands. Shall I join
your general then?”

“Yes,
please go with them right now. I feel at peace knowing that you will be helping
General Showia. I am confident that nothing will go wrong with you two in
charge. Thank you for your diligence, my old friend. Tell King Leroy that we
will do our best to help defend Landen.”

The
slight druid bowed low and then left to join the Aran army. The king watched
his good friend go and felt a sense of purpose in his heart. He also had a calm
come over him as he knew that his troops would arrive safely with the able
druid directing them through safe paths. His thoughts then turned to the tasks
that lay ahead.
We must get supply routes established so that we can get
foodstuffs to our archers who will remain behind in the Black Forest. I must
also address the people and let them know exactly what is going on.
The
king never held back any facts or truths from the people. He believed that they
would be more loyal to him if he were upfront with them. He believed that in a
situation of war that honesty was the best policy. However, he was not foolish
enough to believe that there would not be those who would try to spy on him
during difficult times. So, he would share everything except tactical
information about the armies’ movements.

The
king stopped his musing and went into action. He called for a general assembly
of the people the following day. He then called the council of the elders
together to discuss the details of what the army would be doing. They would
also determine whether or not recruiting would be necessary to add to their
army’s strength. They would also need to send out spies and messengers so that
they could know exactly what was going on around them. He knew that the dwarves
in the south might need their assistance as well. His little mountain friends
would not be able to break free from a siege, so aid would have to go to them.
Kings Jarvis and Kasim were mighty rulers and would be able to fend off their
foes, but they should not have to do it alone. What they needed at this point
was an all-encompassing plan that would provide the needed support to the
alliance of men and also provide assistance for the mountain dwellers.
This
will require careful planning and even more delicate implementation.

***

Commander
Fletcher and his regiment of archers remained behind while the main body of the
army pressed on to Tarisdell. They heard sounds of war machines being built in
the distant forest toward the Blaine River. The men of Aran were very agile and
light on their feet like their elven brethren. Their hearing was also
exceptionally acute from living in the woods. The commander knew that the
sounds they were hearing were from a group of filthy orcs. The plan was simple:
send in scouts to find out where the main body of the army was and see if this
group was different from the one they knew to be working on a siege works. The
captains approached their commander, who had requested their presence so that
they could discuss what they were about to do.

“Gentlemen,
let’s get down to business,” welcomed Commander Fletcher. “We need to gather
intelligence on our target before we do anything. Captain Jordan, do you have
any soldiers that could retrieve the information that we seek?”

“Yes,
sir!  I can send two of my most trusted scouts to gather the necessary
information,” replied the captain.

“Excellent.
Send them right now. You are dismissed!” ordered the commander briskly.

“Sir!”
saluted Captain Jordan as he did a quick about-face to carry out his orders.

The
remaining captains huddled in closer to their commander as they continued their
discussion. They talked about all of the various possibilities, including that
fact that the orc and high elven armies may already be across the river. If
that were the case, then they would merely set up a base camp and organize the
archers into a net that would catch any retreating orc or high elf. Their meeting
continued for several hours before the spies returned from their quest. They
approached at a swift pace, which indicated that their information was not only
vital but also urgent. Commander Fletcher raised his hand up to halt the two
out-of-breath scouts and waited patiently for them to report their findings.

“Sir,
the entire high elven army has crossed the river and is already skirting the
southern cliffs of Landen. The main hosts of the three orc armies are crossing
as we speak. However, there appears to be a group of siege warriors from one of
the orc armies that is staying behind to build a siege works,” explained one of
the scouts. He was still breathing very hard from the long run.

“We
think that we could surround these orcs with relative ease because they are
working in a clearing that they created and are making no effort to conceal
their presence. The noise from their labors will drown out our approach and
give us the element of surprise,” added the other scout in breathy tones.

“This
is good news!  We may be able to wipe out the entire group of orcs before they
even knew that we were there. We will position ourselves in the trees and rain
down arrows on them from above. We will then send in sweepers to make sure that
no one survives our ambush,” said the commander confidently.

