The Fourth Age Shadow Wars: Assassins (The Fourth Age: Shadow Wars Book 1)

by David Pauly

  'What manners indeed?' replied a relieved Alfrahil. 'Surely, though, Ferox does not lay claim to Ackerlea over the claims of Eldora?'

  'Nay, Lord, he simply states he is the 'Elf Lord of Ackerlea', not it’s actual Lord. While he is besotted with his own self-importance, even he recognizes he has neither the legitimate claim nor the strength to claim Ackerlea for his own,' said Hilforas.

  Well and good,' replied Alfrahil dryly. 'I would hate to think of recalling the army from the Shardan frontier, or summoning the Kozaki to honor their ancient obligations.'

  'Never fear, Lord, for all who dwell in Ackerlea acknowledge the Lordship of Eldora. But now that this misunderstanding has been redressed, how can I be of service?' asked Hilforas.

  'Can you speak openly with my men here?'

  'No, your grace: too many ears and too little security. I can take you to a place where we can speak in complete confidence.'

  Glancing at Caelus, he ordered horses to be saddled. Mounting a compliant steed, Alfrahil ordered twenty guardsmen along with his Shadows to accompany him, and move out.

  Swiftly, Hilforas turned his fellow scouts around, cantering quickly away from the southern shore and leading Alfrahil and his guards south and east away from the river along a small game path through the dense forest and undergrowth where the horses were required to follow single file. Over an hour passed, with Estellius far behind them, before, leaving the paths along the river, Hilforas led them into wild country that existed between the river and the ancient north road farther to their east. Passing into a large clearing, Hilforas turned his horse around and approached the Prince. 'Will this suffice for our meeting, my Lord?'

  'So long as we are alone.'

  'If you are concerned for your safety, my Lord Prince, how do you know that you can trust me?'

  'You were vouched for by Lord Golbur. Plus, you are from the Great Forest, compelled to scout for the Elves of the North Forest. Therefore you must be completely trustworthy as far as the Lesser Elves are concerned. Besides, if you and your escort wanted to kill me and my men, you could have done so by now. Therefore you are either playing an incredibly deep game against me, or you are trustworthy. Which is the truth?'

  Smiling, Hilforas said, 'Your logic is flawless. I am trustworthy. Now, please follow me, your grace.' Hilforas dismounted and Alfrahil copied him, handing the reins of his horse to a protesting Shadow. ‘Silence.’ Said Alfrahil, ‘I will go with Hilforas, you and the others get turned around and be prepared to leave the minute I return.’ Quickly and stealthily, Hilforas led Alfrahil along another narrow forest path that quickly winded its way up a small but steep knoll which, from a distance, had not appeared to be as tall as it was. Coming to the summit where a cluster of limestone rocks offered a crude but natural seat, Hilforas bade Alfrahil sit amongst the small ferns that grew out of the limestone, where they provided shelter from the sun so that mosses could thrive under their cool shade. Gazing about, Alfrahil could only see other trees and a few open groves within the surrounding Ackerlea forests. For the hardy trees that had survived the domination of Magnar had responded to his fall from power with a resurgent strength, requiring the men of Eldora and their Elven allies to prune and trim their new growth so that the great north-south road and the eastern road to Hiberius remained open. Alfrahil could only hear the distant murmur of the great river and the sigh of the wind through the branches; the sounds of their escorts were completely lost to them.

  Alfrahil spoke with Hilforas, telling him the personal details of the ambush in the City and the ambush that had nearly claimed his life today. 'Hilforas, I ask much of you personally. My father, Lord Mergin, and I believe that this conspiracy to kill me is not completely domestic in origin. We have found evidence that other races may have been involved.'

  'That is indeed dire news,' said Hilforas. 'But surely you are not referring to the Elves.'

  'I'm afraid I am. The archers who waylaid me from the city rooftops were wearing these.' He drew out the Elven cloak from under his own cloak and handed it to Hilforas.

