by Brad Clark
“Yes, we figured that out, too. Well, actually it was the dragon that told us.”
“Dragon?” King Illichian croaked out. “You also spoke to a dragon?”
Marik wasn’t sure how to respond. Magic. Dragons. They were all so commonplace right now. It wasn’t but a year ago that all he knew was cold steel and the strength of his body. Now, armies could be felled by a mysterious, invisible force. He didn’t understand it, and he wouldn’t try.
“Yes, a dragon,” Marik replied. He continued to tell them about their flight from Tyre, being attacked by the dragon, and eventually how it had let them live. By the time he had finished telling his tale, the entire tent was eerily silent. Even when he was done, no one wanted to speak.
Elissa spoke first. “My people are waiting at Neffenmark Castle. We must go there.”
“We have not yet scouted your kingdom for the Deceiver's army,” the King said. “We do not want to march our warriors directly into their path. Our soldiers ready to fight, but we are not yet prepared for a full-out war.”
“I just came from there. There was no sign of even a single goblin. The trail of their army led to the northwest, towards the mountains.”
The king looked to Kaelak for confirmation.
Kaelak stepped forward and said, “Our scouting took us farther south to the city, and we did see some goblins there. We have seen none in the fields or forests around the city, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. We could spend weeks scouting this kingdom, but we would only lose our chance at surprise. The Deceiver does not know of our army, but once we are spotted, he will surely turn on us. The quicker we can engage his forces, the more damage we will be able to do.”
“These mountains of which you speak,” the king said to Marik. “What is past them?”
“The Taran Empire.”
“You speak as if I should know it.”
“Oh, well, sorry. It is the greatest nation of Humans. Their lands stretch for maybe a thousand miles to the west. No Karmon has ever ventured that far, though. Their cities are enormous. Much larger the South Karmon. Their capital city, Tara City, has many, many times more people than our entire kingdom.”
“You have been there?”
“Yes. I have seen this city of theirs. Maybe a million people live in the city. They also have a very large army of professional soldiers. They will be a formidable army for the Deceiver.”
“But he will destroy them without much effort. The power of the Deceiver is great, especially with half of the Ark of Life.”
“There are hundreds of thousands of Taran centurions that will stand in their way. The goblin horde is large, but not that large.”
“If their army is so large, why did you not go to this empire for help? Why cross the seas for our help?”
“The Taran Empire attacked my kingdom,” Elissa said, interrupting. Her voice had a tone of irritation, although she did her best to not show it. “We do not know what allegiance they hold.”
“I have come across some centurions over the past few weeks,” Marik said. “Their allegiance is not with the Deceiver, I can tell you that. I have fought alongside them, and they are brave and courageous as any Karmon Knight.”
“Then they may just stop the Deceiver’s army long enough to allow us to catch up,” King Illichian said. “With our warriors and the soldiers of your people, we might be able to strike the backside of the Deceiver and slay him.”
“And with Hargon wielding his half of the Ark of Life, we might be able to kill him.”
King Illichian’s eyes suddenly flashed anger. “No! We cannot let that come anywhere near the Deceiver! He already has the gem, and if he were to obtain both, then he would be too powerful for even us. It must be taken far, far away. If we could destroy it, I would. Since we cannot, it will be carried back to our homeland for safe keeping.”
Marik did not want to argue, but he felt the need to speak up. “I understand your fear of the Ark of Life, but if it is a weapon that we can use, then we must use it!”
“You could never understand the true danger of it. You see the power of good that it has. The power to destroy your enemies. But as quickly as it can destroy your enemies, it can destroy your allies as well. There is no safe place for the Ark of Life, but the farther away from the Deceiver it is, the better.”
“This is our kingdom. I think we should be the ones who determine how to defend it.”
“How many wars have you fought? I have been alive for thousands of years and have seen countless wars. Many I’ve won. Some I’ve lost. With each victory and defeat, I have taken with me a little more wisdom and left a little bit of pride on the battlefield. You would do well to listen to those who know more than you.”
The king’s voice ended in a crescendo followed by dead silence.
Marik wasn’t sure how he should respond. He was angry and insulted, but was also surrounded by Elves. He no longer felt like he was with allies.
“King Illichian,” Elissa said. “We are not questioning your expertise in military matters. I certainly do not know much about warfare. I grew up living a comfortable life as a princess, but Sir Marik, he has spent his entire life devoted to knighthood. He may not have fought the wars that you have fought, but I trust him and his judgment.”
“Maybe you should just let my warriors and me finalize our war plan.”
Elissa’s cheeks turned red. “Because I am a woman, you think I could not offer help or advice?”
“You said it yourself that you know little of warfare. Fighting a war is a complicated endeavor that requires skills of the mind that can only be honed from years of practice.”
“Did you just call me dumb?”
Marik stepped forward between the king and Elissa before she said anything more. He looked her in the eye and said, “You must not let your emotions control your tongue.”
Her eyes blazed with anger, and she struck him on the chest. “Do not tell me to control my emotions! My kingdom is falling apart. Thousands upon thousands of my people are dead! The world as we know it is coming to an end and my Conner is not with me!”
