Steven Burke - The Dark Tide

“Naturally, you cannot blame me for my curiosity. As far as moving our troops east, where do you want us to head first? I sense the Seda all around Renshaw, so I am guessing that we will head elsewhere first?” Tyrienwalker let the conversation move into this new direction. He knew what he needed to know…this orb was all important to Kana regardless of what she said.

“I want you to head south and help the orcs deal with those stubborn dwarves of Adem. There is a lava moat surrounding them and we can no longer allow this to keep us out. We need a way across and soon.” She knew that the dark elves could use their considerable dark magic to get around this formidable obstacle.

“I will come up with a plan to do just that and we will begin building the stronghold on the ruins of Belva.” He smiled darkly at this pleasant thought.

“I will leave you to it then” replied Kana briskly. She vanished again with an inaudible popping noise. Tyrienwalker followed suit and disappeared.

The dark elves standing on the rock island of Laikra would catch the attention of anyone passing by. Seeing the Elilasnar above ground after centuries of being out of sight would have been enough to cause a ship to run aground. If someone was passing by who had more recent knowledge or information about the actions of this fallen race, they would have turned about and never returned to western Tuwa. There have been tales over the years of various legendary creatures or races that have caused real fear or terror…these pale in comparison to what fresh hell the people from Meleirelnar had unleashed on the giants and Belva.

The wind was almost gale force strength which did not seem to make any difference to the hooded figures. The cowls were drawn over their dark faces so it was impossible to know who was who. They did not do this because of their curse, which had been removed by Kana; they did it to protect themselves from flying debris. The waves crashed into the rock island of Laikra with such terrific force that the very ground shook where they stood several spans away from the shore.

“Why are we here my lord” boomed the voice of a tall and exceptionally stout elf. His white hair practically glowed from underneath his cowl. He face was resolute without a hint of emotion.

“There is a magical object that Kana is after and I have learned that this orb is the key to our ultimate designs” replied Lord Tyrienwalker. His voice was calm and he did not shout like his fellow to be heard. He had magically enhanced his voice to be heard above the sounds around them.

“What exactly is this orb? How will it help our cause with the keeper?” intoned a frailer looking elf. His features were completely hidden beneath the cowl…with the exception of his eyes. They gleamed an eerie silver color which gave anyone pause who look in his direction.

“The orb contains power over the elements of this world and will allow us to grant access to the keeper to enter the real world. Kana has different designs in mind from what I have gathered. She wants to use this device to subvert all the living creatures and peoples of Tuwa. I believe that we are included in this subjugation.” Tyrienwalker was cool and calm as he began to reveal the truth about the orb.

“So, I take it then that we will gain access to this orb for ourselves and take out Kana before she has a chance to take us out” replied a cool female voice. This dark elf had thrown back her hood so that she could look unobstructed at those in the circle.

“Right on one account…we will retrieve the orb and then give it to Kana so she can deal with the guardian council for us. Once they are out of the way, we can then manipulate her to bring to heel the rest of the peoples of Tuwa. During this process we will encourage her to use the orb to manipulate the underworld. With our guidance she will unwittingly open the lands of middle Tuwa to the keeper and his minions. Then we will be able to throw down that unworthy witch and take control of the orb for ourselves. It will be a symbol of our great victory over those who tried to oppress us.” The wind ceased for a moment at these boasts and the elves all nodded their grim satisfaction with their leader’s plan.

“What are the next steps? Where is this orb located?” queried another elf.

“It is to the east of here. It lies in the Mia Koda mountain range near the western end. There are two paths to get there. One begins in the southwestern part of Renshaw and is called the Keala Path. This underground road actually runs through parts of the underworld and this is the way that Kana has elected to take. She does not know about this other way or the fact that Keala does not fully reach the destination that she is heading for.”

“I see, so we will take this other path and get to the orb first. This way we can present it to Kana which will cement our fallacious relationship with her” interjected the female elf. She could not hide her joyous anticipation of leading such a powerful being astray.

“Let us not get too far ahead of ourselves. First, we need to talk about the path that starts right here below this very island” replied Tyrienwalker smoothly. He gestured toward the barren landscape behind where they stood. While the naked eye could not see the secret entrance, with their magic they were able to see the way.

“Have all the traps been removed?” asked the most cautious elf in the group. He eyed the area where the entrance was with great suspicion. He could sense at least a dozen magical artifices that had yet to be dealt with.

“It sounds like we have our first volunteer. You get to deal with those traps while we finish up our plans for this expedition” Tyrienwalker stated flatly. The glimmer in his eyes betrayed the humor behind his statement.

“Learn your lesson from me all of you…volunteer for nothing” joked the dark elf in reply. He then quietly made his way to the entrance and set about the meticulous work of disarming the wide variety of traps.

“The way you will go will be completely underground and will not cross the underworld at any point. However, the entire route is being magically monitored. I have not been able to discover who is behind this, however I am sure it has to be something the guardians have put in the place. Since that is the case, the monitoring will not be as strict. If we move quietly and quickly, we may be able to use the element of surprise. The longer we can put off a confrontation with the guardians the better.” Tyrienwalker emphasized this last point. He wanted to make sure that they did not get too full of themselves too soon. The guardians were still more powerful than they were. After all, the council did banish and curse them once before.

The discussion continued for several hours and the sun set before they wrapped up their planning. A short time later the dark elf that had set about removing the traps approached the group to let them know that he had completed his task. Now all that was needed was to start the expedition. The wind had dropped the temperature several degrees and was making their continued presence in the open miserable.

“I do not know about the rest of you, but I think it is high time we get this party moving” offered the only female in the group. She was without doubt the most direct and vocal elf in the group. This is why Tyrienwalker had specifically asked that she join this expedition.

“Enough said…good luck and remember to keep me posted” replied Lord Tyrienwalker with a slight grin.

***

Xuzien shook his head slightly as he watched the dark elves stand on Laikra for several hours. He could not hear what was being said because of the interference from the wind, however, he could read lips. They were heading this way. They were also planning on using Kana…not that he was at all surprised by this information. He was a little proud of the unintentional compliment they paid him about his surveillance…as if the guardians would waste their time with such magical devices.