  'I have never seen one of these cloaks outside of our forest realm, except under specific circumstances and only given to specific Elves. Even our soldiers assigned to the Allied brigade were never allowed to take our magical cloaks with them.' Hilforas turned the garment over in his hands, examining it closely. 'I do not know what to say, my Lord, except please accept my apologies on behalf of the Elves for the aid that this cloak gave your would-be assassins. I will make enquiries regarding how this cloak could have left our realm.'

  'We need accurate information, and rather quickly at that, not the sanitized nonsense that will come through official diplomatic channels.'

  'How may I be of assistance?' Hilforas asked.

  'I need trustworthy scouts to take these tidings to your distant kindred that wander Nostraterra, to all the realms of Dwarves and Elves, asking all they encounter if they have any information regarding what has happened here in Eldora, no matter how remote the possibility. Dwarves will allow you Elves access to their realms, as Elves will allow Dwarves into yours. I suspect that there are elements of all races that want to destroy the peace in Nostraterra. Will you help me?'

  Hilforas remained quietly in thought for several minutes before responding. 'Prince Alfrahil, I will certainly lend you what aid I can, and several of these missions can be sent forth in the guise of normal communications, but taking Dwarves along is not something many of my kindred will tolerate. It would be sure to draw attention and invite rumor and speculation. While the Lesser Elves of the Great Forest and the Dwarves are closer now than at any time in our history, the cease fire between the Lesser Elves of the North Forest and the Dwarves is nothing more than that.'

  'Why is there a cease fire in the first place?' asked Alfrahil. 'Neither I nor my father has heard anything official from the Elves regarding this matter.'

  'That is a question with a long answer,' said Hilforas. 'When the Great War ended, Elves and Dwarves fought and died in the mines of Nerea in what both races refer to as the Great Tragedy.'

  'Yes, I have heard rumors of the story, but I have never heard the Elven perspective. Will you tell me now?'

  'Yes, after Elven involvement in your attack, I feel honor bound to tell you what I can. First I must tell you of Elven history of which you are not aware. When Magnar first attacked the Dwarves and the Lesser Elves, you men of Eldora initially hoped to sit out the war and profit from the spoils by attacking the victor, who would have been significantly weakened despite their success. When Magnar attacked our Great Forest, our lesser Water Spirits stayed his advance, using their magic to sustain our wounded, healing them and the forest from his assault. Our Water Spirits were never able to attack directly; they exist to give and sustain life, not take life. Only in sacrificing themselves could they stop a foe from attacking our realm. One by one, they gave up their existence, stemming the tide of Magnar, but he was too strong. Finally, he penetrated to our Great Spring, which Magnar personally attacked; but even he could not destroy it utterly. Our Great Water Spirit, Pluvia, denied him the advantage. It was then that Magnar unleashed a terrible personal weapon. Bolts of lightning came from his staff, causing nearby boulders to collapse across the spring, melting then hardening over it and cutting off Pluvia from her life's waters.

  'After Magnar was destroyed, Pluvia realized that her powers were waning, as all of our efforts to break open the stone barrier were repulsed. Worse, the Great Fire spirit began to heat our surviving Elf wells from below, killing the fish and plants that depended upon cool forest water for their survival. The forest as a whole soon began to suffer, as some lesser Elf Wells began to boil. Jets of steam killed trees and animals, threatening to turn the entire forest into a vast heated swamp. Pluvia realized that the only way to stop the Great Fire spirit was to stop his son, who, according to rumors from surviving Dwarves, had become the Fire Demon in Nerea. According to the Dwarves, the Fire Demon received nearly a third of the Fire Spirit's magi
c, so if the Fire Demon was destroyed, the power of the Great Fire Spirit would be curtailed, the danger to our forest ended. Pluvia went there and gave up her life, destroying the Fire Demon and lessening the strength of the Fire Spirit by destroying his most powerful child.

  'There are many Lesser Elves today who hold the Dwarves responsible for the loss of our greatest magical ally. If only the Dwarves had restrained their arrogance, the Fire Demon would never have destroyed and occupied the mightiest of Dwarf realms. If Nerea had remained inhabited and strong, Magnar would never have launched his wars of conquest, and we would not have sustained the losses that we did. Therefore, my Lord Prince, many Elves blame the Dwarves for allowing Magnar to launch his armies against the world.

