The Guardian Chronicles: Book 03 - The Dark Tide

by Steven R. Burke

  “Show me Lachlan!” she shouted at the black walls. An image of the dark troops from the north appeared on the wall. They were disorganized and restless. The new leadership of Prekihar was not working out quite like she had hoped.

  “They do not look too happy do they” chided Adair softly from behind the visibly shaking fallen guardian. Her body began to glow an intense red color. Waves of heats could be felt radiating off her. Her temper was always just under the surface and he knew that he could push her to the breaking point if he wanted to. In this case he needed to push her.

  Kana turned around sharply and sneered nastily as she reared her right hand back. Black flames appeared in a spherical form encompassing her entire arm. As she thrust it forward at Adair she shrieked loudly. The ball of darkened fire hit the guardian square in the chest with tremendous force. For an instant he was covered in the black flames…then he simply disappeared. The flames vanished at the same moment.

  “Where did you go oh mighty one…did my new powers frighten you?” Kana looked supremely unconcerned by the sudden disappearance of her mighty foe. She felt that she was completely safe in her new home and turned around to head back to her inner sanctum. Her new lair had a connection to the underworld and the temple itself provided her extra power. This gave her confidence that she could handle Adair.

  There was a flash of brilliant light and a loud boom from the entry way. The shock wave from the sound blast knocked the unaware Kana to the floor. She hit the ground so hard that cracks appeared on the walls surrounding the entrance. Adair walked out of the bright light completely unscathed. He did not have a pleasant look on his face as he looked down at the prostrate figure of his former friend. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face did not hide his disappointment. He motioned with his left hand in an upward gesture and the body that lay before him lifted into the air and turned to look at him.

  “I see that you have really gone down a path of no return…I am saddened by how far you have fallen Kana” Adair said quietly. His voice was firm when he spoke. His eyes were icy blue as he looked past the hovering figure of Kana. He applied pressure to her very essence which made her squirm.

  “You know that you cannot kill me and I am too powerful for you to try and banish me like that fool Drogan. So, why don’t you be on your way and we can both get back to our charges” Kana said as strongly as she could. She was trying feverishly to break Adair’s hold on her. She had thought she would be able to stand up to him at this point and was not all that happy that she was unable to overcome his power. Even with her ability to draw additional power from her temple she was not able to overpower him.

  “You disappoint me Kana…I thought that you would want to know more about what has happened to other significant players, but I see that is not of importance to you.” As he turned away, the hold he had on her broke. She landed on her feet and stood shakily as she watched the guardian go. His body was a powerfully white color as he walked resolutely away from the fallen guardian.

  “You are going to have to stop playing nice, old man” she was staring him down as he started to walk away. She motioned to some of her minions behind her to send off their unwanted guest.

  Several wolves rushed past Kana with high elves on their backs. The riders threw purple bolts of lightning at the back of the guardian as he turned to face his nemesis once more. The blast from six elven mages would have burnt any other mortal or immortal creature to a crisp. The force of the assault merely made a now irritated master guardian shrug as though a cold wind hit him. He quickly wheeled about now and retaliated in the most violent way imaginable. He had lost his temper and they would feel his wrath.

  In a swirl of white, the guardian made fluid movements with his arms as he faced his attackers. His robes flapped in the wind caused by his complicated movements. The unfortunate high elves were hit bodily by an unseen force and lifted off of their gigantic steeds. As though invisible hands were ripping at them, they were torn limb from limb. Blood stained the smooth marble floor of the temple’s doorway as body parts squelched to the ground. If any of the other guardians had witnessed this extreme show of force, they would not have believed their eyes. Adair was known for his diplomacy and patience. At this point he was done with talking…now was a time for action.

  The wolves tumbled to a halt just in front of the still pure white guardian. They were clearly enraged, but fear made them pause momentarily. Then they jumped at the defiant elemental in an attempt to avenge their fellows who Kana had killed because of their impotence in the face of an unknown guest. A blur of white flashed briefly before the black beasts’ eyes before the sun was completely blocked out. Osborn, the most respected and feared bear in all the lands, stood on his hind legs and roared loudly as he began to swipe at Kana’s black beasts. The first hit took the foremost wolf’s head clean off. Blood smeared across the exterior temple walls. Eight of the southern wolves lay dead before any magical attack came at him.

  The temple sealed itself magically before the white bear could take a swipe at his master’s enemy. Osborn landed nimbly on all fours and turned to look Adair in the eye. They did not need to say anything…it was clear to the noble beast that no progress was made with the fallen guardian. He did not think that it was worth his master’s time to even talk with the vile witch, but he knew better than to question the wisdom of the caretaker of Tuwa. Adair had earned the trust of all bears and he was not about to question someone who had for millennia helped his kind.

  “Well, that was not as fruitless as I thought it would be” supplied the guardian simply as he stroke the furry head of his most loyal companion.

  “How do you mean?” asked Osborn tentatively. He turned his massive head toward the guardian with a skeptical eye.

