A Crown Of War (Book 4) (6 page)

Winterstar
motioned to Fyrfrost, who sat perched in the midday sun, gleaming like a silver vein of dwarven lore. “I never seen that kind.”

“
If you ever do again, turn the other way and run,” said Dirk.

Winterstar
laughed. “You live a life of fireside stories, Blackthorn.”

Dirk
raised a glass to that as if to say “lucky me,” and took a long drink of his honey water.

“
What have you heard of the mainland war?” Krentz asked.

“
Traders speak of darkness, armies of monsters, defiled lands, and kingdoms under siege. They call it the end.”

“
Many rifts were opened by Eadon, his armies invaded every country, and their numbers are many,” said Krentz.

“
Have you any news of one called Whill of Agora?” Dirk asked.

Winte
rstar’s eyes answered before his mouth, and he nodded quickly. “Traders them coming from far waters, them speak his name. Say he shows himself again, he with the elves and dwarves. Nigh on a tenday, they stormed Fendora Island.”

Dirk
and Krentz shared a glance.

“
They say Fendora is free of Draggard, waters now clear. Whill made fire rain on Draggard. He went through tear in sky, tear closed.”

“
He went through and it closed?” Dirk asked. He turned to Krentz. “He could be trapped there.”

“
Or, he is dead,” she replied.

They
supped with Winterstar, and Krentz offered to help with their defenses. He was glad of the offer, but worry etched his usually jovial face.

From
the balcony, Tarren, Helzendar, and Lunara watched as elves scrambled to and fro throughout the city preparing for the coming invasion. Thousands of elven soldiers poured out to face the threat. Horns blared, and a deep humming began that Tarren could feel in his teeth.

Lunara
jerked her head as if alert to something. “We have visitors,” she told Tarren and Helzendar.

Soon
, two elves with shining armor embedded with many softly glowing gems joined them on the balcony.

“
We have been sent by the queen to watch over the children,” said one of the elves.

“
Who you callin’ children, elfie?” Helzendar said and spat over the balcony.

“
My apologies, master dwarf,” he said with a bow to Helzendar and Tarren, who lifted his chin to seem taller. “I am−”

“
Good, she sent the fearless Geldian, and the silent, but deadly, Arzarath,” said the Watcher as he joined them upon the balcony. “Geldian here was about to inform you three of two more guards waiting outside. Good, yes? Yes.”

The
ancient elf bent to regard Tarren and Helzendar long enough to make Tarren shift uncomfortably. “Yes, quite a pair you two will make. The oceans will part for you, queens will offer themselves, those of evil heart will quiver, and men of honor will rejoice in your deeds.”

Tarren
and Helzendar shared a glance.

“
Master Watcher, your words? What do they mean?” Lunara asked.

“
What is meant is heard, fair child,” said the Watcher, gazing out over the city.

“
Words plucked from a river of possibilities by a hand groping blindly, but the reaching hand still searches, does it not?” the Watcher seemed to ask himself. “This night will be one of darkness.” He pointed out to the west. “And, so begins a Song of Swords.” The Watcher sang as flashes of lightning erupted in the western sky. The thunder followed five seconds later.

“
They’ve landed, the shores have been breached,” Lunara gasped, as again lightning flashed and thunder rolled over them like the growl of an angry god.

Tarren
thought that Helzendar looked eager for the approaching madness. But Tarren was hard-pressed to be anything but terrified of the storm heading their way.

“
How many can they be?” he asked, as a violent bolt of lightning hit miles away. The thunder shook the stone beneath them.

“
All of them,” said the Watcher with a faraway stare. “Eadon unleashes his legions upon Agora. Drindellia has been emptied.”

Tarren
stared wide-eyed at the Watcher. The far off lightning and rumbling thunder was getting closer. His fear grew as the dark elf armies neared. A high pitched bell rose over the deep thunder, and the Watcher nodded.

“
What does it mean?” Tarren asked, trying not to sound too worried.

“
It is the warning bell; the queen has ordered the city’s energy shield be erected,” said Lunara in sorrow.

