And as the human stepped back, the newly arrived elves took their place in front of the ogres. One spoke in an even voice that carried across the assembled crowd. “I am Ran, a dark elf of the Twilight Bough, and this is Lar’donal, a frost elf of the Quel’dethain Mountains, both in the realm of Menalor. We also have encountered this being in our own world. And yes, he lies. He brings only deceit and destruction, representing nothing but endless grief. We are here to fight with you. More of us will come. But you must not give in to this evil. I agree with the human. There is no comfort to be had in an alliance with this devil.”
Murmurs and grumbles swept through the ogre ranks. Some of the chiefs motioned their men back, away from the gathering, as though in retreat. Others stood their ground, although with looks of profound uncertainty on their faces. The darkness deepened, and the moon peeked over the eastern horizon.
Myhrren, still kneeling beside Tovi, whispered, “This is what I was talking about. You must engage with these and others to build the foundations. Trust me, my friend, the ogres will follow.”
Tovi nodded and was about to respond when he sensed a being standing next to him. He turned to see the dark elf towering above him.
“Tovi Gloam of Pangrove.” A grin found its way onto his face. “You and I need to talk.”
Chapter 3: Crystal Sands
“You know Marzi?” Tovi anxiously questioned Ran, one of the dark elves that had popped through the portal just before the encounter with Dredwyn. “Is she okay?” It was his sister’s fault that the young Azyrean boy had ended up in the land of the ogres to begin with but, still, it would be good to know that she was safe.
The young elven warrior grinned. “Oh, yes. I know her. And I hope you have not caused as much trouble here as she has caused in my homeland.”
Tovi shook his head and laughed. “She’s way more trouble than me.” He knew that was not true. He was, after all, a master at causing trouble—something he had come to accept. “Myhrren said she’s coming. I can’t wait to see her. Uh, you don’t have to tell her I said that though.”
Meanwhile, the assembled force of ogres, clearly uneasy with the latest turn of events, segregated themselves from the new arrivals, eyeing them suspiciously. Well, all except for Klunk, who seemed fascinated by the visitors. “Your home is, what did you call it—Menalor?” He directed his question to Ran.
“Menalor. Well, that’s the name of the entire realm. My own home is in the Twilight Bough. Lar, over there, is from the Quel’dethain Mountains. I am a dark elf and he is a frost elf. We are different, but the same.”
Klunk scratched his head, confusion in his eyes. “Different but the same? How is that possible?”
Ran chuckled. “We are all elves. But we live in different places, and so we have grown to do things differently. Are all ogres the same?”
“No. We live in different kraals.” Klunk shrugged. “So, I guess maybe we are different but the same, huh.”
Lar eased closer into the circle. “We came here expecting to fight an army of humans.” He cast his gaze momentarily toward Mathias who, up until this point, had remained silent. “What do you know of this?”
Kharla, who had likewise stayed out of the conversation, chimed in. “Yes. There will be a battle, a war. The humans have sent small groups over to raid and kill our people. We expect a large force very soon. We are ready. We will destroy them.”
The elf eyed her without an air of caution. “Do you know how they will arrive and where?”
“Yes. They will come through a portal close to our mines. It is a half-day’s journey from here. As for when, I don’t know. But we are ready when they come.” She narrowed her eyes. “You are here to help, yes?”
Ran responded, “Yes. We are here to help. More will come later. We were sent through early to secure the portal area.” He glanced around. “It looks secure to me.”
Tovi laughed. Hundreds of ogres had campfires burning and meals cooking. The flames lit up the immediate desert area, giving it a surrealistic orange look. Pets of all types—rock dogs, raptors, and boars—rested along the outer ring of fires. It was hard for the Azyrean to imagine that any force could overcome this army, especially with more elves coming.
Mathias, the human who had watched without speaking, offered an observation. “The human army that comes through that portal should not be taken lightly. I am one of a rebel force that has fought them for years. They will not go down easily. I’m guessing that the thing we saw, Dredwyn, is the true form of Wyndred, the human king. He will stop at nothing to have his way.”
Kharla stood, club in hand. “Let them come, all of them. Let him show his face in our land.” Her eyes reflected the fire and her jaw clenched.
Mathias shrugged. “Be careful what you wish for.”
Chapter 4: Crystal Sands
“I thank you for coming together. I know the hour is late, but the ogres must make a decision tonight, before the elven army arrives in the morning.” Myhrren spoke in a voice louder than Tovi had ever heard. “I understand that you are wary, perhaps even fearful. That is to be expected. Nevertheless, the elves will expect to consult with an ogre leader. In order for that to happen, you must select one among you to fill that role. You will have more discussions in the days to come, but for now, you must at least choose someone to carry your words.”
The band of ogre chiefs looked at each other, as though they didn’t understand what was being asked of them. A wave of murmuring swept through the group.
