* * * *
The coast of Lanoir between Elmor and Ongchi was mostly flat and level, but there was one small section of the shoreline that rose vertically from the sea. That section of Lanoir was known as Hun-lo Heights. Hun-lo Heights was only a few leagues in length, but it had long served as an obstacle to building a road between the two cities. One of the good things to come out of the reign of Emperor Hanchi was a solution to that problem. Early in his reign, the emperor put prisoners to work hauling stones to the base of the cliffs. The stones were dumped into the water at the base of the cliffs. Over a period of years, the stones were spread along the base of Hung-lo Heights to enable a road to be built connecting the two cities. Far up on the top of the cliffs, a Lanoirian engineer was once again modifying Hung-lo Heights, and two Knights of Alcea stood by his side.
Bin-lu and Rut-ki gazed at a series of huge vats and the long train of Lanoirians working to fill them. A wooden ramp had been built to allow the workers to dump their buckets into the vats, and the line of workers appeared to have no end. Coming out of the bottom of each vat was a large bamboo pipe, and the numerous pipes extended to one final vat that sat lower than the others. The bamboo pipe coming out of that final vat ran to the edge of the cliff and then straight down to the stone road below. The Knights of Alcea walked to the edge of the cliff and stared down. The engineer followed them and spoke when he saw what they were looking at.
“It is all fed by gravity,” Cho-sung said proudly. “The bamboo pipe running along the base of Hun-lo Heights is slanted towards Elmor, although the slope is almost imperceptible.”
“And it will work as you described?” asked Bin-lu. Cho-sung’s face adopted an injured expression, and Bin-lu smiled apologetically. “I do not doubt your word, Cho-sung, but everything depends upon this working properly. Have you tested it?”
“There is no need to test it,” replied the engineer. “The principle of gravity is well-known.”
“I know that the oil will flow downhill,” frowned Bin-lu, “but you have more than that going on here. I have ridden along the road below, and I do not understand how the oil will get out of the pipe.”
“Ah,” brightened the engineer. “That is simple. There are holes drilled into the bamboo pipe at regular intervals over a length of three leagues. Each hole is currently plugged, but the plugs will come out with very little pressure applied to them. When the oil is released from the final vat, it will flow through the pipe until it reaches the end. At that point it will start backing up towards the vat. The pressure will force the plugs out of their holes, and the oil will be dispensed.”
Bin-lu did not appear convinced and Rut-ki knew that he was going to ask for a test of the system, but he never got the chance. A blue fairy shot down out of the sky and landed on Bin-lu’s shoulder.
“The enemy has arrived!” announced the fairy. “They are in Barouk.”
Bin-lu turned to the engineer and said, “There is no time to test the pipe. The Federation soldiers will arrive in Elmor four days from now. You have just over a week to get all of the vats filled. Rut-ki and I must go.”
Without waiting for a response, the Knights of Alcea ran away from the edge of the cliff. They mounted their unicorns and took to the air, the tiny blue woman still clinging to Bin-lu’s ear.
“Should I return to the barn?” the fairy shouted into the rushing wind.
“No,” replied Bin-lu. “Fly directly to Tagaret. Tell the Bringer that the invasion has begun. Do not dally on the way. Many things must be put into action now.”
The fairy nodded in understanding, but Bin-lu could not see the tiny woman. The fairy let go of Bin-lu’s ear and let the wind carry her off his shoulder. Her body tumbled away until she spread her wings and banked sharply to the north.
“She’s a funny one,” chuckled Rut-ki as she pulled alongside Bin-lu. “Very playful. What needs to be done in Tagaret?”
“Many things,” replied Bin-lu. “I only know a small amount of the plans of the others, but I do remember hearing that the Melbin City Guard was to march north on day one of the invasion. Each province needs to know that the war has actually started. The Federation will be on a predictable schedule from now on.”
Hun-lo Heights was far from the approaching Federation army, and the flight of the unicorns consumed most of the day. The sun was already declining by the time the two Knights of Alcea landed well north of the Barouk-Ongchi Road. They landed in a large glade and dismounted, stretching their weary limbs. Moments later, an elf walked out of the trees and greeted them.
“So it has started,” stated Elandros.
“It has started,” agreed Bin-lu. “How did you know?”
“I have had my people keeping watch on the campsite that they have chosen for their first night. Twenty riders appeared this morning to check on their cache of supplies, not merely two riders like a few days ago. These riders also wore uniforms and returned to the east instead of continuing along the road towards Ongchi.”
“I wonder if General Kolling will have those riders check tomorrow’s cache in the morning or whether he was just concerned about the first day?” mused Bin-lu.
“We will not know the answer to that until the morning,” answered Elandros. “Do you want my people to take care of today’s cache?”
Bin-lu nodded. “We shall proceed according to the plan for now.”
Elandros raised a hand over his head and made a signal with his fingers. Back among the trees surrounding the glade, several elves silently slipped away. Bin-lu stuck a finger into his pocket and woke up his fairy. Shrimp leaped to Bin-lu’s shoulder and looked around to get his bearings.
“Has it begun then?” the fairy chirped enthusiastically.
“It has begun,” smiled the Knight of Alcea. “Your naps will be few and far between now. I have already sent a fairy to inform the Bringer, but Governor Za-chan must also be informed. Carry the word to Ongchi, but return quickly. Tonight we must spy on the enemy.”
“I would never miss a chance to spy upon the enemy.” Shrimp saluted briskly and darted upward.
Bin-lu returned his attention to the elf. “Rut-ki and I must go to the nearest village and start the evacuation plan. I am also going to have my people remove all of the hidden caches between here and Ongchi. That means that the Federation will start foraging tomorrow evening, or slightly earlier if they do send riders on ahead to check the supplies. Your men can rest tonight, but then they will have a long two weeks before them. Remember that it is not necessary to halt all of their foraging. The main point is to make them wary and fearful.”
“With only one hundred men, it will not be possible to halt all of their foraging,” Elandros responded, “but the Federation will feel our sting. Have no fear in that regard.”
“Only one hundred?” frowned Rut-ki. “We were hoping for more than that.”
“Sordoa has demanded a lot from the Sorelderal elves,” replied Elandros. “Queen Alysa has been generous in her response to them. Elven archers will not only guard the prisoners, but they are also needed against General Ritka’s army from Gortha. The Sordoans are spread thin.” Bin-lu sighed and nodded in acceptance, but Elandros smiled and placed a reassuring hand on the Knight of Alcea’s shoulder. “Do not fear. One-hundred elves will seem like an army to the Federation soldiers. We will strike their foragers without warning, whether it be night or day. Within a week, their soldiers will fear to step off the Lanoirian road they travel.”
“You are up against twenty-thousand men, Elandros,” frowned Rut-ki, “and you are all that stands between them and Ongchi.”
“We will not stand between them and the city they hope to raze,” corrected the elf. “Nothing stands in their way at the moment. We do not plan to engage in battle with the Federation. My people will work in small, four-man teams. They will be spread throughout the forest so that no part of their column can safely forage. If the Federation tries to push into the forest to eliminate us, they will find nothing. Four elves can disappear so quickly that no human will be able to find them.”