Eluan Falls: The Tides of Utter Undoing

by Dane G. Kroll

  There was now a Tcher foothold on the beach. Every day the Tcher army spread themselves deeper into the mainland. Quaet put another Tcher legion ahead of the others. It was a devastating loss. Tcher had gained control of Nado. It was the last defense on the river to the Capitol. The river led right to the gates. It put them in direct access to the Capitol.

  “We should be fortifying the aqueducts,” said Quaet.

  “Of course,” said Heric. “Send out orders to also put everybody on rations. Tcher could cut off the water supply.”

  “There will not be enough,” said Quaet. “There are too many people in the Capitol.”

  “Then we will source from another river. There are more to the west of us. We will find a way, Quaet.”

  “What of the avadons? They are out west.”

  “The avadons are not advancing on our empire. We can deal with the avadons. We have beaten them back before.”

  “Nado needs to be reclaimed. We must do it quickly before more Tcher advance to the location. They will be breaking down the city gates in little time.”

  “We can hold them off,” said Heric. “We will make a stand at the Capitol.”

  “What makes you so confident?” asked Quaet. “I have read many of the letters pouring in from soldiers across the empire. They are afraid. The Tcher men fight like animals. The Tcher fire burns across the battlefields consuming anything in its path.”

  “I am confident because we have been playing Aldrin’s game since the beginning. Since they spread out we have been challenging the Tcher army head on in equal parts trying to catch up to them at once. We need to consolidate. We have the numbers to beat them. It’s time we put them together again. Send for the armies to make their way to the Capitol.”

  “What of the Tcher armies not headed for the Capitol? They will run amok.”

  “Pull back the troops in the north first,” said Heric. “Aldrin can have his dead land. Then we will start to pull back from the south when we see Tcher advancing our way. The Tcher armies will converge towards the river and the Capitol. That is where we will make our stand.”

  “That will only buy us time,” said Quaet.

  “That is what we need,” said Heric.

  “You are waiting for Nikali,” Quaet understood.

  “Yes,” said Heric. “I believe he will aid us in overcoming the Tcher forces.”

  “You are mistaken,” said Quaet. “Nikali can offer you nothing. Your hope is lost in him.”

  “You do not know that.”

  “I watched you two grow up,” said Quaet. “He has been given everything, but has given nothing back. He takes what he can from you then he disappears without word for months at a time. When he returns you give him more. This time is no different. Nikali will take what he can from you and he will never return the favor. Just like now.”

  “He knows how serious the situation is,” said Heric.

  “Then why is he gone?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nikali left the day you returned to the Capitol,” revealed Quaet. “I assumed you knew.”

  “No,” said Heric. He fumed at the thought of Nikali abandoning him. “Where did he go?”

  “Myrus,” said Quaet.

  “What is his team doing?” Heric asked.

  “There is no word. We have not heard from them since Nikali left.”

  “Who knew about this? Who let Nikali leave?”

  “Forman,” said Quaet. “It was officially approved shortly before Nikali left.”

  “What is he doing in Myrus?”

  “I do not know,” said Quaet. “Nikali does not answer to any of the other council members. He did not go to the meetings. Only Forman may know the answers, and I doubt that.”

  Heric grew quiet. He looked over the Eluan Empire board. The Tcher army had Nado and the river, but they had advanced ahead of the rest of the Tcher groups. Eluan had two armies closer. They could reach Nado first and reclaim their territory. It would leave a path for the Capitol open for a brief time. Another Tcher army could advance if they knew to go that way.

  “Bring the armies here,” said Heric. “We will consolidate our resources. The Capitol is all that matters. Tcher will not stand against the entire known world.”

  Chapter 42

  The tree line was visible across the horizon. The carriage carrying the Tcher passengers was on the path headed straight for it. As they approached the forest the path became more cumbersome to pass. Trees had fallen onto the way. They caused the carriage to twist and turn along the path. Rocks kept the ground uneven. The carriage jostled as it continued its journey.

  The trees closed in on the group. The ceiling of the forest was thick. Quickly, it blocked out the sun, leaving little light for the carriage to continue with.

  Abigail strained to look back at the daylight they were leaving. Their journey had taken them across the Eluan Empire straight to the avadon’s doorstep. The carriage made a turn and the safety of the outside world was gone. They were in the shadow of the avadons now.

  The sound of Rilla was overheard. The carriage abruptly stopped. The Tcher guards looked out the window to check on the situation. When the coast was visibly clear they left the carriage to investigate further.

  The woods were quiet. A bird chirping drifted through the trees. Genom signaled the men to further their perimeter. Down the path he saw what caused their carriage to stop.

  Braced up against trees on either side of the road were two Eluan guards. They were pinned to the bark with crudely made arrows.

  A twig snapped in the surrounding area. Genom signaled for everybody to stop moving. They listened. Footsteps could be heard surrounding the crew. They were being hunted.

  Inside the carriage, Aldrin looked over at Marina. She appeared calm, protected by her two guards.

  “Step outside,” Aldrin told her.

  “I want confirmation first,” said Marina.

  “My men will protect you.”

  “As they have done in the past?” Marina sniped.

