Quarterstars Awakening

by David L. McDaniel

  “As it should be my young eager son. Do not worry, your time will come sooner than you think.”

  “Yes, Great Mother, but I’m eager for more.”

  Traelyn smiled. “You are so young, there is so much you do not know. You have not seen war as I have. My father, your Great Father, disappeared in a brutal and very bloody battle.”

  “I know Great Mother, we all know. We know that is why you live so long: Waiting for his return.”

  “Yes, you are right,” Traelyn said as she leaned back and drifted into thought with a sad smile upon her face. “Go, and go quickly for I am dying. Tonight I will destroy all of the Drodennum plants, and their seeds.”

  “But, Great Mother.”

  “Go. And go now.”

  Traegon did not wait. He turned and ran away as fast as his legs would take him. Traelyn smiled as he ran away, he was so much like her father: his grandfather of many generations before. She was not much older than the young Traegon when she lost her father. Dar Drannon’s final days were also a beginning, for it was in his last days when she had met Jaerick, prince of the elves, for the first time. Her father disappeared soon after.

  She remembered the day she had seen elves for the first time. They came to her home, a fortress her father built, nestled in a cliff face in the farthest northeastern mountains in the land.

  Dar Drannon, Traelyn’s father, had organized the most intelligent of the human race and moved them away from the more primitive goblin tribes to form a new advanced civilization. It was a time just before their forced move westward, fleeing the goblins as the elves had done hundreds of years earlier.

  The elves arrived in grand procession. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set behind the Ogregash Mountains to the west when the horns sounded. Soldiers atop the battlements of the large rocky human fortress scrambled to meet their guests. The Halls of Dar Drannon was aptly named, due to the many halls tunneled throughout the side of a giant cliff face.

  The human soldiers stood erect and silent in respect as the first of the elven entourage came out of the wilderness amongst the trees that were shedding their crimson leaves. The first group was led by two elves on horseback; each displaying the banners of the individual elven tribes, followed by large horse drawn chariots, and surrounded by hundreds of elven foot soldiers. Though this was a peaceful meeting, the elves did not want to take any chances travelling through the dangerous woodlands whose creatures had chased them out of what had once been their home.

  The elven king was not visible from the view of the castle, but there was no mistaking which chariot carried the king. Three chariots total, two smaller than the first, the larger one decorated with the finest elven woodwork, soft colored metals and grand laces.

  Finally, the tail end of the procession filed out of the tree line. Three battalions of elven warriors, both on foot and on horseback marched in perfect order and cadence. King Dar Drannon was immediately summoned as the elven leaders were allowed into the staging area at the foot of the mountain cliff. The elven leaders assembled tightly in an enclosed perimeter of chiseled stone and towering pine trees.

  The main force set up just outside of the inner perimeter while the leaders waited for a few moments before a handful of human soldiers led them up the long winding stone stairs up to the castle proper. When they reached the top, the elves walked into a large expansive hallway of pillars on each side that filed to the back of the room where Dar Drannon and his advisors stood. Banquet tables were set up in between the pillars and servants stood erect at their positions.

  As the elves walked forward, they noticed the servants bowing as they walked past.

  “Greetings, and welcome back my friend,” Dar Drannon spoke as they approached him.

  King Keiyann Krowe bowed before his host. The elven king stood taller than the other six elves standing beside him, but was still a foot shorter than Dar Drannon. They were dressed in white breeches lined with silver thread, and wore a white overcoat that reached to the knees. The back had a slit like an upside down V designed to cover over the horse’s back while riding. The elven king wore no crown, as was customary for the elves when away from their kingdom, but by his clothing and stature anyone could pick him out from even the finest of dignitaries.

  “I have come at your request, but only with a small and humble force,” Keiyann began. “I have brought today for your introduction my son, Jaerick, the prince of the Elven Kingdom and heir to my throne. Lord Meztrae, the commander of my armed forces, and Kroejin, my spiritual advisor. Along with them, I have brought their aids to discuss all the matters at hand.”

  “And I am glad you have traveled so far to discuss such matters. I will reward your travels with information that could affect both humans and elves, but first I will introduce to you some of the people who are important to our cause as well.” He then introduced a number of men to the elven entourage while Traelyn stood proudly at her father’s side as these formalities proceeded. “Lastly, but most important to me is Traelyn, my daughter.”

  The elven king stepped up and greeted all of the men, and then came to Traelyn, took her hand and kissed the top of her soft, young hand. The prince did as his father had done, but when he took Traelyn’s hand he held it for a few moments longer than what was customary, and looked into her eyes while smiling, but said nothing.

  “Now we feast,” Dar Drannon said, breaking the awkward silence.

  After a short period of small talk and when they had their fill of food, the two kings and their top advisors went into King Dar Drannon’s council chambers and discussed the matters at hand. Traelyn watched Jaerick enter the room with them, but did not follow. Her father liked to keep her protected from such political and military matters, so she knew it was not her place to follow.