  'When Pluvia left, there was no actual word from Nerea, so in the ensuing confusion as to whether or not she had been successful; Ferox presented the Dwarves of Nerea with a demand for recompense at the loss of our Water Spirit. The Dwarves refused, starting a brief but terrible series of atrocities, where Dwarf and Elf slew each other. This memory is quite sharp in our minds, since only by the sacrifice of our Great Water spirit was the realm of Nerea cleansed of the Fire Demon. The fact that we were attacked soon after helping the Dwarves is even more galling to most Elves. It will take much to overcome the death of Elves at the hands of the Dwarves and move the relations between our peoples forward.

  'Now you know of the antipathy of many of my people toward the Dwarves. Regardless of history, I do know of four of my scouts who like a good glass of Dwarven ale. They could be persuaded to carry Dwarves home to the Bastion and to their other realms, and even beyond their borders if need be. However, Lord Ferox would never countenance such a mission. Both I and my fellow Elves would suffer if it were known that I have agreed to help you. Only with direct permission from Albericus will my fellow scouts be able to go anywhere with Dwarves. I will send an urgent message if you like.'

  'Why would Lord Ferox not countenance such a mission? It seems that it would stand both our peoples well to look into the involvement of Men, Dwarves, and even Elves in such a fiendish plot. If these conspirators can attack me, then certainly they can attack a Dwarf Lord or a member of the Elven royal family as well.'

  Pausing for several minutes before speaking, Hilforas replied. 'Perhaps, Lord, you are familiar with the enmity that exists between Lord Ferox and your King?'

  'Yes, I have noticed my father's refusal to speak with Ferox over the years, but yesterday was the first time I saw an implacable opposition to Ferox, though I do not know the cause,' said Alfrahil.

  'Clearly, Lord, you are in the dark about on old sordid business. Perhaps I should not tell you of it now.'

  'No, please go on. It seems that there are more and more secrets each day that I am privy to, and this will only prepare me better for the kingship someday.'

  'Very well, my Lord. Your father, after assuming the throne with the passing of his father, fell in love with Adaril, sister to Ferox, niece of King Albericus, and asked for her hand in marriage. Her father had fallen in battle during the Great War, and both Ferox and Albericus assumed their care of her, though Adaril despised her brother and his hatred of Men. I do not pretend to guess at the cause of this hatred, but it exists, I assure you. Adaril and your father met at his coronation and apparently secretly thereafter a few times over the next couple of years. She returned your father's love and gave her consent in marriage freely. Ferox was enraged that his sister should plight her troth with a mortal, and was unwilling to countenance such a match, even with the High King of Men.'

  'Even so,' said Alfrahil, 'she was a free woman, and she could have chosen to ignore her brother, or seek consent from King Albericus himself.'

  'By our customs, with her father dead, it fell to Ferox to give his consent, though of course Albericus would have the final decision. But as you suggest, she did have the right to seek the consent of Albericus directly, and this she did, or rather attempted to do. Ferox, however, rather than laying her petition before the king, broke Elven law and locked Adaril away. When your father heard of this from Elves sympathetic to his cause, he was enraged and assembled his army, sending scouts ahead to prepare the way for an armed invasion. News soon reached Adaril that a great battle was brewing between Elves and Men on her account, and she fell into a deep despair. She had no wish to be the cause of such a war, and feared greatly for her people and for your father's safety. Thus she took her own life.

  'Three days later, the armies met east of the Crossroads. There was a parley prior to the battle, where your father demanded that Adaril be released from prison and King Albericus be consulted regarding his consent forthwith. A final letter from Adaril to your father was given over to him then, as Ferox well knew that his small army of one thousand Elves could not withstand the ten thousand men your father had with him that day. Your father, after reading the letter, was in a great rage, crying out that Ferox had slain the woman he loved. Moving forward on his horse, he drew his sword and lashed out at Ferox, cutting his cheek, a scar that he bears to this day. Violating the parley was something shocking to both armies, and immediately after that moment, the King was led away in his madness by his own counselors and told that there was no longer a cause for war.

