“In the name of King Altarius, we order you to surrender!” One of the defenders yelled.
“Press onward!” The King yelled as the next group appeared through the portal.
Unbeknownst to the defenders, it was only a matter of time before the full force of the elven army was within their walls. After the defeat at the hands of the dragons, the Altarian army was severely depleted. Lothrin continued his push toward the keep as the Queen secured the walls. Any of the enemy troops that were outside of the keep were easily picked off by her skilled archers. The elves cut through the human forces with ease as they stormed the keep. They pushed forward, entering combat with King Altarius’ personal bodyguards. Lothrin leaped past his troops and sliced down two opponents in quick succession. He raised his shield just in time to block a blow from Altarius’ mace. The two exchanged blows as their troops battled it out. King Lothrin blocked a blow from his opponent and then slammed his shield against the man. He followed it up with a quick stab to the gut.
“Their King is dead, search the castle for any stragglers,” Lothrin said.
“What of the peasants outside the castle?” One of his soldiers asked.
“Those who swear fealty will be spared.”
“There is a commotion outside the walls!” Another soldier yelled.
Lothrin sheathed his sword and made his way to the nearest window. The Queen’s archers had stopped their barrage of the remaining human soldiers and were looking out over the field. King Lothrin made his way to the nearest balcony to get a better view. He stopped as soon as he saw what everyone was looking at. A lone figure was approaching the dragon hunter camp. There was no doubt that it was Finrul, but his actions were unexpected. The King had assumed he would assault the hunters from afar. He leaned against the railing on the balcony as he watched the sorcerer approach the camp. Several dragon hunters broke off from the others and headed in the direction of the elven wizard.
*
“Make your allegiance known or face our steel,” one of the dragon hunters said as he approached.
“Very well,” Finrul replied.
The sorcerer extended his left hand and a small portal opened and swallowed up the man who spoke. A duplicate portal opened in the sky, dropping the dragon hunter through. He screamed as he plummeted to the ground. His companions drew their swords and charged at Finrul. He smiled as he opened an even larger portal that swallowed all of his attackers. Only the magician knew for certain where the portal led to, but the other dragon hunters knew that they would not see their brothers in arms ever again. Dragon hunter archers unleashed a volley of arrows at the mage and he retaliated with another portal. The arrows disappeared into the portal only to reappear through another behind the archers. Finrul created another portal and stepped through. The thin mountain air bit at his throat and lungs, but he ignored it.
“This will do quite nicely,” he said as he approached one of the larger rocks.
He placed his hand against the rock and whispered something. The rock broke free and began to tumble down the mountainside. Another portal opened up and swallowed the stone. Finrul opened another portal for himself, careful to choose an endpoint far enough away from where he sent the boulder so as to not have to worry about it. He stepped through the portal to the aftermath of the rock strike. The dragon hunter camp had descended into chaos. One last maneuver, he thought as he opened another portal. His portal continued to expand as it swallowed up the fleeing dragon hunter. Their screams were silenced as they tumbled into the darkness. The sorcerer rubbed his forehead as he closed the portal.
*
“What news, Ophelia?” Obrin asked as he strode out of the portal and into the throne room.
“We’ve killed King Altarius and decimated a contingent of dragon hunters and dragon Knights. The Kingdom of Altarius is ours,” the Queen replied.
“What sort of man names his castle and his land after himself?”
“The sort that cowers in a hole until you hunt him down,” King Lothrin replied.
“Tell me, how did you manage to defeat the dragon hunters with so few casualties?” the night elf King asked.
“Finrul used his magic,” Queen Ophelia answered.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that he is becoming powerful. Alas, I haven’t the time to stay and chat. The dragons have need of me in taking castle Markurin.”
King Lothrin watched as the night elf disappeared back into the portal. The elf was all too engrossed with the dragons for Lothrin’s liking. He let out a sigh as he looked around the room. Queen Ophelia met his gaze. They both knew that other was wondering if siding with Obrin had been the correct choice. The King motioned for Ophelia to join him in the small chamber just off the throne room. He took a seat at the table and ordered one of his men to bring wine. The Queen took a seat beside him. He could see that she wasn’t entirely convinced that he was on her side and he needed to change that. True, the two hadn’t been the closest of allies, but things were changing and he needed a backup plan.
“Finrul still locked in that study?” He asked.
“Yes, I think he is shocked that he went as far as he did,” she replied.
“Can you blame him? That is the danger of allying ourselves with the dragons. They may not always demand our obedience, but when they do.” Lothrin shivered as he dropped the thought.
“You didn’t bring me in here just for wine. That isn’t your reputation.”
“No, you are very attractive, but I am not looking to wine and dine you as they call it. The wine is merely a perk of joining me in a conversation about the future of our kingdoms.”
“You question whether it is wise to stay with the dragons. I, too, have had these thoughts.”
“How far have you taken them?” The elf King asked.
