He was so lost in his own thoughts he did not hear the approach of his captains and commanders. None of them thought it was wise to disturb the general, so they merely stood at attention awaiting his command. Several minutes passed before General Chad came out of his introspection and took notice of his military leaders. He stood up at once and welcomed the small group to the meeting. He expressed his gratitude for showing up on such short notice and assured them that what he had to say was more important than anything they may have been working on. He asked them to follow him to his private office and bade them to take a seat so that he could explain what had happened.
“As some of you may know, there have been rumors of conflicts outside our borders. I want to reassure you that we are not in harm’s way-yet. I will tell you that we have confirmed that the new nation going by the name of high elves have attacked the people of Nairi and the main body of elves. We have also found out that the elven kingdom is under attack from the south by a massive army of orcs. Even more disturbing is the fact that there is a large army of orcs heading toward Mount Adem as we speak,” the general said meaningfully. “Our greatest concern is that Mount Carrick is under siege by a combined army of goblins and rock trolls.”
“When do we head out?” asked one of the captains. The other captains and the commanders nodded their agreement with this direct question. In their minds, there was no debate about what they were supposed to do at this point. They must go to the aid of their brethren at once.
“Ah…that is the catch, isn’t it?” replied their general knowingly. “Our orders are to shore up our defenses and to wait for an attack.” There was an immediate uproar of disapproval, and vulgarities spewed from the disbelieving dwarves surrounding the general.
“That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!” barked one of the commanders in utter disbelief.
“I agree, but it is not our place to disagree with our king. We must do as he asks or suffer the penalty. However, he did not say that we could not prepare ourselves for a time when we would be called on to send forth our army in support of our brethren,” explained the general slyly. Many of the leaders caught on quickly and shook their heads in agreement.
They spent the next hour planning exactly how they would be able to mobilize the army within an hour. They felt that the home guard should be given the most strategic positions because those were usually the ones that were difficult to get out of in a hurry. They also determined that it was crucial that they did not discuss their plans outside this room until the time for action was called for. They did not want the soldiers or the guard to know about their plans. It was not exactly treason, but the king may misconstrue their intentions and call them traitors. The general made it clear that this was the best plan allowed under the constraints put in place by King Edric. He also made it known that he disagreed point blank with their ruler’s logic and his plan of defense.
After the planning session, the captains and commanders jumped into action. Anyone watching them would not have noticed anything suspicious about their movements, and their troops did not question the change in the strategy. They figured that this plan came from the king, and none of them dared to disagree with him. They all respected his wisdom and his concern for the welfare of the people. However, they also knew that his logic was sometimes flawed or marred by external forces. Despite his weakness, he was still the best ruler they had had in the past few hundred years. They had prospered greatly under his peaceful reign, and that, more than anything else, was the reason they kept their plan secret. They did not want him to know that they were questioning his orders. By being extremely prepared, their king would not know that his orders had been altered.
Giants and Elves
The black clouds that hung over the city of Tarisdell did not seem to show any signs of breaking up. They had been there since the surprise attack by the black dragon and its unidentified rider. The rain that had started after the hail of fire had continued uninterrupted every day since then. Three days had passed, and the battle for the capital city of the elves raged hotter than ever before. The giants had arrived at a crucial point for the elven guard who had been defending the northern wall. Commander Yves Silinadiel had organized his archers into a formation that provided his foot soldiers with maximum protection while still being able to inflict serious damage on the high elves. Despite this brilliant strategy, they were outnumbered and were falling fast before their attackers. The coming of the giants had turned the tide of the bloody struggle at the northern outer wall and saved many lives.
While Commander Yves held off the assailants in the north, King Ciel had called a meeting of the high council and invited the two druids who lived with the elves to attend the special session. Everyone who had showed up for the king’s impromptu meeting fidgeted nervously while the storm overhead raged on with such ferocity that it was almost possible to not hear the sounds of battle taking place in the south and the north. The two druids stood stoically in the open while the rain soaked them all the way through their cloaks. They seemed to be lost in thought as they waited for the king’s guard to screen everyone who was planning on entering the Earane Minyatur. The crowd outside the main entrance could see the king approaching from the backside of the building surrounded by his guard, who were acting as his shield against an attack.
After a few minutes of standing in the deluge, everyone entered the hall and stood by their seats waiting for the king to signal for them to sit down. One of the druids, Verandos Tenowernal, flicked his hand at the cauldron in the middle of the room, and a nice, warm fire burst into life. Immediately the room became much more comfortable, and the atmosphere eased slightly at the welcomed warmth. The king smiled slightly at his impatient druid friend and winked his approval. Chairman Aerasrril then motioned for everyone to take their seats. He then promptly took his seat, and the council turned their attention to the king. They were waiting to hear from their leader and were becoming anxious once again as the sounds of battle became clearer over the booming thunder and pounding rain.
“We are under attack by the treacherous villains who seceded from the body of our great nation several months ago. They have laid siege to the northern outer wall and have a force that numbers some forty-five thousand strong,” explained the king dejectedly. He was not even standing as he said this because he had not slept since the attack by the orcs at the southern gates.
“King Ciel, are you all right?” asked Lady Bernadine Trylendorbri, the other druid sitting next to Verandos.
“I am just tired; that is all,” replied the king. “As I was saying, the force in the north is large and well organized. They would have taken the wall already if it were not for my friend, Chief Angus of the giants. They have surrounded the high elves, as they like to be called now, and have drawn them back a short distance from the northern gates.” There was a collective sigh heard around the table at this news.
“What of the attack at the southern gates? Who was that on the dragon, and what is going on now down there?” asked one of the council members anxiously.
“Excellent questions. We do not know who was riding the dragon, but it was clear that she was trying to get our attention. She wanted our eyes turned toward the north where the high elves were preparing to assault us. We obliged them and did not notice the enormous army of orcs in the south. There are about three hundred to three hundred and fifty thousand orcs either attacking or getting into position at the southern end of Tarisdell,” explained the king with a hint of disgust. “We need an army, and we need one now.”