Gram focused his attention once again on the cataclysmic feat he was about to attempt. A short time later, the door behind him opened and closed. The familiar voice of Arun brought his concentration back to the present. “All is prepared, Gram. We are ready for you now.”
Gram turned around and saw the new Matron Mother of Evox standing respectfully behind him. He almost smiled, knowing the pain this act of capitulation had to be causing her. Arun had always deferred to him ever so subtly, but now she was not being subtle at all. On the contrary, she was being outwardly submissive, not because that was the way she felt, but because she needed him desperately at this moment. He was the only wizard with enough power to cast the Cataclysm spell. In the Underworld, female Krone ruled with an iron fist, much as Evona ruled over them, but Gram had always suspected deep down that the females appreciated a man who knew how to lead.
Gram said, “What will you do after Armena is decimated?”
“We will take back what is ours. Evox is the only Krone city not under siege or already conquered by the surface elves.”
“Losing so many of your cities to the weaker surface elves must be extremely frustrating.”
“Do not patronize me, Gram! We had them on the run until one of their gods came back to Tellus to lead their army! We had beaten them so badly that they retreated back to the surface and sealed the entrance to the Underworld in order to get away from us. We would have recovered quickly if Venal had not come back to Tellus to lead the elves into battle. How are we supposed to fight a god?!”
Gram smirked with confidence. “I will show you how with this spell, but I will expect something equally valuable in return.”
Arun picked up on his body language and tone, and she knew exactly what he wanted in return. “Oh, you’ll get it. I promise you that.”
Gram nodded his head in approval and said, “In that case, let us begin your path to victory.”
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Calim walked over to a grove of trees outside of Ash where no less than fifteen of his fellow Philosophers had gathered. Some were new recruits, most were seasoned veterans, and all of them were his friends – but he was the senior agent in charge. Due to the secrecy of their organization, the Philosophers rarely gathered in numbers larger than two or three, but the defense of the city and the absence of the army to defend it had forced the Philosophers to show a little more of their hand.
Calim spoke with his fellow agents as he walked into the grove. “I believe we are as prepared as we can be. I just spoke with the Commander of the militia. His soldiers will defend the city itself, while our job will be to harass them from the sides and rear. Since no one in the city except the Commander knows of our existence, we will maintain a planned separation.” The separation of the city militia from the Philosopher agents made good tactical sense, as well as being necessary. The Philosopher’s cunning and ingenuity was lost on the standard defense of a city. They were much more effective at hit-and-run tactics in the shadows of the forest as the enemy moved toward the city. Only the Commander of the city militia knew the truth of what was going on. The soldiers in the nearly empty city of Ash thought they were defending the city on their own and remained ignorant of the powerful Philosopher agents lying in wait on the outskirts of the city.
One of the new recruits spoke his mind. “Then we have given up all hope of negotiating with the humans?”
“No. I am leaving after we finish here to meet with one of their leaders.”
The same recruit spoke up again. “Why didn’t we meet with them earlier? This seems rather like deciding to hunt elk just before the sun drops below the trees.”
“I discussed that very thought with the Council of Wizards. It was the Lead Philosopher’s hope that the humans didn’t know where our cities were, given that they aren’t even sure of our existence, and that they would grow tired of combing through the forest and return home. However, having tailed them from Endwood, it is clear that they have an accurate map of at least part of our kingdom, since they marched straight from Endwood to the outskirts of Ash. The second reason we didn’t open negotiations earlier is that we underestimated their resolve. We aren’t quite sure why the loss of a small logging town to a giant attack and ghosts warrants raising an entire army and marching against us. Clearly their resolve is stronger than we anticipated. Perhaps I will find out why during my meeting.”
Calim’s answer seemed to satisfy the new recruit. He tried to remember a time when he had been as cocky and sure of himself. “I will try to negotiate a peace that will get them to turn around and leave our forest, but at the very least I will stall for time. If they will not listen to reason, then it is war. The humans have three armies marching through Glenmyr Forest, but the largest is converging on us now. We are too few and our chances are slim. I don’t hold out hope that we can save Ash if it comes to war, but the Philosophers have faced worse odds than this before and we have always come out on top. Remember our words and fight to make it so. No matter the cost …”
The other Philosophers finished the motto. “Complete the mission.”
“Words to live by this day, for if we fail the city of Ash will be no more.” The resolve on the faces around him were resolute iron. No one had to be told the stakes. No one had to be reminded of their duty. “Resume your scout positions. I will return shortly for final preparations.” The meeting broke up, and everyone resumed his or her preassigned position.
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Jon finished urinating on a tree well outside the view of his marching soldiers. After all, it was detrimental to morale for the men to see their captain taking a simple piss. As he pulled up his breeches and turned around to walk back to the lines, he was startled nearly to death by what could almost be described as a tall, slender, teenage child standing thirty feet away.