“There is always a crossroads. The question remains, have we already reached it?”
“Indeed. There are two paths that must be considered. The first, of course, is the path that brings the dragons to power over the known world. Its counterpart is the path that weakens them enough to be overthrown. For now, those two paths are side by side. As long as the dragons are going to war, their numbers will not swell. That leaves but one question: When do the paths diverge?”
*
King Padraig nodded as his scouts delivered their information. Despite their close proximity to Serania, the fairy kingdom didn’t get many visitors. The King called together his bodyguards and ordered a welcome committee. They had heard many rumors coming from the world of men, but it would be good to have them refuted or confirmed. The King and his troops made their way toward the forest road and waited for the small group of humans to arrive. He had one of his diplomats step out onto the path when he spotted the small group. The man who looked to be their leader put a hand on the hilt of his sword and motioned for one of the others to get behind him. He stopped and eyed Padraig’s ambassador.
“Please, we are not looking for a fight,” Finian, the King’s diplomat said.
“Fair enough. Who is this we that you refer to?” The man asked.
“The King of the fairies. He wishes to welcome you to his kingdom.”
“I’ve never heard of such a kingdom. Nevertheless, we accept your welcome.”
“Excellent,” Padraig said as he exited from the trees.
“Excuse my ignorance, but aren’t fairies supposed to be much smaller?” Lamont asked.
“Come, let us answer that question in luxury.”
The King took the lead as he headed back toward the fairy capital. He smiled as he heard the others whispering about the trees. His people lived on what amounted to another plane. One that was connected to the human’s world, but not truly a part of it. Transferring between planes had the effect of shrinking down the traveler. It was something that the fairies were quite accustomed to, but few humans had ever experienced the effect. The closer they got to the capital, the smaller they became. King Padraig beamed as he showed off the magical city of Caervarrow. The
man who looked to be the leader was the only one of the humans that kept his attention on the people. His companions gaped as they looked at the buildings made of gold and precious jewels.
“Welcome to the fair city of Caervarrow,” the King said as they arrived at the banquet hall at the center of town.
“How did you manage to build these majestic buildings?” Lamont asked.
“It is significantly easier to find enough of these materials when you are as small as we are now.”
“I noticed that we seemed to be shrinking the closer we got to the town. How does that happen?” Mariah asked.
“Truthfully, we’ve lost the ability to do so. Caervarrow is thousands of years old. The leprechauns and fairies of old were hunted down by all manner of creatures and peoples. They devised a plan for making it nearly impossible to find their cities. Caervarrow is our anchor to your world. While the cities are physically within the boundaries of your realms, they cannot be disturbed unless you enter through Caervarrow. This allows us to gather all our forces in one spot to defend against any intrusion,” the King replied.
“Then your people are not smaller than humans, not by any significant margin. Does that mean that, much like the elves and dwarves, we are distantly related?” Wrotan asked.
“I imagine so, our recent interaction with the human world have ended badly. We have the histories to fall back on, but those can only tell us so much. Some of our people would loathe the connection between our two worlds, but I’ve always felt that we are far more connected than we realize.”
“The humans are similarly uninformed about the other races. If not for their recent reappearance in human lands, many would still believe the dragons to be creatures of legend. It makes me question what other wonders we have ignored due to our insular nature.”
“Insular is not so bad, my friend. Ignorant, that is where many people have gone wrong. Even among the fairies, we are far more ignorant than we should be. We are a people who live and thrive on magic, yet we have a hard time believing things that are more mundane.”
*
Alandra glanced back over her shoulder at Nicolai and the other paladins. He had been conversing with his fellows at every chance he had since Hadrin’s actions. Charise did what she could to limit his influence, but it would only be a matter of time before the issue would run its course. The elf wanted to make certain that neither she nor the Prince were on the wrong side of whatever came of the previous confrontation. Most of the paladins seemed to ignore their former leader’s pleas, but some of the younger ones were starting to ride along with the man at a significant distance from the rest of the group. Alandra slowed her horse and allowed for Nicolai and his small band of paladins to catch up to her. Both Charise and Hadrin began to slow their horses, but she signaled for them to continue at their prior pace.
“Nicolai, this ends now,” the elf said.
“Was that a threat?” The paladin asked.
“I don’t threaten people, I eliminate them. This is a chance to either wrest control from Hadrin’s hands or make peace with your new position.”
“This was not what we asked for when we joined the monastery. No offense, but we didn’t ask to follow the orders of an elf.”
“What did you ask for?”
“We asked to be a part of something more. They promised us that we would follow in the footsteps of those like Bertram. The man is a living legend. He doesn’t just stamp out the evils of this world, he helps out those in need. I’ve never met a truer hero.”
“What would he have said if he had seen how you approached the wildlanders?” Alandra asked.
“He would not have been happy, but we can’t just sit at home and not fight. I understand that the elves and the four kingdoms are the main threat, but the wilders are a vile people,” Nicolai replied.
