The Council of Elders met in the city of Morada in Elvangar. The twelve wise men of the elves discussed the information gleaned from Eltor and Caldal.
“At last we have what I feel is full disclosure of the travels of Eltor and Caldal,” declared Malid, the Head Elder. “The testimony highlights the dangers still existing in the world beyond the Barrier Islands. There is a war brewing in the human world. That war may find its way to Elvangar. What will this council suggest to the queen regarding our security?”
“What is there to suggest?” asked Amber. “Humans are constantly warring. Caldal spoke of the many different armies in Khadora alone. This is not something the elves need to be involved in. We should suggest nothing.”
“I disagree,” declared Volox. “We are not just talking about a war that the humans will be engaging in. We are talking about a war to end the world, as we know it. From what I have read, this Vand has over one million men in his army. The best estimates that Caldal could supply on the number of Khadoran troops are abysmal. Vand will sweep right over Khadora and into Elvangar. Is it not in our best interests to at least make contact with the humans to determine the level of threat to Elvangar? Surely that can be done without divulging the whereabouts of our homeland.”
“The humans already know where Elvangar is,” pointed out Vitalora. “Perhaps many of you missed it in the transcripts, but Caldal mentions that the Qubari gave him directions to the Gates of Elvangar.”
“Where is this?” demanded Malid. “I do not remember reading any such thing.”
Vitalora leaned closer to Malid and shuffled through his papers. He found the transcript of the interrogation and pointed to it. Malid read it out loud.
“The Qubari warrior handed Eltor a chart to the Gates of Elvangar,” read Malid. “When questioned how he had known the location of the elves, the warrior responded that they had always been friends of the elves. Why shouldn’t they know where their friends lived?”
“All the more reason to make contact with the humans,” stressed Volox. “Now that they know where we live, there is no risk in determining the danger to our homeland.”
“Negotiations are a waste of time,” Malid shook his head. “Queen Alycia has already declared that the elves will not aid the humans in their war against Vand. She considers the subject closed.”
“What the queen considers closed is not the topic of discussion before this council,” stated Vitalora. “We are assembled here to determine what our advice should be to the queen.”
“You are out of order,” scowled Malid. “How dare you say that the queen’s wishes are not to be considered in this council? She has the authority to remove any elder who is unfit for the job.”
“Would an elder be unfit if he informed the queen of her obligations?” Vitalora asked brusquely.
“The only obligation of the queen is to lead the people of Elvangar,” interjected Amber. “Do you declare that you know more about this situation than Queen Alycia herself knows?”
”That is exactly what I declare,” stated Vitalora, “and if the Head Elder will allow me to speak, I will enlighten the rest of you.”
“You are standing on the edge of a precipice, Vitalora,” frowned Malid. “Speak what is on your mind, but be aware that your statements will be heard by the queen.”
“Excellent,” Vitalora nodded curtly. “I was afraid that my statements would not be recorded so that the queen could feign ignorance of them.”
“Enough!” shouted Malid. “I will not stand for such talk in this chamber. Speak your piece and then sit down.”
“There is another section of the interrogation that members of this council have passed over,” began Vitalora. “Or perhaps it was not passed over, but the significance of the event did not penetrate our thick skulls. You will notice towards the end of the interrogations that Caldal describes the earthquake that rocked the world, but in the transcripts from Eltor, it was clearly not an earthquake. He mentions that it was said that Angragar was reborn.”
“So what?” asked Amber. “We felt the earthquake here in Elvangar. It obviously was a large one. The words they use to describe it are of little importance to us.”
“I agree,” nodded Malid. “The humans are so immersed in finally restoring Angragar that they think everything that happens is somehow connected to it. I do not see where you are leading.”
“Then allow me to continue,” said Vitalora. “The phrasing used gnawed at me. I was sure that it meant something specific, but it has been many years since any us of studied ancient history. So I went to library and researched Angragar. There are many references to it throughout our literature, poems about the death of civilization and such. Most of us remember Angragar as the human civilization that attacked the elves.”
