The Guardian Chronicles: Book 03 - The Dark Tide

by Steven R. Burke

  “Thank you General Yukio” replied the nearest commander.

  “Where is Queen Kishi?” Yukio asked as the high elves continued past him. He was looking surreptitiously around for her though he knew she was not there.

  “She is attending to the wolves. She should be along shortly” one of the closest soldiers replied. The high elves seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as they walked past North Gate. They did not seem to be afraid of Yukio any longer which probably involved the guardians influence.

  The Nairian general marched past the troops while looking to the north to try to catch sight of his estranged sister-in-law. He did not know exactly how to feel his eminent meeting with Kishi. Only hours ago he had wanted to rend her limb from limb and then use them to bludgeon the rest of the high elves. Now he wanted to hug her…the reversal was tragically ironic. I wonder how the druids will respond to this turn of events. I am sure the guardians will look at this as an opportunity. The druid council will be skeptical because of Lord Adair’s involvement in these unusual events. I am going to have to work on them a bit so we can get on with ending this conflict.

  “General Ibreshri, come to see me?” came the silky voice from the rim of the valley. The voice sounded so similar to Kira that it threw the general off for a moment. He did recover quickly before he actually saw Kishi.

  “Kishi…are you done yet with those foul beasts?” Yukio asked distractedly. He started walking to where she stood when all of a sudden a giant wolf leapt at him. The massive abomination of nature hit an invisible wall with a sickening crunch. The high elven queen staggered slightly at the impact…the magical drain she was experiencing was clearly evident.

  “I have been trying to encircle these brutes for some time now, but I just do not have the power to encircle that much land.” Kishi was clearly sweating from the physical toll the magic was taking on her body. She trembled slightly as she weakened before the general’s eyes.

  “Let me see if I can help” began Yukio as he made several complex movements with his hands. A red mist formed around him and then moved in front of him to form into a massive ball of energy. Then the general made a pushing motion and the orb began to move toward Kishi’s clear barrier. When the two combined together, the ground shook violently as though it was about to rip asunder.

  The two magicians stepped back as a massive chasm opened right before their magical wall. They were not as successful in completing the circle as they had hoped. As they started to back away they quickly opted to focus all of their energy on the wall closest to them. After a few minutes of rumbling the ground finally stopped shaking and the opening in front of them was nearly twenty feet across. The depth of this unexpected hole was indeterminate. The unlikely duo looked at one another in such a way that asked if the other had created the hole that lay before them. By the blanks looks they saw they knew this was not of their making.

  “I would suggest that you start running” a deep booming voice came from a great distance to the east of where they stood. The voice had a compelling quality to it…energy accompanied the suggestion. They did not need this encouragement as logic and reason were screaming at them to make haste.

  “Adair?” they both uttered simultaneously. Kishi looked at Yukio questioningly as though he knew what was happening.

  “I would venture to say that my suggestion will save your lives if you leave right now!” conveyed the guardian telepathically as the wolves behind the barrier began to make for the edge of their magical wall just east of where Adair stood. The tall cloaked figure was not looking in their direction; instead, he was solely focused on the task in front of him.

  Without a second look, Yukio grabbed Kishi and threw her over his shoulder and made a forceful movement with both hands towards the ground. Red bolts of lightning hit the ground and the force of his blast shot them back through the air high over the arch that marked the entry to North Gate. As they flew bodily through the sky, Yukio turned to face the ground as it began to come closer and closer. As they were about to smash into the side of a building he sent out a blue cloud that cushioned their descent. They landed with a soft flump and bounded onto their feet.

  “Lock the gate!” barked Yukio loudly. Veins on his forehead and all along his neck were showing clearly as he yelled at his troops. The chill air filled with the sound of ravenous wolves. The ground began to shake as they approached the gate.

  “Lock it down you now!” one of the commanders yelled at the top of his lungs.

