The Fallen Guardian (The Guardian Chronicles 2) (21 page)

“So,
the mythical bears of Tuwa have joined our side. Thank the gods!  What happened
after they left?” queried the commander gruffly. He had a feeling that what he
was about to hear was not going to be pleasant, but he needed to hear it
nonetheless. He nodded to the captain to continue his story.

“We
fell back onto the ground for several minutes, being overwhelmed with
everything that just took place. We could not believe our good fortune, so we
just laid there feeling grateful as we looked to the heavens through the canopy
of trees,” continued the captain. “When we were finally feeling relaxed laying
there on the grass, we felt a menacing presence. One of the guys sat up to look
around, and then he was seized violently by that massive black wolf that we all
thought to be the leader. Thankfully he died instantly, and we froze while we
lay on the ground. We could not move because of the sheer terror that had
gripped our hearts. Once we came back to reality, we took off and ran as fast
as we could back here. You saw what happened once we reached the barrier.”

“I
do not want what I am about to say to be construed as a lack of empathy on my
part,” Commander Brugon began. “These events have told us one very important
thing. The ancient race of bears has come to the allies’ defense. I believe the
scales of this war have tipped in our favor.”

All
the soldiers within earshot shouted their approval of his remarks, including the
exhausted captain. They had suffered horrific losses, but these terrible events
had taken a turn for the better. The bears had come to help eradicate the wolf
menace. The only problem with the situation was that no one could speak to the
bears except for the druids and guardians. The men returned to their duties of
repairing the smashed and burnt defenses of the beautiful elven capital. The
sun shone brightly overhead as the soldiers busied themselves once again with
the restoration of Tarisdell. They were all glad to be on this side of the
elven barrier. Something they would not have thought a few months ago.

Lord
Dükker calmly walked into the orc camps without anyone noticing him as he made
his way toward the high elven camp. He was using a camouflage spell that made
him blend in with his surroundings. He did not feel like talking with the orcs
any time soon, in part because of his intense dislike for them and also because
he needed to get back to his troops as soon as possible.
The sooner we
strike our enemy, the better.
He picked up the pace as best he could on the
rocky terrain of Nodin. He continued to think about the information he had
gleaned from the silly druids and that one Elemental. He knew that if they
could attack that night that they would most likely catch their enemies
unaware.

As
he entered the high elven encampment, he noticed that there was a small
commotion at the center of the camp. He made his way deftly toward the frenzied
activity. He had an idea of what was going on, so he broke into a silent run.
As he approached the onlookers, he could see his massive steed, standing next
to a camp fire.
He must have been going crazy not knowing where I was all of
this time. I think I will use him to help me make a spectacular return.
He
vaulted himself over the crowd and then jumped nimbly onto the back of the
gigantic spider. He then let spell he had been using fizzle out. He appeared
out of nowhere on the back of the fearsome spider.

“I’m
back!” said the warlock menacingly. The crowd around him cheered loudly at his
unexpected return.

“We
are fortunate to have you back, my lord!” shouted one of the soldiers from the
crowd.

“You
are fortunate indeed. I want all of the captains to meet with me right now. The
rest of you are dismissed,” ordered Dükker boorishly.

The
crowd around the campfire vanished within a couple of minutes, leaving the
gigantic spider alone with his master. Dükker slid down to the ground and began
to pace while he waited patiently for the captains to show up.
It is a good
thing that none of the leaders were here gawking at the spider; at least they
were where they should be.
He saw a flicker of movement from just beyond
the light of the fire. The captains remained outside the circle because of his
beast’s presence. They did not care at all for the giant spider and loathed
going near it.
They are afraid of you; that is a healthy attitude to have.
The
dark wizard motioned for them to enter the light so that they could begin their
meeting.

“I
am pleased to see that you have been carrying on in the appropriate manner
while I was gone gathering intelligence,” began Dükker stiffly.

“Excuse
me, my lord, but we thought you were dead,” replied one of the captains a
little more boldly than he had intended.