“Then
let us not waste another moment to put our plans into action. I will take the
troops who will not be involved in the ambush and set up a base camp,” offered
Captain Jordan.

“Agreed.
I will take the archers with me to set up the ambush while the rest of you join
Captain Jordan in setting up the base camp. Move out!” ordered Commander
Fletcher.

The
group of leaders dispersed and went their separate ways. Within two hours, the
archers that went with Commander Fletcher were already high in the trees around
the artificial clearing looking down on their prey. The commander had elected
himself to give the signal for attack. He would hoot twice like the black owl
that was native to the Forest of Renshaw. The archers would count to ten after
the second hoot and begin their volley. When the commander gave the signal, the
orcs stopped what they were doing for a second or two and then went back to
work. After a minute of nothing but a storm of arrows from above, every single
orc lay dead or dying on the forest floor.

The
giants who did not act fast enough to protect their eyes or close their mouths
were writhing in pain hours after the wicked warlock had attacked them with the
purple ray. Lord Marcello used his healing magic several times during those
hours with little success. He had never seen such dark magic before and did not
have a clue about reversing the effects of the attack. At least they knew that
the high elven magician was dead or near death because his unquenchable fire
wall had dissipated shortly after the last giant who was sick to his stomach
finished throwing up. They could easily see that the axis armies had gathered
together in Nodin to regroup and possibly join with the rock trolls. Lord Marcello
and the other giant leaders knew that this was not the case because they had
received messages from King Leroy that the entire wasteland had been emptied
weeks before. The trolls had joined up with the wretched goblin armies and were
currently laying siege to Mount Carrick.

King
Angus remained at the capital city so that he could direct General Lang, Lord
Marcello, and the other commanders in their defensive efforts. The king was
surprised by the knowledge of the situation that King Leroy possessed. He was
even more impressed by the fact that an elder Elemental would become so
involved in the affairs of the people of Tuwa. Angus had heard tales told by
many of the elven rulers of a time when the guardians were seen quite regularly
about the lands of the middle Tuwa. Something happened during the last great
war which involved all of the races that caused the Elementals to not only pull
out of the lands in which they helped to make free, but they also stopped
communicating entirely with lesser beings. It was clear that the demise of the
Eldar was the catalyst for this drastic change in behavior. Sitting alone in
the king’s court, the giant king thought over the many stories and legends
about the guardians.
I would give anything to meet one of the noble and all-powerful
guardians.

“Be
careful what you wish for, Angus Vokias,” said a silky voice from the shadows
that filled the edges of the great hall.

“Who
said that?” asked the king, who was shaken by the sudden break in the silence.
What concerned him even more was the fact that this mysterious person could
read his thoughts.

“You
have nothing to fear from me, giant king,” replied the smooth voice. “I am
Mistress Khalida, the very Elemental you have heard so much about from King
Leroy. I have come to make a special request of you and your people.”  As she
spoke, she moved into the open so that Angus could finally see who it was that
was speaking to him. His eyes widened at her appearance and his mouth hung open
slightly at her great beauty.

“Whatever
malady asks of me and my people will be done according to your command,”
replied the king as he stood erect and then bowed low on one knee.  The ground
shook slightly as his knee slammed to the floor.

“I
knew that you would be willing to help me. Angus, by assisting me in my
request, you will probably save this land from our enemies. I need you and your
army to take up all of the defensive positions around the country of Landen.
North, west, south, and east alike will require your troops’ presence. I need
the army of General Yukio to push back the high elven army in the north all the
way back to the Nairi Canyons. The army under the command of General Lysander
Ehagrukiel will need to prepare for a push against the orcs and high elves in
the south. They will combine their strength with the army of General Sanjay
from the forest of Aran, who will be arriving at the capital within a few
days.”

“I
will order the troops to fortify the defenses of the Landen. Do you wish me to
pass along your orders to General Yukio and General Lysander for you?”

“Yes,
please relay the orders of regrouping to those armies for me. Tell them to
gather their troops together in the eastern plains.”  The guardian thought it
was a gracious offer from King Angus to assist her. “I have matters that need
attending to, so I am leaving you in charge of the defense of this country. I
will explain this to King Leroy before I leave. He will agree with me that your
people are best suited for the defense of the High Plains.”