“We remember,” nodded Amber. “It was a barbaric attack from our closest friends. That is the very reason that we now know that humans are not to be trusted. Our whole civilization is built on avoiding humans precisely because of Angragar. You did not need to go to the library to rediscover that. You only had to ask any school child.”
“If my desire was to know as much as a school child,” retorted Vitalora, “I assure you that I would have stopped looking at that point. I next went to the royal vaults for further research. This is where I found out how far our society has allowed itself to be deceived.”
“Deceived? Echoed Volox. “What do you mean? Is what we were taught about Angragar not the truth?”
“It is not the whole truth,” answered Vitalora. “Elvangar was indeed attacked by humans flying the flag of Angragar.”
“That is enough research for me,” interrupted Malid. “You just admitted that our human friends attacked us. There is nothing else that matters to this discussion.”
“I admitted no such thing,” retorted Vitalora. “The vessels that attacked us were not from Angragar. That mattered little at the time. The elves immediately set out to take revenge on the humans. We sent our armies to attack Angragar. We besieged the city and began destroying it with our siege engines. The human monarch, King Regis, surrendered to our forces. Only then did we discover that we had attacked an innocent people.”
“Innocent people?” asked Volox, the pained expression on his face was clearly evident. “What do you mean?”
“The ships that attacked us were flying false colors,” continued Vitalora. “The attacks on Elvangar were a deliberate attempt to foment war between Angragar and us. We obliged Angragar’s enemy. When the error was discovered, we made a pact with the humans of Angragar.”
“What was in this pact?” Amber asked anxiously.
“Kaltara had King Regis lead his people out of the city of Angragar,” Vitalora said. “Once the true believers were out of the city, Kaltara sealed it. The elves of Elvangar then created a jungle to hide the city from the enemies of Kaltara. The pact we made with the humans was that we would remains friends, but we would no longer meet one another. It was said that when Angragar was reborn, then the elves and the humans would reunite to vanquish their common foe.”
“Common foe?” questioned Malid. “And who would that be?”
“Vand,” declared Vitalora.
“The Vand of old?” asked Amber. “Or the Vand of new?”
“The are one in the same,” stated Vitalora.
“The same?” questioned Amber, his brow creasing in confusion. “Are you daft? Angragar was thousands of years ago. While the elves have managed to be ruled by the same family for that great span of years, I do not believe that the humans are capable of such loyalty. Perhaps someone has resurrected the title Vand for his own use, but I cannot believe that there is an ancestral connection to the Vand of old.”
“I am not talking about ancestry,” corrected Vitalora. “Vand is not a title of a human ruler. Vand is an individual, although I hesitate to call him human.”
“I am also confused,” admitted Volox. “Are you trying to say that the Vand that threatens the humans at this very moment is the same individual that threatened Angragar thousands of years ago?”
“And the same Vand that sent ships to pillage the coast of Angragar,” nodded Vitalora. “I point you to page five of Eltor’s interrogation. He mentions that the Emperor Vand is immortal. Rumors abounded that he takes the body of another every so often, having last done so only four months before the capture of Eltor and Caldal.”
“I take it that as nothing more than scary rumors to keep the captives in fear,” Malid shook his head. “When put together with everything else the boys told us about the Island of Darkness, it was just more nonsense to control the masses.”
“I took it the same way,” admitted Vitalora. “It was not until I started research on Angragar that I changed my mind. What truly convinced me that Vand is the same man that attacked Elvangar are the Prophecies of Kieran.”
”Where do they come into all of this?” asked Amber.
“As you know,” answered Vitalora, “Kieran was a young man at the time of the attack. His own city of Alamanda still lies in ruins along the coast. He was the only survivor of that attack, and it was his word that the ships bore the banner of Angragar. At the time he was a mage student, not even tested, yet he was selected to accompany the war ships sent to eradicate Angragar. While he was in the land of humans, Kieran had a series of visitations from Kaltara. Those visitations have come to be known as the Prophecies of Kieran.”