The stranger looked like a child, but when he spoke it was with the iron conviction of someone defending his home. “You humans show no respect for the trees. Where would you be without the shelter and peace of the forest?”
It took Jon less than a fraction of a moment to realize the child standing in front of him was an elf. He thought about his experiences at Endwood and answered, “I don’t know. The forest is a dangerous place for the people of Kentar these days. Ghosts, giants, and other foul things seem to jump out of the shadows and strike when we least expect. Perhaps ridding ourselves of the trees and all of those in it will enhance our security.”
Jon drew his sword and was about to call out, when the elf spoke. “Hold your weapon, sir. You won’t be needing it for what I’m about to say.” The elf stopped for a moment and seemed to evaluate Jon. “Or would you be so arrogant and closeminded as to chase me off without hearing what I have to say?”
There was no mistaking the melodious voice of the stranger before him as anything other than an elf. Even though he had only heard the language once before at Endwood, so long ago, it was engrained in his mind. Then, as now, the words were formal and the accent strange, but the elf spoke Jon’s language well enough. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“My name is Calim. I am here to negotiate in good faith for your army to turn around and go back to Kentar.”
Jon found this interesting, but there was no turning back now. “I’m afraid we can’t do that. There are questions that must be answered.”
The elf contemplated this for a moment and nodded his head. “Well, here I am, sir. Ask your questions, and I will do my best to answer them.”
Jon didn’t know if he could believe the elf, but he had come all this way seeking answers. It would be a shame to turn someone away who seemed willing to answer those questions. “Why are you speaking with me and not another one of the captains? Why not our general?”
“Were you aware that I was watching your army as it moved in and recaptured Endwood?”
“I was not.”
“Good. It is always nice to hear that I haven’t lost the entire
ty of my skills. To answer your question, I am talking to you because of all the soldiers I observed at Endwood, you seemed the most sensible of the bunch.”
“What gave you that idea?”
“It is not difficult to determine a person’s motives if you are trained to do so. You are looking for answers, and your mind is not yet made up. Your general, on the other hand, is a fierce warrior who has already determined that we are guilty of whatever has brought you into the forest. His convictions have already convinced the other captains. You alone have kept an open mind about the validity of your march into our forest.”
Jon nodded his head and asked the question that had occupied his thoughts for more than half a year. “What really happened at Endwood?”
“I’m not sure what you mean. I wasn’t there personally, but I have heard the reports from Lord Chas and Evisar.”
“We were attacked several times and forced to abandon the town. Did the elves have anything to do with those attacks?”
The elf was quick to answer. “Absolutely not! My understanding is that we sent an envoy of four elves to this Endwood to discuss the presence of your logging town in our forest, where we were turned away most rudely. Now it is time for you to answer one of my questions. Why has Kentar sent three armies into Glenmyr Forest?” Jon’s face must have shown his surprise, because Calim continued matter of factly. “Yes, we are aware of the other two armies approaching from the northwest and southwest.”
Jon was even more confused. “Isn’t the answer obvious? Our logging town was destroyed, so we have come to investigate and find answers to our questions.”
Calim remained calm, but even though he was alien, it was clear to Jon that he was annoyed. “The army at your back is not an investigative army, but rather an army meant to conquer. Surely you can see that. Even if we did destroy this Endwood, which we did not, it was a small logging town and should not have warranted the invasion of three large armies.”
What Calim said was true, but Jon’s gut was telling him this elf was not being entirely truthful. He also didn’t like having his intelligence questioned by this Calim either. Both of these facts put him on the defensive, and he lashed out.
“You talk sweetly, but your words ring false. I’ll not be questioned in this manner by the enemy. I find it more than a coincidence that two days after we turned your elven envoy away, the attacks against our small logging town began.”
“That is the whole of your evidence. Surely you can see that your case is circumstantial at best.”
His intelligence was again brought into question. “What about the black arrow?”
“What black arrow?”
“During the first attack on Endwood, my captain was shot in the back with a black arrow.”
“Circumstantial. How do you know this captain wasn’t killed by one of his own soldiers?”
“Two reasons!” Jon protested. “Captain Sheval was the only one killed in that giant raid by friendly fire. Don’t you think it coincidental that the captain, the most important soldier on the battlefield, was killed by friendly fire?”
“Still, you can’t say for certain.”
“Yes, I can! The arrow that killed the Captain was entirely black.”
“So, what of it?”
“The Army of Kentar has always used white or light gray arrows. It has used these light arrows since its founding over a thousand years ago. It proves that the Captain was killed by something other than one of his own soldiers.”
“Does it! Are you telling me a black arrow has never been loosed by a soldier of Kentar?”
Calim did have a point, but Jon was not willing to concede it. “You are lying. Or at the very least, you are not telling the whole truth.”
