As she climbed a bit higher over a series of hills, the high elven army came into view. They were standing silently just out of the reach of the shadows cast by the tall trees of the Black Forest. Kana closed her eyes as she reached out with her mental power to ascertain their true status. The high elves were adept at hiding their emotions on the surface, but she could delve into their psyche to find out the truth of the matter. She saw flashes of events that recently occurred. The high elves had eliminated all outposts and spies already. They were merely waiting for the signal to move into the interior of the forest. She sent out her web further to find Lord Dukker. She wanted to know how things went with the giants. She could not find him anywhere. By this time, she had arrived at the waiting army, and she descended slowly toward the ground and landed. She immediately dismounted her fell beast and looked around expectantly.
“Looking for me, malady?” said a sly voice from behind her.
“Dukker, how in the name of Kedem did you hide from me?” she asked fiercely. She did not like the fact that he could keep her out of his mind and even conceal his whereabouts from her.
“Years of practice,” replied the warlock. “I sense that you wish to talk to me about the giants. Follow me.” He beckoned her to follow him to tree line where they would not be overheard by the army.
“The giants that camped near Mount Quang were merely interested in the noises they heard. I eliminated the ignorant brutes as a precaution.” He made it sound as if it were no more difficult than killing an insect.
“You were able to kill a small group of giants?” She did not bother to hide her disbelief as she said this.
“Yes…but that is not important right now. I believe that they will not interfere, but we should be vigilant. They are a most curious breed and could cause us some serious trouble if we are caught off guard.”
“Excellent thinking, Lord Dukker. Let me update you on what has happened thus far in the south.” She then explained the events that led up to her arrival. Lord Dukker’s face became darker as she told the tales of her recruiting efforts and especially of her confrontation with the elves at Tarisdell.
“I believe that the other guardians may be involved somehow. That would account for the foreknowledge of our plans. The only group that appears to have been caught off guard completely was the people of Nairi. At least that is what the message was from Queen Kishi.”
“I agree. I have been thinking for some time now that the guardians have been keeping a close eye on things. I know that Lord Keb has not reported anything, but I do not know about the others. I will look into this matter after we begin the attack on the elven capital.”
They both stood there for a few moments without saying anything to one another and not moving from the spot. They were both thinking things through and trying to come up with the best plan of attack now that the elves were alerted to the southern army of orcs. Dukker had an uneasy feeling about the Seda even though he agreed with how Kana handled them. He believed that the fire would keep them at bay, but if they decided to help the elves, who had coexisted with them for a thousand years, they would be in serious trouble. He did not know how even he could contend with one of them let alone their entire population. The guardian was more concerned with the apparent interference of the other guardians. They had not gotten involved in the affairs of the peoples of Tuwa for centuries. She did not like the idea one bit because she was not yet powerful enough to resist the entire council, and she could not destroy them. No one could as far as she knew.
“We must move swiftly against the capital. Leave a rear guard to protect against the possible threat of attack from behind. Make sure the soldiers you place there can wield magic and are skilled in taking down our curious neighbors. I must go now and take care of some other pressing matters that could decide the outcome of our efforts.” She had a faraway look in her eyes as she continued to think about what she must do next.
“I will take care of the elves; you go and see what you can find out about the guardians and their meddling,” replied Dukker. He did not bow at all as he turned walked away. He felt emboldened by the fact that Kana could not protect her mind from him and that he could protect his from her. He was also feeling very powerful after his meeting with the giants. No one had ever taken down five giants by themselves.
As Kana flew off to the north, Dukker returned to talk with his captains. No one noticed the brown bear that had been sitting in some bushes near where Dukker and Kana had been speaking. The bear moved slowly toward the forest as if it were foraging for some berries. After the furry animal had journeyed deep into the forest, the bear looked back at the army. No one had noticed her departure, and no could see her now through the dense undergrowth. She turned around and took off at an amazing pace in the direction of Tarisdell. The druid Nita had not been seen since the merger of the high elves, and now she was returning to the elves with news of the impending attack from the north. She had not agreed with the politics of the high elves and had decided some time ago to return to Renshaw Forest. Now seemed like the perfect time for her to reunite with her true brethren. She did not want the elves to fall prey to the wicked and corrupt high elves or the twisted Elemental, Kana.
***
As the army of the high elves moved into the central part of Renshaw, they began to notice the absence of forest life. There were no birds chirping or chipmunks darting back and forth through the canopy overhead. There was not even an insect buzzing around them as they continued to move toward the capital. They had encountered several small ambushes along the way that had delayed the resolute army, but they had been eliminated almost as quickly as they had attacked. Lord Dukker called a halt to their advance and sent forward several of his spider’s kin to find any other possible traps. As he sat atop the massive spider, he could sense that something was terribly wrong. He sent out his own magic web to try to find any signs of life. As he did so, there was a strange popping and crackling noise that seemed to be increasing in volume. He looked up at the tops of the trees and saw a series of fireballs falling from the sky. The balls smashed into several troops and burned them to a crisp as they shrieked in pain and surprise. Dukker knew that they had come across the biggest ambush yet. How do they know that we were coming?
“Attack!” yelled Dukker in a villainous commanding voice. He spurred his steed forward, and the high elves rushed their hidden attackers. Fire and smoke blurred everyone’s vision as the battle commenced. They were within fifty yards of the northwestern outer wall of Tarisdell, but the chaos that had erupted blinded them to this fact.
Coming of the Giants
The giants sat around the campfire watching the flames with rapt attention. They had come to the plains west of Mount Quang to find out why the weather around the mountain was behaving in such a peculiar manner. They had felt quakes that were so strong that they could not be caused naturally. Chief Angus Vokias had sent this detachment to ascertain the cause and determine if there was any threat to his tribe. He was the leader of the most prominent tribes of the giants. They were not under one banner as a people because of their inability to cohabitate peacefully. As a result, they were divided into five major tribes. Vokias was chief of the Tribe of the Wolf, which had the largest number of giants and was the most well known for their participation in the liberation of Tuwa a thousand years ago.