“I remember something about them,” nodded Volox. “Kaltara spoke of future heroes who would stand against the evil and restore order to a world of chaos. It was said that the prophecies vaulted Kieran into prominence despite his young years.”
“I do not doubt it,” agreed Vitalora, “because Kieran was quite young when he became king. I went deeper into the royal vault and found copies of the Prophecies of Kieran. They spoke about a Time of Calling in which three heroes would arise to carry Kaltara’s banner. Those heroes were the Torak, the Star, and the Astor. Do those names sound familiar to any of you?”
“From the interrogations,” gasped Amber. “Those are the names that Eltor used to name some of the humans.”
“I recall that Emperor Marak was also referred to as the Torak,” nodded Volox. “Could they have adopted those names because of their historical context? Perhaps there were human texts that copied the Prophecies of Kieran?”
“I suppose that is possible,” smiled Vitalora, “but that supposes that Kaltara was fooled by those humans, too. I say that because, according to the Prophecies of Kieran, the ancient city of Angragar shall not be unlocked until the Astor reclaims it. Angragar is indeed reborn, fellow elders. The Time of Calling is upon us.”
“What now do we propose to the queen?” asked Volox. “If the prophecies of Kieran are the truth, then Kaltara is calling upon the elven people to join in the human struggle against an ancient and evil foe that has brought death to both of our peoples.”
“The queen will not accept this,” frowned Malid. “She was quite clear that the issue was closed.”
“She has no choice,” countered Vitalora. “Even the queen must bow to the will of Kaltara. God is clear in what he expects of the elven people. To refuse God’s call at this time is to force the elven people to disavow Kaltara.”
“I stand with Vitalora on this,” vowed Volox. “I think the old texts are clear. We need to tell the queen that Elvangar must make contact with the humans. I ask for a formal vote.”
“I disagree,” stated Malid. “I think you raise some interesting points, Vitalora, but they are not conclusive. I will, however, call for a vote on this matter.”
The vote was taken with eight elders demanding that the queen contact the humans. Two elders abstained, and two voted to dismiss that matter until more information was studied. Malid and Amber were the elders who voted to dismiss the issue. Although he had voted against it, Malid was obligated to present the proposal, speaking for the victors of the vote. The meeting adjourned, and the Head Elder went directly to see the queen.
“What is it, Malid?” asked Queen Alycia as she stared over the railing at the people moving through the city.
“I bring a proposal from the Council of Elders,” declared Malid. “It entails sending envoys to the humans.”
“I said that matter was closed,” shouted the queen as she whirled around to face the elder. “I do not want to hear any more about it.”
“I am obligated under the law,” protested Malid. “The Council has taken a vote. I must present it to you.”
Queen Alycia fumed as she strode around in circles on the platform above the city. Finally, she returned to the railing, her breathing returning to normal.
“Speak of your proposal,” she ordered, “but be quick about it.”
Malid sighed and began to relate the discussion of the Council. He tried his best to be objective and present the position of the majority. When he finished, he stood silently waiting for a response.
“What was the vote?” the queen asked calmly.
“Eight for,” answered Malid. “There were two abstentions.”
“Who voted against it?” asked the queen.
“Amber and I voted against it,” answered the Head Elder. “I suggested that the idea required more study. I was not persuasive enough.”
“It needs no further study,” declared the queen. “I think things are perfectly clear.”
“Then shall the elders nominate a group to make the contact?” asked Malid.
“Certainly not,” replied Queen Alycia. “There will be no contact with the humans. That is the law. What was the sentence imposed on the two boys?”
“They have been forbidden from using ships for five years,” answered Malid. “They were also sentenced to prison for an undefined period to allow us to completely interrogate them. The interrogation is over. They have been released.”
“Released?” shouted the queen. “And I was not even told?”
“It was hardly a matter that required such a lofty review,” frowned Malid. “You certainly appeared to be satisfied with their sentence at the time it was given.”