A
deep rumbling began under the city, followed by a multi-octave humming. Light shot from the capstone of the closest pyramid to the next, until all were connected by the beams of light. The glow from the pyramids grew as the humming became more high-pitched by the second. The noise reminded Tarren of a whistling pot before the boil. The air was thick with energy and taut with anticipation. Without warning, the sound stopped, and time seemed to pause. Finally, a crack of lightning ripped through the city as the energy shield weaved into life. The shield stretched out and thickened as the webs joined ever faster to each other until a dome of pulsing energy as smooth as glass surrounded them. A moment later, a great fireball soared through the air from the outside and slammed into the shield. The city was shaken, but the shield held as the fireball exploded against it, and debris rained down like a river of fire. Another spell hit as the Draggard hordes poured through the eastern jungle. The voice of the queen boomed through the city as she gave a command in Elvish.

The
jungle came alive around the advancing army and began to attack. Vines thrashed and whipped the beasts as the monsters hacked with spear and blade. The dark elves retaliated with destructive spells of fire and wind, scorching the earth in a wide breadth around their armies.

Ta
rren’s fear grew as the spells battered the energy shield of Cerushia. The explosions sounded as if the city were under water as they began to become more frequent and spread out across the dome.

“
Will it hold?” Tarren asked Lunara. She did not answer, but turned to the Watcher. The old elf ignored them as he watched the flying draquon slam into the shield violently. As they continued to stare at him, he regarded them as if unaware of their question.

Finally
, with a sigh, he spoke. “Will it hold? Of course not.”

Tarren
slumped on the balcony rail.

“
It is not meant to hold,” said the Watcher, and the boy perked up.

“
What you gettin’ at, ye old crazy elf? Spit it out!” Helzendar groaned.

The
Watcher regarded him with a growing smile and turned back to the shield shimmering above them.

“
The shield will hold long enough for us to prepare, which I suggest you all do.”

“
Come.” Lunara gestured to the two boys as she walked from the balcony.

Tarren
and Helzendar followed her into the dwarven abode. Tarren’s trepidation had not lessened in the least. He had always dreamed of helping in the fight against the dark elves, but in the face of such violence, he began to reconsider his imaginings of war and glory.

Whill
opened his eyes and found himself floating three feet off the ground with his arms raised skyward. Before him, a dark elf stared in wonder. There was fear in his eyes. He raised a hand to the dark elf, who flinched and brought up a powerful energy shield.

“
You are free,” Whill said to him, and the dark elf dropped where he stood. With his mind sight, he watched as the dark elf’s spirit separated from its vessel and was absorbed by infinite consciousness.

Whill
looked around, not knowing where he was. The smell of sulfur permeated the warm breeze. The land was barren and covered with miles of odd rock formations jutting up to the sky like knotted fingers. He was nowhere in Agora that he had ever seen. The last thing he remembered was standing before the rift on Fendora Island.

Had
the Other brought him through? He guessed as much as he scanned the landscape for any sign that he was still near the rift.

Seeing
nothing, Whill rose up into the air until he was just below the clouds. He found he could now do so without consciously summoning the power of Adromida; the blade simply flowed with his thoughts. Even from this high vantage point, Whill could no longer see the rift he had likely come through. He worried for his friends back on Agora, assuming they had not come through as well.

Many
miles to the east, a brightness shined for a fleeting moment, the kind made by a reflection of light from shining metal. Having nowhere else to go, he flew off in that direction. It was a little past morning here, but he had no real way of even knowing what day it was. He had no idea how long he had been under the influence of the Other, or what he had done. He had defeated his alter-ego somehow, but his memories since being overtaken by his other side were like a dream.

Whill
flew over the strange landscape of gnarled stone in the direction of the reflection, but still he found no sign of life. When he reached the spot he believed the light came from, he found nothing. He turned to his mind sight and looked out over the terrain, but had no better luck than with his eyes.

He
landed upon the crest of one of the large, gnarled stone formations sprouting from the earth. High above the world, he sat and began to meditate with the Sword of Power Given in his hands.

“
Kellallea, oh ancient one, whose roots reach the edges of Drindellia, hear my words,” he said to the wind. For a long time, nothing happened. But Whill was not deterred. Kellallea had said she became one with Keye, and as such, it stood to reason she would hear his call. He focused his will into the stone formation beneath him and spread his consciousness down deep into the roots of the world. He called to her with his mind and called upon his learned knowledge from the
Book of Krundar
to connect with Keye.