  As the massive double doors slammed shut, red bolts of lightning hit the gate with a resounding boom. Yukio had added his magical protection just in time. The sounds of wolves hitting the barrier bodily shook the gate. That was quickly followed by yelps of pain from the other side of North Gate. The air was suddenly full of howls and whimpering from the gigantic wolves.

  “Give them everything we’ve got!” ordered Yukio. He then turned to the nearest commander and asked, “Where are the high elves?”

  “They have continued onto the elven king’s new location in south central Landen” replied Commander Droko stoutly.

  “Then that is where I must go…I leave the command of North Gate to you Droko…good luck” Yukio said breathlessly. He winked and then turned to face Queen Kishi. He could hear the whistle of projectiles behind him followed by numerous thuds.

  “You know… if circumstances were different, I would kill you for man handling me like that. However, I feel that it is more appropriate to offer you my thanks for your quick thinking” Kishi said with a sly grin. At that very moment she truly looked like her sister Kira. Yukio stowed away his conflicted feelings for the moment as time was not their ally once again.

  “Glad I could help…it is good to see you again under these welcoming circumstances. I am happy to be on the same side again…you are one of the fiercest warriors I have ever fought against” replied Yukio with a sigh. He had noticed the resemblance to his late wife once again and his heart clenched. He was understandably conflicted and was losing the battle to lock away his feelings as men were usually so adept at doing.

  “We need to catch up with the high elves…I must be there when they meet with my father.” They started walking without saying another word. Kishi made a move toward the nearest stables.

  “If it is all the same to you, I would prefer a different method of travel” the red haired general said solemnly. He was not going to be able to fulfill his oath to his noble steed, so he had come up with another mode of transportation.

  “What did you have in mind” Kishi asked slowly.

  As if in answer to that question a gigantic jet black eagle swooped down unseen from the sky above them. It was closely related to the eagles found high in the cliffs of northwestern Landen; however, they were even rarer. This one had been sent to Yukio from King Leroy and the guardian to replace his fallen stallion. The general had refused all offers from the Landen king and apparently Lord Adair found this out recently. The two had gotten together and approached the black eagle named Noric about working with the Nairian general. The majestic creature had consented and arrived just before the high elves made their appearance.

  Two days after the high elves reached Fort Ishiw in south central Landen, a formal meeting between King Ciel and Queen Kishi was arranged. He had delayed his departure for Renshaw when he heard the good news that his daughter had finally understood the true nature of things. He did not care about what was past; he simply wanted to see his little Kishi again. He longed to have a semblance of a family again and she was all he had left. He owed it to his wife and to Kira to make every effort to mend their bond. He waited in a small cottage for his estranged daughter to show up for their meeting. The main purpose of this event was to formalize the unconditional surrender of the high elves. As the sun set on another clear day, there was a resolute knock at the front door.

  “Yes?” asked the king tentatively. He tried to sound calm even though his emotions were all over the place.

  “It is Gene
ral Yukio Ibreshri and Queen Kishi Tiranidrol of the high elves” the confident general replied through the door.

  The cottage door opened inward to show a clearly relieved elven king. He opened his arms in a warm welcoming gesture to his daughter as he stood to greet them. He smiled as he looked at Kishi and Yukio standing before him. He had always thought that if this scene was ever played out before him that the mad general would have Kishi’s head in his massive hands…not standing there with his little girl at his side.

  “I must say that I would have never thought things would have turned out this way. It is good to see you” he said as he gestured to the both of them to enter the quant cottage. They both walked through the door which promptly shut once they were through. He gave his daughter a fatherly hug before releasing her. His eyes twinkled for the first time in years as he looked down at his eldest daughter.

  After talking for nearly an hour, the three leaders re-emerged from the cottage. They all had determined looks on their faces as they looked at the assembled high elves that were surrounded by the Landen home guard. In the middle of the square was a stump of a rather large willow tree. King Ciel climbed to the top of it to address the anxious crowd. Rumors had been running wild through the high elven army over the past hour. The civilians had also heard about the possibility of an end to the hostilities.

