“You have nothing to fear from me, good king. However, I recommend that you protect your mind at all times from unwanted probing. Even when you are in trusted company, protect your thoughts. I do not believe that the enemy has found out anything useful over the past few weeks, so no harm done.”
“What is it that I could do for you, Master Zaide?” asked the king tersely. He did not enjoy the way druids took their time in getting to the point. It always made him feel uncomfortable.
“As that guardian probably told you, the druid order has been recalled during this time of great need. We have met together and have determined that we should remain united even after this evil has passed. I have been sent to warn you against potential dangers that you may not be aware of.”
“How very considerate…” the king replied dryly.
“Yes, you do not trust us. How ironic. You will listen to the very beings that are responsible for this current situation, but you will distrust those who have never wronged you.” Zaide did not hide his contempt for the guardians or for the blind loyalty that the king and his people showed the Elementals. His face flashed an ugly, disgusted look as he surveyed the king even closer.
“You believe that all of the guardians are responsible? You know that it is Kana who has betrayed them. They have been actively fighting against her and have lent significant support to us already in our fight with her axis of evil. What the hell have you been doing!” blasted the monarch boldly.
The druid’s eyes softened, and his demeanor changed from being rigid to a more calm and collected look. “I understand your frustration for our methodical pace, but we too have come to offer help. We just want to be careful when dealing with the Elementals. It never hurts to be careful.”
“Fine, what is it that you want?”
“I have come to offer the druids services in your fight against the wicked high elves and the orc armies. We will help to heal those who receive injuries, and some of us will fight. We will help the bears face the foul creatures that Kana has called to serve her perverse desires.” After he said this, he made a complicated hand gesture and bowed on one knee with his head toward the ground.
“Are you pledging fealty to me?” asked the king incredulously.
“We are offering our considerable services while this threat remains. After these evil times pass, we will separate ourselves from any country or power in Tuwa so that we may once again re-establish the druid order properly and in its entirety.”
“I must say that I am amazed at your offer. Mistress Khalida told me that they would work with you, but that they knew that you did not trust them. They will try to respect your suspicions, but not at the cost of innocent lives.”
“I will pass that along to Lord Nariko after we are finished here. Do you accept my pledge?”
“Yes, I do hereby accept the druid order’s pledge of service while this conflict lasts. I also recognize that at the end of this bargain that I have no hold over you,” replied the king smoothly. “I pledge to you that if you help us with this war, which is inevitable now, I will do whatever you require of me to help you rebuild your order.”
“You are truly wise and noble, mighty king. We will hold up our end of the bargain and will certainly ensure that you keep your promise. What are the plans for the impending attacks?”
The king directed the druid to a table on one side of his court and relayed all of the information they had received from the guardians and from their extensive spy network. After a lengthy presentation of the facts, Zaide added his findings to the pool of intelligence. The druid seemed to have accepted at some level that they were going to have to work with the Elementals in this situation. The problem was convincing the other druids to accept his appraisal of things.
Bears
The wolves continued to stare at the soldiers standing on top the outer wall of Tarisdell. Ulric surveyed them with great dislike and then turned about and disappeared into the forest. The rest of the wolves followed suit and were gone from sight within minutes. The troops on the wall relaxed as they watched the ferocious creatures leave. They immediately began to scour the entire city to make sure that it was truly deserted. After they had completed their search, they fortified the city on all sides and set up communication lines using runners to relay messages. Commander Brugon remained on the eastern wall just in case the ravenous wolves decided to have another go at the magical barrier. I hope that this elven barrier holds while we are here because if it fails, we are all dead!
As soon as the seasoned commander had thought this, horrific howls and booming roars filled the still air. The animals of the forest took flight at the startling sounds. A few miles east in the wilderness the birds were frantically attempting to gain altitude which indicated where the confrontation was taking place. The battle was so loud that Brugon’s soldiers stopped what they were doing and listened intently. It sounded like the wolves had been engaged by some kind of monsters. The men began to murmur to one another about what was going on and what could happen to them if the magical barrier went down. Fear gripped their hearts as they stood there wondering what was going to happen next.
Boom! The ground shook violently as if it were about to rend itself completely open. The earth continued to shake for several minutes, and then everything went still. Silence enveloped the forest once more. There was no longer any sound coming from the battle that had been taking place. In fact, there was no noise at all coming from anywhere. Finally the men began to shift about nervously as they waited for something terrible to happen.
“Commander, was that an earthquake like that one we felt a few moments ago?” asked one of the soldiers from behind the eastern outer wall.
“I do believe that you are right. Captain!” barked the commander distractedly.
“Yes, sir!” saluted the captain smartly. He had been standing right next to his commander the entire time.
“I want you to take a couple men with you and investigate what happened in the forest before that unnatural quake began,” ordered the commander quietly. He did not want all of the troops to hear what he was asking because it might cause them an unnecessary amount of stress.
“I will leave at once,” replied the studious captain. He signaled to two of his men, and they climbed down off the wall. They waited for the commander to say the pass phrase again so that they could exit through the magical barrier unharmed. Once outside the elven protection, they picked up their pace so that they could get this unpleasant task taken care of as quickly as possible.
As they entered the shadows of the forest, they could see thousands upon thousands of wolf prints on the forest floor. They were all heading directly east. They followed the tracks for nearly three miles before they stopped at the sight of where the battle had taken place. There were several dozen wolves ripped to pieces in a small meadow. Their bodies had been pulverized and torn like they were rag dolls. The wind changed directions to blow in their faces. The putrid smell of rotting carcasses made all three of these hardened warriors vomit uncontrollably. Their eyes began to water from the odor as well and could not see the eyes that were peering at them from the opposite side the bloodied clearing.