“Thank
you for your confidence in my troops. We will defend this land while there is
breath in our lungs.”  The king said this confidently as he bowed deeply before
the elegant guardian.  His eyes were fixed on a crack in the floor that had
just recently appeared.  He did not dare to look at the angelic lady again out
of fear and respect.

“I
will take leave of you now, Angus. Good luck to the both of us.”  She then
vanished into thin air right before the king’s eyes.  A fine mist swirled for a
few moments and then there was nothing.

King
Angus stood up quickly and left the great hall at once. He sent messengers to
the leaders of his army. He requested their presence in the little village of
Haden for an emergency meeting. The village lay in the heart of the High Plains
and would be the fastest way for them to gather for such an urgent meeting. As
Angus journeyed toward the center of the land of Landen, the gravity of the
situation became more apparent as time slipped away. He had an uneasy feeling
about his leisurely pace and immediately kicked it up a notch. He needed to get
to the meeting as fast as possible. He could not identify the source of these
feelings, but he knew that they were real and that they served a purpose.

As
the village of Haden came into view, he could see that Lord Marcello, General
Lang, and the commanders had already arrived. They all had a look that made it
clear that they were all feeling the same thing. He broke into a run so he
could join the throng of giant leaders gathered in the square in the heart of
the little town. As he entered the circle, the feeling of uneasiness left him
and everyone relaxed a bit. The king did not waste any time in getting down to
business. Giants were blunt and straightforward as a people, and King Angus
epitomized this trait more than any other.

“There
has been a slight change in our plans. I have met with none other than Mistress
Khalida,” began the king raggedly as he tried to catch his breath.

“You
met one of the Elementals?” asked Commander Boaz in surprise.

“Yes,
she is actually one of the elder guardians,” the king replied impressively.
“She has joined our side of this deadly conflict. She is leading the allied
armies against the axis armies in their vain attempt for domination. She has
asked us to take up all of the defenses of Landen.”

“That
is not a problem. What of the army of Yukio and the army of Landen?” General
Lang asked impatiently.

“They
will regroup just east of here to gather all of their available strength.
General Yukio will lead a campaign against the high elves in the north. His
mission will require him to drive back these wicked fiends into the canyons of
Nairi. The army of Landen will join forces with the army of Aran, which will
arrive in a couple of days. They will make a push against the armies of orcs
and the high elven army in the south. We will solely be responsible for the
defense of this country,” explained the king.

“So,
what is the plan for the defenses?” asked Lord Marcello.

“Marcello,
you will take your siege warriors to the north cliff and the northeastern entrance
right away. Inform General Yukio of Mistress Khalida’s orders and send him to
the eastern plain straight away,” ordered the king. Lord Marcello bowed low and
departed at once.

“What
of the rest of us?” the general asked impetuously.

“General
Lang, you will take the main body of our army to the southern cliff and the
southeastern entrance. Your troops will be responsible for defending that vital
area,” replied the king. “Commander Boaz, you will move to the shores of Lake
Lachlan. There is a possibility that some of the high elves will try to attack
from that direction.”

“Yes,
sir!” saluted the general and the commander. They both departed to begin their
new tasks.

“Commander
Gerodi, you will come with me to defend the western wall. Once the army of Yukio
begins their push, the high elves may try to traverse the western wall. We must
be ready for them,” ordered the king.

“Is
it true that all of the defenses on the southwestern wall have been destroyed?”
asked the commander.

“Yes,
it is partially true. You will need to help General Lang rebuild and retool
those defenses. Let’s move out; time is our greatest enemy now,” said the king
wisely.  His face darkened with a fierce look of determination.