You
have come far, young one,
Kellallea said in his mind. Whill breathed a sigh and smiled to himself.

Ancient
one, it gladdens my heart to hear your voice and know that you carry on,
he said.

He
sensed her struggle, and, also, her animosity toward him. She had asked for help, and he had refused; he was not sure if she would help him now.

What
is it you seek?
she finally asked.

I
am lost…I was brought here by a cunning foe, but I finally defeated him. I must return to Agora so I might lead the people against Eadon. Will you help me?

Yes
, I am aware. I have watched you since you and the others came through the rift, and I saw what you did,
she said.

The
others? Then they are here as well, and trapped as I am?

They
search for the Gate of Arkron, as they assume you are doing,
she confirmed.

Will
you help us?

I
offered my help, young one, but you refused reason. I’ve neither time nor strength to spare for one so young and foolish,
she said as her voice trailed off, and the connection began to fade.

Wait!
Whill commanded her as he forced more of Adromida’s power into strengthening the connection.

You
would dare command me? You, who are to me as a newborn to an elder? I waited millenniums for the one who might transfer the power of the blade, one who might be wise enough to see beyond the lie of the prophecy. But alas, you will not listen to reason, and so you shall fail. Your only hope is to give to me the power of Adromida. Only then can this war be won,
said Kellallea in a voice like an earthquake.

I
believe your tale, for it has been repeated by one of the elder Council of Elladrindellia. Eadon wishes for me to transfer the power to him. The prophecy is a lie,
said Whill.

You
understand now your only chance is through me. You have come to reason?

Yes
, I have come to reason, and discovered many things.

Then
, you will give me the power so I might defeat Eadon and bring peace to our lands?
she asked.

No,
Whill answered,
I know your secret; all has become clear to me now.

What
do you think you know?
she asked with a condescending sneer.

You
remain stronger than Eadon, and you seek a place among the gods, as he does. You feign weakness and bide your time. You allowed Eadon to put into motion his creation of the Sword of Power Given, so that one day it might be given to you, by me. With it, you will gain the power of a goddess, you who stripped the elves of the knowledge of Orna Catorna, you who have possessed the greatest power taken since the time of the taking of knowledge. You have allowed the destruction of Drindellia and the rise of Eadon, if only as a pretext to influence my hand. Eadon understands this, and he seeks ever to surpass your strength so he might attain the greatest power taken.

A
long pause followed, and Whill sensed Kellallea’s rage. She had been discovered, and her anger was great. There came a rumbling deep within the depths of the earth, and the stone formation on which Whill sat cross-legged began to sway. Above, storm clouds suddenly swirled to life menacingly black and wreathed in lightning. The wind picked up and would have sent him flying from the stone, had he not used Adromida to secure him within a globe of energy. A flash of lightning struck the stone where he sat, and Kellallea suddenly appeared there on the rock. Her hair blew in the torrential winds as she stared down upon Whill with eyes of fury. Lightning struck again, this time hitting the center of the large rock formation. The stone formation was hewn in two and crumbled violently down to the ground below. Whill remained unmoved, floating as he had sat.

“
You are clever, young one, perhaps too clever for your own good. Tell me, what is to stop me from destroying you here and now?”
she bellowed with a voice like thunder.

Whill
regarded her with a steady gaze as the storm gathered in strength and surged menacingly around him. “I alone can wield Adromida; you need me,”
he said.

Kellallea
’s anger grew, and she pulled back an arm as if to smite him then and there. Whill set his jaw and looked back at her defiantly. “Destroy me, and you have gained nothing.”

The
murder in her eyes slowly subsided, and the storm along with it. Whill blinked, and he was standing among the rubble of the fallen stone. Kellallea stood before him calmly, her glowing beauty had returned and gone was her rage.

“
Eadon cannot be allowed to attain the Sword of Power Given,”
she said calmly.

“
Instead, you should attain the power?” Whill asked. “You should ascend to the heavens and become like a god? You, who allowed your people and homeland to be defiled as a means to your power-hungry ends, would you make a better god?”

“
Eadon would bring an end to all things.”
she said.

“
You are no different.”

