Council of War

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Morro stared at Ellak's son with confusion on his face. The resemblance to Ellak was startling, and his fiery temper was what he remembered most about his friend. He glanced at the king and saw tears in the old man's eyes, and his hatred began to fade. He stepped away from Prince Saratoma and looked into the king's eyes.

  "Are you prepared to wage war against the Federation?" he asked.

  "We are," nodded the king. "Our people are training everyday, and we are stockpiling weapons all over the Elfwoods. The only question is when to attack. The timing must be right, and we have promised Prince Rigal that we will hold off until he agrees the time is right. In the meantime, we continue to act like meek little lambs, but you will not find a people more determined to throw off the yolk of slavery."

  "And what of the children in the reeducation centers?" questioned Morro.

  "I do not know if they can be saved," frowned the king. "We are making plans to attack the center in Despair, but the elves in the other cities will be doomed when we revolt. This has been a point of great despair for our people, but there is no other choice. Once again I seem to be making decisions that send innocent people to their deaths."

  "Maybe not," Morro replied with a hint of a smile coming to his face. "For the last twenty years my goal has been to free the children so that the Dielderal no longer have a reason to remain passive. We do need to work together, King Elengal. Perhaps Prince Saratoma is right about how Ellak would feel. I truly don't know, but I do agree that elves should not kill elves. It will be a fight for me to control my bitter feelings, but I intend to try hard to so."

  "Then a truce we have," declared the king. "Whenever my temper flares these days, I remind myself of what is at stake. Perhaps you can try that as well. We both fight for the preservation of the Dielderal, and nothing else should matter. Go and see your father."

  "Is that wise?" asked Prince Rigal. "I do not want our presence in Elfwoods known to the Federation."

  "The Dielderal are united as they have never been before," said King Elengal. "Your presence will not be reported to anyone. Every single elf has pledged his life to ending the reign of slavery. There are no traitors among us."

  Morro nodded and left the room. Prince Saratoma watched him leave and then turned to look at his grandfather.

  "Who is his father?" asked the young prince.

  "Legaulle," replied the king.

  "The historian?" Prince Saratoma frowned as he remembered forcing the old man to reveal information about his father's death. "He has never mentioned him."

  "Morro and Ellak were very close," said the king. "They planned the rebellion together. When the Federation came and killed Ellak, Legaulle had expected his son to die, too. As the Federation often holds families responsible for the crimes of their kin, Morro's family were afraid to say his name. They didn't know if Morro had been captured and taken away, or if he had died as so many others had that day. It will be a bittersweet reunion for both of them."

  "Morro is a good man," interjected Prince Rigal. "He has been helping my people for some time now."

  "Can he really rescue the children from the reeducation centers?" asked the king.

  "He cannot do it alone," answered the Alcean elf, "but I think it may be possible. Morro has made a lot of friends since he left Elfwoods. I did not make it clear the last time I was here, but there are more Alceans in Zara than me and my two men."

  "Like the four men who rescued you?" smiled the king. "That was well done. When the Federation did arrive at the Heart, there were no repercussions for the elves. In fact, they were pleased that we had alerted them to the presence of the foreign elves. I think it has quelled their fears that we might be working with the Alceans."

  "How many more are there?" asked Prince Saratoma.

  "There are four that you have not seen," answered Prince Rigal, "plus some sailors who manned the ship from Alcea. When the time comes, we will all help rescue the children, but that time has not yet arrived. We are working on finding places to hide the children. That is what brings us back to Elfwoods."

  "You seek to hide the children here?" frowned King Elengal. "The Federation has free access to all parts of Elfwoods. We could not possibly hide them here for long."

  "That is not the plan," replied Prince Rigal. "We have located one spot up north to hide some of the children, but we are searching down south for another. Are you familiar with the Isle of Despair?"

  "That is where the dwarves used to live," nodded the king. "It has not been used in ages, but I can warn you about a wrinkle in your plan already. Any ship approaching the coast of Elfwoods would immediately draw attention of the Federation. There is no way we could get anyone onto that island."