“Did
you now,” replied the warlock Aellenas wickedly. He reached out to his spider’s
mind and gave him some quick instructions. Like a flash of lightning, the
spider seized the captain who had uttered the fatal question with a web blast.
He quickly pulled the defenseless soldier toward his massive pincers. Dükker
continued. “This should prove to be a warning to those who doubt me.”  With
that declaration, the beast tore the high elf in two by smashing his razor
sharp pincers together. The giant spider then picked up both halves and stalked
off into the darkness to liquefy and drain the lifeless body.

“We
apologize for his rudeness, master. What have you learned?” queried the tallest
high elven captain.

“Captain
Linfilian, you were always good with words, and you are without a doubt the
most intelligent soldier in this army. I hereby promote you to lieutenant. As
your leader, you will now refer to me as your general, and Linfilian will be my
right-hand man. The rest of you will be promoted to the rank of commander.”

“Thank
you, General,” replied Lieutenant Linfilian with a bow. The commanders followed
suit with a deep bow to their general.

“Now…to
business,” replied General Dükker. “The druids have reformed their order once
again and are even now working with the allied races to defeat us. However,
they are still holding a grudge against the guardians, so we do not need to
worry about them for the time being. I will do my best to fuel the discontent
between those powerful groups. Meanwhile, together we will launch an attack
that will not be suspected by our enemies. First, Lieutenant, tell me who it is
we are facing on this southern end of Landen.”

“General,
the elven army is stationed along the southern cliff and the place they call
South Gate. The army of Aran is guarding the western cliff as well as the
eastern shores of Lake Lachlan. The giant army is defending the northern cliff
along with the North Gate.”

“Lieutenant,
where is the army of Landen at?  They are the ones that I am most concerned
with because of their vast cavalry.”

“Mistress
Kana’s messengers brought us word right before you called for this meeting.
They tell us that there are nearly one hundred and fifty thousand horse riders
gathered together in the heart of the country.”

“Excellent.
Now we can make our plan of attack. Let me share with you what I have learned
in my travels. I have also learned that the guardians have been rather busy
while we were camped here preparing for our attack. They have flooded the Nairi
Canyons, which killed several of our fellow high elves. Queen Kishi was not
there when it happened because she was with General Jaali in the north preparing
to attack the giant army.”

Shouts
of joy and elation filled the air when they heard news that their queen had
survived the treacherous attack by the guardians. This assault cast out any
doubt in the high elves’ minds that the guardians would not take sides in this
conflict. They were concerned that this might bode poorly for them if they did
not have a better way to counteract the powerful beings than to cause discord
between them and the druids. Dükker could sense their concern that he secretly
shared.
We may have numbers and strength on our side, but they have six of
the seven Elementals on their side. If the guardian gets involved personally,
we are doomed.

“I
share your sense of elation at the news that our queen lives and is fighting
alongside our brethren in the north. However, there is more good news. The
fabled giant wolves have joined the battle on our side. They will be joining
with the high elves and orcs this evening. They will act as their steeds as
they attack North and South Gate before the sun rises tomorrow. Now, I have
procured for us some unusual beasts that will act as our steeds. You all know
that my steed is the last giant spider in all of Tuwa, but he has been busy, ”
said the general darkly. A large group of spiders the size of horses came into
the firelight. Dükker’s beast towered over them being twice their size, which
meant that these were his children.

“We
could use these beasts to scale the cliffs!” shouted Lieutenant Linfilian.

“Astute
as ever you are, Linfilian. We will use these creatures to scale the cliffs and
to lay traps for our former brethren. Also, we will attack from the air,”
continued the general as several large griffins dropped from the sky and landed
with a thunderous
thud
!  They were as long as a horse and as tall as the
spiders. However, it was clear that they were still quite young. There were
only six of the fearsome beasts, which meant that the commanders and the
lieutenant would be riding them.

“Commanders,
you will ride these beasts into battle so that you can better see the
battlefield. They are still wild, so you will need to control them with magic
until they are used to you. These beasts will be difficult to bend to your
will, however, once you have their trust they will be willing to fight for
you.  The griffins do not have any armor, so make sure you stay out of missile
range at all times.  Since we only have a limited number, please do not take
risks when riding them.”