Within
hours, the border defenses of Landen were under the giants’ control. The army
of General Yukio had retreated to the eastern plains to regroup. The army of
General Lysander had already gathered their strength in that region. There were
some one hundred and fifty thousand horse riders of Landen all ready for war.
Foot soldiers and archers filled out the rest of the ranks. The entire army of
Landen totaled some two hundred and fifty thousand strong. General Yukio’s army
was considerably smaller in numbers, but they had done the most fighting thus
far. There were only fifty thousand now instead of the one hundred thousand
plus he had before his bloody campaign. The army of General Sanjay arrived two
days after the two armies had gathered together. They all waited for more
instructions before they moved out.

Lord
Marcello and his siege warriors settled into their new defensive positions
quickly after Yukio’s army dispatched. There were troops stationed at the
northeastern gateway where improved siege weapons were being constructed in the
town of Baden some two miles south of where Marcello made his camp. The people
of Baden offered to not only host the giant soldiers while they build new
weapons; they gave them the supplies they needed to make the new siege weapons.
While all of these preparations were being made, the army of Queen Kishi was
preparing for a fresh assault. She had rallied her troops to make a push on the
northeastern gate. Her movements did not go without notice however. Several of
the giants along the northern wall noticed the army moving to the east.

Several
messengers were sent to Lord Marcello to make him aware of these movements.
They were not surprised to learn that the formidable wizard already knew of the
high elven armies positioning. He had sent out a magical web to sense any
movements by the army in the plains below. He knew that this move would require
him to position himself at the gates to provide a magical support to the troops
already stationed there. General Yukio had told him that there was a witch at
their lead. She was their queen, and she was a very powerful sorceress. The
general had given details of just how mighty Queen Kishi was. Lord Marcello had
been pondering ways of defending his soldiers and himself from sound magical
attacks.

He
departed immediately for the northeastern gate, which was called North Gate by
the residents living just south of it. He continued his musing while he walked
briskly toward the gate. He knew that he needed to at least place an invisible
wall between the high elves and his troops. The problem with this was that the
wall was limited in height. When he could solely focus on creating the wall, he
could probably make it reach some thirty feet in the air. However, he was not
going to be able to do that in this situation. He could probably manage a fifteen-foot
wall which should protect the giants, for the most part, from enemy
projectiles. He needed to do something spectacular to fend off the high elves
and make them think twice about their destructive plans.

By
the time the giant wizard reached the gate, the high elven army was already
positioning itself just out of reach of the siege warriors stationed at the
North Gate. They were making no attempts at hiding what they were doing or even
what they were planning. However, Lord Marcello knew better than to dismiss
these tactics as foolish or misguided. He knew that their sorceress was about
to do something to put the favor of the impending conflict in their court.
Marcello did not waste another minute. He quickly summoned his staff out of
thin air and did several incantations all at once.

An
icy blue wall formed suddenly between the high elven army and the giant
soldiers at the gate. As the giant wizard twirled his staff faster, a green and
purple cloud formed over the heads of the startled high elven army. Green and
purple flashes of lightning began to fill the air over its prey. When the green
lightning made contact with a person or the ground, a cloud of poison gas would
fill the air with a small popping sound. The purple lightning would send out
shock waves with every hit. If it made contact with a person, they were killed
instantly and would continue to send out shock waves until their burnt corpses
exploded. This ingenious attack killed a few hundred instantly and injured a
little over a thousand. When there was no magical attack sent at the giants,
Marcello realized that the witch queen must not be among the ranks. She must
have remained in the Nairi Canyons.
We might be able to send these fiends
back to the canyon lands without the assistance of Yukio’s army.

After
a few minutes of destruction, the cloud disappeared into the nothingness it was
called from. No one move on either side of this impromptu battlefield.
How
could the reports about the presence of Queen Kishi been so wrong?  Didn’t the
information come from an Elemental?
  Lord Marcello was perplexed by the
situation and reason seemed to be slipping from him as tension between the
armies mounted. Then, all at once, the giant wizard’s quandaries were answered.
A thin sheet of blue ice shot from the ranks of the high elven army. The icy
sheet slipped through Marcello’s defensive shield and instantly froze a few
dozen giant soldiers. It became clear at that moment that the little witch had
disguised herself to blend into the ranks of the high elven army. Before anyone
could react or do anything, a magically enhanced voice rang out through the now
chilled air.