“And how would you know that?”
“It is not difficult to spot a liar when you are trained to do so.”
Calim clearly did not like having his words used against him. “I tell you we had nothing to do with the destruction of Endwood. If you want to come to our city to discuss our diplomatic situation, then we would be more than happy to receive you.”
“And if I chose not to believe you?”
“Then you will find moving into our city to be a very bloody affair.”
“How so?”
“You are invading our homes and destroying our forest. We will not give up either one without a fight. We’ve known you were coming for a long time, and we’ve had plenty of time to prepare.”
“And we will not tolerate such an aggressive neighbor on our borders. Especially a neighbor who doesn’t have the courage to face us openly, but instead choses to launch sneak attacks from the shadows.”
“Then this meeting would seem to be at an end.”
“I believe you are right. Guards! Guards!” Jon turned around and called to his guards standing fifty paces away. When he turned back around to face the stranger, he saw nothing but empty forest. Calim had disappeared back into the shadows.
He was now certain he had made the right choice in coming on this expedition. The elves did take part in the destruction of Endwood. Jon stopped for a moment as one potential problem with his logic came to mind. Why was Kentar taking three large armies into Glenmyr Forest based on the destruction of one small logging town, especially when it could be argued that the elves had been defending their territory?
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Gram walked out of the inner sanctum of the temple with Arun following a respectful step behind. He walked quickly down the hallway toward the main temple chamber. The hallway was lit with torches – largely for his benefit since he could not see in the dark like his Krone allies.
Gram knew the Krone had their benefits, but being counted as trustworthy was not one of them. When he traveled with them through the Underworld he always kept a close eye out for signs of betrayal. Even Arun bore watching, especially since they were lovers, for physical love meant very little to the Krone. Common sense always insisted he consider bringing more soldiers from the Talon Guild warrior caste with him into the Underworld, but he continually rejected the idea since, for the moment, the Krone desperately needed him to cast the spell. Plus, having bodyguards was so restricting and undignified. Aside from the blue portal to the Plane of Chaos and the dismembered elf who had somehow come back to life, Gram had never lost a battle in more than two and a half centuries. His power was beyond compare, a fact he was about to prove again shortly.
But these were unique times, with unique security concerns. The spell was going to demand every fiber of his being while he was casting it, as well as leave him utterly drained once completed. There was also the fact that once he cast the spell the Krone would have no further use for him. These two reasons had led Gram to contact the Guildmaster and personally request the Guild’s warrior caste for this one occasion.
As Gram entered the main temple chamber he noticed Keth, the half-orc Inner Circle member in charge of the Guild’s warrior caste, standing guard over the hallway that lead to the temple’s inner sanctum.
Gram nodded to Keth out of respect and said, “Keth, have all the appropriate security precautions been taken?”
The half-orc was all muscle and easily towered over the smaller wizard. Despite being a half-orc, and not the sharpest member of the Talon Guild by a long shot, Keth had earned his place among the Thirteen with strength, courage, and an intuition that was unmatched throughout the Guild. His warrior skill was unchallenged, and he could literally smell a conspiracy, trap, or ambush as though he had planned it himself. These qualities alone were not what qualified Keth for the Inner Circle or made him so useful to the Guildmaster. Simply put, Keth had a sixth sense about soldiering. The Guildmaster relied on his private security forces for his personal safety, but he counted heavily on Keth to carry out his will in Locus and beyond.
The half-orc responded, “Yes, Master Gram, security is good. You will be well cared for after the spell is cast. I have personally looked in every room of this temple for any f
unny business. My warriors are placed everywhere, including one for each magic person.”
Gram did not say anything, but in his head, he marveled once again at how Keth had managed to earn his place among the Thirteen with his diminished communication skills. “When this is over, you will have my gratitude.”
Gram walked to the center of the immense chamber and looked to ensure all was in place. The temple altar room was a large circle three hundred feet across. The floor was polished granite with finely carved granite pillars along the perimeter. Hopelessly bound to each pillar was one or two magic-users, which, in addition to the First Heir, would provide the raw power for the Cataclysm spell. Standing next to each pillar was a Talon Guild warrior dressed in full armor. Priests of Evona, representatives from each of the Krone cities, as well as many other Krone nobles scurried back and forth across the granite floor preparing for Gram knew not what. He took a moment to look up at the sky and smiled to himself when he remembered that there was no sky in the Underworld. Gram saw nothing but pitch black outside the range of the torches hung inside the temple and the surrounding city of Evox, but he knew that far above there was nothing but solid rock. Since he could not see the rock with his human eyes, he could almost convince himself that he was on the surface on a cloudy night with no stars, rather than down below the earth like some crawling creature afraid of the light.
Do the Gods Give Us Hope? Page 46