  “If you do not go out there you will have no protection whatsoever.”

  Marina settled down Kastor and Tyeche. She put her hands on them to gesture for their weapons to be put away. “Very well,” she said.

  Gracefully, she got up from her seat and exited the carriage. Kastor and Tyeche were close behind her. They walked away from the carriage toward the perimeter of guards.

  The footsteps were getting closer. There was a feint sound of sniffing. It was scattered. The sources of the sounds were all around them.

  Marina stood her ground out in front of the carriage. She waited for their hunters to reveal themselves. The Tcher guards stood at the ready; their weapons held tightly in their hands.

  Then one by one six fury arcks came out from behind the trees. Their leathery skin was covered in wounds. The creatures snapped their jaws at the intruders. As they approached their sniffing grew louder and deeper.

  “My name is Marina Arraw. I am the Empress of Eluan and Princess of Louson,” she declared. “Show your faces or we will be forced to retaliate.”

  The fury arcks walked forward uninterrupted. Kastor and Tyeche jumped in front of their empress.

  “Catol,” Tyeche yelled. “Catol!” It was the command for ‘stop’ that the Louson army trained their fury arcks with. It did him no good. These fury arcks had been bred in the wild.

  The animals paced around the Tcher guards. Their wretched smell reeked against the noses of the men. Genom steadied his blade. He waited for the animals to attack.

  “Waylane!” echoed through the trees. “Waylane.” The fury arcks stood down. They retreated back to the trees they came from. None of the guards put down their weapons. They waited to see what was going to happen next. Then two men stood out in the path in front of the Tcher carriage.

  Abigail kept her eyes on the situation outside. She could see the two figures appear from behind the trees. They looked familiar.

  “You’re early,
” said one of the men. He was a head shorter than his friend.

  “What are you doing here?” Marina asked. She was stunned to see the two men walking up to her.

  “No love for your brother?” said the taller one. He opened his arms for an embrace. The Prince of Louson, Randal Arraw, was excited to see his big sister. He was accompanied by his best general, the Headless Soldier, Rarian. They had been waiting for Marina and Aldrin to meet with them. It had all been planned months in advance.

  “I instructed for an army,” said Marina. “I did not ask for you.”

  “We are all you are getting right now,” said Randal. “Father is very upset with you.”

  “I could not care less what father thinks,” snapped Marina. “He chose to send me away for peace. Louson was supposed to be mine. You can have this country if that’s what you’re here for. I will not stop you.”

  “I appreciate that,” said Randal, “But father will not. He decided on peace with Eluan, not war.”

  “There will be no peace with those monsters,” said Marina. “Heric’s cousin needs to be put down as do the rest of the heathens in this country.”

  “Good,” said Randal. “I did not care for father’s ruling either. The avadons have terrorized our people enough. It is time we freed ourselves from that place.”

  “We will breach the canyon by force if we have to, and then take what we want,” agreed Marina. “The war has already started.”

  Randal looked over Marina’s shoulder to the carriage. “Is he in there?”

  “Aldrin is here,” said Marina. “His army is spreading through Eluan as we speak. Where is the Louson army?”

  “It’s not that simple,” said Randal. “I came because I want to help you prove we can still take Eluan. Father has commanded the army to stay away. There was a letter from the other conspirator.”

  “What?” Marina raged. For the past year she had tried to find the second conspirator with no luck. Alexus had not worked alone, but he was secretive about who was working with him. He had an ally in the Capitol, somebody who was as closely invested in the downfall of Eluan as he was.

  “The letter piggybacked with your last one. It would appear The Other has connections to the deliveries. He asked us to advise you to stand down. He does not want a war.”

  “Then it is too late,” said Marina. “And The Other has grown weak. If he does not want a war then he is no longer our ally.”

  “He still knows about us, Marina,” said Randal. “We need to figure out who it is. He knows our plans. He knows the location of the treebridge. He can still ruin everything.”

  “By the time this war is over the Capitol will burn. If The Other is there he will die with the rest of them.”

  “Heric will need to survive for public execution,” said Randal.

  “Fine,” said Marina. “As long as he sees everything die before him.”

  Randal looked at his sister questionably. Then he looked back at the carriage.

  “Is she in there?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Marina snarled.

  Randal smiled. “It will be nice to see her again.”

  He looked directly at the carriage. Abigail never took her eyes off of the two Lousons talking. She could not make out what they were saying, but she could clearly see who they were. She remembered Randal from her visit to the kingdom across the canyon. They had spent much time together. For a brief moment they met eye to eye. She shot back to get out of sight. Randal was looking for her.

  Abigail sat back in her seat. The full scope of the situation was coming to her. Tcher and Louson were going to destroy Eluan. First, they needed to get rid of the avadons. The demon tribe was the only thing keeping the Louson army from advancing freely into Eluan. If Randal and Rarian were here undetected then others could follow. They could hide enormous numbers out in the west. Heric would never find them in the forest.

  Chapter 43

  Myrus no longer dazzled the way it had in the past. Many of the buildings were still covered in smoke and ash. The jasmine mine was caved in during the avadon attack. It remained untouched since the Eluan reclamation.