  “I have news my friends…an accord has been reached between the elves and the high elves. First, the nation of high elves will be allowed to continue their existence, but they will ultimately be under elven rule. Second, they will no longer have a queen, but they will have a representative of the royal family at the head of their high elven council. Finally, as repayment for their crimes against us and the free peoples of Tuwa, they will be responsible for rebuilding the elven capital as well as the affected areas of Landen” explained the elven king. He spoke with greater confidence and ease than he had in over a year. Having his eldest daughter at his side had seemed to wipe away most of the hurt and internal struggles he had been experiencing.

  A cheer greeted this good news. The high elves were worried that the punishment would be much harsher. They had even anticipated the possibility of slavery or some kind of indentured servitude. The question that was on all of their minds now was what they were going to do for the immediate future. The quandary showed on their faces as the elven king looked down at them.

  “For now you will be sent back to your homes on Mounts Quang and Konane. You will defend your mountain homes and provide medical aid to our causalities of war. This is an important service which will not go unnoticed by those you previously fought.” He gestured in a fatherly way toward both the elves and high elves. He was happy that this event had occurred. The elves had been through so much in the last year that it was heartening to see his people reunited.

  The Duel

  Lord Dükker renewed his assault on the southern cliffs after the council had met in the enchanted Forest of Renshaw. He was on the back of Razi, his faithful gigantic spider, leading the charge. His army of high elves that were on the backs of spiders was climbing the southern cliffs in another attempt at over running their enemies. As they crested the top of the rocky precipice, they were astonished to see Queen Kishi standing there next to General Yukio. They were surrounded by the knights of Landen who were armed to the teeth for a fight. The high elven general narrowed his eyes at the pair.

  Lord Aellenas called for a halt as soon as his troops had joined him on top of the plains. He reached out immediately for Kishi’s mind so he could figure out what was going on. As he found his mark, he found that she had no defenses up…this caused him a brief moment of pause. “Kishi, what is going on? Are you a prisoner?” asked the bewildered general. He did not like the presence of the maniac Nairian general. He liked it even less that he was right next to Kishi.

  “I am not a prisoner…we have surrendered. Please give me a chance to explain what has happened” yelled Kishi back to her longtime friend and mentor. She wanted what transpired between them to be public.

  “No, that is not true…you have been brain washed by that vile man!” spat the dark general in the direction of General Yukio. Dükker’s eyes seemed to smolder and burn with a purple flame. He rose slightly on the back of Razi as he sneered at the man he hated. He was already drawing on sentient beings and sucking their life force out of them to bolster his attack.

  Before anyone could do or say anything more, the irate General Aellenas twirled his staff as he turned to face his troops who had a momentary look of relief on their faces. That is until they saw what their dark leader was doing. He pointed his staff at his own soldiers with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. A purple vapor issued forth and literally killed everything in its path. The spiders bucked their riders off as they flung their thick bodies over the cliff’s edge. A thousand high elves died from that initial, unwarranted attack. The spider steeds died as well from this attack either by the death mist or the fall down the cliff.

  “Dükker…you fiend!” bellowed General Yukio viciously. He charged at the imperious murderer as he sat atop Razi. It was obvious that the high elven general had complete control over his steed because it did not revolt when its spawn were murdered needlessly by his master.

  “Stop!” yelled Kishi as she tried to grab Yukio. Her hands grabbed at air and she also fell to the ground when she missed her mark. Noric took flight and gained as much height as possible. It was clear that he was going to provide his new master assistance from above.

  As the maddened general approached the still unaware Aellenas, he pulled two broad swords from their sheaths strapped to his back. His eyes burned red as a flame engulfed the two blades. He whirled them with tremendous force at the hind quarters of the giant spider. They struck with such terrific force that its backside completely exploded. A shock wave knocked Dükker onto the ground where his faithful soldiers lay dead or dying. Razi turned to face his attacker completely consumed by the fire.