  Traelyn learned at a young age of her father’s protection. Her mother had died when she was eight years old. Long before Dar Drannon built this fortress, they were part of the same hideously morphed human-gront tribes that now attacked them frequently. Though they were a part of those tribes long ago, Dar Drannon was different. His ideals stood him apart from the rest of the tribe. He was far more advanced for what the tribal leaders at the time were comfortable with. After many years of his elders punishing him, and his persistence to continue enhancing his ideals, he was scorned and encouraged to leave.

  The tribes had begun to mix with some of the tamer goblin tribes, and in short were evolving away from human traits and becoming more goblin and barbaric than human. Dar Drannon, for fear of his life, took his wife and a small group of followers to start a new tribe.

  Dar Drannon shared his ideals with this group while they traveled to other tribes trying to increase their numbers and at the same time find a new home. His ideals were often much too advanced for those other tribes as well, but he did always leave a tribe with a small handful of new followers. It was during this time that Dar Drannon’s wife began to show her dislike to this new nomadic lifestyle. At first, it was minimal, even when Dar Drannon had found the site for his new home.

  It was not until he had begun to build the Halls of Dar Drannon into the cliff face that she began to show her opposition by disappearing into the wilderness for weeks at a time. Traelyn was young, but old enough to remember unhappiness and discomfort. They had been separated from their tribe for two years and her father had accomplished much. A fortress was being built, a security force was organized, farming and trading began amongst them, and small vale communities grew just outside of the wilderness.

  However, they did not flourish without deterrents. Soon they found themselves the target of raiding attacks from the surrounding combined gront, goblin, and human tribes, which aided in the bolstering the defenses of the fortress as they built it.

  When t
he fortress was complete, Traelyn noticed that her mom was homesick, and gone for longer periods. But when weeks turned into months, and months turned into a year Dar Drannon was forced to accept the fact that his wife was not coming back. She had either died in the wilderness or found herself a new tribe. Either way, to Dar Drannon, she was dead, and explained it as such to his young daughter.

  Shortly after that, the community crowned Dar Drannon as their king. Dar Drannon then absolved Traelyn from all work duties, chores, and responsibilities, therefore leading a life of boredom and seclusion. This had Traelyn the most frustrated. Moreover, today the king of elves and his prince were here to help their growing problem, and she was shut out, not even allowed to sit and observe. Therefore, sit outside she would. Not happy about it, but she would wait. Someday she would be important enough to be considered a leader among men. She smiled at that thought, and thought it silly, but knew one day it could be true.

  * * *

  Inside the council chambers, Dar Drannon seated everyone at the large stone table in the center of the room. The sun shone through the massive open windows surrounding every wall in the room. Dar Drannon had his back to his guests and looked out the southern window overlooking the forest as his guests took their seats. He continued to gaze looking to the towering and rocky Goblin Ridge Mountains to the south while his servants catered to his guests, serving them ale and bread.

  “I often see them creeping in the woods from here,” he began, still looking out the window pointing past the forests, to a clearing miles away. “It looks so peaceful from here, but I know better. I was born out there, right there at the foot of the Goblin Ridge Mountains.”

  “The Waerymyn Crags,” Keiyann Krowe interjected.

  “That’s right,” Dar Drannon said turning to face the elven king. “We changed the name from your elven tongue because the goblin hoards now infest that whole area, and I believe they are preparing to launch an assault together with these gronts very soon.”

  Dar Drannon paused, and then began again. “I see them coming, crawling and scurrying through the forest. I sometimes see them assembling, gronts and goblins, together. For years, I never thought the two would ever ally, but somehow they have. My scouts have reported that the goblins have a mighty leader, a demon-lord. He is stronger and smarter than any goblin, orc, ogre, troll, or gront, and they worship him as a living god and call him Gralanxth.”

  General Meztrae stiffened, and looked at the kings’ prophet, Kroejin, but made no comment or gesture.

  “Gralanxth?” the prince questioned as if the name seemed familiar.

  “We know of Gralanxth,” the elven king finished. “At least we know of the prophecy of his coming. His arrival has been prophesied by many cultures: All with horrible occurrences. Until now it has been doubted that it would ever come to pass because they are only goblins—easily fooled by such myths.”

  General Meztrae turned sharply in his chair to face his king on his left and whispered. “This is trickery, my king. We have no proof of this demon; he may just be using this prophecy against us. How can you trust him?”

  Keiyann raised his hand to silence the general. “Please forgive my obstinate military advisor,” Keiyann Krowe apologized to Dar Drannon. “He has a lot at stake at home and abroad.” Then he turned to Meztrae. “Please hear him out commander.”

  “Have you seen this Gralanxth yourself?” Prince Jaerick asked.

  “No, I have not, but as I said, my scouts have seen him, and I have seen increased activity with the goblins and the gronts.”

