Lord Diikker watched his former pupil leave with the army and felt a sense of immense pride come over him. He could clearly teach the sorceress nothing more as she marched toward her destiny. Now that she had gone, it was left to him to protect Tiranidrol from invasion, recapture Alanderas, and to deal with the giants. Queen Kishi may not approve of how he was going to accomplish these tasks, but she would be pleased with the end result. He felt that the experiences that Kishi was going to have while fighting the people of Nairi would help her understand his dark wisdom and cruel tactics. There is no such thing as a nice or polite war. She will understand this soon and will do what is required to capture those cursed canyon lands.
He turned to face Commander Harley and saw the look of utter amazement on his face. It was clear that he had no idea that Kishi was so powerful. Even though he had an astonished look on his face, Diikker could tell that he was feeling even more confident about his task ahead of him. It was unsettling to be standing under the hot sun looking at Mount Quang engulfed in black rain clouds. Loud echoing booms continued to rock the neighboring mountain while flashes of lightning lit up the blackened sky. Noises that accompany utter chaos were carried on the wind from Alanderas to Mount Konane. The residents of Tiranidrol cheered at the apparent misery of General Yukio's army.
"Commander Harley, do you have your team selected for the retaking of Alanderas?" Dukker asked. He smiled at the look that the commander gave him. Apparently he had not noticed Lord Aellenas standing there.
"My lord," Harley said with a bow. "I did not see you there. I … I do have a group selected to go with me. When shall we attack?" It is unnerving how Dukker can appear out of nowhere.
"That will not be for three more days. In the meantime, I want you to call another meeting of the captains. We need to select someone who will lead the home guard of Tiranidrol. You will be in charge of the guard at Alanderas, so we will need someone to take over in your absence," explained Aellenas.
"I thought that you were in charge here; has that changed?" queried the commander. He was puzzled by what the warlock was saying. Is he leaving us?
"No, I am not leaving you, Commander-not for good, that is. I do have a couple of special missions of my own to carry out. I will explain what I will be doing in our meeting. Now, will you go and call the captains together? We need to get our plans firmed up so that we are all on the same page. Gather the captains and meet me in the council chambers within the hour," Dukker said sternly. He had a dark, determined look on his face as he finished speaking. It was clear to the commander that Lord Dukker meant business and that it was time to get on with things. Harley bowed quickly and departed. Lord Dukker smiled darkly as he watched the good commander running as he did the warlock's bidding.
He turned around to watch the atmospheric assault on Alanderas and laughed softly. You may escape the mountain, dear Yukio, but you will not survive what Kishi has in store for you and your army! He continued to laugh louder as he thought of the destruction awaiting their canyon neighbors. His revelry was cut short by the appearance of a mysterious creature that was walking resolutely toward him. Lord Dukker knew at once that Kana had arrived to give him some further instructions before his meeting.
"Mistress Kana… " Diikker said with only a slight bow. "To what do I owe this distinct pleasure?" He respected the powerful guardian, but he was not afraid of her. He knew that he could hold his own against her in combat and that he could block her mental intrusions. This gave him equal footing when dealing with the temperamental guardian.
"What? You cannot read my thoughts, Dukker?" she said with great sarcasm.
"Let us not play games, Kana; time is against us," said Aellenas sharply.
"You are right. Time is something we are both running out of. That is precisely why I am here," she replied pointedly. "You do not have time to garner support from the other races, so I will do that for you."
"So, who will you recruit to our noble cause?"
"I will get the ores and goblins to help us. I will also obtain the support of the most deadly creatures in all of Tuwa. I will send a certain number of ores to assist Kishi in her assault on Nairi while the rest focus on the dwarves and, more importantly, the elves."
"What of the giants? What shall we do about them? Do you want me to track them all down, or just the curious bunch near Mount Quang?" I am not at all surprised by her choice of allies. Hopefully this decision does not come back to haunt us.
"Kill the oafs nearest Alanderas after you extract any relevant information from them. The giants are so divided that they will never unite let alone ally with any other race that might oppose us. Our concern will be the kingdoms of men and dwarves. I believe that the latter will prove more difficult to deal with than the former."
