“You have nothing to fear…we accept your unconditional surrender. For safety reasons, I ask that you proceed through the gate immediately. Follow my commander who is on horseback just inside the gate. He will lead you to the elven king Tiranidrol. It will be up to him to determine your fate” said General Yukio in kindly tones. He made a gesture toward the mounted commander. He then backed out of the way to allow the high elves to pass.
“Thank you General Yukio” replied the nearest commander.
“Where is Queen Kishi?” Yukio asked as the high elves continued past him. He was looking surreptitiously around for her though he knew she was not there.
“She is attending to the wolves. She should be along shortly” one of the closest soldiers replied. The high elves seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as they walked past North Gate. They did not seem to be afraid of Yukio any longer which probably involved the guardians influence.
The Nairian general marched past the troops while looking to the north to try to catch sight of his estranged sister-in-law. He did not know exactly how to feel his eminent meeting with Kishi. Only hours ago he had wanted to rend her limb from limb and then use them to bludgeon the rest of the high elves. Now he wanted to hug her…the reversal was tragically ironic. I wonder how the druids will respond to this turn of events. I am sure the guardians will look at this as an opportunity. The druid council will be skeptical because of Lord Adair’s involvement in these unusual events. I am going to have to work on them a bit so we can get on with ending this conflict.
“General Ibreshri, come to see me?” came the silky voice from the rim of the valley. The voice sounded so similar to Kira that it threw the general off for a moment. He did recover quickly before he actually saw Kishi.
“Kishi…are you done yet with those foul beasts?” Yukio asked distractedly. He started walking to where she stood when all of a sudden a giant wolf leapt at him. The massive abomination of nature hit an invisible wall with a sickening crunch. The high elven queen staggered slightly at the impact…the magical drain she was experiencing was clearly evident.
“I have been trying to encircle these brutes for some time now, but I just do not have the power to encircle that much land.” Kishi was clearly sweating from the physical toll the magic was taking on her body. She trembled slightly as she weakened before the general’s eyes.
“Let me see if I can help” began Yukio as he made several complex movements with his hands. A red mist formed around him and then moved in front of him to form into a massive ball of energy. Then the general made a pushing motion and the orb began to move toward Kishi’s clear barrier. When the two combined together, the ground shook violently as though it was about to rip asunder.
The two magicians stepped back as a massive chasm opened right before their magical wall. They were not as successful in completing the circle as they had hoped. As they started to back away they quickly opted to focus all of their energy on the wall closest to them. After a few minutes of rumbling the ground finally stopped shaking and the opening in front of them was nearly twenty feet across. The depth of this unexpected hole was indeterminate. The unlikely duo looked at one another in such a way that asked if the other had created the hole that lay before them. By the blanks looks they saw they knew this was not of their making.
“I would suggest that you start running” a deep booming voice came from a great distance to the east of where they stood. The voice had a compelling quality to it…energy accompanied the suggestion. They did not need this encouragement as logic and reason were screaming at them to make haste.
“Adair?” they both uttered simultaneously. Kishi looked at Yukio questioningly as though he knew what was happening.
“I would venture to say that my suggestion will save your lives if you leave right now!” conveyed the guardian telepathically as the wolves behind the barrier began to make for the edge of their magical wall just east of where Adair stood. The tall cloaked figure was not looking in their direction; instead, he was solely focused on the task in front of him.
Without a second look, Yukio grabbed Kishi and threw her over his shoulder and made a forceful movement with both hands towards the ground. Red bolts of lightning hit the ground and the force of his blast shot them back through the air high over the arch that marked the entry to North Gate. As they flew bodily through the sky, Yukio turned to face the ground as it began to come closer and closer. As they were about to smash into the side of a building he sent out a blue cloud that cushioned their descent. They landed with a soft flump and bounded onto their feet.
“Lock the gate!” barked Yukio loudly. Veins on his forehead and all along his neck were showing clearly as he yelled at his troops. The chill air filled with the sound of ravenous wolves. The ground began to shake as they approached the gate.
“Lock it down you now!” one of the commanders yelled at the top of his lungs.
As the massive double doors slammed shut, red bolts of lightning hit the gate with a resounding boom. Yukio had added his magical protection just in time. The sounds of wolves hitting the barrier bodily shook the gate. That was quickly followed by yelps of pain from the other side of North Gate. The air was suddenly full of howls and whimpering from the gigantic wolves.
“Give them everything we’ve got!” ordered Yukio. He then turned to the nearest commander and asked, “Where are the high elves?”
“They have continued onto the elven king’s new location in south central Landen” replied Commander Droko stoutly.
“Then that is where I must go…I leave the command of North Gate to you Droko…good luck” Yukio said breathlessly. He winked and then turned to face Queen Kishi. He could hear the whistle of projectiles behind him followed by numerous thuds.
“You know… if circumstances were different, I would kill you for man handling me like that. However, I feel that it is more appropriate to offer you my thanks for your quick thinking” Kishi said with a sly grin. At that very moment she truly looked like her sister Kira. Yukio stowed away his conflicted feelings for the moment as time was not their ally once again.
“Glad I could help…it is good to see you again under these welcoming circumstances. I am happy to be on the same side again…you are one of the fiercest warriors I have ever fought against” replied Yukio with a sigh. He had noticed the resemblance to his late wife once again and his heart clenched. He was understandably conflicted and was losing the battle to lock away his feelings as men were usually so adept at doing.
“We need to catch up with the high elves…I must be there when they meet with my father.” They started walking without saying another word. Kishi made a move toward the nearest stables.
“If it is all the same to you, I would prefer a different method of travel” the red haired general said solemnly. He was not going to be able to fulfill his oath to his noble steed, so he had come up with another mode of transportation.
“What did you have in mind” Kishi asked slowly.
As if in answer to that question a gigantic jet black eagle swooped down unseen from the sky above them. It was closely related to the eagles found high in the cliffs of northwestern Landen; however, they were even rarer. This one had been sent to Yukio from King Leroy and the guardian to replace his fallen stallion. The general had refused all offers from the Landen king and apparently Lord Adair found this out recently. The two had gotten together and approached the black eagle named Noric about working with the Nairian general. The majestic creature had consented and arrived just before the high elves made their appearance.