  “Well, at least now I know that she is not in constant communication with her troops. She is also not bothering to keep her mental defenses against me up at all times. Her biggest error lies in spreading herself too thin. She does not truly trust any of her leaders or minions. She does not care for them either…they are merely a means to an end” explained Adair aloud. He was still looking at the solid doors that were blocking his former friend from him. He had to compartmentalize his disappointment in his former friend for now. He was not able to do the same for the sadness he felt.

  “I am truly sorry for this betrayal…it is never easy when a loved one turns against you” replied the gigantic bear as the wind became stronger around them.

  “I think I gave our former friend something to think about. She should understand how seriously I am taking her acts of aggression. I hope that she will think in the future before she acts.” He continued to look at the doors for a moment longer before returning his attention to Osborn. He had calmed down and was working on his composure.

  “I must say that your actions will achieve the desired effect…I have never seen you that aggressive before. This should cause our enemies to truly fear us.” The bear was impressed by Adair’s abilities.

  “Hopefully they will continue to make fatal moves. Maybe they will make a significant mistake in the hunt for the orb.” The guardian walked to the side of his massive white bear. He jumped on the back of Osborn and they began to wend their way up the steep canyon walls. The sun was beginning to set as they reached the rim of the canyons. The day was actually turning out to be quite beautiful.

  “Where are we heading master?” asked Osborn calmly. He did not consent to anyone else to ride on his back.

  “We are off to Mount Lamont. I need to take inventory of everything that has been going on. I have been out of middle Tuwa for far too long. Our visit will be short as we have some more business to attend to. This situation is so much more complex than the first war of Tuwa. The world of the dead is literally battling for the entrance into the world of the living. This requires our attention.” They continued on in silence which allowed Adair to fully recover emotionally charged meeting with Kana.

  ***

  Kana looked at the s
olid wall where the entry way had been. She was steaming mad at her inability to intimidate or even harm Adair. She thought that she had grown powerful enough to at least contend with him. Now she fully realized that she had to get her hands on the orb in order to do anything to the guardians. She reassured herself that she was more than a match for anything else that the allied forces could throw at her. Even the combined strength of the druids could do little to damage her. She would deal with them soon enough. For now, she needed to up the time table on the hunt for the Orb of Nitesh. She had to find it before the other side secures it or moves it again. She was a bit conflicted because she needed to address several issues that were vexing her forces on the various battlefronts. She would have to deal with those later.

  “Mistress” interrupted a high elven guard from behind her. She wheeled about angrily at the intrusion. Black flames briefly burst into life around her. Dark wings spread wide from her back as she looked at the guard.

  “What do you want?” spat Kana nastily. She looked at the dark skinned elf with loathing…she did not really care for the elves and the recent defeats her high elven troops had suffered had only made her dislike for them to increase. These immortals are more trouble than they are worth!

  “The messenger you were waiting for has arrived…he is waiting for you in the alter room” replied the guard quickly. He was behaving rather uneasy and did not seem to notice the rudeness of his mistress. His eyes were darting back and forth as though something in the shadows was watching him. This was certainly not typical elven behavior and Kana should have paid closer attention to this fact.

  “Good…now get some help and clean this mess up” she said acidly as she walked past the soldier. “Make sure that you clean the outside as well.” She walked away haughtily as though she was the most important person in Tuwa. Her dismissive behavior toward such a revered race was taking its toll on them and dissension was unavoidable.

  The high elf ran off into the dark hallway to the left of where he had met Kana. She in turn walked straight into the lit walkway that led to the chamber that contained her alter. She began to direct her thoughts toward the proposal she was about to make. She knew that it was extremely dangerous to make allies with yet another race, especially a group that had powers that she did not fully understand quite yet. They were masters of dark magic and were unafraid to use their abilities to get what they wanted. Many in Tuwa did not remember their existence because of their disappearance around the time the Eldar were annihilated. They were akin to those that replaced the original protectors of Renshaw. Even the elves had forgotten all about these dark cousins.

  As Kana walked mechanically into the usually lit alter room she stumbled on the edge of a throw rug. There was no light at all…it was as though it had been sucked from the room. After a brief moment of adjustment, she could make out a dark form in the middle right next to her marble alter. She walked more purposefully toward her waiting guest. She could feel the person’s extreme magical presence before she was within fifteen feet of him. The visitor leaned against the slab as he waited for the elemental to acknowledge him.

  “Welcome friend…I hope that your trip was uneventful” Kana said smoothly. She stopped a few feet from the dark form before her. She was still hesitant to get too close to this dark person because she was unable to ascertain whether or not he had any hidden agendas.

  “I could not resist an invitation from a guardian…I thought you would have forgotten all about us after so many centuries” replied a deep, songlike voice. There was an eerie quality to his voice that would have made most people cringe.

  “I am Kana, soon to be ruler of the peoples of Tuwa. I am no longer a simple guardian as I no longer agree with their philosophies and have left their counsel. What is your name?” she asked patiently. She knew better than to rush things with such a powerful being…she really needed help from his people, so she would do whatever she needed to in order to ally with them. She smiled warmly as she waited for a reply…realizing instantly that the visitor would not be able to see the gesture in the dark. She shrugged it off while she waited for a reply. She would normally be very patient; however, her interaction with Adair had left her shaken.

