The Guardian Chronicles: Book 03 - The Dark Tide (8 page)

“Not to worry…I want you to spread the word…we are heading home!”  He slapped his guard on the shoulder genially.  They had much to look forward to now.

The newly created lake shimmered in the early morning sun as the water lapped against the canyon walls of Nairi.  The debris that had polluted the surface for many days had disappeared without a trace into the depths below.  The portents of the canyon lake were clear now instead of murky.  A lone figure stood at the edge of the eastern shore looking out over the oddly beautiful vista.  The person was tall and slender with long flowing red hair and appeared to have black wings.  Her eyes were mostly red with a gray outline around the edges.  As a breeze picked up from behind her, the light reflected off of several silver strands that were hidden within her silky long hair.  She was not really looking at the scene before her…she was looking far off into the west as she stood rooted to the spot.

Kana suddenly burst into flames which seemed to caress her and was not harming her in any way.  She looked at the lake finally and raised her arms high into the air and said, “Flymaré”!  The fire engulfing her started to pulsate as it grew larger and yearned to be set free.  She directed her power toward some point high in the clear sky above Nairi.  She continued to build the ball of fire until it was roughly the size of five full grown dragons.  For the briefest moment the fiery sphere hung over the water as though it were waiting for a final command.  As the fallen guardian brought down her hands, the ball shot downward with extreme force into the still waters.

High above the fiery projectile followed Ryo who seemed to appear out of nowhere and began adding his own fire to Kana’s ball.  The moment the lethal sphere touched the surface of the lake there was an ear splitting squealing noise that filled the air as a result of the dramatic impact.  The water evaporated with great ferocity and unbelievable speed.  The air was quickly filled with steam so hot that it burned alive any creature unfortunate enough to be within one mile of Nairi.  Once the fallen guardian’s projectile had made its way to the bottom it began to worm its way around the rest of the canyon lands to continue its battle with the water that was trying to fill the open spaces.  The very air behind the fiery orb seemed to lack moisture as the assault continued.

The dragon Ryo flew up into the air above the canyon and circled slowly until he came to rest next to his master.  He continued to watch the fiery ball with great interest while ignoring Kana completely.  He still had not forgiven her for not listening to his advice and warning about the orb.  He was also still upset that she went into the cursed village of Arlenael.  He did not like how she was deviating from the original plan and was even more disgruntled by her attitude towards him.  Sprouting wings of her own when she felt the need was adding insult to injury.

“So, you do not agree with how I am doing things?” asked Kana knowingly.  She was giving her fell beast a sideways look which clearly indicated that she knew what he was feeling even if she could not read his thoughts.  This was beginning to trouble her and she could not afford to have the rift between them get any worse.  The wings she had displayed vanished.

“I do not agree with your decision to go after the orb or for your constant need to change the plan.  I have warned you that your choices will lead us to ruin unless you stick to the original plan.”
  Ryo was not trying to hide his feelings from Kana because he knew that if he did throw up barriers that she would not trust him.  Even though he strongly disagreed with several of her choices, he knew that if he stayed with her that he would end up on the winning side.  However, there were times he doubted that there would be a winner in this particular contest.

“I see…you still do not understand the burdens of leadership.  A true leader must be able to adapt to ever changing circumstances.  We have not been successful in any of our attacks on the free peoples of Tuwa, so we must change our stratagem.  Plus, in the beginning we did not know of the existence of the Orb of Nitesh.  That, in and of itself, changes everything.”  She had an air of superiority as she spoke.

“You make a valid point about an ever changing situation.  Since the beginning of this war we have lost several of my kindred beasts in southern Landen where our armies should have been able to easily overrun the enemy.  We have yet to breach the cliffs!  Thousands have fallen for nothing!”
  The usually calm dragon was letting his frustrations get the better of him.  He knew that this may actually get through the Kana.

“I understand your frustration…I did not take into account that the druids would reunite and begin their search for the seventh secret druid.  I did not count on the guardian council working closely with the peoples of Tuwa.  I did not believe that the guardian himself would again banish the dark lord to the icy Bekra Keep in the north!”  She was losing her composure as she spoke to Ryo. 
Nothing is going as it should!

“I share your sense of frustration…we, however, must keep our wits about us.  Your former master is trying to unsettle you and push you into doing something foolish.”
  He turned one of his jet black eyes toward her. 
“What we need to do is decide what must be done now.  We have lost Drogan, but we still have his army in place over Lake Lachlan.  You need to determine who will lead them into battle.”

“You are right…why don’t we agree for the time being to disagree about past choices.  You and I need to be one as we move forward.  I think that we must first finish with our business here and then we will decide what to do after that.”  She laid her right hand gently on the inky black scales and stroked Ryo’s neck.  It was the first time in a long while they had been able to overcome the chasm that existed between them.

“I think you are right…I will see how close we are to finishing this purge.”
  Without another word he took off into the air.  It was impossible to see where he went because of the thick steam that was everywhere now.  A sense of ease came over her as she continued her stroll.  She knew that she needed every powerful ally she could find and Ryo was definitely at the top of that list.

After a few minutes the fiery sphere reappeared out of the canyon and climbed high into the sky above Kana.  Ryo was circling even higher above waiting for the final command.  The fallen guardian swung both her arms upward in the direction of the odd pair.  A bolt of red lightning shot at them with great speed from her outstretched hands.  The fiery ball and the dragon were melded together by this magic.  The burning beast soared a little higher and then went into a steep dive toward the Nairi underground castle.  The mutated projectile hit the sandstone structure with terrific force.  The ground shook violently and reddish clay dust filled the air.  The ground continued to rumble for a few moments post impact.  The dragon could be seen standing apart from where he and the fiery ball had hit the canyon wall.

