the inner wall so that no one aside from those you accompany will be able to enter. Now, I believe we all need some rest. I leave tonight to carry out my errand, so you will need to be prepared to carry out the tasks and duties assigned to you. Take this time to inform the guard about our plans and then explain to the citizens what they will need to do,' finished Dtikker. He stood up and left the table without another word.
'Commander Harley, what equipment, if any, will you need to take with you?' asked Commander Belos.
'I will need a fourth of the archers and a fourth of the swordsmen,' he replied.
'Then I will leave you to your charges. I will go and speak with the remainder of the home guard. I will explain what our plans are to the people in the morning. Three days should be plenty of time for them to prepare for departure,' Belos thought aloud as he stood up to leave.
As the group filed out of the chambers, clouds had darkened the sky as far as the eye could see to the west. The temperature had dropped several degrees in the time that they had been in their meeting, and the wind had picked up slightly as the storm that had been assailing Mount Quang moved their direction. There was no thunder or lightning in the clouds, so they knew that it was a typical storm and not the magically created one. The air became thick with moisture as lower rain clouds approached the city. People were heading for their homes at the signs of an impending done pour. As the commanders and captains looked over at Mount Quang, flashes of lightning could still be seen, but the booming thunder could not be heard any more over the sounds of the approaching gale.
CHAPTER 15
The guardian rushed to his secluded meditation chamber located on his private island in the eastern sea. He had always enjoyed riding the watery currents to his personal escape, but this visit was much too urgent to take in the beauty around him. He was going to meet with his master about the current crisis in Tuwa. He had not met with this all-powerful god for many centuries. As he climbed out of the icy waters onto the sandy beach, he felt an immense amount of pressure bearing down on his shoulders. This meeting is pivotal to the fate of the western lands. Hopefully this time things will be different.
As he walked toward the trees that grew a short distance from the water's edge, he dried his body with a warm breeze he conjured. There were a few puffy white clouds overhead that periodically blocked the bright midday sun. As he entered the green canopy of the dense forest, the temperature dropped significantly as he continued his trek to the meeting place. He was the only one who had ever seen the god of this world in person. The transformation that was required of him in order to speak with his master was not only painful, but it left him drained of all energy for almost a day after their meeting.
After hiking through the woods for several hours, he reached a clearing that opened into a wide meadow. At the far end of a grassy field were the beginnings of an enormous mountain. It raised high above the ancient forest and disappeared into the cloudy sky above. At the base, there was a small stream that was fed by an impossibly tall water fall that started so far up that its birth could not be seen from his position. As he stood there in the clearing, he felt his body go suddenly rigid as an unseen force gripped him. He began the forced transformation that always occurred right before his master's arrival. His body shook violently as this invisible power coursed through him. After a few more moments of pain, the change was complete. Life around him seemed to stop or cease to exist. Time did not matter anymore. A glowing figure appeared out of nowhere and approached him from the shadows of the forest. He was actually floating in the air as he approached the translucent guardian.
'Lord Adair, it is good to see you again. It has been entirely too long since we last met. What is it that I can do for you?' asked the shimmering being. His voice had a deep, soothing tone to it. He was so bright that is was hard to tell if he was made of flesh and bone or if he was merely a spirit.
'I have come to seek your guidance and counsel, almighty Kedem,' Adair said with a bow. His feet were touching the ground while his master floated above the ground in front of him. He felt the powerful being enter his mind and probe his thoughts and feelings. He did not fight this intrusion and allowed Kedem access to everything he knew or felt. This lasted for only a few moments, and then Adair was inundated with vital information. Images flashed through his mind in rapid succession. I must… hold… on. Then his mind was free from external control, and his body lurched back at the abrupt end to the forced contact. He ached from his head down to his feet as a result of the additional drain on his person.
'I understand what must be done. I will first meet with Master Mahdi about his role in the war and also about what his kind must do before the end. I will then call on the bears and the druids to aid us in the fight. I will instruct Lord Keb that he must protect the knowledge of the orb at all costs. I will have Mistress Khalida track Kana's movements while I garner further support,' replied Adair weakly. I do not think it is wise to call the druids to reform their council; they will work against us out of mere spite. They may consider all the Elementals to be enemies since one of our own is attacking the races that the druids have stewardship over.
'It is well,' said Kedem as he began to rise steadily into the air. 'Do not concern yourself with the druids; they will fulfill their purpose before the end of these dark days. They will help balance the awesome power of the Elementals so that the peoples of Tuwa will have a fighting chance.'
As Adair watched his master depart, the island around him began to disappear. He was losing consciousness as his strength was finally giving out. Kedem slowly rose into the air higher and higher as he headed toward the clouds that shrouded the invisible mountain peak. The guardian's meeting with his master did not last very long, but the after affects stayed with him for days. He always felt reassured and more driven after speaking with Kedem. Even though he had created the world, Adair was still not as powerful as his maker. The lord of the Elementals had been given the means by which he created the world, and now he had to protect the inhabitants of Tuwa from themselves. He would not fail, but it would not be easy. Then, everything went dark.
Mount Lamont towered over the northwestern corner of Tuwa as though it was a guardian of sorts. The mountainsides were covered with huge trees and thick foliage. There were massive boulders near the snowline that were just too big to fit in with their surroundings. The air was cold as ice even though it was very warm in the valleys and plains below. None of the races made their home on or near the mysterious heights. Everyone believed that it was a cursed place and that anyone who traversed its slopes would never be seen again. They had good reason to believe that this was the case. Anyone who had set foot on the snowline had never returned. People fled before the shadow of its peak as it stretched across the lands. It was believed that even its shadow was deadly to the touch.
The mountain was actually very beautiful to look at, and that was why so many travelers had fallen prey to its treacherous slopes over the years. Many dwarves had tried to mine Lamont, but they were all killed in mysterious landslides or earthquakes. Men had learned very early on to leave the cursed place alone. As a result of this wicked reputation, the people of Landen never had to defend the northwestern entrance to their lands. Rock trolls would go nowhere near the place because they believed that an ancient evil from the ancient races lived there. They believed that it was guarded by powerful magic that could destroy even an Elemental.
The sky over Mount Lamont on this day was clear, and the air was especially crisp. A bright ball of fire was seen in the east heading directly toward the mountaintop. It looked like a fiery missile, which was heading directly at the snow line. An instant later, the ball of fire hit the ground but did not explode. The people of Landen who saw the projectile expected a loud boom or at the very least a landslide. The people who had witnessed the collision merely shrugged their shoulders and went about their business. Weird things always happened around the cursed mountain, and they accepted that this unexpected event was one of those instances.
Adair transformed into his human form as he stood near the snow line. He looked around as if searching out something or someone. After a few minutes, he began to walk toward the snow and then turned along the line toward the east. After a long time, he came across one of the legendary boulders that seemed so out of place. He closed his eyes and began to slowly float above the ground. He changed into his ethereal form as he hovered above the section of land he had walked to. He began to glow an eerie green color as his essence began to swirl.
Master Mahdi, I must speak with you.
Lord Adair, I am here. Please tell me why you are here and what you desire. The voice was deep and
