by A. D. Adams
“Of course. I have much to do. Do you need me further?”
“No. I suggest you get started.”
Terra asked Fienna to assign two hundred dragons to watch over the elves' movements. By high sun, the elves started to move into the area they were shown. They were in groups of one hundred and each group was in a larger group of five hundred. They completed moving all their fighters by sunset while the dragons kept careful watch over them. The king reported to him as requested at sunset. He saw a striking female with Terra. She had green-blue coloring and long beautiful hair.
Terra sat before red-hot rocks obviously heated by a dragon's breath. Around the rocks also sat two land nymphs. The first was very old and frail looking, holding a wizard’s staff. The other was large and in his middle seasons with a powerful build and several weapons strapped to his body. There was also a wavering translucent image of a floating sea nymph. A young human woman sat next to the multicolored female. Finally, two large dragons curled around the group, watching and listening. He left the elves that had escorted him near the ring of twenty dragons. They were not too pleased to be that close to these huge beasts, but they had little choice.
“We are nine or ten sun-risings from the next dwarf village. I have a plan to deal with that village without harming any of our fighters. Also, one-hundred thousand human fighters will join us there,” Terra told them in a quiet and sad voice. The elf king didn't understand the odd tone in his speech.
“I plan to break through the first landslide the Solans caused. Behind that wall of debris is a huge lake. The water will destroy anything in its path, including the dwarf village.”
“How do you plan to move the debris?” the elf king asked. The others looked at him as if he was a complete fool.
“I have my ways. After the flood of water, there will be some dwarfs left. The dragons will not be able to do much with fire, so it will be up to the fighters to deal with those who remain.”
“Where will the humans be?” the large nymph asked.
“Rammy, can you answer that question?”
“Yes, of course. There is a small box valley just before we reach the village. The humans will be awaiting us there. The valley is big enough to fit us all. It will also protect us from the water,” Rammy told the others.
“Thank you, we will stay in the valley the sunset before the fight. The elves, based on their king's request, will be the first out of the valley to start the fighting. The humans will be next and the land nymphs last. The elves and humans have yet to be in a fight and need the practice for the final dwarf village, which is another fourteen sun-risings away,” Terra explained.
“Dawra, can you have fifty dragons take Rammy back to her father? She needs to coordinate the humans,” Terra asked the great green dragon. She made several noises in apparent agreement.
“May I ask, why not allow all of us a chance to fight,” the elf king asked.
“This fight is not about revenge or killing enemies. It is about saving this world. Deaths will not save Tone, life will. I will prevent as many deaths as I can. Even the deaths of the dwarfs who harm our world. Unfortunately, their actions have done too much harm. So they must be stopped, and killing them is the only way available to us at this point. If there were any other method, I would use it. No one needs the death of another creature on his or her spirit. I decided to fight the darkness and bring all of you together. I alone will take responsibility for all those who will die. This will be my lifelong burden, no one else’s,” Terra said in a profoundly sad voice.
The king of the elves looked at Terra. He realized this was how a true leader acts and commands the respect of those who follow him.
Rammy had been trained her whole life to fight and hopefully retake this land beyond the mountains. She knew what fighting was and understood killing, but this man understood it at a significantly deeper level. She now understood his reluctance to kill and why he felt killing should be avoided. She wondered if her father felt the same as this unique man.
“You have planned the next fight. What of the one after that?” Xillan asked.
“I have some ideas, but I have no overall plan. The dwarf’s village sits at the mouth of a great gorge that we have to travel through, so we must move through the gorge. I'm sure we can take down the village, but I know the dwarfs will retreat into the gorge. I do plan to split the dragons and use some to prevent the dwarfs from escaping out the back of their village, while the others help in the fight for the village. I don’t have an initial plan of the attack. Any of you that have any ideas, I would be glad to listen,” Terra said in an earnest tone.
“I think we all will have some ideas for you in the next few sun-risings,” Xillan responded.
“I have nothing more. I suggest you all get back to your fighters. We leave at first light. Rammy, Dawra, and Hectise, please stay; I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, of course,” Rammy replied. The others left, leaving Fienna and Terra with the three.
“I would like you to tell your father about the elves joining us. I don't trust them. I would like your father to set up one group of four to five thousand to follow them into the fight. If they do what they say they're going to do, leave them alone. On the other hand, if they run or turn on us, they need to be dealt with,” Terra explained to Rammy.
“I believe we have the perfect, very well trained group. I will tell my father,” she told Terra.
“Have your father break through into the valley. Tell him we will arrive in eight sun-risings, he needs to be ready for us by then. Have him set up an area we can defend and gather in. I will send three Flights of dragons to the box valley. They should be there before the cave is opened. Hectise, you will lead them?”
“Yes,” Hectise said in a bad human tongue.
“Hectise leave in two sun-risings. If the tunnel is not open, hide the dragons in the mountains. Try not to let the dwarfs see you. Rammy, Dawra, can you be ready to leave at first light?” They both nodded their heads.
