“What are the next steps? Where is this orb located?” queried another elf.
“It is to the east of here. It lies in the Mia Koda mountain range near the western end. There are two paths to get there. One begins in the southwestern part of Renshaw and is called the Keala Path. This underground road actually runs through parts of the underworld and this is the way that Kana has elected to take. She does not know about this other way or the fact that Keala does not fully reach the destination that she is heading for.”
“I see, so we will take this other path and get to the orb first. This way we can present it to Kana which will cement our fallacious relationship with her” interjected the female elf. She could not hide her joyous anticipation of leading such a powerful being astray.
“Let us not get too far ahead of ourselves. First, we need to talk about the path that starts right here below this very island” replied Tyrienwalker smoothly. He gestured toward the barren landscape behind where they stood. While the naked eye could not see the secret entrance, with their magic they were able to see the way.
“Have all the traps been removed?” asked the most cautious elf in the group. He eyed the area where the entrance was with great suspicion. He could sense at least a dozen magical artifices that had yet to be dealt with.
“It sounds like we have our first volunteer. You get to deal with those traps while we finish up our plans for this expedition” Tyrienwalker stated flatly. The glimmer in his eyes betrayed the humor behind his statement.
“Learn your lesson from me all of you…volunteer for nothing” joked the dark elf in reply. He then quietly made his way to the entrance and set about the meticulous work of disarming the wide variety of traps.
“The way you will go will be completely underground and will not cross the underworld at any point. However, the entire route is being magically monitored. I have not been able to discover who is behind this, however I am sure it has to be something the guardians have put in the place. Since that is the case, the monitoring will not be as strict. If we move quietly and quickly, we may be able to use the element of surprise. The longer we can put off a confrontation with the guardians the better.” Tyrienwalker emphasized this last point. He wanted to make sure that they did not get too full of themselves too soon. The guardians were still more powerful than they were. After all, the council did banish and curse them once before.
The discussion continued for several hours and the sun set before they wrapped up their planning. A short time later the dark elf that had set about removing the traps approached the group to let them know that he had completed his task. Now all that was needed was to start the expedition. The wind had dropped the temperature several degrees and was making their continued presence in the open miserable.
“I do not know about the rest of you, but I think it is high time we get this party moving” offered the only female in the group. She was without doubt the most direct and vocal elf in the group. This is why Tyrienwalker had specifically asked that she join this expedition.
“Enough said…good luck and remember to keep me posted” replied Lord Tyrienwalker with a slight grin.
***
Xuzien shook his head slightly as he watched the dark elves stand on Laikra for several hours. He could not hear what was being said because of the interference from the wind, however, he could read lips. They were heading this way. They were also planning on using Kana…not that he was at all surprised by this information. He was a little proud of the unintentional compliment they paid him about his surveillance…as if the guardians would waste their time with such magical devices.
He sat on the floor just outside the chamber where orb was kept and drew a circle in the dirt. He pulled a water skin from over his shoulder and emptied its contents into the circle. He mumbled some incantations which turned the clear liquid a silvery color. The surface was like a still lake with barely a ripple. He muttered in a different language this time and the surface rippled intensely for a moment before Khalida appeared in the circle.
“My lady…it is good to see you” Xuzien began warmly. He did not care for most people; however, he was simply unable to dislike Khalida. She was so kind and pure…she made you want to be better just because of her presence.
“I did not think you capable of such flattery my friend” replied the elegant guardian to her biracial friend.
“You caught me at a good moment…I have news to report that you and Adair should find most interesting” Xuzien replied smoothly. The tunnel echoed his words as he sat cross legged outside the entrance to the magically protected, yet unadorned, vault room which contained the Orb of Nitesh.
“What information or news do you have for me?” She was getting hopeful at this point. In all the years she had known her friend she had not seen him like this…what was the word; hopeful.
“The Elilasnar have started an expedition to my location just now. They are starting at Laikra Island and should arrive in a couple of days. Master Aiden has not arrived yet with his reinforcements; however, he too should arrive in a day or two. I will harry the approaching devil walkers to make sure Aiden arrives before they do. I just wanted you to know that the dark elves plan on betraying Kana in the end. They will give her the orb; however, they will attempt to guide her in a way that would unwittingly unleash the hordes of the underworld, including the keeper.” Xuzien seemed pleased with the amount of information that he was able to pass along to Khalida.
“You have done very well my friend. This will surely help our plans. I will need to get this information to my master at once. Please be safe…there are people who care about what happens to you” Khalida said with a smile. Before Xuzien could reply the link was severed. The liquid turned to water once more and was absorbed into the ground.
***
The darks elves entered what was known as the cave of Ordell. Once they were within the darkness the sound from the wind and crashing waves immediately ceased. The only noise was the sound of water dripping down from the ceiling to the floor. Further down the path there was a slight sound of water rushing. There were intermittent times where the sound of fluttering wings could be heard above all else. These noises made the dark elves feel right at home.
The female elf lit the way with a purple light that floated ahead of them as they began their descent. The air was thick with moisture and the temperature was dropping rapidly. The elves were able to adapt quickly to compensate for this expected change. The air was clean and pure which was something that they had not anticipated. This was a welcome gift as it would make it possible for them to go longer with fewer stops. As the elves passed the magical watchers, which looked like a spider with a giant singular eye, they all pulled their hoods down further so they could not be identified easily.
“What are you afraid of?” piped up Tanison. She flashed a wicked smile for whoever was watching them.
“What is wrong with you? What part of concealing our approach or using all our stealth to reach our destination undetected did you not understand?” blasted the elf in the rear. His voice was barely audible; however, he made sure she heard him.
“You heard Lord Tyrienwalker…these are guardian artifices…they are too busy and too important to be watching these all the time. Besides, they think Kana is coming from the east to Mia Koda. Relax” patronized Tanison. She did not care for cautious behavior…it always did more harm than good.