Myhrren continued, “Please understand, I am not asking you to select one to rule over the others. And I am not suggesting that you make a decision regarding the demon Dredwyn. I am merely suggesting that one of you needs to speak for all ogres when the elves arrive.”
One of the ogre chiefs stepped forward. “If what you say is true, then maybe Klunk should speak for us.” He nodded toward the ogre standing beside Tovi. “After all, he, along with the little one, carried the words to us.”
The faintest of smiles found its way onto Myhrren’s face. “Yes. I believe you may have a good idea. Klunk, would you agree to be the speaker of words when the other forces arrive?”
Klunk remained silent for a moment. When his words came, they came slow and soft. “I can speak. But you all,” he gestured with his hand toward the other ogres, “must tell me what to say. I have no words of my own.”
The ripple of voices in the group seemed to indicate approval. Amid the nods and smiles, the air began to swirl and take on a bluish tint, first faint and then brilliant sapphire. The portal appeared to be identical to the one that had brought the elves only an hour previous. But at the last moment, rather than green at the center, a figure tumbled out of a ruby colored flash.
The human stood and stared around the area. His hand rested on his sword hilt, although he kept his weapon sheathed at his side. Only a few seconds later, a second being stepped out. Taking a quick look around, his hand went quickly to his sword hilt. The first traveler turned to the new arrival and gestured for his partner to stay his weapon.
A brief murmur ran through the assembled force before the clearing fell silent—two humans stood and faced hundreds of ogres and a couple of elves. Mathias stepped out of the crowd and shouted, “Wait, wait. Don’t be doing anything rash. This is Captain Virgil from my company, the rebels I told you about.” He turned to the new arrivals and grinned. “You sure took your time.”
The taller of the two men took one last look around before his gaze came to rest on Mathias. “We stopped for a flagon of ale. But it looks like you found what we were looking for.” The serious look on his face betrayed the barest hint of a smile.
◆◆◆
“You are the leader of the ogres, then?” Virgil held the cup of steaming beverage in both hands. He sat on a large flat stone facing the roaring fire.
“No. I am not the leader. I have been asked to speak. That is all.” Klunk gestured toward the larger crowd of ogres, gathered around different fires.
The human captain nodded as he sipped the liquid and grimaced. “I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, but what is this stuff?” He held his cup up.
Klunk chuckled. “That is brewed tovar nut drink. We crush the nuts, complete with the shell, into a powder and mix it with hot water. I don’t like it. It is mostly for adults.”
“I see. Fortunately, we have brought bags of our own coffee.” Virgil took another drink and set the cup down. “I assume, since you have this large force gathered, you are expecting war.”
“Other humans have come to our lands. They have killed our people and stolen from us. We want to stop them, but we have hope that it will not mean war.”
The captain smirked. “I know of the humans that invade. If you want to stop them, you must do it with force. Their leader, King Wyndred, does not negotiate. We are here because we want to end his reign of terror in our world. And we know that he is focused on this land.” He gestured toward the darkness that now cloaked the desert beyond the small circles of light.
Kharla, quiet until this moment, spoke up, “If it is fighting that is required, then we are ready.”
Virgil stared at her for a moment before nodding. “In that case, we will stand with you.”
Chapter 5: Ebon Hills
The farther they traveled the more Jarek felt relief wash over him. Surely it was only a matter of time before the king realized that the rebels had moved to the desert land of the ogres. Captain Virgil and his squad were there now. Wyndred would send his forces to engage them. Ebon Lake and the surrounding hills would be safe.
And the Azyrean had done his part. He, along with Burns, Ratio, and some of the others, had discovered the secret to cross-realm travel. The next step would be to find a way home to Pangrove. Given that they now knew how to use portals, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
As the trio—Jarek, Burns, and Ratio—made their way across country, Jarek pondered the notion of boredom. It would be nice to have no worries. There was no pressure to discover anything else.
“How far to the edge of the swamp?” The environs looked familiar, but until they reached the approaches to the rebel camp, Jarek knew that they were vulnerable, even if the king’s soldiers weren’t out scouring the countryside for them. There was always the possibility of a random patrol. And the three companions, after all, were far from being capable fighters.
Burns, leading the way, shot back over her shoulder, “If we maintain this pace, another two and a half hours, give or take.”
They had already been on the trail for a few hours. The sun had begun to bear down with its late morning heat. Jarek wiped his brow with his sleeve. “It’ll be good to finally get off my feet for a while—grab some food and drink, and just settle back and relax.” He glanced back behind him at Ratio. “What about you? What are you going to be doing?”
“Not sure. At some point, I’ll have to go out and find the others. The brotherhood can’t be allowed to disintegrate. I know that Brother Magnus will lead them to a safe place and try to reorganize. I’m just not sure where that will happen.”
“Get down! Now!” Burns’ words came out quietly but with urgency.