  “I am Tyriloriel Tyrienwalker, Lord of Meleirélnar and elected representative of the people under the Wesh Forest. I received your message and could not resist the opportunity to travel outside our blessed realm. I have not been in the free lands of Tuwa for nearly one thousand years…it appears that much has changed” the dark figure said with a slight lilt in his voice. At least that is what it sounded like…it was rather difficult to comprehend anything in the unnatural darkness this visitor has conjured up.

  “I am glad you were willing to travel here to meet with me. I was worried that you would not come or that you and your kind had perished.” Her knowledge of his kind was very limited due to their complete break with the rest of the races in Tuwa. She had not kept up on what the various races of Tuwa over the centuries and this lack of knowledge was making some of her decisions difficult.

  “We live on…in numbers you could not possibly fathom. I do not wish to spend more time here than necessary…what is it that you are proposing?” asked Tyriloriel impatiently. His voice made it clear that he was not going to share information freely with someone he had just met. It was apparent that they guarded their secrets closely and that she was probably not the only one to think that their race was extinct.

  “As I alluded to earlier, I am in the middle of a campaign to unify the people of Tuwa under my control. The guardian council along with the help of the free peoples of this land has tried to stop my noble quest. Their forces have proven more difficult to dispatch than I had originally thought possible. That is where you come in…I was hoping to garner your support.”

  “Why would the Elilasnar want to help those who have forgotten us? If you do not remember, we are not liked by any of those that live in middle Tuwa. They think we are worse than the dark lord or that we are in league with him.” Tyriloriel looked toward where Kana stood and she could feel the anger emanating from him. It was clear that he had no inclination to help her cause without adequate compensation.

  “I take it that your people still have the curse?” Kana’s right hand burst into flames and the dark figure standing by the marble slab cringed in pain. He closed his eyes and tried to hide his face. She was trying to make a point with her guest.

  “We do still have the curse the guardian placed on us.” A misty black hand wrapped around Kana’s arm which put out the flame instantly. She reeled slightly at the magical touch. There was an icy, evil feel to it. It was simple underworld magic; however, it was different when someone used it on him.

  “I have found a way of removing that unjust vexation…all I ask in return is your help in vanquishing some common enemies.” She had recovered from the unwanted touch of the dark visitor. She liked that there was something she held over her dark visitor.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?” asked the Lord of Meleirélnar. He could sense the unease he had caused the fallen guardian. He loved to make others uncomfortable…it always reminded him of how powerful he was.

  “Let me start with the most important piece of information. Have you ever heard of the Orb of Nitesh?”

  Reconciliation

  Queen Kishi stood silently staring out the rear tent window as she waited for a bath to be drawn for her. She shivered slightly as she gazed out at the mysterious mountain of Lamont with nothing to cover her battered frame. She had been beaten so badly from her last encounter with General Yukio that her body was covered entirely in bruises and cuts. She knew that her troops needed her back at the front of their assault…they had little success without her competent leadership. She had sat by as thousands of her friends and loyal subjects had died violently. Never had the elves experienced such losses…her father had always managed to avoid war or serious conflict. She was beginning to feel the weight of her choices…the thousands of dead was
calling on her for vengeance. Guilt was gripping at her heart as she turned to the now steaming tub.

  As she slipped into the scolding hot water, she closed her eyes as her body screamed in pain. Her wounds were magical in nature and could not be easily mended. She had expended considerable energy in containing and healing the damaged parts of her body. Even though she was physically battered, she had not rejoined the war effort because of her mental instability and personal anguish. She had finally decided to bring about an end to this bloody campaign…she had realized that her drive for revenge may have been misplaced and the cost was entirely too high. She focused on this disturbing thought as she soaked in the warmth of her regenerative bath.

  “You are right to question your motives Queen Kishi” said a deep, smooth voice from the shadows of the tent. A tall figure slowly emerged from the darkness to stand next to the tub. This person was wrapped in a white robe with a hood pulled forward that covered the face. There was power in the very air at the unexpected appearance of the mysterious visitor. There was also a fine mist that marked the spot the person had apparated to. The mist now started to encircle the tent like some sort of protective barrier.

  “Who are you?” asked Kishi as she covered herself with all the soap suds she could quickly gather. She was taken completely by surprise and was, for the first time, afraid. How did this person sneak up on me? I know that I have been preoccupied, but I had not lowered my defenses. How did they get the drop on me?

  “You need not fear me…I have come to give you some important information young one” said the mysterious stranger. He lowered his hood to reveal long white hair and goatee. His face was brown and his blue eyes were clear and sharp. They conveyed to a trembling Kishi wisdom and kindness. His look made the hot bath somehow cold as she lay there nervously.

  “Who are you?” stammered the queen once again. She was mesmerized by the tall, foreboding visitor. She did not feel threatened, but she did not know exactly what to think of this person. She used some magic to better conceal her exposed self.