She turned away to sob.
Commotion at the back of the room distracted everyone from the sobbing queen. A tall female Elf pushed her way to the front of the tent and took Elissa in a hug. Marik was shocked to see another Elf show such compassion to Elissa, and he could only take a step back and watch.
“Will you males ever learn!” she shouted out.
Marik was even more surprised at how she had just yelled at her king.
“Hallendrielle,” the king said in as a comforting voice as he could muster.
“Your arrogance is only superseded by your stubbornness! Will you ever learn? It’s good I am such a light sleeper that I heard you prattle on about your warmongering. Do not pretend to know more than the professional soldiers. Yes, you have fought in wars. We all have. But you were chosen for your kingship not because of how well you could turn a blade, but how well you could lead the Elvenkind. So stop trying to be who you are not. Let the soldiers fight. If Sir Marik thinks the Ark of Life should be used to help fight the war, then you should listen to him.”
“The Ark of Life is dangerous in the hands of Humans. Our race was almost wiped out because of our war with Humanity and their desire for power. We cannot just let them have it again! We have paid an incredible price for our lives. We left our homes to go into exile so that we could rid the world of the Human mages. I will not let them have that power again!”
“You would keep the Ark of Life from the Humans and allow the Deceiver to win this war?”
“You underestimate us, Hallendrielle.”
“And you overestimate! Too many good warriors stayed home because they were too cowardly to fight. But even with all our might, I do not think we can defeat the Deceiver on our own.”
“I saw the creature that fought for him,” Marik said. “It fought the dragon and almost won. I have seen the Stone Ogres that ravaged our city. How ma
ny Elves will it take to kill one of them? And they have dozens in the city and who knows how many elsewhere. I have seen the power of the Ark of Life first-hand. It healed me. The fire from the dragon nearly killed me, but the Ark of Life gave me my life back. Thousands of goblins attacked Neffenmark Castle, and we had little chance of defending it, but the Ark of Life was used by Hargon to defeat the horde. Killed them all and killed them easily.”
King Illichian slowly shook his head. “You do not quite understand, do you? The power seeps in just like you describe. The power touches you and makes you feel good. It saves your life or the life of your loved ones. What about when the war is over, what then? Will you give up the Ark of Life? Will Hargon be able to leave the power that the Ark of Life has given him? Once he has touched the power, he will not be able to release it.”
“What about you? You Elves have magic! You cast spells, too. What makes you different than Hargon.”
“We were born with it, Sir Marik. From the day little Elflings come into the world, the Web of Magic surrounds us, and we are one with it. We understand it and its power. We understand its limitations and the dangers. As we grow and mature, it grows and matures within us. Yes, we can touch the power and feel it, but it does not consume us or drive us crazy when we lose it.”
Queen Elissa stepped away from Hallendrielle. Her eyes had dried, but her face was still marked with tears. “We are not just trying to save our kingdom, we are trying to save our world.”
King Illichian let out a sigh. “To what end, though? We save the world from one tyrant only to give it to another.”
“You don’t know that,” Hallendrielle said. “Conner, Elissa, Sir Marik, none of them are like the Humans that we once knew. Maybe it’s time to trust them. I mean really trust them. If the only way to fight this war is with the Ark of Life, maybe we should use it.”
King Illichian shook his head. “I am saddened that an Elf would dare speak such words.” He looked around the room. “It saddens me that I am actually considering it as well. I cannot see another outcome other than what we saw five thousand years ago during our war with the Humans.”
“Five thousand years is a long time,” Marik said. “Maybe it’s time that you give us a chance.”
“If Glaerion were here, would you listen to him?” Hallendrielle asked.
“He would be on my side. He would not want the Humans to have the Ark of Life.”
“Are you sure? I think I know my husband, and I know that he would want us to use whatever means necessary to defeat the Deceiver. He saw them, too. He saw the dragon and the Stone Ogres. He told me of his fear for the fate of the world.”
Marik looked at Hallendrielle closely and said, “Wait, you are Glaerion’s wife?”
Hallendrielle did not like the interruption, and she gave Marik a harsh look. Her reply was short and snappy, “Yes, why?”
Marik shrugged his shoulders. “He just didn’t seem the husband type.”
A slight smile grew on her face and then she let out a laugh. “Then you know my Glaerion well. But, he is indeed very much the husband type.”
Her laughter seemed to release tension in the room. Everyone took a breath.
“This Neffenmark Castle. It is a safe place?” the king asked.
“Strongest castle in the kingdom,” Marik replied. “It is built against the side of a mountain. The walls are ten feet thick. It has survived assaults for hundreds of years.”
“If your army is there, then we should go there and join up with them. I will probably never be able to trust a Human with magic, but before I make a final decision, it would be wise to meet with him. He must understand what his power really is and the side effects of using it.”
“Hargon is a good man. I think he will surprise you.”
King Illichian glanced at his feet and shook his head. Clearly, he was still skeptical. With another long sigh, he replied, “I hope so.”