Chapter 44 - A True Leader
(A true leader is a rare and unique gift.)
- The Time of the Draman -
The Old Sinut watched in his black pool as the old wizard settled before the fire. Xillan was with him as the Old Sinut image appeared above the flames of the fire.
“He is a remarkable being. He plans to take upon his spirit all the death that has or will occur,” the Old Sinut said to the two.
“I have led my fighters for fourteen set of seasons, but I never considered taking on such a heavy burden,” Xillan said shaking his head.
“We wanted a leader, what we received is much more. He is a true guardian of us all. I could not understand why the dragons do whatever he asks. No one could even control one dragon, let alone, thousands as he does. Now I know, he does not control them. They follow him. They understand he would sacrifice himself for them, so they return his loyalty,” the old wizard said.
“Once my fighters hear of what he said, they will follow him into the fires of a volcano. I think he talks from his heart. He has no idea how such statements affects those around him, nor do I think he cares. Terra simply says what he believes,” Xillan said.
The new king walked slowly back to the elves' area. He was struck by Terra's concern for all the fighters. He realized this Draman was a natural leader. He remembered something his father had told him. He had said a king cannot force or buy loyalty; a king must earn it. It was obvious that this being had earned loyalty from dragons, the most dangerous creatures on Tone.
He knew he had much to learn about being a king. He had planned with several of his father's advisers to kill his uncle. All the elves knew their king was a coward. He had surrounded himself with elves he could control with the dual gifts of wealth and power. In turn, they protected their benefactor. Four of his father's advisers had come to him with a plan to kill his uncle before he could do more harm.
His father had been the bravest of leaders and led the fight again
st the dwarfs. After his death and his uncle’s assumption of the throne, things changed radically. The new king avoided fights as often as possible and placed his cronies into places of power. He also employed the elven wizards to set up magical protection for him and his friends. Fortunately, the elf wizards were weak compared to other wizards. They required the magic orb to truly create great magic. No one wizard or even several could access the orb’s magic. It took at least five of them to use the orb, but the larger the number, the greater the power they could access. The king held the orb and only allowed access to its' power when he wished. His uncle feared the wizards would use its' power to overthrow him. So, he only allowed its use once, to freeze them in time.
As time passed, the lack of action by the elves caused the losses of major fights with the dwarfs. His father's old advisers came together and formulated a plan to replace the king with him. Over time, they slowly convinced him that his uncle must be stopped before all was lost. Their plans went into action and they recruited more and more elves to join them. They watched and cataloged those elves that supported the king and those who would support a new king. They also noticed the six elven wizards were meeting more often and doing unusual magic. There were only eight true wizards among the elves. Two despised the king while the other six supported him. Their loyalty had been obtained through their expanded influence in elven society. By royal decree, the wizards were only second to the king and his court.
Finally, he and his supporters were ready to take action when the fighting with the dwarfs took an ominous path. Unfortunately, at that moment all the dwarfs formed into a single huge group after the defeat of the northern fighters. The dwarfs attacked with the help of the traitor Solans and the dark wizard. All the forces of Tone had come together to repulse the great attack by the dwarfs. After a few initial small fights, the final great fight would come at first light. His uncle ordered all the elves to be awakened at the darkest part of the sunset. They were led away from the fight. They had been told they were going to form a second line of defense. What they actually did was to fast walk to their valley.
They could do nothing; their organization was to spread apart to take action against the king. Fighting elves and three wizards also heavily guarded him. When they arrived in the valley, the wizards activated the time magic and froze all the elves in the time ice. It was as if no time had passed and they had just arrived back to the valley after the magic had been broken. He knew time had passed, but he had no idea how long or what shut down the magic. It was hard to believe it was this Terra or Draman.
When they awoke and heard the demand from the one who had broken the time spell, his uncle had planned to use the orb's magic to fight. When they entered the cave of the orb, they discovered six exhausted wizards and the orb broken into two pieces. It was now two lifeless crystal rocks. Nothing the wizards tried could restore it. The time spell had also drained the wizard’s magic to the point where their protection of the king had collapsed.
He and his father's advisers managed to quickly set their plan into motion, which culminated in the death of his uncle by his own hand.
There were one hundred and thirty thousand elves in the valley. Only three thousand of which truly supported his uncle. His father's advisers, now his, had put elves in place to calm everyone and informed them of what had happened. The six wizards were killed, their powers weakened to the point that they became vulnerable to ordinary weapons.
The elves accepted the new king, since the old king was so hated and feared by virtually all. The fairies had come to him and told him that it had been hundreds of sets of seasons since the final fight. They gave him a brief telling of what the world had become and that it was dying. They also told him of the Draman.