Kellallea
looked to Whill as she had not before. Her disdain melted away and her smile became warm. “The weight of the entire world sits upon your shoulders, yet how brave you are.”
He was aware she could destroy him with a thought, even with the sword of power in his possession. She was the oldest living thing in the world. She had seen the rise and fall of mountains, and, to her, the life of entire forests was but a season. She had pondered the mysteries of the universe for thousands of elven lifetimes; she was patient, and she was cunning. His only saving grace was that the Sword of Power Given needed to be given freely; it was the only reason he remained alive.

Through
the contact of her hand to his cheek, Whill began to feel pleasure flood through his body, as her smile widened and her gaze locked him in place. He shuddered in ecstasy as bliss coursed through him. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, and her voice was like music, and her breath was the warmth of a spring breeze. She smelled of flowers after a spring rain. Whill arched uncontrollably, as a million prickles of pleasure danced down his spine and weakened his legs.

“
You need bear your burden no longer, Whill of Agora. Give to me freely the Power of Adromida, and, together, we shall put an end to Eadon’s reign of darkness. Together, we shall liberate Agora and build Drindellia anew. You need only say the words, and it will be so.”

Whi
ll lost himself in her eyes. Before his mind’s eye, the beautiful new world she promised was rich with life and bursting with beauty, a place where war was a distant legend, sickness and disease a myth. Together, they would guard their world kingdom against evil, she, from her heavenly throne, and he, from his earthly. Together, the three races of man, dwarf, and elf would thrive. A new age of enlightenment would be born of their union and would live eternal. The beautiful new world she promised brought tears of joy to his eyes. She released him, and the pleasure subsided as did the vision, leaving him yearning for but a glimpse of what he had envisioned.

Kellallea
stood before him with her intoxicating smile. Beyond her eyes, Whill sensed a knowledge unsurpassed by all but the gods, and he was humbled. Confused, he tried to remember why he had refused her, why he had fought the inevitable. Why didn’t he just give her the power of Adromida? It could all end now if he only said the words…

“
You need only say the words, and you shall deal the fatal blow against the dark one, you shall become legend. Your name will be spoken in celebration for time immeasurable.”

Whill
realized why he hesitated. It had been there at the back of his mind the whole time, wavering but somehow staying alit like a candle of reason against the winds of her persuasion.

“
You allowed the rise of Eadon, and the destruction of your people,” he said.

“
It is a small price to pay for the world that we can create. Sacrifices must be made.”

“
No,” said Whill. “You are no different than Eadon. You would leave a trail of destruction in the wake of your pursuit of power.”

“
I did not allow the rise of Eadon, or the destruction of Drindellia,” she said with sorrow in her voice. “His crimes are the crimes of many. I once stripped the elves of their knowledge and power, because we almost destroyed ourselves over it. What began as a great enlightenment and enrichment of elven life, soon became its greatest danger. And for an age, there was peace in Drindellia. But the ancient knowledge and the pursuit of power began to grow once again within the hearts of my kin. The memory of magic held strong throughout the ages, and soon one came to me that had rediscovered the old ways. I thought to kill him, but something stayed my hand; now I know my mercy was a mistake. For now history has repeated itself once again, and my people have suffered at the hands of those that would seek infinite power.”

“
You seek infinite power,” said Whill.

“
I seek infinite peace!” she yelled, her brow bent with indignant anger. “Eadon must be stopped.”

“
Why did you not raise a hand against him when the Dark Elf Wars began?”

“
I have not existed these thousands of years as you understand it. I took the form of a tree those many ages ago. I slept, and I grew. I became like the mountain and the forest. I became one with the spirit of all things, and I knew peace. I was mildly aware of the struggles of my kin, but knew not the full extent of their plight until I was awakened, until I was attacked by Eadon. He came to me as I slept and attempted to steal from me all the power that I possessed. The battle nearly killed us both. What it did to the land is my deepest regret. He is my equal; I cannot defeat him without the power of Adromida.”

Whill
wasn’t sure what to believe. He knew he could not defeat Eadon on his own, yet he did not trust Kellallea. He alone could wield Adromida, and he alone possessed the ability to transfer its power. He realized she had likely been the reason Eadon had made it so no elf could wield the blade.