"Why should care?" he bellowed back. Rock trolls did not speak much, which was why the races of Tuwa believed that they were mute. Kana knew this was untrue and that they could definitely communicate when the need arose.
"I need you to help the goblins in their assault on your neighbor to the south. You do remember them?" she asked slyly. King Jarvis regularly attacked the rock trolls to try and thin out their numbers. The king's trade routes were constantly under attack by the brutes even though they carried nothing of value that the mindless oafs would want.
"I kill little beards?" asked Lord Trahern. It was clear that he did not speak much because his actions did the speaking for him. Kana knew better than to be deceived by his broken speech. He was very intelligent in spite of his verbal handicap.
"Yes, Lord Trahern. You will kill the dwarves. You will also kill men, elves, and giants as well. Does this please you?" she asked.
"Me happy," replied the massive leader. He had a grim, satisfied look on his face as he looked at Kana.
"Good; then we are agreed. The goblins are organizing as we speak for the assault on Mount Carrick. After you have gathered your people together, head to the western end of the Sheldon Mountains. General Yuki Togok will be expecting you. She will lead the combined army, but your commanders will lead the siege battalions," she explained with an air of command.
"Me agreed," he said sanctimoniously. He then began to laugh raucously as Kana shot up into the air. She felt reassured in her plans now that she had sorted out the finer points of her plan. Now she had one more visit to make before returning to the ores. She must visit her captive friend, Lord Keb.
CHAPTER 17
General Yuki continued to bark out orders at her newly formed army of goblins as they made preparations for their attack against their bearded neighbors. The main body of this new military group had congregated in the largest cavern underneath the Sheldon Mountain range to make their final preparations. The air was filled with smoke from the numerous torches lighting the stone hall. There was so much noise that is was impossible for the general to hear her own thoughts. She was beginning to lose her cool and was just about to lay into her boisterous soldiers when the cavern walls began to shake. It felt as though the mountainside was being pulverized by boulders. Then the shaking stopped just as abruptly as it had begun. Silence enveloped the room as they all waited for something else to happen.
The massive crowd of goblins was looking around the vast cavern with fear and trepidation. They were mainly looking up at the ceiling because that was where the rumblings had come from, and they worried that a second round of shaking would bring down the roof. Screams of sheer terror filled the silence as several of the goblins on the south end of the gathering place caught sight of the rock trolls who had been standing there since the rumblings had stopped. The massive brutes had mimicked their surroundings to hide their presence until after the rumblings. They did not know what made the mountain shake so violently, but they felt it was prudent to wait a few minutes before revealing their proximity to the huddle masses.
Several of the screaming goblins fainted from the surprise appearance of the larger-than-life guests. General Yuki ran quickly to greet the expected visitors and to calm the now-hysterical army. She reached the stoic brutes in no time and bowed before them in greeting. As the general stood up, she could hear a voice in her mind telling her that she did not need to fear them. The voice continued by explaining that Kana had bade them to come and join the army of the goblins. They were also supposed to report to General Yuki and no one else. Then there was silence again in her head, and she looked around as if someone had been whispering to her. The three rock trolls that stood in front of her nodded to indicate that it was they who had been speaking to her. I had no idea that they could communicate with their minds.
"Welcome. We have been expecting you," Yuki said with another bow. This time the entire army bowed with her. They had stopped screaming and yelling once their general had bowed the first time.
"Me Lord Trahern. Commander Vahe and Commander Jabari," Lord Trahern said as he gestured to his two commanders.
"We are grateful for your willingness to help us in our fight with the stunted thieves of Mount Carrick," she said edgily. "Continue with the preparations while I speak with our guests." She turned around to face the rock trolls and gestured for them to lead the way out of the cavern. As they departed, the goblins began to speak quickly and quietly to one another about the turn of events. There was a feeling of great anticipation and excitement that was generated by the appearance of their massive friends from the north.
As General Yuki emerged from the underground lair, the night sky clouded over to hide the stars and the moon. The three rock trolls followed her lead without saying another word orally or telepathically. They continued down the grassy slope on the southern side of the central part of the Sheldon Mountains. As they neared the base of the mountain, they came upon a small forest of trees that was thick with vegetation. As they entered the canopy of trees, darkness engulfed them completely. There was no light and no sound as they continued walking toward some secret destination. The four unlikely companions did not have need of light to find their way in their pitch-black surroundings. It was as if the rock trolls instinctively knew where they were heading even though the general had not communicated to them where or when they would be stopping.
Suddenly the forest gave way to a lush meadow that had an eerie green color to it. There were several small ponds in the clearing. The sky above had become even darker than before, which made the space look stranger than it would in the daylight. General Yuki came to an abrupt halt and turned about to face the leaders of the rock trolls. She stared at them for a few minutes trying to figure out how to best communicate with them. Their verbal skills were not the best, and she did not know how to speak telepathically. Maybe they could read my thoughts like they did before.
"You speak with mouth; we speak with mind," offered Lord Trahern. He had read her thoughts and offered this solution in answer to her quandary.
"Very well then, I will begin by saying that we have a great deal to discuss before we even attempt our assault on King Jarvis and his midgets," began the general. The rock trolls nodded in agreement. "First, we need to discuss what your people will do to bolster our ranks."
Our talents lie in siege tactics and in hand-to-hand combat. Maybe we could be spread out amongst your ranks to strengthen the foot soldiers and to protect your archers, suggested Commander Jabari. His face remained impassive as he spoke to the general through his thoughts.
"That would work; we could also have your siege warriors be surrounded by our archers so that they too would be protected," offered the general thoughtfully.
That would work best. So, now we need to discuss actual numbers so that we can have a good idea how to divide up our forces. How many foot soldiers and archers do you have? asked Commander Vahe.
"Now that the armies of my people are united, we have two hundred and fifty thousand foot soldiers with one hundred thousand archers. There are an additional one hundred and fifty thousand foot soldiers and fifty thousand archers that will remain in place to guard our home," explained General Togok. She had a ponderous look upon her face as she threw out their numbers.