The temple sealed itself magically before the white bear could take a swipe at his master’s enemy. Osborn landed nimbly on all fours and turned to look Adair in the eye. They did not need to say anything…it was clear to the noble beast that no progress was made with the fallen guardian. He did not think that it was worth his master’s time to even talk with the vile witch, but he knew better than to question the wisdom of the caretaker of Tuwa. Adair had earned the trust of all bears and he was not about to question someone who had for millennia helped his kind.
“Well, that was not as fruitless as I thought it would be” supplied the guardian simply as he stroke the furry head of his most loyal companion.
“How do you mean?” asked Osborn tentatively. He turned his massive head toward the guardian with a skeptical eye.
“Well, at least now I know that she is not in constant communication with her troops. She is also not bothering to keep her mental defenses against me up at all times. Her biggest error lies in spreading herself too thin. She does not truly trust any of her leaders or minions. She does not care for them either…they are merely a means to an end” explained Adair aloud. He was still looking at the solid doors that were blocking his former friend from him. He had to compartmentalize his disappointment in his former friend for now. He was not able to do the same for the sadness he felt.
“I am truly sorry for this betrayal…it is never easy when a loved one turns against you” replied the gigantic bear as the wind became stronger around them.
“I think I gave our former friend something to think about. She should understand how seriously I am taking her acts of aggression. I hope that she will think in the future before she acts.” He continued to look at the doors for a moment longer before returning his attention to Osborn. He had calmed down and was working on his composure.
“I must say that your actions will achieve the desired effect…I have never seen you that aggressive before. This should cause our enemies to truly fear us.” The bear was impressed by Adair’s abilities.
“Hopefully they will continue to make fatal moves. Maybe they will make a significant mistake in the hunt for the orb.” The guardian walked to the side of his massive white bear. He jumped on the back of Osborn and they began to wend their way up the steep canyon walls. The sun was beginning to set as they reached the rim of the canyons. The day was actually turning out to be quite beautiful.
“Where are we heading master?” asked Osborn calmly. He did not consent to anyone else to ride on his back.
“We are off to Mount Lamont. I need to take inventory of everything that has been going on. I have been out of middle Tuwa for far too long. Our visit will be short as we have some more business to attend to. This situation is so much more complex than the first war of Tuwa. The world of the dead is literally battling for the entrance into the world of the living. This requires our attention.” They continued on in silence which allowed Adair to fully recover emotionally charged meeting with Kana.
***
Kana looked at the solid wall where the entry way had been. She was steaming mad at her inability to intimidate or even harm Adair. She thought that she had grown powerful enough to at least contend with him. Now she fully realized that she had to get her hands on the orb in order to do anything to the guardians. She reassured herself that she was more than a match for anything else that the allied forces could throw at her. Even the combined strength of the druids could do little to damage her. She would deal with them soon enough. For now, she needed to up the time table on the hunt for the Orb of Nitesh. She had to find it before the other side secures it or moves it again. She was a bit conflicted because she needed to address several issues that were vexing her forces on the various battlefronts. She would have to deal with those later.
“Mistress” interrupted a high elven guard from behind her. She wheeled about angrily at the intrusion. Black flames briefly burst into life around her. Dark wings spread wide from her back as she looked at the guard.
“What do you want?” spat Kana nastily. She looked at the dark skinned elf with loathing…she did not really care for the elves and the recent defeats her high elven troops had suffered had only made her dislike for them to increase. These immortals are more trouble than they are worth!
“The messenger you were waiting for has arrived…he is waiting for you in the alter room” replied the guard quickly. He was behaving rather uneasy and did not seem to notice the rudeness of his mistress. His eyes were darting back and forth as though something in the shadows was watching him. This was certainly not typical elven behavior and Kana should have paid closer attention to this fact.
“Good…now get some help and clean this mess up” she said acidly as she walked past the soldier. “Make sure that you clean the outside as well.” She walked away haughtily as though she was the most important person in Tuwa. Her dismissive behavior toward such a revered race was taking its toll on them and dissension was unavoidable.
The high elf ran off into the dark hallway to the left of where he had met Kana. She in turn walked straight into the lit walkway that led to the chamber that contained her alter. She began to direct her thoughts toward the proposal she was about to make. She knew that it was extremely dangerous to make allies with yet another race, especially a group that had powers that she did not fully understand quite yet. They were masters of dark magic and were unafraid to use their abilities to get what they wanted. Many in Tuwa did not remember their existence because of their disappearance around the time the Eldar were annihilated. They were akin to those that replaced the original protectors of Renshaw. Even the elves had forgotten all about these dark cousins.
As Kana walked mechanically into the usually lit alter room she stumbled on the edge of a throw rug. There was no light at all…it was as though it had been sucked from the room. After a brief moment of adjustment, she could make out a dark form in the middle right next to her marble alter. She walked more purposefully toward her waiting guest. She could feel the person’s extreme magical presence before she was within fifteen feet of him. The visitor leaned against the slab as he waited for the elemental to acknowledge him.
“Welcome friend…I hope that your trip was uneventful” Kana said smoothly. She stopped a few feet from the dark form before her. She was still hesitant to get too close to this dark person because she was unable to ascertain whether or not he had any hidden agendas.
“I could not resist an invitation from a guardian…I thought you would have forgotten all about us after so many centuries” replied a deep, songlike voice. There was an eerie quality to his voice that would have made most people cringe.
“I am Kana, soon to be ruler of the peoples of Tuwa. I am no longer a simple guardian as I no longer agree with their philosophies and have left their counsel. What is your name?” she asked patiently. She knew better than to rush things with such a powerful being…she really needed help from his people, so she would do whatever she needed to in order to ally with them. She smiled warmly as she waited for a reply…realizing instantly that the visitor would not be able to see the gesture in the dark. She shrugged it off while she waited for a reply. She would normally be very patient; however, her interaction with Adair had left her shaken.
“I am Tyriloriel Tyrienwalker, Lord of Meleirelnar and elected representative of the people under the Wesh Forest. I received your message and could not resist the opportunity to travel outside our blessed realm. I have not been in the free lands of Tuwa for nearly one thousand years…it appears that much has changed” the dark figure said with a slight lilt in his voice. At least that is what it sounded like…it was rather difficult to comprehend anything in the unnatural darkness this visitor has conjured up.