“This goes beyond simple hatred of a people group. Something happened in your past, didn’t it?”
“Those savages killed my father and kidnapped my mother. We attempted to rescue her, but they slaughtered our group.”
“Your pain and hatred is understandable, but killing the wildlanders won’t bring back your parents.”
“But it will stop their raids.”
“Sometimes you must put up with a lesser evil to get rid of a greater evil.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
“That is your right, but I see no other way to solve both problems. The dragons are not like anything your people have faced before. This task will require more than just the heroics of Bertram. I will speak to Hadrin about reinstating you as Captain or whatever it was that you were. He will not like the idea, but I do not think he will be against it,” Alandra said.
“Why do this for me?” Nicolai asked.
“Because your prior actions were not out of foolishness as I originally assumed. Well, not out of blind foolishness, that is. You acted out of past experience, that I can relate to.”
The elf nodded to the paladin before spurring her horse onward. She hadn’t realized how close they had come to the city of Reddington. It was unlike any city she had seen before. The suburbs stretched out for miles around the city proper. In the event of an attack, thousands upon thousands would be trapped outside the city walls to fend for themselves. The thought made her sick to her stomach. Even the rulers of the four kingdoms had contingencies for their people if an invasion occurred. None of the people seemed to care that there was a small band of armed soldiers riding toward their city. Some of them glanced up as the group passed by, but the majority continued about their business without a second thought.
“Have we entered Reddington proper?” She asked as she caught up to Hadrin and Charise.
“No, this is a suburb of the city,” the paladin replied.
“Surely the town cannot hold all these people within the walls. Are they not afraid of an invasion?”
“Reddington is not like other towns. They have a wall and several keeps within the town proper. However, the townsfolk are far more resilient than the average kingdom. The borderlands have always been dangerous and her people have adapted to suit the needs of the lifestyle. An invading army would be wise to be more wary of the townspeople than of the army. That, I believe, is where we will be in luck.”
“What do you mean?” Hadrin asked.
“None of the heirs to the throne of Reddington are old enough to rule. That means that the noble families are the ones in charge. They each have their own personal armies, mostly made up of mercenaries. Even though the elves struck here first, there will still be soldiers willing to join our cause. Either one of the noble houses will still have an army or a local militia will be interested,” Charise replied.
*
Finrul sat on the balcony with his head in his hands. It was one of the few places that he could go to be alone. He was finding more and more excuses to be alone since his encounter with the dragon hunters. His actions made him sick to his stomach. The thought that he could destroy an entire army with such ease was something that all wizards desired, but the reality of it was unnerving. He forced himself to stand when he heard a knock at the door. Queen Ophelia and King Lothrin had been requesting meetings for a few days now and he could stall them no longer. He let out a sigh as he made his way to the door. As expected, there was a lone servant with a small envelope.
“You may tell them I will be with them shortly,” the mage said.
“They will be pleased to hear this. You can find them in the meeting chamber off the throne room,” the servant said.
The sorcerer nodded as he inspected the envelope. Unlike the others, this one said that it was imperative that they talk before Obrin’s return. Finrul paused for a moment to consider what they could mean by it. The keep was significantly smaller than it looked on the outside. King Altarius had created a ring around each floor so that he could use archers to tear apart an invading army. It was an ingenious idea, but the shadow portals had taken away their ability to prepare such a defense. The meet
ing chamber itself was small, but functional. There was a table that seated up to eight people and a small writing desk off to the side. Finrul could see how it would be a useful for a King. Ophelia and Lothrin were already waiting for him at the table when he arrived.
“We are glad that you could join us today,” the King said.
“My apologies for turning down so many prior invitations. I have had much reflection to do this week,” Finrul said.
“It is a relief that your actions are causing you some pause. I do not believe that Obrin would feel the same way,” Queen Ophelia said.
“It is adamant that we do not reveal the depth of what can be done with his shadow portals. He would not hesitate to use them on entire cities,” the mage said.
“We are in agreement on that. In fact, Lothrin and I are considering rebelling against Obrin and his dragons.”
“A risky maneuver, no doubt. However, I am not certain that I see any other options,” the King said.
“It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who is afraid of what the dragons might unleash upon the world. How would we even go about doing such a thing?” Finrul asked.
“The key would be striking before they are too powerful, yet we cannot strike too early as they would turn the full strength of their force against us.”
“What you are proposing, some will see it as equivalent to treason. How can we be certain that members of our own armies won’t turn on us?”
“There are no guarantees, but that is something we are willing to deal with. We’ve told some of soldiers, the ones we trust most, to mingle with the night elves and see how they would feel about such a move,” Ophelia replied.
“Good, I was hoping that the two of you were as serious as I am on the matter. Let us table the matter for now, there is no telling when Obrin will arrive to check on us. Each of us should begin preparations.”