  "Which makes it the perfect place to hide someone," grinned Prince Rigal. "Some of my people have been on the Isle of Despair recently. We believe that the dwarves did not die there. In fact, we believe that they tunneled to Elfwoods and escaped to the mountains."

  "You mean the dwarves still exist?" asked Prince Saratoma.

  "I wouldn't go that far," replied Prince Rigal. "We do believe that they escaped, but we don't know if they still live. The point is, we must find the tunnel the dwarves used to escape the island. If we can locate it, we can use it to get the children to safety. If we had enough food, we could even make all of the Dielderal disappear until it is time to attack."

  "I will strip this forest clear of game if we need to," vowed the king. "Let's not let a lack of food get in the way of what we need to do. Where will we find this tunnel?"

  "We only have a rough estimate of where to look," stated Prince Rigal, "and we have no idea how concealed the entrance might be. Dwarves are excellent tunnel makers, and you could walk right over an entrance without knowing it."

  "I can supply thousands of elves for the hunt," offered the king. "We will inspect each blade of grass singularly if that is what it takes."

  "The Federation would notice such a large number of elves," Prince Rigal shook his head. "The plan is for me and my three men to perform the search. I wanted to stop in here first to warn you that we will be in Elfwoods. If your people stay well away from where we will be, there should be no trouble brought to them."

  "What area of the Elfwoods are we talking about?" asked Prince Saratoma.

  "Due south of the Isle of Despair," answered Prince Rigal.

  "That is at the very edge of the Badlands," noted King Elengal.

  "I know the area," nodded Prince Saratoma. "I used to sit there and stare out at the sea while the others went to work at the mines. I don't recall anything that looked like a tunnel."

  "It won't be obvious," stated the king. "What can we do to help with the search, Prince Rigal?"

  "You might have Legaulle search the archives," suggested Prince Rigal. "See if there were any dwarf sightings at any time in Elfwoods. If there were, have them plotted on a map and get it to us. Maybe that will supply the small hint we need to find the tunnel."

  "That's all?" frowned Prince Saratoma.

  "The Dielderal have plenty to do to prepare," answered Prince Rigal. "Train your people in the arts of warfare, establish weapon caches throughout Elfwoods, and stockpile as much food as possible. The day of liberation is not at hand, but it will come before you know it. Use the time wisely."

  Chapter 29

  Council of War

  General Skye guided the small craft towards the shore and ran it up on the beach. Princess Jeanel jumped out of the boat and began to pull it up on the beach.

  "Leave it," called the general. "I have to sink it so they don't know where we landed. I want them to think we took the boat all the way to Zarocca."

  The princess let go of the boat and looked around. At first she thought that no one was nearby, but she soon saw a man riding towards her with two saddled horses. She called softly to the general to warn him.

  "His name is Garth Shado," replied the general. "He is an ally. Wait with him while I sink this."

  The princess nodded, b
ut she was apprehensive about being with a stranger, and this particular stranger looked deadly. It was not the sword on his back nor the quiver and bow that were visible that caused her to sense danger in the man. It was the way the man handled himself. He sat calmly enough on the back of the black stallion, but his eyes constantly scanned the area as a predator might, as if he were looking for something to kill. The princess hesitated and glanced back at the general, but he merely waved her away as he thrust his sword to break holes in the bottom of the boat. The princess reluctantly moved towards the man on the black horse.

  "Can you ride?" asked Garth.

  The princess merely nodded. When the princess made no move to mount a horse, the stranger slid off his mount and grabbed her. He lifted her up effortlessly and placed her in the saddle of one of the horses.

  "I am Garth," he said softly. "I will be your guide tonight. Do not be afraid. No one will harm you. Your father waits just on the other side of the hill."

  The princess glanced at the hill, and the urge to flee from the stranger grew stronger. She grabbed the reins and tried to turn the horse around to flee, but the animal would not budge.

  "Be patient," Garth said to her. "The general is coming with us."