  Nikali and Cassandra arrived early in the morning. The sun was just above the horizon. What few of the buildings remained in the outer sectors of Myrus sparkled against the sunlight. The Myrus army stood guard outside the city walls. Their armor reflected the sparkling dust of the remaining jasmine.

  Cassandra rested against the cushion of her seat. She slept despite the uncomfortable accommodations. Nikali never slept a wink. He kept his eye out to the horizon. There was a war going on out there. He could feel it.

  The royal carriage strode into town just as the citizens of Myrus were hitting the streets for work. Everybody that lived in the city worked on its rebuilding.

  The carriage rolled up to the senate house. The building was in shambles. Several grand tents were arranged beside the building. They were lavish in design. Guards stood at attention along the street at the entrance of the senate house and tents.

  “They’ve offered us a welcoming,” said Cassandra, looking out the window.

  “I will tell the driver to circle around,” said Nikali.

  “No,” refuted Cassandra, “this is our stop.”

  The carriage stopped at the gate. The driver let out Nikali and Cassandra. He kept his head down as a sign of respect to the council member.

  Nikali looked out at the people there to greet him. His smile died, but he forced himself to regroup. At the head of the procession to meet the carriage were the two leaders of the Myrus restoration, Francesco de Seres, and Nikali’s mother, Ellen Caning.

  Ellen stiffened straight at the sight of her son. She instinctively snarled, but it went unnoticed.

  Once Nikali was close enough he spoke up to his mother. “You didn’t have to do all this for me,” he said.

  “We were told a member of the Royal Council was approaching, not a burden of the empire. Did you steal your transportation?”

  “On the contrary, it was offered to me.”

  “Heric still pampers his pets, I see,” said Ellen.

  “No,” said Nikali, “He pampers his council members.” As he said this his eyes turned to Seres. Nikali’s smile grew even wider.

  “You are a council member?” Seres said half stunned.

  “Correct. Heric offered me the last seat.”

  “Congratulations,” said Seres through his teeth. “You must have earned it.”

  “Don’t be so generous,” said Ellen. “Heric gave it away. Nikali will be a wonderful obedient member of his council. He always has been.”

  “What brings you to Myrus? Does the Capitol need assistance?” Seres asked. He needed to change the subject before he said something he regretted. “My men are ready for battle. I will personally join them. I owe Tcher a couple of scars,” said Seres.

  “I’m just looking around,” said Nikali. “We will not be here for long.”

  “Oh,” Seres responded. He choked down his anger in order to be respectful to his superior. “Then Heric is not requesting for any aid at the moment.”

  Nikali shrugged. He did not know that answer, nor did he care.

  “Your room is already prepared,” said Seres humbly. “I believe you will find the accommodations as satisfying as they are in the Capitol.”

  “Thank you,” said Cassandra. “The work here looks wonderful.”

  “Thank the citizens,” said Seres. “They are eager to have their homes back, just as much as I am.”

  “I will have to take a tour of the city,” said Cassandra.

  “That will not be necessary,” said Nikali. “We shall be staying in the camps.”

  “The camps?” Cassandra asked.

  “Yes, I said we will not be long. I would hate to bother Seres and Ellen with our visit. After all, there is much worse going on.”

  “That is all the more reason you should stay under our protection,” argued Seres.

  “We will be fine,” said N
ikali. “Please continue playing leader in your city. I’m sure they don’t need you out there either.”

  Seres held his tongue. He rubbed the scar across the back of his neck. It was a constant reminder of what Tcher was capable of. “I am more than willing to go fight the Tcher bastards, but my orders have not come in. Until then I will remain here and protect my city. Do as you wish Nikali, but remember your manners. Do not meddle with my home. Emperor Caning may have found a use for you, but I was at the canyon as well. My men will be watching you.”

  “The sparrow flocks to food. Deserts remain barren,” Nikali quipped.

  Nikali and Cassandra left after that. As their carriage traveled down the road to the camps in the center of the city Nikali could feel the presence of two men not far behind. Seres was true to his word.

  The center of Myrus was still underdeveloped and left to ruins. Workers spent their days clearing out the debris and the charred bodies of avadons left in the destruction. The entire area was covered in soot and ash. Filth hung in the air unable to settle because of all the movement from the workers.

  Only one building was near completion. The palace courthouse would be the center of Myrus in location and activity. The palace would also house the senators and other officials of Myrus including Francesco de Seres and Ellen Caning.

  Nikali and Cassandra walked along the street. Cassandra kept herself covered with a blanket to protect her from the ash in the air. Nikali stood open and tall. None of the ash bothered him.

  “I want you to go find us some girls,” Nikali told Cassandra. “They need to be good or trainable.”

  “Anything else?” Cassandra asked.

  “See if they have been beaten.”

  “Are we saving them?”

  “We’re using them.”

  “How many do you want?”

  “Whoever is willing to leave.”

  “Very well,” said Cassandra. “Flies will see you. Lizards laugh at the moonlight.”

  She turned and left Nikali alone. As she walked down the street toward the tents housing the workers one of the guards following the two broke off and continued following Cassandra. The remaining guard stood in his place never taking his eyes off of Nikali.