Jarek dropped to the ground, taking on faith that his female human traveling companion knew what she was doing. After a moment of silence, he whispered, “What?”
The response also came as a whisper. “Not sure. Something moving up ahead—fast through the grass. Only caught a glimpse.”
The group fell silent. The waiting seemed like hours to Jarek, although he knew it was probably just a matter of minutes. Finally, Burns raised up to her hands and knees, peering out across the grass. “All clear. Up easy. Stay alert.” She continued scanning the horizon.
“What was it?” Ratio hesitantly rose and surveyed the landscape.
“I don’t know. But the movement was fast and… smooth. It seemed perfectly at home in this tall grass, whatever it was.”
“Is it safe now?” Jarek had hoped that this kind of thing was in the past. He was weary of being suspicious of everything, of being afraid of anything that moved. For a brief moment there, the thought of a swamp troll flashed through his mind, but Virgil had assured him that the swamp trolls were all gone.
“Let’s go. Heads down and eyes open. Drop if you see anything, but don’t shout out. Keep your voices low.” Burns crept ahead, moving in a crouched position.
By the time they reached the swamp’s edge, the sun had taken up position high in the western sky. They had another five hours of daylight, at least—plenty of time to navigate to the rebel camp. “Wait up.” Jarek shuffled up and stood next to Burns. “You have any idea what that was you saw back there?”
“It wasn’t animal, but it moved far too fast and gracefully for any of the king’s men, unless….”
“Unless what?” Jarek detected a note of alarm in her voice.
“Nothing. Let’s keep going. We can talk about it when we get to the cave. Maybe the commander knows more about what’s going on in the area.” Burns picked her way through fronds growing up from the stagnant water and regained the path.
Less than half an hour later, they emerged into the familiar clearing of the rebel camp. It was ominously quiet. The three travelers stood stunned, staring in disbelief.
Chapter 6: Ebon Hills
Jarek struggled to comprehend what he saw. Only after the sight of the bodies registered, did the unnatural silence enveloping the clearing underscore the magnitude of what they were looking at. There was no sign of life. He stood beside his two companions trying to reconcile the sight in front of them. “What?” He knew it was a stupid question, not even a real question. The Azyrean couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Burns reacted first. She shot across the clearing to the first body. She rolled it over onto its back and stared into blank dead eyes. Jarek didn’t recall the name of the young man. But he did remember the face.
Jarek followed, tentatively, and Ratio lagged behind both of them. Body to body, they checked for any sign of life—nothing. Seven of them—seven humans that had been alive. They had shared coffee and food. They had fought together. They had believed in one another. And now they were dead.
Burns fell to her knees, raising her hands toward the sky and screamed. Ratio bowed his head, his lips moving as if speaking to himself or, perhaps praying to the god Aristan… for all the good it would do.
Jarek knelt beside his friend, putting his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to say something. He wanted to help her through this but wasn’t sure he even knew how to help himself. “I don’t see the commander. Maybe she got away.”
Burns jerked her head toward him, glaring. But the white-hot words that her eyes betrayed never came out. She shook her head and screamed again.
Reality and practicality started to weigh on Jarek’s shoulders. They were standing in a clearing that had been attacked. He knew that it was fruitless, not to mention dangerous, to stand and scream, but he dared not tell Burns for fear of her reaction. Despite the protection and secrecy that surrounded this place, the invaders seemed to have done their work, but who was to say that they might not be back? Especially if they heard Burns’ screams. The three of them were in the middle of a swamp with no help and only a few hours of daylight left.
“Come on, Burns. We should bury them before nightfall. It’s only right. After that, we can see if there’s anything of use left inside the cave. And, unless you know of a safer place nearby, we’ll probably have to spend the night here.” He couldn’t bring himself to say that they would also have to figure out what to do next.
◆◆◆
They opted not to light a fire; they were too physically and emotionally exhausted after burying their dead comrades. If whoever or whatever killed the seven returned, the trio would be no match for them. They sat in the dark, backs to the wall, in silence for the better part of the night.
Jarek spoke when he could stand the silence no longer. “What was it that did all this? Do you think it was the sa
me thing you saw today on the trail?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Probably.” Burns sounded unconvincing… and unconvinced.
“How did they find the place? Nobody knows about it except the rebels.”
“I don’t know, Jarek.”
“And how’d they take the commander by surprise? Nobody can get into this place without being seen.”
Burns barked the response, “How am I supposed to know? I just got here… like you. I don’t know anything except that we just buried seven of my friends.”
“But I don’t understand how—”
She yelled at him, “Stop it! Just shut up, okay?” Her voice softened. “I don’t know any more than you do.”
Ratio’s quiet voice intervened. “No fighting, please. Of all the things we could do right now, yelling at each other would be the least helpful. Besides, you two are friends. You need to be supporting rather than arguing.”
Jarek slumped back against the wall. “Yes, of course, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Burns’ apology came out as a mumble.
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