  “Die you demon spawn!” Yukio raged at the dying spider. He put his hands together and pushed at the charging monster. A ball of red fire hit Razi square in the eyes. All the flames seemed to suck into the creature’s head and then the remaining parts of the ancient spider exploded with a deafening boom.

  The spawn of Razi that were still living shrieked in terror as they too exploded and fell lifeless to the base of the cliffs. After their master had died, the perverse magic used to create them ceased to exist. The fallen form of Lord Aellenas lay motionless for quite some time while the high elves ran to the Landen knights. Fear gripped the heart of Queen Kishi as she realized what was going to happen next. She had to prevent the demise of the most valiant warrior druid that Tuwa had known in centuries.

  “Yukio, look out!” yelled Kishi while she ran to his side. She had her battle staff out and was twirling it as though it was second nature to her or actually a part of her.

  The Nairian general turned to look at a now standing General Aellenas. The dark figure had already hurled a purple ball of lightning directly at Yukio’s back. He threw up a red shield at an angle to deflect the attack. The missile shot straight up into the air and quickly dissipated. Storm clouds formed quickly overhead as the two generals squared off for what would be a memorable show down. The air was literally electric now and the shadow of Noric flashed in the sky above.

  Queen Kishi was not about to let the good general fight her battle. She bounded in front her protector and sent a massive black shock wave at her former master. The blast knocked him to the ground momentarily. He was back on his feet in a blink of an eye. He summoned a gruesome looking gollum from the ground right in front of Kishi and Yukio. Nearly a dozen high elves died instantly as their life force was stolen to create the creature. Blood dripped from the solid form of the underworld beast as it grabbed Kishi. The blood gollum twirled the helpless high elf through the air before releasing her. She landed quite a distance behind Dükker right at the edge of the cliff.

  General Yukio timed his
jump just as Noric swooped down from above and he flew straight for the vile beast that had Kishi. Noric grabbed the gollum’s head with its talons as Yukio jumped to the ground and pulled on the gollum’s legs. Noric ripped the brutes head clean off and flipped completely and hurled it at the watching warlock. As the head approached its target, Yukio set it on fire. Dükker was able to deflect the burning projectile at the last moment. The impact was gruesome; however, it did little more than annoy the dark general. As he prepared to retaliate Kishi drove two flaming daggers into his shoulders. She flipped gracefully over the shocked high elven general’s back and hurled him with terrific force forward. He landed with a sickening thud at Yukio’s feet.

  “Hello there…ready to look death in the face?” asked Yukio meaningfully. He began to reach down menacingly with the lethal intent of ending the conflict here and now.

  Before he could place his hands on him, he rolled out of the way and hit Yukio with his own shock wave. General Ibreshri flew high into the air as though he was in slow motion. In the space of time that the good general’s body floated in the air, Aellenas appeared at his former apprentice’s side. Before anyone noticed what had happened, a poisoned dagger was sticking out of Kishi’s chest. As Yukio’s body hit the ground, Dükker let out a triumphant shout. He had blood all over his crazed face as he ripped out his deadly instrument from Kishi’s back. She fell silently to the ground as her troops looked on in horror.

  “You will all rue this day” shrieked Lord Dükker wickedly. He smeared the blood all over his face and head. He had clearly lost it from most of the observers’ point of view; however, he was actually planning to summon an even more fearsome beast from the underworld.

  The dark general did not sense the approach of the powerful druid behind him. Yukio’s chest heaved up and down as he glowered at his bloodied prey that was in the process of summoning something. He brought his hands to either side of Dükker’s head as he prepared to end this vile betrayer’s life he said, “Dükker give my regards to the keeper of the underworld!” Aellenas turned in time to see the last thing he would ever look at in his long dark life…the blood red eyes of the most fearsome druid warrior ever.