“Yes, sir! I can send two of my most trusted scouts to gather the necessary information,” replied the captain.
“Excellent. Send them right now. You are dismissed!” ordered the commander briskly.
“Sir!” saluted Captain Jordan as he did a quick about-face to carry out his orders.
The remaining captains huddled in closer to their commander as they continued their discussion. They talked about all of the various possibilities, including that fact that the orc and high elven armies may already be across the river. If that were the case, then they would merely set up a base camp and organize the archers into a net that would catch any retreating orc or high elf. Their meeting continued for several hours before the spies returned from their quest. They approached at a swift pace, which indicated that their information was not only vital but also urgent. Commander Fletcher raised his hand up to halt the two out-of-breath scouts and waited patiently for them to report their findings.
“Sir, the entire high elven army has crossed the river and is already skirting the southern cliffs of Landen. The main hosts of the three orc armies are crossing as we speak. However, there appears to be a group of siege warriors from one of the orc armies that is staying behind to build a siege works,” explained one of the scouts. He was still breathing very hard from the long run.
“We think that we could surround these orcs with relative ease because they are working in a clearing that they created and are making no effort to conceal their presence. The noise from their labors will drown out our approach and give us the element of surprise,” added the other scout in breathy tones.
“This is good news! We may be able to wipe out the entire group of orcs before they even knew that we were there. We will position ourselves in the trees and rain down arrows on them from above. We will then send in sweepers to make sure that no one survives our ambush,” said the commander confidently.
“Then let us not waste another moment to put our plans into action. I will take the troops who will not be involved in the ambush and set up a base camp,” offered Captain Jordan.
“Agreed. I will take the archers with me to set up the ambush while the rest of you join Captain Jordan in setting up the base camp. Move out!” ordered Commander Fletcher.
The group of leaders dispersed and went their separate ways. Within two hours, the archers that went with Commander Fletcher were already high in the trees around the artificial clearing looking down on their prey. The commander had elected himself to give the signal for attack. He would hoot twice like the black owl that was native to the Forest of Renshaw. The archers would count to ten after the second hoot and begin their volley. When the commander gave the signal, the orcs stopped what they were doing for a second or two and then went back to work. After a minute of nothing but a storm of arrows from above, every single orc lay dead or dying on the forest floor.
Giant Defiance
The giants who did not act fast enough to protect their eyes or close their mouths were writhing in pain hours after the wicked warlock had attacked them with the purple ray. Lord Marcello used his healing magic several times during those hours with little success. He had never seen such dark magic before and did not have a clue about reversing the effects of the attack. At least they knew that the high elven magician was dead or near death because his unquenchable fire wall had dissipated shortly after the last giant who was sick to his stomach finished throwing up. They could easily see that the axis armies had gathered together in Nodin to regroup and possibly join with the rock trolls. Lord Marcello and the other giant leaders knew that this was not the case because they had received messages from King Leroy that the entire wasteland had been emptied weeks before. The trolls had joined up with the wretched goblin armies and were currently laying siege to Mount Carrick.
King Angus remained at the capital city so that he could direct General Lang, Lord Marcello, and the other commanders in their defensive efforts. The king was surprised by the knowledge of the situation that King Leroy possessed. He was even more impressed by the fact that an elder Elemental would become so involved in the affairs of the people of Tuwa. Angus had heard tales told by many of the elven rulers of a time when the guardians were seen quite regularly about the lands of the middle Tuwa. Something happened during the last great war which involved all of the races that caused the Elementals to not only pull out of the lands in which they helped to make free, but they also stopped communicating entirely with lesser beings. It was clear that the demise of the Eldar was the catalyst for this drastic change in behavior. Sitting alone in the king’s court, the giant king thought over the many stories and legends about the guardians. I would give anything to meet one of the noble and all-powerful guardians.
“Be careful what you wish for, Angus Vokias,” said a silky voice from the shadows that filled the edges of the great hall.
“Who said that?” asked the king, who was shaken by the sudden break in the silence. What concerned him even more was the fact that this mysterious person could read his thoughts.
“You have nothing to fear from me, giant king,” replied the smooth voice. “I am Mistress Khalida, the very Elemental you have heard so much about from King Leroy. I have come to make a special request of you and your people.” As she spoke, she moved into the open so that Angus could finally see who it was that was speaking to him. His eyes widened at her appearance and his mouth hung open slightly at her great beauty.
“Whatever malady asks of me and my people will be done according to your command,” replied the king as he stood erect and then bowed low on one knee. The ground shook slightly as his knee slammed to the floor.
“I knew that you would be willing to help me. Angus, by assisting me in my request, you will probably save this land from our enemies. I need you and your army to take up all of the defensive positions around the country of Landen. North, west, south, and east alike will require your troops’ presence. I need the army of General Yukio to push back the high elven army in the north all the way back to the Nairi Canyons. The army under the command of General Lysander Ehagrukiel will need to prepare for a push against the orcs and high elves in the south. They will combine their strength with the army of General Sanjay from the forest of Aran, who will be arriving at the capital within a few days.”
“I will order the troops to fortify the defenses of the Landen. Do you wish me to pass along your orders to General Yukio and General Lysander for you?”
“Yes, please relay the orders of regrouping to those armies for me. Tell them to gather their troops together in the eastern plains.” The guardian thought it was a gracious offer from King Angus to assist her. “I have matters that need attending to, so I am leaving you in charge of the defense of this country. I will explain this to King Leroy before I leave. He will agree with me that your people are best suited for the defense of the High Plains.”
“Thank you for your confidence in my troops. We will defend this land while there is breath in our lungs.” The king said this confidently as he bowed deeply before the elegant guardian. His eyes were fixed on a crack in the floor that had just recently appeared. He did not dare to look at the angelic lady again out of fear and respect.
“I will take leave of you now, Angus. Good luck to the both of us.” She then vanished into thin air right before the king’s eyes. A fine mist swirled for a few moments and then there was nothing.
King Angus stood up quickly and left the great hall at once. He sent messengers to the leaders of his army. He requested their presence in the little village of Haden for an emergency meeting. The village lay in the heart of the High Plains and would be the fastest way for them to gather for such an urgent meeting. As Angus journeyed toward the center of the land of Landen, the gravity of the situation became more apparent as time slipped away. He had an uneasy feeling about his leisurely pace and immediately kicked it up a notch. He needed to get to the meeting as fast as possible. He could not identify the source of these feelings, but he knew that they were real and that they served a purpose.