Chapter Seven
Marik stepped from the tent and shivered. The bitterness of the cold morning woke him quickly, getting his mind and body ready for their journey back to Neffenmark Castle. Kaelak had provided a warm fur blanket to get him through the night, and now he regretted leaving it in the tent. His thick wool cloak was warm but not as warm as the fur that had encircled him through the night.
At first, he thought he would never get to sleep, as thoughts of the coming war filled his mind. He could not help but worry about Conner and Glaerion, possibly lost at sea. At least he found Queen Elissa alive and soon she would be reunited with her people. At some point, he fell into a deep sleep, and he was now reinvigorated. Even though his muscles were a bit stiff from sleeping on the hard ground, his mood was full of positive energy.
The large tent where Elissa slept was nearby. Smoke was coming out of the hole in its roof, indicating that there was a nice hot fire warming the tent’s interior. The scent of food filled his nostrils, telling him that the fire was more than just giving warmth to the tent. His stomach grumbled, and he realized he had not eaten his fill last night. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of both a warm tent and a full belly.
As he walked towards the tent, cold and hungry, he was reminded of days when a warm bed and hot food was something that he took for granted. Until now, he had not given much thought to how lucky he was. Back at South Karmon’s castle where he had lived before the war, he had thought of the food being nothing great. It was tasty and satisfied his hunger, but certainly not as good as what Elissa was being fed. His bed had been soft, but not too soft. The room was cool in the summer and warm in the winter, even if he still needed to huddle under several layers of covers at night. Most times he thought he was living a frugal and simple life. However, compared to how he lived now, he had been living like a king. Never could he have thought about having to manage to try and stay alive. His dreams had been of advancing through the ranks of knights, rescuing fair maidens, and serving his kingdom as dutifully as he could. Now, his dreams were spent wondering if there would be enough food for his people to survive the winter.
Life would never be the same. He would never be able to live the same comfortable life that he once lived. Even if they won the war and started to rebuild their kingdom, life would be different. Too many good men and women had died, and that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He felt guilty at finding love in the darkness of war. Ilasha was the light of his life, and he could not think about living without her in his life, but it had only been because of the war that he had found her. So many families had been torn apart and destroyed and yet, he found love. The guilt made him wonder if he should not just push her away. How could he love her with so much death around them?
An Elf brushed past him, saying some words of apology. Marik just smiled and nodded. He watched the Elf step over to a nearby tent. With quick efficiency, the tent was taken down, rolled up, and carried off to be placed on a sled along with all the other tents. The horse that he had ridden into camp was patiently standing in front of the sled as three Elves put a makeshift harness around its neck and shoulders. He was disappointed not only because he thought that he might be able to ride ahead to Neffenmark Castle, but also because the proud warhorse was relegated to workhorse duty.
Once again, his stomach rumbled, and he was reminded that a hot breakfast was just a few more steps away. As he turned towards the tent, a shadow passed over him. It took a couple steps to realize that the skies were clear. He looked up to see a dark form flash overhead. Adrenaline suddenly pumped into his body, and he instinctively drew his sword, even though he knew it would be no good.
He was not alone in what he saw. Shouting and yelling filled his ears from all around him.
The large golden-eyed dragon casually flew high above their heads, circling the large tent. Several Elves fired their bows at the great beast. Their accuracy was supreme, but the arrows simply bounced off her thick hide. Marik ran towards the tent, and with each step he thought the dragon would fire its breath at the tent, insta
ntly killing everyone inside.
At the front of the tent, ten fully armed and armored Elves stood with bows in their hands, arrows aimed at the beast. King Illichian, Elissa, and Hallendrielle pushed their way out, even though the Elven guards tried to keep them in the tent.
“In there or out here, it won’t matter,” Marik said.
Elissa’s eyes were wide with panicked fright, and her face was ghostly white. Hallendrielle’s eyes were also filled with fear, but her jaw was firm, and her nostrils flared as she breathed.
“Lower your bows, as they will do nothing to it,” King Illichian said. Reluctantly, the Elves lowered their bows, but they did not put their arrows away.
“A clear shot to her right eye will do her in,” Marik said.
“She has two eyes, and it would be a miracle shot for even one.”
“She is down to one,” Marik corrected. “I already took one of her eyes out. If we can shoot her in the other eye, she will be incapacitated.”
“And angry,” King Illichian said. “I do not want to see her angry.”
Marik looked up at the dragon as she continued to circle and wondered if he had seen her angry, yet.
“What does she want?” Hallendrielle asked.
“Not to kill us,” King Illichian replied. “For if she did, she would have already tried. Do not fear, Queen Elissa, for if she tries to breathe her fire on us, our magic will protect us.”
Elissa could only nod her head. She took in a deep breath and tried to be brave, but words would not come out of her mouth.
“Sheath your arrows,” the King said. The Elven guard all hesitated, but with the stern look of their king, they put their arrows into their quivers.
“Are we not going to fight it?” Marik asked.
“Not today. Let’s see what it wants.”
“What she wants? She wants to kill us!”
King Illichian shook his head and said, “No. Dragons and Elves may not be allies, but we are not enemies, either. She will know that she cannot kill us so she will not try. She also knows that we cannot harm her with our magic so she will not fear us. Let us see what she wants.”
