'It is all right. Please tell me what happened to the rest of the people. Why are only a third of you here? Where are the rest?' she asked with great concern. She was still getting used to the idea of being kind and concerned for the welfare of others. Her dark elven face looked hard and resolute as she looked out over the crowd. She always had this look, but now it was even more terrifying to look upon since the death of her twin sister. Something had been taken from her that day, and she wanted revenge on Yukio for taking a part of her when he killed Kira.
'Your Majesty, when we escaped the surprise attack in the council chambers, we were given cover by our archers stationed on the mountainside. This gave us time to use the secret exit that your sister had created for escape. Yukio apparently did not know about this or was too enraged to remember. The entire courtyard was covered in blood and was occupied by elf and man struggling to the death. Body parts were strewn throughout the yard, on the inner wall, and in the castle. We feared that all were lost, so we left through the exit to find a third of the people had escaped as well,' he explained with a grievous look on his face. He looked like he was going to be sick to his stomach, but he was determined to continue the tale.
'You mean to tell me that Yukio's army slaughtered everyone else?' Kishi said in utter disbelief. She thought he would dispose of the council and make the rest of the high elves his slaves. She did not believe that he was capable of such egregious acts.
'Yes, he killed them all. During the night, he had half of his army creep from house to house killing all in their path. A mysterious stranger appeared by the inner wall and approached one of the homes and informed them of what was taking place. If it was not for her, we would have all died. I do not know how this woman knew what was happening or how we were able to escape without being noticed. Nevertheless, we are here and alive; now we will serve Queen Kishi as servants and not subjects,' he said, prostrating himself before her.
'Rise, my friend. You are one of us now. We are all in this together. The only one who will be our servants will be the people of Nairi, and that is if they survive!' she declared boldly. She was a queen of action and not diplomacy. Even her sister would agree with what she was planning to do.
'What shall we do, Milady? If you plan to fight our enemies, we will join the ranks of your army,' offered one of the high elves in the crowd.
'That is well. Anyone who desires revenge for the unforgivable crimes committed against you, join the army that will be sent to destroy or enslave the people of Nairi. The rest may stay here and make their new home here. If you have skills that would help in finishing the construction of the remaining buildings, please stay here. If you want to stay here and fight, please see Lord Diikker about joining the elite home guard,' she said confidently. Even if half of the refugees joined the army, she would have the largest standing army outside the people of Landen.
Cheers of approval rang through the air, and the crowd slowly dispersed as they searched out their new homes. Lord Diikker had made the plans for the city and had built enough homes to house the combined body of high elves. Kishi was in awe of her mentor's ability to foresee future events and his ability to prepare for any eventualities. I need to find him as soon as possible. She would leave the city with the army and wanted to make some additional plans that would need to be carried out while she is gone. As she walked down the stairs from her perch on the wall, the sun burned brightly overhead. She had a feeling of purpose come over her as she continued to ponder her plans. They would need allies if they were to survive the long years of war that lie ahead. She knew that elves and men would unite, but the dwarves might be able to be persuaded to join them. If not, she would have to make a pack with the devils of the southern land.
CHAPTER 13
Lord Dukker called together the captains of the home guard in the council chambers. This was the only meeting hall that was completed, and it provided them with sufficient privacy for the topics they would discuss. Once they had gathered together, Dukker explained to them that he was taking the command of the home guard because General Jaali was going to the lands of Nairi while Commander Tenanden was leading a special assault team to retake the city of Alanderas. He wanted them to understand that he was taking over because their commander was the only person who could reclaim the birth city of the high elves. He lavished praise upon the captains as well, who then cheered their approval of Duk- ker's plans.
'I want to make it known to you that Mistress Kana has not left our side. She wants us to punish the wicked Nairians and to avenge the blood of her chosen people upon all the kingdoms of men!' Lord Aellenas said boldly. Cold furry and rage coursed through him. His eyes were full of malice and hatred. His fierce gaze inspired the desired reaction from the captains of the home guard. They all stood up and saluted their new leader. They stood at attention waiting for Dukker to dismiss them.
'I believe I speak for all of us Lord Aellenas when I say that we will crush the infidels. The city will not fall under your command, and we will reclaim the land that is rightfully ours,' Commander Harley said stoically. He swelled with pride as he spoke while a wicked gleam flickered in his eyes. He was anxious to kill as many Nairians as possible once they had retaken Alanderas. He felt a burning desire to depart immediately to Mount Quang, but he knew he needed to be patient. He sensed that Lord Diikker had some special instructions for him.
'Commander, please stay for a moment. We need to decide who you will take with you and what you will need to do to be successful,' Dukker said with a dark look.
After all the captains had left, Commander Harley took a seat next to Dukker. Lying on the table in front of Aellenas was a map of Mounts Quang and Konane. This was no ordinary map, however; there were little objects moving on the map. The commander looked at Aellenas in disbelief. He had witnessed many kinds of magic in his day, but he had not seen anything like this. There was a large group of people that were armed for battle with siege weapons, knights, archers, and swordsmen gathering together in the courtyard of Alanderas. On the edge of the map were a few giants that were camped near Mount Quang. The capital city of the high elves on Mount Konane was filled with so many people that it looked like a mass of ants moving about. He noticed a name appear that seemed to be the name of their capital city. It said Tiranidrol, named after the surname of their mighty Queen Kishi.
'I have never seen anything like this, my lord,' said the commander. He was amazed at the detail and the accuracy of its depictions. He was simply impressed that it was a moving map.
'I show you this map because it will tell us exactly what we will need to do in order to retake Alanderas,' Dukker explained with a sideways look at his commander.
'When do we attack?' asked Harley.
'Tomorrow morning; after our army has departed, we will look at this map again. I believe that Yukio will not stay put long, so the number you will need to take with you will be very small. However, we will not do anything until we see what moves they make first. I believe they have spies watching us, so they will know when our army leaves the mountain. I will instruct the home guard to be as invisible as possible while at their stations. Their spies do not have magic, so we may be able to trick them into thinking that we emptied the city. This should be the edge that we will need. As for who you should take, I recommend only those that you completely trust,' Lord Aellenas explained confidently.
'It sounds like an excellent plan to me,' the commander said with a bow. He turned about and left the council room so Aellenas could continue to formulate defensive strategies.
Dtikker stood in silence in the massive dome-shaped council room. The evening sun was setting, and the white clouds in the sky above turned red as the sun set in the west. He was waiting for the queen to arrive so that they could discuss their plans together and decide what would be the most prudent course of action. His apprentice had become more powerful as a result of recent events, and he knew that she would continue to grow stronger. She was his equal now and would be far superior to him very soon. He knew that she would take the Nairi Canyons and that by doing so she would spark a kind of war that had not been seen in the lands of Tuwa for nearly a thousand years. She would become the most powerful sorceress and would rival even the guardians in most respects. He had taught her well.
He was so consumed in his thoughts that he did not sense the approach of his pupil. Kishi entered through the front doors of the hall and bowed as she looked at her mentor. He smiled at her in a way that a proud father