“That was before the Council turned against me,” scowled the queen. “Those boys spoke with humans. They should be punished with death. Maybe that would end all of this nonsense about contacting our enemies. Those boys make it sound like the humans are so wonderful. Well, they forget our history. Humans are evil. Never again will the elves suffer the humans. Not while a descendent of Kieran sits on this throne.”
“What’s done is done,” sighed Malid. “They are just boys.”
“No, Malid,” scowled the queen. “They are not just boys. They deliberately broke the law. Their foolishness can have grave consequences to our people. Already their words are turning the Council of Elders against me. I will not have the populace wanting to reestablish contact with the humans. This situation needs to come under control immediately. I want those boys rearrested. I don’t care how you do it, just do it. They will not be allowed to walk freely among the people spreading their tales of deceit. Who were the main supporters of this proposal?”
Malid fidgeted. While he was extremely loyal to the queen, he also had a duty to the Council of Elders. He could almost smell the suggestion that was coming next.
“Who were they?” demanded the queen. “Tell me now.”
“Vitalora and Volox spoke for the proposal,” sighed Malid. “None of the others even spoke.”
“I want them off the Council,” stated the queen.
“That is within your powers,” frowned Malid, “but I would advise against it. It would be seen as intentionally interfering with the Council. The people would lose all respect for the government.”
“If I intended to dismiss them outright,” retorted the queen, “I would not need to be mentioning it to you. Find some reason for me to dismiss them, some reason not associated with this foul proposal.”
“I…” began Malid.
“That is all, Head Elder,” snapped the queen. “Tend to your duties. They are many and varied, and you do not have any free time to spend here chatting.”
Malid exhaled loudly as he nodded perfunctorily and left. The queen stood at the railing watching her people go about their lives, completely unaware of the impending doom that the troublemakers would bring down on them. She heard the door open behind her. She listened to the military footsteps as they approached. She turned around with a smile on her lips, which disappeared as soon as she saw Rattal.
“Where is Tamar?” asked the queen.
“He is going out of the city for the day,” reported Rattal. “I have brought the readiness reports for you.”
“And where is he going?” asked Queen Alycia.
“He did not say,” shrugged the officer. “He is my superior. I do not question him.”
“And I am your queen,” declared Queen Alycia. “From now on, you are to provide a service to me. This service, if properly performed, will boost your career tremendously. This service is also strictly confidential. Do you understand?”
“I am merely a servant of my queen,” grinned the officer. “I value her over all else.”
“Excellent,” smiled the queen. “I think you will go far. Your first task is to report the movements of Tamar. I want to know everything about whom he meets and where he goes. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly,” grinned the officer. “Is that all you require of me?”
“I shall have more tasks for you in the future,” promised the queen. “You are, after all, a rising star in the army.”
* * *
“Let me see it grow,” grumbled Garl, “and don’t rush it. I want to eat it for the evening meal. We are a poor village, and you must learn to waste nothing.”
MistyTrail nodded and concentrated on the seedling. She closed her eyes and bowed her head as she cast the spell. Alongside of her, Mistake was casting the same spell, but on a different seedling. Garl watched closely. He smiled as the dirt moved, and the stalk started to rise. Both plants grew at about the same rate, and the old man nodded in satisfaction that the girls were not rushing it.
“Rushing a spell is the surest way of failure,” declared Garl. “I am glad to see that both of you have learned that lesson. It is one that keeps a majority of students from succeeding.”
MistyTrail opened her eyes and smiled as ears of corn sprouted on the new plant. She looked over at Mistake’s plant and saw the same success.
“That is much easier than I imagined,” MistyTrail smiled cheerfully.
“Of course it is easy,” scowled Garl. “Why do you think you are learning it so soon? The hard stuff comes later. Well, Mistake? You are quiet today. That always causes me to be suspicious about your thoughts.”