  That was it. He did not scold her for trying to run away, and he did not make any attempt to take the reins from her. It was as if the stranger had some type of magical hold over the horses. General Skye watched the boat sink and then turned and ran towards Garth and the princess. He leaped onto the third horse, and Garth started moving towards the hill. The other two mounts followed.

  "I hope you know some secret pass through the mountains," stated the general, "or we will never make it to Zarocca."

  "We will make it," Garth said with confidence.

  "I think he is a mage," the princess whispered to the general. "He is controlling the horses."

  Garth smiled inwardly when he heard the comment, but he did not show that he had heard the princess' remarks. After a few minutes of riding, they came to the rest of the group. The princess leaped off her horse and ran to her father. Garth immediately stopped and the general halted alongside him.

  "Did everything go all right?" Garth asked the general.

  "Perfect from my point of view," nodded General Skye. "Clint must have nerves of steel. He was not even sweating when last I saw him."

  "Did you have a chance to alter the files on General Forshire?"

  "Oh, yes," smiled the general. "There are numerous notes in his file about our suspicions of his loyalty to the Federation. You should not worry that Prince Mectin's handlers will try to kill him. They will figure him for the perfect Commanding General for Tyronia. It is a brilliant plan if it works."

  "Do you have doubts?"

  "I have doubts about everything," smiled the general. "I even have doubts that you can get us across the Barrier, although I know that I should not. It is my nature."

  "It is a healthy way to view the world," chuckled Garth. "Come and listen while I explain to everyone what is going to happen next."

  The two men rode the rest of the way towards the small group and joined them. The group consisted of five Knights of Alcea, two Rangers, Queen Romani, Sidney Mercado, King Myer, and now the princess and General Skye.

  "I know some of you are wondering what comes next," Garth said to the group. "I have held this part secret because I could not afford to have it revealed if something went wrong. The creatures that you are sitting upon are not horses. They are unicorns, and they are going to fly us over the Barrier. We will be over the Barrier and into Zarocca before morning. I ask that you keep the secret of the unicorns among ourselves."

  Princess Jeanel frowned and walked to her mount. She stared at its face and shook her head. "I don't believe you. Unicorns have horns. I think you are a mage playing a trick on us."

  "Get up on your mount," Garth ordered with a smile. "If you don't believe me, ask the unicorn to show you her horn."

  The princess swung onto her unicorn with a frown on her face. "Show me your horn, unicorn."

  The horn suddenly appeared, and the princess gasped.

  Such little faith you have for a princess. You can talk to me without speaking if you are embarrassed. It will make the ride go faster.

  Garth chuckled inwardly and then explained to everyone their place in the group. When everyone was ready, Garth ordered Kymia into the air. The newcomers in the group gasped in delight as their unicorns followed Kymia and lifted off the ground.

  * * *

  In the morning, the group camped on the eastern side of the Barrier. Garth, Tedi, Karl, and the two Rangers took turns keeping watch. Some people went to sleep right away, while others merely rested until they felt tired. There was no sense of urgency to the day as they were not going to fly the unicorns again until nightfall. Princess Jeanel stayed close to her father the whole day, while Sidney and Queen Romani spent some time sitting on the banks of a small creek that flowed through the campsite. Garth and Karl were on watch when General Skye walked over and sat down next to Garth.

  "Quite an idyllic setting," the general said softly. "It is hard to believe that the world around us is heading for war."

  "This is the way life was meant to be lived," Garth replied.

  "I couldn't help noticing that many of your people are not with us on this trip," the general said as he got down to what he really wanted to discuss. "Other than Clint, where have they gone?"

  "The elves are down in Elfwoods," answered Garth. "They draw too much attention up here, and there is unfinished business down there. The sailors are also heading south. In fact, once this conference is over, I think the rest of us will head south, too. There is not much we can do in Tyronia at this time, and the horse countries appear to be well fortified from what I have seen."

  The general looked around the camp at the Alceans and shook his head. "Your people appear to be good at what they do. My squad of soldiers were quite surprised by our reception at Sidney's ranch. I do think you would have bloodied my men quite well if it had come to battle. Are they all military?"

