Steven Burke - The Fallen Guardian

“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 Dukker. “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.

“We have called this meeting to discuss what we know of our enemies and also to give some special instructions,” began the druid in his deep, booming voice. “I want to assure you that the high elves, as they call themselves, are preparing to attack before dawn tomorrow. They are going to attack the southern cliff while the orc armies push through the South Gate.” No one made a sound, and it seemed like the fire had stopped making noise to listen to the general druid.

The king stood up and walked up to the front to stand beside his fierce-looking general. He raised his hand in greeting and then said, “Before we continue giving more information, I want to give each of you my royal blessing. I encourage you to be faithful in the task before us.” He bowed slightly to his people as he smiled warmly, and then he returned to his seat.

“Thank you, King Ciel. We are grateful for your blessing and encouragement,” General Verandos said appreciatively. “Now, we have learned that our former brethren have enlisted the services of the spawn of the last giant spider. Also, griffins may be in their midst, so beware. The high elves have somehow garnered the support of the giant wolves of the south as well. They will be riding them as steeds, but do not be lulled into the idea that they are merely beasts of burden. They have already proven their blood lust in the attempt they made on our capital city two days ago.”

“Did they break through our barrier?” asked someone from the crowd.

“No, the barrier has kept them at bay. A detachment from the army of Aran engaged the beasts and suffered heavy losses before making through our magical barrier. My old friend Commander Brugon knew the pass phrase to enter because I had given it to him. They have taken the city and are working to repair the damage that was done to the defenses. They have not touched or entered any of our homes or buildings out of respect for our privacy.”

“Do we know how many wolves there are?” asked another elf from the crowd.

“We do not have exact numbers, but it may be nearly twenty-five thousand of the massive brutes. However, we do have some good news. The mythical giant bears of the north have joined our side in this conflict. They have already engaged the wolves and have inflicted serious damage. They have agreed to fight alongside the elves in defense of the southern border. No one is to attempt to ride them, but they will help to protect you from harm.”

Shouts of relief and cheers of joy filled the air at this news. The elves were elated to hear that they had the help of the gigantic beasts. They had heard tales of their involvement in the last war of the races, but none of them had actually seen the bears after the war or even during it. There were very few soldiers in the elven army that had lived at that time. General Verandos let them chat for a little bit, and then he cleared his throat to get their attention once more.

“I also want to tell you that the eagles have also joined our effort. King Leroy has selected a group of men to be riders, and the eagles have been gracious enough to allow some of our ranks to ride along with them as they fight with us. They recognized the imminent threat to Landen, which has been provided them with homes among their vast cliffs for centuries. They want to fight this evil that is gripping the free lands.”

King Ciel stood up once more and made his way to the front of the stage. He put his hand on the general’s shoulder, and Verandos took his seat. The king looked out over the soldiers as their armor glimmered in the firelight. He smiled a weak, faltering smile as he looked into the eyes of his troops. I cannot believe that it has come to this! Where did we go wrong? Where did I go wrong? I have failed my people, and we have failed to care for the land as the guardians asked us to. This evil is because of me! He stretched out his arms once again to silence the crowd so that his words would be heard clearly. He struggled to master himself before continuing. After a concerted effort, he scanned the sea of soldiers with appreciation emanating from him.

“I stand before you as your king and protector. I feel that I have failed in my duties as your leader; however, I plan to make amends for my failings! We will win this war and punish those who perpetrated it without just cause! We fight for the freedom of the people of Tuwa and for the right to live as we see fit! Victory!” shouted the monarch loudly. He shook slightly with the effort he was making to look confident and resolute.

The elven army began to chant softly in their elven tongue the word victory as they dissembled to get what rest they could before dawn. As the soldiers quieted themselves for the night, a whooshing sound filled the night air. Several bats came swooping out of the air in an effort to cause a panic. They did not succeed in those attempts, so they resorted to a more dastardly approach. They started attacking the elves by landing on their backs and biting them with their inch-long fangs. General Verandos came bustling down the row of tents as a werebear so that the bats would focus on him momentarily to give the elven magicians time to counteract this surprise attack. As the vampire bats swarmed to the bear, the magicians captured the foul rodents in magical nets and fried them as they struggled to get free. After the last of the vermin were eliminated, a cheer of triumph rang through the air. However, this was a short-lived celebration because of the damage from the attack had become apparent to the encampment affected by the assault.

There were several hundred elves that had been bitten, and they appeared to be infected with a fast-acting poison. Five people died before the healers could find the proper spell to eradicate the poison from their systems. Rage filled the hearts of elven soldiers that had watched their friends suffer from the sudden attack. They would seek their revenge on their fallen brethren and those mindless oafs that they had allied themselves with. General Verandos led the army in vowing to kill all of Kana’s supporters and then kill the witch herself. A black storm cloud formed in the sky over Landen while this oath was made. The ground shook violently as they finished speaking. It felt like the earth was about to tear itself apart, and then it ceased all at once. The cloud not only darkened, but it lowered itself until it was only a few hundred feet above the plains. The cloud of war had finally settled. War had come!