He called all the elves together and told them all of what he had done and all he knew of the world. He explained that their action had led the world to the brink of destruction. His only option was to deal with the old king and take his place. He told them if Tone died then all on Tone would die, even those under time magic. He provided what information he had on the human that broke the time ice. He explained all those fighting now disliked or down right hated the elves. They looked at the elves as cowards and traders. The elves had to redeem themselves. They had no choice. Finally, he said they had to fight and take this world back from the dark magic.
Luckily, his new subjects agreed with him and his plan to fight. He and all the elves would make sure their honor would be restored.
Chapter 45 - The Dwarfs and Elves Prepare, The Trees Wait
(How do you fight the unknown and the unheard of.)
- The Time of the Draman -
Terra sat looking at the fire before him with Fienna at his side. He concentrated on the flames. In his mind's eye, he focused on his daughter. Her image came into focus. She was playing with Setilan. Her smile was bright and her giggling contagious. Fienna could see Setilan and his mother both laughing through her mind connection with Terra. He and Fienna watched, and both were happy.
Fienna missed her daughter so much that she could barely keep herself from flying home and gathering her into her arms. She knew Terra would not only allow her to go, but also wanted her to be with their daughter. As much as she loved their daughter, she loved Terra even more. It was an age-old problem of all human females: how do they share their love? Who was more important? Fienna had to be with her mate, they were more than simply in love. They were one. Leaving her child tore her spirit, but there was no other decision she could have made.
Terra hugged his mate even tighter, knowing her pain of not being with their daughter. If she asked, he would send her home to Cardana. He would not tell her now, but he truly needed and wanted her next to him.
Terra diverted his mind's eye to the mountains and followed down their edge. He wanted to see where the trees' dead trunks came close to their path. He needed to help the trees retake the land. He thought that perhaps he could heal enough trees that they could pass their strength to their neighbors. He did not know how well his healing power would work on plants. He hoped he could at least heal several thousand of the great trees.
He found that they would come close to the trees in three sun-risings. He then continued to the next dwarf village. He saw that they had built some odd upside-down, bowl-shaped structures. He watched as they got under them and practiced lifting the bowls, and then walked about under them. He recognized that it was some kind of defense against the dragon's fire. They had constructed thirty to forty of the structures.
He drove his mind forward to the third village. He saw similar bowls. They were preparing the village for a great fight. He could see the dwarfs building up the village walls, making them thicker and higher. They also were adding more soil to the top of their living caves. He also saw them digging trenches around the outside of the walls. The soil they dug from the ground they heaped up creating small hills in front of the trenches.
Fienna saw all Terra viewed. As the images faded from his mind, she settled against his side.
“What were those bowls?” she thought to him.
“I think they're something to shield them from dragon fire.”
“Will they work?”
“I don't know, but they will not stop me.”
“Why were you looking at the dead trees?”
“It's time to enlist their help to take back Tone.”
“You're going to heal them.”
“If I can. We will be close enough in three sun-risings for me to try.”
“What kind of help do you think they can provide? Trees do nothing but sit.”
“They do more than that. They give a place for life; the beasts eat their leaves. Trees enrich the soil with their falling leaves. They shelter small beasts and provide them food like nuts and fruits. They keep the soil in-place and hold the water in their roots. The trees shade the smaller plants and help them survive storms. Trees do much to give life to Tone. They are life,” Terra thought to his love.
“I never thought of it that way,” Fienna thought back.
“We'll see in a few sun-risings what I can do to help them. Perhaps it can make up a little for all those I just killed,” Terra thought to his love, with a profound sadness.
“You can't blame yourself for doing what is needed.”
“I don't blame myself, but that does not make it any less painful to me.”
“I know, my love,” she thought back, as she hugged him tight.
As the fighters traveled down the edge of the mountains upon the next sun-rising, Terra stopped suddenly. The leaders rushed to see what had happened. Terra stood before an enclave in the mountains. There they saw hundreds if not several thousand bones of various sizes. These beasts all died here in some kind of mass killing.
Terra bent down and picked up a long bone, the length and thickness of his arm. The leaders saw in his eye a tear form and fall upon the bone. They saw the sadness in his face, but then something else flared in his eyes. His eyes nearly glowed red with anger, and his face became a chiseled stone of death. They all stepped back, fearing the power behind those eyes. Then, as suddenly as the anger appeared, it was gone and his normally gentle expression returned.
“What happened here?” he asked the fairy flitting near his face.
“As the lightning destroyed the great trees, the beasts that lived within them were driven to the mountains. There was nothing for them to eat. They grew weaker and collected in these last areas of shelter from the great storms. They died in their millions, we could do nothing for them, other than mourn their deaths. Their bones are scattered throughout all of the dark lands,” the fairy told Terra and the others present.
Terra stood for a few more moments before placing the bone back where he had found it. He then signaled the walked to begin once more. That sunset Terra’s thoughts dwelled on the millions of deaths that had happened since the humans were driven into the coastal valleys. These thoughts caused him to sleep poorly, even though Fienna's head was lying next to his heart helping to calm his restless spirit.