  "Not exactly," answered Garth. "Shawn, Clint, and Max are Alcea Rangers. That is an elite fighting group that numbers close to a thousand. The rest of us here are Knights of Alcea. The Knights are a very small group of warriors and mages chosen by the king. What you see here is a little under half of the Knights of Alcea."

  "That must be a rather exclusive group," the general replied with a raised eyebrow. "I suspect you will want to be back in Alcea when the fighting begins."

  "That was the original plan," nodded Garth, "but our ship was destroyed. It would appear that we must stay here and do what we can to hurt the Federation on this side of the ocean."

  "I would say that is our gain," smiled the general. "Do you think the Zaroccans and Koroccans can defeat the Federation?"

  "Not from what I have seen so far," Garth replied after a moment of thought. "Not alone at least. While I do not know the strength of the Federation army, it has to be over a hundred thousand. I have seen masses of soldiers everywhere I go down there, and I have only been down as far as Farmin."

  "We estimated their forces at over two hundred thousand," stated the general, "and that was before they annexed Karamin and Vinafor."

  Garth whistled softly. "That means they could throw one hundred and fifty thousand men at Alcea and still have one hundred thousand to maintain control here in Zara. That is a formidable army."

  "Very formidable," replied the general. "The truth is, all of Zara is lost unless we win the backing of Zarocca and Korocca. They are the only countries that can raise a decent army, and they are not going to want to leave their own lands."

  "We shall see," Garth replied as he looked up at the pink clouds. "I think we just have time for a decent meal before we take to the sky again."

  The meal was simple, but everyone was refreshed from the day of rest. As soon as darkness arrived, the group mounted the unicorns and flew eastward. By dawn they had landed and
were riding into the city of Traginak. Garth signaled Tedi, and the gypsy prince led all of the Alceans except Garth and Kalina towards the Courtyard Shadows. Sidney said goodbye to Queen Romani and followed the Alceans to the inn. Garth continued onward with the rest of the group to the castle gates. They were admitted without a fuss, and they dismounted at the stables. Baron Uloof arrived before they were done.

  "Right on schedule," smiled the baron as he glanced at the group. "You must be King Myer," he said with bow to the Tyronian king. "I have not had the pleasure of meeting you or your family. I am Uloof, Baron of Traginak."

  "This is my daughter, Jeanel," stated the king. "This fine woman is not my wife. May I present Queen Romani of Vinafor."

  The baron blushed with embarrassment, but he recovered quickly. He bowed respectfully to the queen. "I should have realized,” he apologized. "We have three suites set aside for you. I will have to see about rooms for the princess and the officer."

  "General Skye," stated the general, "former Commanding General of Tyronia."

  "Former?" frowned the baron.

  "There is much to talk about," replied King Myer. "The general can stay with me, but a room for Jeanel would be appreciated."

  "I will see to it," promised the baron. "If you will come with me, we were just sitting down for the morning meal when I saw you ride towards the castle. King Wendal of Korocca has already arrived, as has Baron Stikman, the Baron of Herinak. We will begin the meeting right after the morning meal."

  Baron Uloof led the visitors inside the castle to a formal dining room. King Persimon and Baron Ohmson were there representing Zarocca along with Baron Uloof. King Wendal and Baron Stikman were representing Korocca. Baron Uloof made the introductions, but the conversation during the meal was kept to lighter topics. When the meal was done, a soldier was assigned to take Princess Jeanel and find her a room. Servants cleared the table, and the doors to the dining room were closed.

  King Persimon waited until the doors were closed before looking around the table and speaking. "I thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I have called this meeting to discuss our common enemy, the Federation headed by Emperor Jaar. As some of you know, my Royal Sorcerer had been in the employ of the Federation. For quite some time he had enchanted me with a vile magic in an attempt to make me do the bidding of the Federation. I do not think I have to tell anyone in this room that the Federation has designs of world conquest. Every nation represented by the people in this room is in danger of falling before the evil horde."