“Home sweet home” Kana said with a wicked grin.  She had a sense of accomplishment which felt good considering all the string of failures her plans have had.  She had needed a base for her operations and this would do nicely.

Ryo roared as the dust settled.  The castle had been transformed completely from the forceful impact.  The combination of Kana’s magic along with the dragons had altered the exterior completely.  It had the look of one of the ancient dark temples from centuries ago.  The symbols representing the four elements were engraved in the jet black walls and pillars.  There were demonic depictions along with images of goblins, rock trolls, orcs, and beasts loyal to the fallen guardian.  The walls were smooth like marble and were slightly warm to the touch.  Even though the surface was completely black, there was a dull red glow emanating from it.  The new exterior seemed to pulsate in a rhythmic fashion that was eerily similar to the wall surrounding Agaroth.

“Let us call on our newest friends to come out of hiding” said Kana after she had appeared out of thin air next to Ryo.  A fine red mist swirled and then faded after her appearance.  The dragon gave her a quick sideways look and then unleashed a long drawn out flame over the landscape just in front of the newly blackened entry to the Nairi castle.

The ground began to shake violently as odd looking creatures emerged from under the canyon floor.  They had a hairy look to them that made them look like gigantic fur balls.  They stood nearly three feet high and were almost the same size around.  There were different colored creatures which distinguished them from their fellows.  Some were black while others were shades of different browns.  Their faces were obscured by the massive amount of hair, but their noses did poke out slightly.  They all had huge black eyes which were extremely sensitive to natural light.  To the casual observer they looked like oversized porcupines.

“Be still my friends…I have summoned you only long enough to give you instructions” Kana said swiftly as the creatures closed their sensitive black eyes against the blinding sun.  She made a welcoming gesture to the seldom seen creatures.  They were considered creatures from a time long ago and were thought to be extinct.

The creatures, which had not been seen in the middle lands of Tuwa for centuries, had four powerfully built legs.  Both sets of legs were well adapted for digging or mining.  The extra-long hair made it easier for them to move through the earth.  What were not immediately visible to the naked eye were the razor sharp needles it used for defense that were shorter than the hair.  If they feel threatened, they will roll up into a ball and try to steam roll its assailant.  When they get into this position, the metallic spikes protrude from their skin and act as a weapon.  If they get cornered they will launch their needles at their enemies.  They also emit a musky scent when they feel threatened.  There was no way to avoid this particular defensive measure.

“Drugars…I have called you here to request your help in surprising your neighbors nestled in Mount Ennis.  I am offering you an opportunity to get retribution on those who have hunted and killed your kind over the centuries” Kana said boldly.  There was a soft rustling of quills in reply to this grand offer.  It was clear that they were willing to do whatever this fallen guardian wanted so long as they get the chance to repay the dwarves for senseless killings of so many of their kind.  They had been hunted as pests or for fun.  The musky smell they emitted when they felt they were threatened was one of the most popular reasons for hunting them down.

“We will do whatever you want Kana so long as you keep your promise”
replied the head drugar Dorax.  He was nearly four feet tall and had a sleek jet black coat of hair.  His eyes had an unusual silver hue to them.  The drugars cannot speak, but they have superior telepathic abilities that assist them with their mining activities.  Many dwarves take their lack of speech to mean that they are lesser creatures or even giant rodents.  This misperception is at the heart of the rift between the two groups.  The dwarves viewed them as smelly oversized rodents and the drugars thought the dwarves were ruthless bearded nuisances.

“Dorax…I am surprised that you even asked me that.  I will keep my end of the bargain…you will have plenty of dwarves to feast on.  All I ask in return is that you begin digging along the eastern canyon walls.  From there I want you to continue all the way to Mount Ennis.  These tunnels need to be high and wide enough for several armies to fit in with their war machines.”  The drugars were not carnivores and would only eat dwarves because of their extreme hatred toward the above land hole diggers.

“It will take us some time to make it all the way to Ennis, so we will get started now.  How many tunnels do you want?”
  They were eager to join Kana without thought of what her plans were.  They did not care for above landers’ politics or wars.  They merely saw this as an opportunity to get revenge on the dwarves without the interference from the men of Nairi.  For as long as anyone could remember there was an agreement between the dwarves of Ennis and the men of Nairi to assist one another in controlling the drugar population.

“I want two dozen…I will leave you to your work then.”  Kana turned her back on the sea of furry beasts to look at Ryo once more.  The twenty thousand plus army of hairy diggers made their way to the eastern walls and began their projects.  The ground shook violently as they went about their work.

“You trust those earth loving beasts?  They never remain loyal to anyone outside their own kind.  What makes you think they will stay true to you?”
asked Ryo suspiciously.  He eyed the tasty treats as the clay laden dirt began to fly.  His instincts wanted him to snatch up a few of them.

“I thought you would have caught on by now…intimidation and brute force is not the only way of persuading others to do my bidding.  I find that servants are more faithful when you give them proper incentives.  They will do what we want them to because they benefit from the arrangement.”  She knew that these beasts were only doing her bidding because she had removed the threat of Nairi.  They did not care at all about her war or what the above landers were doing.

“I see that you have thought your strategy through…what is our next move then?”
  He was feeling more confident in his counterpart.  The rift between them was mending quicker than he had anticipated.

“I need to you visit the battlefield in southern Landen.  Go to south gate and try to bolster orc ranks as well as the high elves.  If the number of griffins is half of what it was at the beginning then you will need to procure more recruits.  The aerial attacks will give us the edge we need to crush those fiends along the cliffs.”  They knew that the eagles to the north never ventured to the south and would not get involved in the fight there.  They may engage them at some point; however, they were confident that they would not attack there.