“I am just amazed,” smiled Mistake. “I never really thought that I could do magic. I went along with this for MistyTrail’s sake. You have taught us to do so much, but this is the first spell where the result sort of jumps out at you.”
“Well the other spells are just as important,” replied Garl. “Sometimes you cannot see the results of your labor as vividly as you can right now. You must remember that elven magic is all about life in its many forms. Sometimes it is the physical form like this spell, but the others are no less important.”
“You mean like healing?” asked MistyTrail.
“Sometimes you can see the effects of a healing spell,” nodded Garl, “but other times you cannot. Healing is not just physical. It can be mental or emotional as well. Or you could be healing the internal organs which are unseen by your eyes. You saw some of that yesterday when you made the children unusually happy. The children here are really neglected by our government. The villagers are considered less of a citizen than the city dwellers, unless it comes to war. While we don’t acknowledge it openly, all of us suffer some bouts of depression from time to time. The children are no different. They have dreams and want to be heroes when they grow up, but they know that is unlikely for a villager. Your spells yesterday temporarily healed their depression. That is why they were so happy.”
“But Volox was a villager,” MistyTrail pointed out. “Now he is an elder and his son is an important officer. Why does living in a village matter?”
“There are exceptions,” sighed Garl. “Volox is a good man. The king saw his talents and gave him opportunities. Volox accepted those opportunities and conquered them. That is why he was able to overcome his villager status.”
“So if he could,” shrugged Mistake, “why can’t anyone?”
“For one reason,” frowned Garl, “the king is no longer. The queen does not share the same views that the king did. She sees the villagers as almost outside of Elvangar. She accepts them as elves, but the people she cares for are the city dwellers. To her, they are the elves of Elvangar. Had Volox arisen today, he would remain a villager until his dying days.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” frowned Mistake.
“It isn’t,” shrugged Garl. “One of you run and get my pipe. I need a smoke.”
MistyTrail and Mistake exchanged glances. They shook their heads in unison.
“Smoking is bad for you,” declared MistyTrail. “Slari made us promise to keep it away from you. She says it will shorten your life.”
“Bah,” grumbled Garl as he stared at MistyTrail. “That women is a pain. I should teach you some dark spells just to practice on her. Run and get my pipe.”
“Ow,” scowled MistyTrail as her hands went to her head. “What are you doing? That hurts.”
Mistake looked at her sister with confusion. The old man had not moved, and yet she was blaming Garl for something. Garl frowned heavily and turned his gaze to Mistake. Seconds later Mistake yelped and glared accusingly at the old man.
“Whatever you are doing,” threatened Mistake as a knife slid into her hand, “you will stop it right now. You will not hurt me or my sister.”
Garl shook his head and stared at the two girls. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open.
“I am sorry,” Garl said breathlessly. “What did you feel?”
“It was like two hands pressing on my brain,” answered MistyTrail. “Like you were squeezing it. Why did you do that?”
“It is not normally harmful,” frowned Garl. “It is a simple compulsion spell. I find it most curious that you both felt it. One of you run and fetch my pipe, and I will show you how to cast it.”
“It sounds like just another way to get your way,” scowled Mistake. “It was probably just a hurting spell so that we would obey you.”
“No,” Garl said with unusual sincerity. “It was truly a compulsion spell, but one that must never be used on a descendent of Kieran. I will teach it to you.”
“Then we can repay you for the pain,” grinned MistyTrail.
“I am afraid that you could,” frowned Garl. “You see, I am a descendent of Kieran as well. In fact, only descendents of Kieran can use this particular spell. It was developed by the master himself.”
“Does that mean that we are related?” asked MistyTrail.
“In a way,” nodded Garl, “but I would not put too much importance on that. Kieran lived thousands of years ago. There are many branches of his family tree.”
“Yet you were surprised,” frowned Mistake. “If there are so many, why were you surprised?”
“Lineages in Elvangar are very important,” explained the old man. “Just about every descendent of Kieran is well known, yet you two are not. It makes me want to know more about just who you two are.”