  “What do you expect us to do?” General Meztrae blurted out. Then realized that he was speaking out of turn when everyone in the room locked their eyes upon his. Dar Drannon stiffened and looked at the elven king. “I humbly ask for your gracious support by sending troops to help support our very small and lacking defensive force.”

  General Meztrae squirmed in his seat, and opened his mouth, but said nothing, closing his mouth.

  “I have little to offer in return right now,” Dar Drannon continued. “But your troops will not only be paid well, they will also be boarded well. Your common soldiers will be treated like officers, and your officers will be treated like ambassadors.”

  King Keiyann Krowe stood, and faced his general on his right, then turned to his prophet on his left giving him a look of understanding before addressing Dar Drannon.

  “We have been friends for a few years now, and as you know I have said before, I commend you on your separation from the gront tribes. This is truly a monumental task, if not prophetic and a historical evolution to the human race. This makes you a true credit to the humans, and if the rest of the tribes evolve to become like you there may be hope for this world. But, unfortunately, I do not know how I can sacrifice even a small force to help you.”

  Dar Drannon nodded his head and smiled politely. “Then I would like to ask if you would consider keeping an elven garrison between here and your kingdom. We have recently built it, but it has never been occupied.

  Keiyann thought for a second, and then tilted his head. “This could be a possibility, slight, but possible.”

  “But my king,” General Meztrae interrupted. “We are spread out thin enough without sacrificing any troops. We are still building and maintaining our own garrisons, and many of our soldiers are barely trained in the art of combat since they are so new.”

  “I realize this commander, but I have an obligation to my friend,” Keiyann then turned back to Dar Drannon. “As to your offers we will consider both, but I cannot give you a final decision today.”

  “This is fair, and all I ask of you is to consider our plea. Now, as to my promise that brought you here, I would like to go over all that I have learned about the gronts and goblins, and more about Gralanxth.”

  Dar Drannon called for his servants to bring forth all of his maps, books, and logs. He then showed the elves everything he knew. Using the maps, he showed them all the locations of every known gront tribe, and movements of the goblin tribes. He explained to them how they have attacked and how often. He showed them where Gralanxth had been sighted and the frequency of the attacks since the initial sightings of the goblin demon god. They spent most of that evening sharing information, and possible battle strategies until the moon had moved from the north window to the southern window.

  After the meeting, Dar Drannon went to his daughter’s room. Traelyn had been in bed for a few hours, but was awake when she heard a soft knock at the door.

  “Come in father,” she said recognizing his knock.

  Her father entered with a smile.

  “What have you learned?” she asked.

  He walked over to her bed, sat on the edge and put his hand onto hers, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Not much really. I spent most of the evening going over our history, why we left and where we want to be in the future, and where we will be without their help.”

  “Do you think they will help?”

  Dar Drannon took a deep breath before answering. “Maybe. They seemed concerned, but not too eager to agree to such a commitment as sending troops for our defense.”

  “Do you think they will eventually help, or will they turn a blind eye toward us?”

  “Oh, honey, I am not so sure. Try not to trouble yourself with these matters. That is my job,” Dar Drannon stood up, walked to the door, and put his hand on the door handle. “By the way, the prince asked about you.”

  Traelyn smiled and sat up, but then leaned back again feigning disinterest. “Really?” she said sarcastically. “How so?”

  “I think he is attracted to you. He wants to see you tomorrow.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him that I needed to
talk to you to see if you wanted to spend time with him.”

  “Good. But I don’t care to see him.”

  “Ok. I’ll tell him that.”

  “No, don’t,” she said quickly, and then regaining her composure began again. “What I mean is, if I see him I’ll see him. Just don’t make special plans for me.”

  Dar Drannon smiled, walked back to her, moved a lock of her long auburn hair, and kissed her forehead.

  “What happens if the elves don’t commit daddy?” she asked.

  Dar Drannon smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry honey; I will protect you, even if it means that I send you back with the safety of the elves.”

  “No! Don’t do that! I will never leave you! Besides, why would you do that anyway? Mother is gone, and you are all I have left, I will not leave you here to die.”

  “Not to worry. I will not be dying any time soon. Everything will work out for the best.”

  Traelyn looked sternly into her father’s eyes. “I will never leave you father,”

  Dar Drannon smiled, leaned over and kissed his daughter good night, then stood up and walked to the door. “We will be fine,” he said before blowing her a kiss and leaving the room.

  * * *

  Traelyn’s old and frail body ached as she rose from the bench. Tonight she would destroy the Drodennum flowers. She would pull them all and burn them in a quiet and private ceremony, beginning the final phase of her life.

  Chapter 6

  The elves travelled south, staying on the road, taking the quickest and most direct path. The dust from their traveling could be seen from miles away, including the human warriors that saw them from a hidden watch in the foothills below the Dragon Cross Mountains. They had just passed the Ronlorle River when the soldier on watch alerted Daegon, the high commander of the human forces.