“Well, that is the negative part of my report…although their numbers have been reduced to twenty five thousand; they have some new powerful allies. Or, should I say that they have furry beasts as their steeds now” answered Lord Marcello with a hint of warning in his voice. He had refocused on the present as well. He knew that the high elves were still a significant threat thanks in part to the vile creatures joining this confrontation.
“Who has joined them?” asked the king quickly. He seemed to snap out of his revelry at the mention of this new information. His brow drew down as he sensed the seriousness of this latest news. His concerns for home were quickly compartmentalized as he focused on Marcello with great intensity.
“The fabled giant wolves of the southlands…they have consented to act as steeds for Kishi’s troops and many of the orcs as well. That is not all; the orc army led by General Tomo has left the southern cliffs and is making his way to the north as we speak. He has made sure to avoid our long range attacks, but our spies tell us that his army is still intact and appears to be at its full strength still. They have around ninety thousand troops” continued the giant wizard darkly. The air became heavy with this news.
“How soon will they reach the high elves’ base camp?” General Lang asked warily. He was clearly not pleased with this information. He had hoped the bunched attack would persist a little while longer so they could take advantage of the misguided strategy.
“They should arrive within the next three days” Marcello replied. Silence met this declaration. The heavy feeling became more apparent to each of the giants.
“That is certainly some disturbing news…let’s find out what is happening in the other areas of Landen before we formulate a new strategy. General Lang…if you would be so kind” gestured the king to his general to give his report. His mind immediately went back to his worry about Burien. He should have been more concerned with the change in the siege. It was clear to everyone that he was struggling to focus on the intelligence being shared.
“The battle in the south has gone exceedingly well. We have kept the orcs and high elves at bay for several days now. They have been unable to penetrate our defenses, which our soldiers still maintain, and our enemies are becoming increasingly frustrated with each passing day. That dark wizard, who we have seen several times over the course of this battle, has become careless in his tactics as a result of mounting pressure caused by his failures” explained the general with a satisfied smile on his darkened face. This news eased the tension ever so slightly.
“Did you notice the departure of General Tomo and his troops?” asked the king. He was trying his best to focus; however, his attempt was weak at best.
“Yes, we did notice that General Tomo had left…we also saw General Synan leaving in the same direction. I am assuming that his army is going to attempt to scale the western cliffs with those gigantic spiders that the high elves have been using. That leaves General Nero and the high elves for us to deal with in the south. We should be able to handle them…General Lysander and his horsemen will be able to run them down with greater ease now” General Lang said confidently. He was becoming irritated with his king’s lack of focus. If he did not know his leader better he would have taken great offense to the way he was being addressed. Giants are not wise to anger…even if you are a giant yourself. Their rage is legendary.
“The orcs and high elves must have met with Kana recently…that would account for this change in strategy. I believe that we will be able to hold off these axis armies…have our soldiers continue the defense while Yukio and Lysander run down the fallen guardian’s minions in the north and south” the king said with greater focus.
“What about the east?” Lord Marcello asked cautiously as he looked at the king. He thought it was good that the king was finally started to focus on the here and now.
“I can answer that one…” began Commander Gerodi. He straightened a little as he looked at Marcello.
“I thought you were stationed at the western cliff?” interjected General Lang. He gave his friend a quizzical look.
“I am…I spoke with Commander Boaz before this meeting, so I know what he has seen on the shores of Lake Lachlan” replied the commander.
“Very well, tell us about the east first and then report to us about the defenses in the west” ordered the king patiently. He was focused once again on what was happening now and not what could happen in the future.
“There is an unnatural fog that is still covering the entire lake. Those stationed there can hear noises of what we they believe to be several boats anchored just out of sight. They still have not seen anything definite, so they are simply waiting for whatever is out there to make a move” reported Gerodi dutifully.
“Has Commander Boaz bothered to send some soldiers into the lake to see if they can find out what is really out there?” asked General Lang pointedly. He thought that Boaz would have at least considered the option. He knew that the commander was very protective of those who served under him, so that could be the reason no one had investigated.
“I believe that the commander did not want to risk the lives of his soldiers in sending them into an unknown area that had obviously been concealed by some form of dark magic” injected the king sharply. This news about the lake had finally captured his full attention and immediately had his ire up. He did not like dissension among his leaders.
“That was thoughtful, but we still do not know what is actually on or in the lake. We must discover the…” continued the general undeterred before he was interrupted by his king. He knew it…how will they know what was on the lake without someone gathering intelligence.
“The demons from the north are crossing on ships” said a serene voice from the shadows of the trees surrounding the clearing the giant leaders were meeting in. Every giant immediately stood and tensed at the interruption.
Everyone looked around to see where the mysterious voice had come from. They did not need to wait overly long as the slender form of Khalida detached from the shadows. She walked gracefully up to the giants standing close together in a tight circle, or as tight a circle as giants could make. Lord Marcello immediately bowed to one knee as she approached…the others waited patiently for the elder guardian to join them and did not bother to bow. They were always suspicious of the guardians and were even more speculative since the betrayal by one from the upper echelons of the ancient council.
“The dark lord was not the only creature released from the Bekrah Keep in the icy northern kingdom. His minions were also released and have joined with our common enemy. Drogan is not with his demons yet, but he will likely join them soon. I believe that they are awaiting his arrival before they break their shroud of secrecy” explained Khalida coolly. She felt it was important for those responsible for the defense of Landen to know that the dark lord Drogan was on his way.
“Are you telling us that those foul fiends of the north broke loose? How did they manage that?” asked General Lang with disbelief etched in his face. He did not think it was possible that they broke out without any assistance after all of these centuries of being imprisoned. He had not caught the hint that Khalida gave just moments before.
“Kana not only set the dark lord free, she also released his demons trapped in that ice fortress. She believes that by combining their considerable strength with that of the orcs, goblins, rock trolls and her fell creatures that she would be able to subject all of Tuwa to her will” replied the beautiful guardian evenly. She knew that this particular piece of information would not be received well.
“So be it…what do we need to do to fend off these creatures?” asked King Angus darkly. The king was becoming agitated with all of this unpleasant news. All this talk is getting us nowhere!