"After I take care of the curious giants, what then?"
"After you have dealt with the brutes, your good Commander Tenanden will have already taken Alanderas back from Yukio without a single casualty. At that point, I want you to build up a small army from the home guards of Alanderas and Tiranidrol. Supple ment the ranks with the seed of your spider, Razi. Prepare for an attack on the elves; as you move in from the north, the ores will be attacking from the south." She had a wicked look on her face as she outlined her plans. She had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
"Will you send any of the beasts to help Queen Kishi?"
"I have already sent her Rolon to be her steed. He will aid her plenty in their battle with the armies of Nairi."
"So, the wolves will be one of our allies; that is excellent. How will we communicate between the different armies?" He knew that having the most infamous wolf aiding Kishi was more than he could possibly ask for, but if they could not effectively relay messages to one another, they would be finished.
"The ravens will carry the messages between the armies. The bats will relay messages to me, and I will use them to carry instructions to you. They will also act as nighttime spies and saboteurs. I will alter the bats to have poison so potent that even the druids will not be able to heal an infected person."
"I have only one concern about the plan so far, and it has to do with our non-bestial allies. I do not believe that ores and goblins will be able to uproot the stubborn dwarves. What do we do when that happens?"
"Do not worry about that. I have already garnered the support of the powerful rock trolls. They will supplement the armies of goblins. The ores have grown powerful over the years and are a much greater threat than anyone realizes. I will be able to properly motivate them so that they will be equal to the tasks ahead of them. Their siege weapons and tactics are far superior to anything that the elves, men, or dwarves have. Even the dwarven strongholds will not be able to stand against the might of the ores."
"Will you fight alongside us? I believe that your presence periodically would bolster our armies' courage and strengthen their resolve." He wanted to find out exactly how involved Kana was going to be. He felt that if she did not openly participate in their cause that it would be lost. She could not keep her intentions secret forever, and sharing them with those fighting for her would inspire them to greater heights.
"Look to the skies when you begin your siege of the Black Forest. I will be there. I will bring justice down upon the elves for their prolonged piety and shortsighted ways." She smiled with great satisfaction as she said this. She did not care one bit for the elves, and she would make that clear in a major way when the time was right.
"Then it is settled. I will go and deal with our dim-witted friends while you create an axis of allies for us. Once everything is in place on our end, we will prepare for our attack on the elves. Send us a message when the ores are ready. We will attack simultaneously to catch them off guard." Aellenas was looking forward to using his powers openly for a change. He would show the elves what using magic was all about.
Kana nodded her agreement and vanished before his eyes. Aellenas stood for a moment longer watching the black clouds swarm the mountainside of Mount Quang. He thought about what he had discussed with the Elemental and felt reassured about the course of action he was taking. Her plan made sense and provided him with several opportunities to use his power the way he had always wanted to. After all, what good was it to have magic and not use it? Those who have the power should use it to gain more and to control those who are weak. That is the nature of the mystical force; it controls those too weak to possess or embrace its true power. He noticed that he had been standing in the open square for much longer than he had intended when he saw Commander Tenanden heading toward the council chambers with a company of captains.
He snapped out of his revelry and started toward the council chambers to meet with his leaders. He could sense a measure of anxiety from the captains as they approached the hall. He would have to dispel their fear and give them enough information so that they would do what was necessary. He would need to explain how Kana was backing them and how she was going to ally them with the ores, rock trolls, and goblins. They would not be thrilled about her choices, but when they understood the big picture, they would welcome the support.
By the time he reached the hall, the captains had already taken their seats, and Commander Tenanden stood at the head of the table awaiting the arrival of Lord Aellenas. When he entered the room, everyone stood up and bowed before their leader. Once Diikker had taken his seat, everyone took theirs and looked intently at the warlock. They did not know what to expect, but they had a hopeful look in their eyes. They knew that he was stronger and more powerful than Queen Kishi, so they were expecting great things from this mystical high elf.
"Captains, I thank you for coming together again so that we can firm up our plans. I have met with Mistress Kana just now, and we have come up with the following plan," began Aellenas. "Commander Tenanden will lead a special force of soldiers in three days' time to Alanderas to retake the city. He will experience no resistance because Yukio will empty the city and follow after our queen right before we attack the capital."
