Tarisdell, the elven capital city at the heart Renshaw Forest, was surrounded on the eastern border by a massive army of wolves. The druids looked closer at the beasts to make sure they were seeing them properly. They were the size of a massive warhorse. They were black, gray, red, and white-and there were over five thousand of them. This did not bode well for the one hundred and fifty soldiers who were stranded on the eastern outer wall of the city. They could see the magical shield, but they could tell that the magic holding it in place was beginning to fail. Then they were whisked away to a distant place in the far north, which was out of their area of influence. They only had stewardship over the races found in Tuwa, so they did not recognize any of the mountains or other landscape.
An image of a black dragon flying toward a dirty gray mountain appeared next. An elegant figure was seated right at the base of the neck and had a fierce look of determination as she urged the fell beast toward the mountain. At once they all knew what that place was. They did not know its proper name, but they all knew that this was the home to the evil that almost conquered Tuwa a thousand years ago. What was more, they could sense its presence again. This troubled them greatly because they knew that the guardians had banished that vile creature to the ice fortress in the north. They also knew that there was no way for him to escape his icy prison without the assistance of those, or one of those, Elementals who had imprisoned him.
Kana! they collectively screamed in the minds. Even though the druids did not care for the guardians they still did not believe what they were seeing.
What has she done? asked Bernadine in her mind. They were all linked mentally at this point, so they all heard and echoed her question.
“She has committed an unforgivable sin. I believe that she is the source of this evil that is plaguing the peoples of Tuwa. Because she is the root of all these problems, we will not be able to handle this situation on our own. The other guardians must rise to the occasion, and they must do it now!” said the normally reserved Thanos.
The mist dissipated, and the ground in the middle of the circle returned to normal. However, time continued to stand still while they pulled their hoods on again while still in the circle. The unique thing about a druid council was that when they combined their powers they could literally stop time while they discussed sacred matters in the circle. This had proved very useful over the years, although it did not prevent the fall of their wise independent council several centuries before. Unfortunately, the sacred circle never revealed treachery of any of the members that were in the druid council. This limitation cost them dearly and had made it difficult to fully re-establish the old order.
“General Verandos and Zaide are aptly placed to assist the giants, the army of General Yukio, and the army of General Lysander. Thanos could go at once to help General Magnar while Lord Nariko returns to General Gideon’s army to fend off the rock trolls and goblins. Lady Bernadine and I can retrieve some special warriors that have already been informed of the situation,” suggested Nita wisely.
“Agreed,” chanted the druids in the circle. No one ever disagreed with Nita when she laid out the options. She was definitely the wisest of them all and knew what was best in this case. She was kind enough to simply provide options and not to dictate. After all, she was not the head of the council.
“Let us not tarry any longer. Each of you will need to contact the leaders you will be working with so that they know you are coming. I recommend travel by the swiftest means possible. Our werebear forms are not conducive to speed, so transform into your other forms. Remember, distance is nothing more than time. Control it like you do your destinies,” proffered Nariko solemnly.
One of the unique abilities that a fully trained druid learns is to transform into a variety of animal forms. Typically they learn two forms while others who obsess with the art learn several more. The bear is the most common form followed by various fowls. This ability allows the druids to interact with all forms of sentient beings and not just the races of Tuwa. In times of war it enables them to gather intelligence while minimizing the danger of scouting.
Nita was the first to act by moving to the water’s edge and bringing her hands together so that her fingertips touched. She uttered some words under her breath, and a patch of water froze in time right in front of her. Once she had left the circle, life sprang back into action all around them. She held the water still with a powerful time-bending spell and stepped onto the unmoving liquid. She was immediately transporting to where the valiant warriors were that she was going to recruit with Lady Bernadine. Her fellow elf had joined in the tear in time where they communicated to the warriors that they would be arriving soon and in their fowl forms. Nita transformed into a lovely brown barn owl and the two female druids flew to their destination now that they had given warning to those they sought.
Each of the remaining druids did the same thing in bending time to give an instantaneous message to their respective generals about their impending arrivals. Nariko changed into a large golden eagle and flew off at once to the rescue of General Gideon. Thanos transformed into beautiful bald eagle and took off to help General Magnar shore up his defenses against the wicked orc armies. Finally, everyone had left to deal with their charges. Lady Hilzarie had been watching from above and knew that she needed to inform Mistress Khalida of the actions of the druid council. The guardian council did not fully trust the druids after their fall centuries ago. I think this is actually a good sign that they are working together again. I wonder who the seventh druid is though. I wonder if they know who it is.
Hilzarie blew away toward Landen to report what she had overheard and seen to her mistress. As the surroundings came back into life after the druids were gone, a lone figure detached from the trees. It was a tall dark elf that had the look of one who had barely escaped death’s grasp. He had a wicked smile on his face as he looked up into the clear sky above. He was very glad that he had not left the Blain River. His lack of strength over the past few days had turned out to be a great blessing and not a curse. The knowledge he had gained by eavesdropping on the druids was invaluable to his plans. I will be able to use this knowledge for our gain. Now those fools in Landen stand no chance whatsoever if I can get to Nodin immediately. Their reinforcements will be too late!
***
Lord Dukker laughed wickedly as he dusted off after lying in the dirt beneath the trees for several days. He was weak, but this new information invigorated his body and mind. He stretched out his left hand, and his staff magically appeared in it. He pointed it at the water and muttered some dark spell. A white flash shot out from the end of his staff and hit the water like a lightning bolt. Several fish floated to the surface, and he retrieved them hungrily. I must replenish my strength so that I can fight once I arrive at the base camp in Nodin. They will need my strength and leadership; they will not fail with me at the helm. The elves will pay for their stupidity, and the giants will suffer for their interference. Those fragile men of Landen will die slow, painful deaths for aiding those who defied me!