Steven Burke - The Broken Council

"The day is waning, and the army will need a good night's rest before the trek to the secret base. I will leave you now, Milady," he said with an edge of friendly sarcasm. He bowed slightly and took her hand in his and kissed it gently. He rose with a wry smile and turned about-face and marched back toward the barracks. The queen watched him leave, and the sky above burned red as the sun set in the west. She eventually turned around and walked to the partially finished castle. She, too, would need plenty of rest for the journey ahead. She would wake early so that she could set some special magical protections of her own on various places within the city. It never hurts to be prepared.

Kishi felt that she also needed to meditate in the morning to clear her mind of all thought so that she could use her magic with greater precision and without any distortion from her emotions. She had learned that when she used her power through her feelings or aided by them, she could not control its destructive or constructive power. She needed to keep everything in check because if she let her resentment gain control, her enemies would then have a weapon to use against her. She cared too much for her people to submit them to great danger because of her ill disposition. She would protect them at all costs.

The morning air was crisp and cold as the queen meditated on her balcony. She could sense her surroundings and could feel her anxiety ebbing away as she became at one with her environment. She always kept her cool when she took time to focus herself and to ponder on the beauty of the world in which she lived. She immediately felt the presence of a powerful being, but she could not tell where it was precisely. It had the feeling of being everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

As she opened her eyes and turned around to look into her bedchamber, she saw a shadowy figure glide toward her. She immediately knew who it was that stood or floated before her. It was the mighty Mistress Kana, one of the most powerful Elementals and who happened to also be the most temperamental guardian. She would need to be cautious in this surprise exchange. She bowed only slightly to recognize her but did not want her to think that she felt she was a lesser being. Kishi stood up straight and looked into the fiery eyes of her unbidden guest.

"Queen Kishi, you need to understand exactly what happened to your sister before you take action against Nairi," Kana explained plainly but with great power in her voice. "Kira was murdered by General Marek, but the good general was not right in his mind. General Yukio has the ability to control and manipulate minds, and he used this power to eliminate your sister and the Chairman. He then killed Marek to make the whole situation look like he was too late to save his wife and his friend from his best friend's madness. I arrived too late to stop the bloodshed, and he is even now preparing his army to hunt you down."

"Why would Yukio do such a thing?" Kishi asked quietly. She is not telling me everything.

"He is an ambitious man who wants power over others. His ability to control minds has given him a taste of something he wants more than anything which is limitless power. That is why he has done what he has. That is why you must not underestimate him or his abilities. He may be a mad man, but he is a very dangerous one. He is an enemy that could rally support to his side with relative ease. If he does this, then all out war would be brought upon the races ofTuwa," Kana explained with a great deal of emphasis on the insanity of the general.

"We may need help to take the canyons if Yukio rejoins Queen Daria and her people," she said, consumed in her own thoughts.

"I will work with your mentor to garner support from some of the other races. They will not be able to provide you with direct support, but they will cut off any support from elves, dwarves, or men," the powerful guardian declared.

"Why are you helping us?" Kishi asked impulsively. She did not entirely trust the temperamental goddess, and she knew that she was on thin ice questioning her the way she was. But she needed to be sure that she was not making a mistake by siding with her.

"You are a bold one; that is why I like you so much. I have been prompted by what I have foreseen to join with you and the high elves. You are the future, and I will help you usher in a new world order. I will provide you with an axis of powerful allies and with direct aid from me when possible. For instance, I will create a windstorm so violent that the army of Yukio will not be able to follow for a few days. This will allow you to get to your secret base and to make your first assault on the canyon lands. I will then assist Lord Dukker in retaking Alanderas. Finally, I will have him create the alliances that you will need to be victorious," the guardian explained coolly.

"Very well then, I will go to the army now and get everything ready so that we can depart at sunrise. It will probably take us until midday to get all the troops out of the city, so how can we make sure that Yukio does not follow right away?" she pressed Kana. She did not want to fight the first battle on their doorstep.

"Leave that detail to myself and Lord Dukker. We will kill any spy or pursuer from Yukio. I will inundate him with powerful winds from the mountaintop that he will be unable to gather his men for some time. He may be mad, but he would not expose his men to unnecessary injury from my gale force winds," Kana explained.

"All right then. I will go and get ready for our journey. I will leave you so you can meet with Lord Aellenas," the queen replied. She bowed slightly and went to her closet to gather what she would need for the battles ahead. She would take her staff with her because she felt that this would help her channel her power better while providing a measure of control over her magic. It would also enhance her destructive power while bolstering personal protective spells she had in place.

Kana said nothing in reply and simply vanished. Kishi was too consumed in her preparations to notice the guardian's departure. The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, and she could already hear the sounds of the army making their own preparations. When she had gathered together her staff and other magical items, she left the bedchambers to begin her last task before leaving Tiranidrol. She quickened her pace so that she would be done by the time the army was ready to depart.

As she went about casting her protective spells, General Jaali was making his final preparations for departure. He divided up the men into a very specific formation that would help protect against ambush. The exterior had pike men to guard against horses, and behind them were a row of swordsmen. Behind the swordsmen were archers who could attack enemies at a distance while being protected by the first two rows. In the very center were the siege weapons. He was proud of this ideal formation and knew that they would not likely need to protect against much, but it is better to be safe than dead. That was his motto and everyone knew it. His desire to keep his troops from unnecessary harm made him the ideal leader. His army was fiercely loyal to him as a result.

As the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, the army was ready to move out. Queen Kishi appeared out of the shadows and walked slowly to stand at the side of General Jaali. He turned to her and smiled confidently at her. She smiled back briefly and then put on a determined look. Everything went still as she looked over the thousands of troops standing at attention before her. There were nearly five hundred thousand soldiers in the army, with five thousand knights waiting for them at the secret camp. She felt a surge of confidence rush through her body, and she began to glow an eerie red color as she began to lift off the ground slightly. Outside the walls of the city several plants wilted as their life force was stolen from them for her purposes.