They
discussed exactly what they would do and when they would do it. After they had
determined the best course of action, the commanders and the lieutenant learned
how to work with the griffins. Then the entire high elven army was called
together to hear what the plan of attack was. While they were listening to the
arrangements for several different contingencies, Mistress Kana arrived on an
unbelievably huge black dragon. She landed with a resounding
thud
!  She
stood on top of the dragon’s back and raised her arms into the air to get their
attention.

“My
dear friends, I have come to wish you luck as we begin the cleansing of Tuwa
tomorrow,” said Kana boldly. Her dragon reared its head back dramatically and
sent a blue mist shooting out of its enormous maw. As the mist settled on each
high elf, their skin became dark, and hardened in a way that would afford them
protection from many magical attacks. A collective gasp was heard as the high
elves examined themselves. The air around the army had a dull glow in it. They
had been given a very special kind of protection from the dragon’s breath. In
fact, their skin now possessed similar protections that the giants had.

“We
are ready to begin our campaign on the morrow,” said General Dükker with a bow. 
He really did not care for this guardian at all, but he knew that he had chosen
the winning side in this battle.

“Now
you are truly the most fearsome fighting force in Tuwa!” shouted Kana. “Now, I
will be attacking the western cliffs at the same time that you are attacking
the southern end. Also, I have already met with your queen and bestowed upon
her and your brethren the same gift I have given you. They too will be
attacking at the same exact time in the north. I have some other troops
attacking from the east over the lake, so in a few hours the country of Landen
will be under siege on all four sides!”

Cheers
rang through the air as Kana and her black dragon took off once more and headed
west. It was clear that she had already stopped at the orc encampment because
they could hear their chants of praise as she flew over them. The high elves
looked at one another in awe of their new appearance. They could all feel the
foreign magic coursing through their veins as they continued to examine
themselves. There appeared to be several alterations that were not visible on
the outside. General Dükker took advantage of this opportunity to go to his
commanders and lieutenant. He needed to explain to them what just took place.
It would be easier to tell them so that they could pass along the information
to the rest of the troops.

“I
need to explain to you what our mistress has done to us. She has not only
changed our complexion, but she has used a powerful bit of magic to give our
darkened skin magical protection. Another benefit from this gift is that we
will now be able to command the spiders and griffins with our thoughts.”

“Those
are some truly amazing gifts!” exclaimed the lieutenant.

“I
need to explain the difference between the communications you have with your griffin
as opposed to the spiders your comrades will be riding. These magnificent
creatures are very independent, so you must be resolute in your commands or
they will not obey you. Do not give them any reason to distrust you because it
would be the last thing you ever did,” explained the general in a darkly
significant tone. “I will teach you command spells that you will need to know
in order to control these beasts. You can communicate through your mental link,
but the orders you give must be clear and concise.”

“This
means that we can read their thoughts and that they can read ours?” asked one
of the commanders.

“Correct.
With the spiders, your troops merely need to speak mentally to them as though
they were speaking aloud,” continued Dükker. “Now, I must warn you about one of
the dangers of riding a griffin, and that is if you are shot while in air; then
you will likely fall to your death. You are the pride of our army, so be
careful on the morrow. Try your best to survey the battle from a distance. You
too can communicate with the spiders, so you will be able to give your commands
from the air to your captains below on the ground through their steeds.”

“We
are humbled to serve with the aid of these powerful griffins,” said the
lieutenant with a low bow.

“We
are blessed indeed. Now, get some rest; we have a war to wage in the morning.”

***

The
elven army was gathered together as the sun began to set on another day. They
were anxious for the war to begin. They had been watching the massive armies of
orcs and the vile betrayers making preparations in the desolation of Nodin. The
king had called them together to give some council and some orders. This
meeting was an encouraging sign that things were about to begin. King Ciel was
sitting on an elevated platform along with General Verandos, Lady Bernadine,
Commander Anlon, and Commander Yves. It looked like the entire leadership of
the army was there, so this had the makings of a very important meeting.

General
Verandos stood up and walked to the front of the platform. Silence fell over
the gathered elven army. There was not a single sound aside from the crackling
from the enormous bonfire in front of the stage. The flickering light made the
druid look even more imposing as he stood there looking at the soldiers below him.
Each soldier felt as though the general was looking right at them and that he
was reading their thoughts and feelings.