penetrating. It had a ponderous quality to it and could only be heard in the mind of the guardian. There was a rough edge to the tone as the mysterious creature spoke to Adair's mind.
I have need of you and your kind. I have a very special task for you in particular. Will you hear me out?
Speak. I will do as you command, my lord.
Thank you, my faithful friend. I wish we had time to just talk, but there is a war brewing in the land. I need you to guard the border between Tuwa and the east. Do not stop anyone from crossing the line; merely notify me when someone does cross it.
I will personally see to it that you know everything as soon as someone or something crosses the barrier.
I require the rest of your kind to spread out over the lands of Tuwa so that I can have eyes and ears everywhere. This war will involve all of the races, and even the guardians cannot avoid becoming involved. One of our own has betrayed us, and only with your help will we be able to defeat this traitor.
I understand what you have said and what you have not. I will make sure that we are vigilant in our watch. Know this: we will destroy any who defile the earth or any of our kind. Make sure you warn those you choose to support. We will not tolerate any abuses even during a time of war.
I will warn our allies. Imustgo now to attend to other matters. You can reach me through the usual way. I will probably not see you again until these dark times have passed. Good luck to you, my friend.
I will make you proud… Father.
After Adair had said all that he had to say, he began to rise slowly into the air. As he rose higher and higher over the peaks of the mountains, he turned slightly in order to see Mount Lamont. Without warning, he sent a flash of bright light at the snow-capped portion of the mountain. There was a loud boom and a resulting quake that had not been felt throughout the land of Tuwa since the beginning. Eventually the guardian stopped his sudden attack, and the quaking stopped abruptly. The wind began to pick up around the mountain. As the winds swirled, he continued his ascent until he disappeared into the clear blue sky.
The wind became increasingly fierce and unrelenting as soon as Adair disappeared. Foul voices and whisperings could be heard in the air. There was a feeling of dread that swept through the lands. As the gusts continued, the source appeared to be coming directly from the forbidden east lands. Dark clouds appeared on the horizon and grew larger as they moved closer to the High Plains of Landen. An unexplainable feeling of despair and fear developed in the stomachs of the different races of Tuwa on this day. Nothing would ever be the same. War was coming.
Somewhere in the snowy regions of the north land Adair stood patiently outside an eerie-looking cave. He made a series of weird grunting noises as he peered inside the dark opening. There was an answer to his unusual call, which was followed by some growls that were immediately followed by something massive moving his way. He stood back a few paces to allow whatever it was to come out into the open. A huge white outline could be seen in the darkness of the icy cave. Just out of the light, the creature made some more peculiar noises. Adair nodded his head as a sign that he understood what the beast had said to him. A gigantic white bear stuck its head out of his home to look around the clearing that the Elemental was standing in. It was obvious that he wanted to be cautious.
'There is no one else here; come on out,' said the guardian with a warm smile.
The bear looked at him for a moment longer and then entered the open. He was so huge that it was clear that he was the largest of his kind. His eyes were crystal blue and had a hypnotic effect on those that looked into them. There was also an edge in his gaze that would freeze the very heart of a lesser being, but Adair did not seem to be affected in any way by this monstrous beast.
'What do you want, my lord?' the beast asked plainly. The bear could speak like the peoples of the different races.
'You look like you have put on some weight, my old friend,' he cajoled the bear. He smiled slyly as he said this, knowing full well that the weight was in muscle and not fat. He liked to give his faithful companion grief.
'You look like you have aged finally,' replied the bear with a snort.
'I fear that before long that I will look and feel much older. I have need of you once again. War is coming. We must have the assistance of you and your fellows.'
'Why should we come out of the north to save the people of Tuwa? They do not even know about us. We like it that way.' He shook his fur to shake loose some debris that had attached itself to him as he was coming out of his cave.
'I need you to convince the others to help. This war, if unchecked, will enter your territory. Then you will no longer have a choice in the matter. You will be forced to fight or flee.' There was a sardonic tone in the guardian's voice as he said this.
'We never flee or retreat! We are the most valiant creatures in this world, and you know it! What is it exactly that you would like us to do?' His hair stood up on end as he spoke. He did not understand sarcasm and did not like being told that he or his kind was weak.
'I would like you to personally accompany me as I join the battle. As for your friends, I would request their assistance where needed. Men, dwarves, elves, and even giants will need your help in this fight. You must realize that what happens to them will have a positive or negative result on your kind.'
'Why don't you tell me exactly what has happened and then I will see if we can be of any assistance to you.'
Adair told the story about the intervention of Kana and of the split of the elves. He also related the tale of the man marrying an elven princess. When he had finished speaking, silence engulfed the small cove. The white bear looked off to the north as if lost in thought. He did not say anything about what had just heard. He simply stood there and stared off into space. After a long moment, he turned his head to look at Adair. He fixed his friend with an icy stare that clearly indicated his displeasure with what he was being asked to do.
'I will help you deal with this nightmare. There is wisdom in what you say, and I cannot overlook that. I will try to persuade the others to help out. For now, at least, you have me,' he said with a slight bow. This was the first time that the creature recognized the guardian with a bow.
'Good. I will leave you to discuss this matter with the others. I will return in a few days to see what they have decided,' Adair said. He petted his furry friend gently on the head and vanished.
CHAPTER 16
As Kana flew through the air over the Black Forest, she felt surges of excitement and an ever-mounting anticipation. She looked forward to crushing King Ciel Tiranidrol and his dilatory elves. She knew that the good king would do everything in his power to avoid a conflict and that this reluctance would give her the time she needed to surround the forest kingdom. She laughed softly as she continued to think about her plans and what she was going to do next. She knew that garnering support from the ores and goblins would be rather easy. The rock trolls would be somewhat difficult to cajole into action, but she would find their weakness or give them something that they had longed for.
The thick forest below gave way to an open plain that had rolling hills and tall grass that swayed with the wind. The sun shone brightly overhead as she continued her journey to meetwith the first nation that would aid her high elves in exterminating the woodland elves. Two massive mountains came into view on the horizon. She altered her course slightly to head to a mountain on the east side of the Blaine River. The mountain to the west was Mount Adem, home of the dwarven king, Kasim. The mountain she was heading for was much taller and did not look like its neighbor at all. There were two jagged peaks that rose high into the air on the west and east sides. In the middle appeared to be a vast body of water that was shimmering slightly as the sun reflected off of its calm surface. Kana was heading to Mount Tarin, the home of the ores of middle Tuwa. She knew that these creatures would be some of the fiercest warriors she would have in her army.
As she neared the lake at the summit, she saw several ores running about on the shores of Lake Tarn
