“What was in this pact?” Amber asked anxiously.
“Kaltara had King Regis lead his people out of the city of Angragar,” Vitalora said. “Once the true believers were out of the city, Kaltara sealed it. The elves of Elvangar then created a jungle to hide the city from the enemies of Kaltara. The pact we made with the humans was that we would remains friends, but we would no longer meet one another. It was said that when Angragar was reborn, then the elves and the humans would reunite to vanquish their common foe.”
“Common foe?” questioned Malid. “And who would that be?”
“Vand,” declared Vitalora.
“The Vand of old?” asked Amber. “Or the Vand of new?”
“The are one in the same,” stated Vitalora.
“The same?” questioned Amber, his brow creasing in confusion. “Are you daft? Angragar was thousands of years ago. While the elves have managed to be ruled by the same family for that great span of years, I do not believe that the humans are capable of such loyalty. Perhaps someone has resurrected the title Vand for his own use, but I cannot believe that there is an ancestral connection to the Vand of old.”
“I am not talking about ancestry,” corrected Vitalora. “Vand is not a title of a human ruler. Vand is an individual, although I hesitate to call him human.”
“I am also confused,” admitted Volox. “Are you trying to say that the Vand that threatens the humans at this very moment is the same individual that threatened Angragar thousands of years ago?”
“And the same Vand that sent ships to pillage the coast of Angragar,” nodded Vitalora. “I point you to page five of Eltor’s interrogation. He mentions that the Emperor Vand is immortal. Rumors abounded that he takes the body of another every so often, having last done so only four months before the capture of Eltor and Caldal.”
“I take it that as nothing more than scary rumors to keep the captives in fear,” Malid shook his head. “When put together with everything else the boys told us about the Island of Darkness, it was just more nonsense to control the masses.”
“I took it the same way,” admitted Vitalora. “It was not until I started research on Angragar that I changed my mind. What truly convinced me that Vand is the same man that attacked Elvangar are the Prophecies of Kieran.”
”Where do they come into all of this?” asked Amber.
“As you know,” answered Vitalora, “Kieran was a young man at the time of the attack. His own city of Alamanda still lies in ruins along the coast. He was the only survivor of that attack, and it was his word that the ships bore the banner of Angragar. At the time he was a mage student, not even tested, yet he was selected to accompany the war ships sent to eradicate Angragar. While he was in the land of humans, Kieran had a series of visitations from Kaltara. Those visitations have come to be known as the Prophecies of Kieran.”
“I remember something about them,” nodded Volox. “Kaltara spoke of future heroes who would stand against the evil and restore order to a world of chaos. It was said that the prophecies vaulted Kieran into prominence despite his young years.”
“I do not doubt it,” agreed Vitalora, “because Kieran was quite young when he became king. I went deeper into the royal vault and found copies of the Prophecies of Kieran. They spoke about a Time of Calling in which three heroes would arise to carry Kaltara’s banner. Those heroes were the Torak, the Star, and the Astor. Do those names sound familiar to any of you?”
“From the interrogations,” gasped Amber. “Those are the names that Eltor used to name some of the humans.”
“I recall that Emperor Marak was also referred to as the Torak,” nodded Volox. “Could they have adopted those names because of their historical context? Perhaps there were human texts that copied the Prophecies of Kieran?”
“I suppose that is possible,” smiled Vitalora, “but that supposes that Kaltara was fooled by those humans, too. I say that because, according to the Prophecies of Kieran, the ancient city of Angragar shall not be unlocked until the Astor reclaims it. Angragar is indeed reborn, fellow elders. The Time of Calling is upon us.”
“What now do we propose to the queen?” asked Volox. “If the prophecies of Kieran are the truth, then Kaltara is calling upon the elven people to join in the human struggle against an ancient and evil foe that has brought death to both of our peoples.”
“The queen will not accept this,” frowned Malid. “She was quite clear that the issue was closed.”
“She has no choice,” countered Vitalora. “Even the queen must bow to the will of Kaltara. God is clear in what he expects of the elven people. To refuse God’s call at this time is to force the elven people to disavow Kaltara.”
“I stand with Vitalora on this,” vowed Volox. “I think the old texts are clear. We need to tell the queen that Elvangar must make contact with the humans. I ask for a formal vote.”
“I disagree,” stated Malid. “I think you raise some interesting points, Vitalora, but they are not conclusive. I will, however, call for a vote on this matter.”
The vote was taken with eight elders demanding that the queen contact the humans. Two elders abstained, and two voted to dismiss that matter until more information was studied. Malid and Amber were the elders who voted to dismiss the issue. Although he had voted against it, Malid was obligated to present the proposal, speaking for the victors of the vote. The meeting adjourned, and the Head Elder went directly to see the queen.
“What is it, Malid?” asked Queen Alycia as she stared over the railing at the people moving through the city.
“I bring a proposal from the Council of Elders,” declared Malid. “It entails sending envoys to the humans.”
“I said that matter was closed,” shouted the queen as she whirled around to face the elder. “I do not want to hear any more about it.”
“I am obligated under the law,” protested Malid. “The Council has taken a vote. I must present it to you.”
Queen Alycia fumed as she strode around in circles on the platform above the city. Finally, she returned to the railing, her breathing returning to normal.
“Speak of your proposal,” she ordered, “but be quick about it.”
Malid sighed and began to relate the discussion of the Council. He tried his best to be objective and present the position of the majority. When he finished, he stood silently waiting for a response.
“What was the vote?” the queen asked calmly.
“Eight for,” answered Malid. “There were two abstentions.”
“Who voted against it?” asked the queen.
“Amber and I voted against it,” answered the Head Elder. “I suggested that the idea required more study. I was not persuasive enough.”
“It needs no further study,” declared the queen. “I think things are perfectly clear.”
“Then shall the elders nominate a group to make the contact?” asked Malid.
“Certainly not,” replied Queen Alycia. “There will be no contact with the humans. That is the law. What was the sentence imposed on the two boys?”
“They have been forbidden from using ships for five years,” answered Malid. “They were also sentenced to prison for an undefined period to allow us to completely interrogate them. The interrogation is over. They have been released.”
“Released?” shouted the queen. “And I was not even told?”
“It was hardly a matter that required such a lofty review,” frowned Malid. “You certainly appeared to be satisfied with their sentence at the time it was given.”
“That was before the Council turned against me,” scowled the queen. “Those boys spoke with humans. They should be punished with death. Maybe that would end all of this nonsense about contacting our enemies. Those boys make it sound like the humans are so wonderful. Well, they forget our history. Humans are evil. Never again will the elves suffer the humans. Not while a descendent of Kieran sits on this throne.”