"How do you know this, my lord?" asked one of the captains tentatively.
"I have foreseen it," he explained as he opened the same map he had shown the commander previously. This time the map showed them all the kingdoms of men, dwarves, and elves. It was clear from the movements on the map that the races of men and dwarves were preparing for war. The elves did not appear to be doing anything. Then one of the captains noticed the giants at the foot of Mount Quang.
"What are the giants doing?" asked another captain. He was shaking slightly with fear at the apparent prospect that the giants would ally themselves with General Yukio.
"You need not worry about them. I have been asked by Kana to deal with them personally. I will make sure that they do not interfere in our affairs," he said boldly. As he said this, the map changed. It appeared to show future events now instead of the present. A miniature Aellenas was seen wiping out the giants who were near Mount Quang. Queen Kishi was clearly attacking the people of Nairi on what looked like the notorious white wolf, Rolon. A massive number of ores were lining up at the southern end of the Black Forest. The people of Aran and of Landen were sending messengers back and forth. Their armies were organizing and preparing their defenses. The dwarves were doing the same … except for King Edric in the north. His defenses were light, and his people seemed to be unconcerned about what was taking place elsewhere.
The captains sat there speechless as the map continued to morph and change. They were in awe of what they were seeing. Diikker could sense that their fears were subsiding and that they were gaining the necessary confidence to do what would be needed. Then the map changed once more to show an army of high elves and spiders assembling at the foot of Mount Konane. After a time, the ores on the south end of the forest attacked, and then their army attacked from the north. Then the map went black, and the warlock rolled it up slowly and took it in his hands. As he held it firmly in his grip, it vanished.
"Now, dear friends, our guardian leader will join us in our battle with the elves when our army meets the army of ores," he said coolly. "Then you will know for sure that you are on the right side. You all know that the Elementals have only taken the side of good throughout the known history of Tuwa. She has offered to join us in our fight as a token of her true intent." He smiled slightly as he felt the emotions of the captains soar at this news. They would do whatever was necessary now because they knew that they were on the side of the gods.
"Who will be in charge of the guard here in Tiranidrol?" asked Commander Harley.
"Captain Belos, you are now the commander of the home guard ofTiranidrol. You will need to ensure that this city is protected and that the structures are completed by the time we have finished with the elves. You will also need to have the third of the host of Queen Kira return to their home once the Alanderas is retaken," Diikker instructed firmly.
"Yes, my lord. I will not let you or the people down," he replied boldly. Belos was a fierce warrior and great leader. He was not someone to be trifled with, and his troops were very loyal to him. He would protect the city and the people better than anyone else. I will prove to Lord Diikker that I am equal to the task and that his faith in me is well placed.
"I will set up a series of special protections around the outer wall. I will also create a magical barrier around the inner wall so that no one aside from those you accompany will be able to enter. Now, I believe we all need some rest. I leave tonight to carry out my errand, so you will need to be prepared to carry out the tasks and duties assigned to you. Take this time to inform the guard about our plans and then explain to the citizens what they will need to do," finished Dtikker. He stood up and left the table without another word.
"Commander Harley, what equipment, if any, will you need to take with you?" asked Commander Belos.
"I will need a fourth of the archers and a fourth of the swordsmen," he replied.
"Then I will leave you to your charges. I will go and speak with the remainder of the home guard. I will explain what our plans are to the people in the morning. Three days should be plenty of time for them to prepare for departure," Belos thought aloud as he stood up to leave.
As the group filed out of the chambers, clouds had darkened the sky as far as the eye could see to the west. The temperature had dropped several degrees in the time that they had been in their meeting, and the wind had picked up slightly as the storm that had been assailing Mount Quang moved their direction. There was no thunder or lightning in the clouds, so they knew that it was a typical storm and not the magically created one. The air became thick with moisture as lower rain clouds approached the city. People were heading for their homes at the signs of an impending done pour. As the commanders and captains looked over at Mount Quang, flashes of lightning could still be seen, but the booming thunder could not be heard any more over the sounds of the approaching gale.