would, but his dark demeanor made his smile look sinister and wicked. She smiled back at him as she walked resolutely to his side at the head of the council table. She looked down at the moving map and was impressed by this use of magic. She still had much to learn from her master and she knew that she did not have any time left for further lessons. Her eyes scanned the portents of the moving map quickly. She noticed that there were giants very near Mount Quang, and this disturbed her.
'My queen, I have met with the captains of the home guard and with Commander Tenanden. I explained what the army was planning to do in the morning, and they were overjoyed at the prospect of retribution. I then informed our good friend Harley that he would be leading a special unit of troops tomorrow to recapture the city of Alanderas. I believe that General Yukio has spies watching us, so it is safe to assume that he will pursue our army as it leaves the mountain heading east. Retaking the city will be rather easy for Commander Harley. I do have one concern, however,' he said, pointing to the giants camped out near Mount Quang. He had sensed the surprise Kishi had about the giants and their proximity to Alanderas.
'What in the name of all that's holy are they doing there?' asked Kishi in an uneven voice to her master. She hid nothing from him, including her emotions because he would be able to sense them anyway. She also knew that she could trust him and that he would share in her concern about the giants.
'They may be curious about what has been going on in the mountains. They do not ally themselves with anyone, so I do not believe that we need to worry about them siding with any of our enemies. I am more concerned about their innate curiosity,' explained Dtikker with a sigh. He thought that the giants were rather dull creatures and that he could handle the whole lot of them by himself. They had no magic and no way to defend against his particular powers, so he could take them out with a rather small force without a second thought. However, he knew that the queen would not approve of such a course of action. She did not share the same idea of power quite yet, and she was not ready to embrace his position on the matter.
'How big of a force do you think we need to send as a result of this possible threat?' she asked patiently. She was thinking that the mad general had gone and allied himself to the giants somehow. This would not bode well for the high elves if that were the case. The giants could resist elemental magic and could take on all of her people and win with a considerably smaller force.
'I believe that Commander Harley will be able to retake the city without any losses or interference from these brutes. I will, of course, inform him that there are to be no prisoners taken when he sacks the city,' he said darkly. 'I think that if we send a fourth of our archers to defend the outer wall and a small number of cavalry to run down spies, we should be able to defend against an assault by the giants if they should try to surprise us.' He knew that Kishi did not believe this, but she would trust his judgment in the matter. He had never led her astray.
'I think we should send spies of our own with Commander Harley. How about one or more of your steed's offspring? They should be able to find out what we need to know about the true intentions of these giants. Plus, they could set some pretty sticky traps for our intellectually challenged friends,' said Kishi with a derisive snort. She thought that the giants were slow and would easily fall into a massive spider web. She knew that the easiest course of action to take with the giants would be to confuse and outsmart them. The later should not prove too difficult.
'I agree with your suggestion. We should send in spies of our own to learn all that we can. I do believe that Razi's spawn can do what is needed while providing the necessary effect we are looking for. I will have him send his spies into the camp of these giants first. We should have a report within a few days during which time we will have already retaken Alanderas. Kishi, we should not delay taking action any longer; time will be our most formidable ally or our greatest enemy. We must move swiftly,' he said wisely.
'You are right … as usual. Have your spies set as many traps as possible while gathering intelligence from our unwanted guests. Instruct them to find out what they can and to send someone back to report right away. Also, prepare the defenses of Tiranidrol for surprise attacks. Make sure there are enough provisions to outlast a long siege if it should come to that,' said the queen in anticipa tion of the worst. She did not want to be caught off guard like her sister. She knew that this meant being on guard at all times. Unlike her sister, however, she was not afraid to use her magic to protect herself. Her sister had always been very reluctant to use her powers, fearing that they would eventually control her.
'Do not worry yourself about the defense of the city or the reclaiming of Alanderas. I know that these ventures will be successful and without loss. My worry is for you, Kishi,' he said kindly. He was so much like the father she had wished for all her life. He understood that it was bitter sweet to get revenge and that it would be a difficult feat. He knew that the Nairians would not be caught off guard and would fight like a wild beast backed into a corner. The queen needed to anticipate a long siege while attempting to capture the canyon lands. He had the feeling that she thought her task would be rather easy to manage.
'So, you think that my task is more difficult than I feel it is?' she asked without equivocation. 'You are probably right; you always are. All I know is that this is where my course lay and that Kana is on our side. We will take the Nairi Canyons and repay our debt to those who died at the treacherous hands of General Yukio!' Cold furry rushed through her body, and she rose a little into the air as her anger built. The people ofNairi will learn what the true meaning ofrevenge.! Her eyes had turned red as if fire were about to burst out of them.
'I will leave you to your thoughts then, Milady,' Lord Diikker said with a bow. As he stood to leave, he had a triumphant look on his face. She may not want power by any means necessary yet, but she is now on the right path.
Kishi walked out of the council chambers even more determined and resolute in the course of action she was about to undertake. As she looked around the square, she caught sight of her faithful general and good friend, Jaali Thrarias. When he noticed the queen, he immediately left the conversation he was having with one of the siege commanders and walked toward her. He smiled as he approached the beautiful, yet deadly, high elven queen. He bowed in greeting once he had reached Kishi, and she took hold of his chin to bring him out of his prostration. She smiled warmly at him once they were looking one another in the eye.
'General Jaali, we have much work to do. We need to make preparations for a long siege. We will need archers, swordsmen, siege weapons of every kind, scouts, spies, and anything else you can come up with. I do not want to leave anything to chance,' explained the queen earnestly. Her resolve always gave her great strength, and she knew that the army needed to see that fierce determination from their leader at this critical juncture.
'We have provisions ready that will last us for a year, and we have devised a route that should be relatively easy to keep safe from attacks. No one knows about the north land, and that is where we will make our base. We will store our food and spare equipment there. From a secret base I have found, we will be able to outlast the Nairians,' said General Jaali gruffly.
'You have done well. Do we have any cavalry to send with the army?' she asked.
'I have taken the liberty to round up some of the finest horses found in the north lands and have sent the knights ahead on their steeds to our northern home base. They should be finished with the defensive preparations by the time the army reaches them. We will be ready in the morning to head out,' he said to his queen as if he knew the next question. He knew her all too well to not know what she would want done and what her expectations were.
'Thank you, Jaali. You always know what I am thinking and what I want. That is not typical of a male from any race … but especially for an elf,' she chided. She loved him as if he were the brother she never had. He treated her as a little sister even though she was his leader. She liked this very much because it made her feel secure and cared for.
'The day is waning, and the army will need a good night's rest before the trek to the secret base. I will leave you now, Milady,' he said with an edge of friendly sarcasm. He bowed slightly and took her hand in his and kissed it gently. He rose with a wry smile and turned about-face and marched back toward the barracks. The queen watched him leave, and the sky above burned red as the sun set in the west. She eventually turned around and walked to the partially finished castle. She, too, would need plenty of rest for the journey ahead. She would wake early so that she could set some special magical protections of her own on various places within the city. It never hurts to be prepared.
Kishi felt that she also needed to meditate in the morning to clear her mind of all thought so that she could use her magic with greater precision and without any distortion from her emotions. She had learned that when she used her power through her feelings or aided by them, she could not control its destructive or constructive power. She needed to keep everything in check because if she let her resentment gain control, her enemies would then have a weapon to use against her. She cared too much for her people to submit them to great danger because of