  'Later that day, riders bearing messages from Albericus expressed their deepest apologies to the King, stating that Adaril's death was Ferox's personal fault and that the Elven King would have given his niece freely in marriage to your father. Ferox was immediately recalled and set to the task of cleaning the ruins of Tarin Nazar, the fortress Magnar constructed in the Great Forest at the height of his power. This task was turned over to another thirty years ago, at which point Ferox returned here, to Ackerlea. Though much time had passed by mortal measure, your father still wanted his vengeance, but his ministers persuaded him that he should bide his time against Ferox personally, and not assault the Elves. In this the King eventually agreed, and this is the reason that no Men are allowed into the Elven city of Verdantia in Ackerlea, except under the tightest security, and the reason that Ferox has never set foot inside lands controlled by Eldora. Even when he rides out from Ackerlea to return to our forests, it is only with a large Elven cavalry formation. He has survived at least three assassination attempts, most likely by Shadows, since Adaril took her own life.'

  Nodding his head, Alfrahil said, 'Well, I can certainly see why my father has no love for the Elves, and why Ferox's name has never been spoken aloud by him. This explains much in the relations of the Lesser Elves and Men here in Eldora and Ackerlea. It supports my suspicion that there is not only a foreign basis for this conspiracy, but that other races are probably involved.'

  'Yes, Lord, and you should be aware that Ferox and Albericus still hate one another. It is only Ferox's political connections and wealth that have allowed him to return to his former post. That and the fact that I believe Albericus would gladly look the other way if the Shadows were successful someday; this I believe he has told your father indirectly. Keeping Ferox in Ackerlea allows this possibility while keeping Ferox and Albericus far apart from each other.'

  'It seems that Ferox is capable of treachery, possessed as he is with a hatred of my father. But do you really think he would go so far as to help the conspirators?' asked a startled Alfrahil.

  'Possibly Lord; but if the conspirators were successful, then your brother Daerahil would be next in line for the throne of Eldora, and, forgive me, but Ferox has stated that you are weaker than your brother and that a strong King of Men is not in the best interest of the Elves. Therefore while he would rejoice at the death of your father, it would make much more sense to target your brother, leaving you on the throne eventually.'

  'Well, we must gather more information and hope that Albericus gives his consent and that Ferox remains in the dark about our plans. Besides money, I can also aid your messengers with relief mounts between Ackerlea and the Great Forest. Can you get a message to Celefin, Lord of the Greater Elves in Phoencia?

 
'Yes. I will tell Ferox that I am sending messengers to Phoenicia to inform them of our mighty progress here. It will be both somewhat truthful and appeal to his vanity at the same time. I will also send messenger scouts home to the Great Forest, to seek out the King’s permission, a routine activity that should not pique Ferox’ interest. Assuming Albericus issues these orders, have the Dwarves wait for my scouts at the next full moon on the north bank of the Aphon directly opposite Innis Mallow. Our scouts will gather the Dwarves along with spare horses and they shall set out with no other Elf the wiser. You must supply food and money for their travels, plus compensate each scout for his time. This will not be a small sum, the supplies and money must be ready within ten days, as the next full moon is seventeen days away.'

  'Do not worry, Hilforas. Money is the least of my concerns, there shall be plenty and to spare,' said Alfrahil. 'When the supplies and money are ready, I will alert you via a discreet message. Please have your scouts take the time to speak with the peoples they meet on their way, and have one of your scouts head even to the distant southwest highlands, where they can speak with the Hermits who dwell there. I am glad that the tension between our peoples does not extend to us personally; for I would have only harmony between us.'

  'I know that well, Prince Alfrahil, and that, along with my desire to answer these troubling questions, is why I aid you today. I also hope that this joint mission of cooperation will show at least some of us Elves directly and more of us, indirectly, that cooperation between all the races is still in our best interests, even after the fall of Magnar. Are there any other specifics, my Lord? My people rode these lands long before you were born and my scouts do know how to ask questions of fellow travelers.'

  'My pardon, Hilforas,' said Alfrahil. 'You have seen the status of much of the realm of Eldora; sloth and greed have superseded honor and duty in many corners of the realm.'