An Alliance of Mortals, page 15
part #6 of The New Earth Chronicles Series
Jergen nodded.
“I will,” he said.
“Off you go then.”
Everyone stood up, but the king motioned for Larin to wait.
“I'd like a word before you head home, my friend,” he told the mage.
“Yes, my lord.”
When the others had left the room, Shandon sat down at the table with Larin and looked intently at him.
“Can you communicate with Callius?” he asked.
“Not from here, my lord,” the mage admitted. “But if I gather some of my people together to strengthen my Magic Mirror spell, I can reach him. It takes a tremendous toll on us, but it can be done.”
Shandon nodded thoughtfully.
“Yet another reason to set up his communication node,” he said. “Fine. Please go back to your mages and do what you have to do to speak with the scryer. Tell him that his request is approved. I want that thing erected as soon as it can be.”
“And where do you want it placed, my lord?” Larin asked him.
“Here, in the palace.”
The mage stared at Shandon in surprise.
“Here, my lord?” he said hesitantly. “Is that...wise?”
The king laughed merrily, suddenly looking like his old self again.
“Probably not,” he admitted. “But if I am remembered one day in the history books, it will not be because of my wisdom.”
His laughter faded away as he became pensive again.
“If our enemies do manage to use one of the other nodes to send troops to attack us here in Kingstone, I want them to appear in a place where they will be contained. And the palace is really the only structure in the city where we could do that. Once this thing is erected by Callius, I will have a squad of royal guards watching over it at all times. They will at least slow down any attack and give us a chance to respond.”
“Wise, my lord,” Larin told him. “And where in the palace do you want the anchor constructed?”
“Why, in the throne room, of course,” Shandon said with a grin. “Where else?”
Chapter 11
A day after the meeting between Shandon Ironhand and his advisors, another meeting was being held in the central hall of Nottinghill Castle. This gathering, though, was much larger than the one in the king's lounge and the entire leadership of the human race was there, along with a handful of special guests.
A delegation from the elves had arrived early in the morning, personally transported from the town of Caladur by Tamara. The group consisted of Ethmira, Malfiess and the scryer, Callius. Three rangers had accompanied them as guardians; two females and one male. All of them were armed with bows and short swords and wore thick leather armor. They remained silent and watched the proceedings alertly.
Tamara and Sebastian had each spoken privately with the other leaders about the idea of installing a permanent link with the elves and the dwarves and, although there were some misgivings among them, everyone had agreed that the pros far outweighed the cons.
After that, they had arranged for the elves to come to Nottinghill and install the device, which was the purpose of that day's gathering.
When everyone had taken a seat and the hum of conversation had gone on for a few minutes, Tamara stood up at the head of the conference and called the group to order.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” she said as she stared at the group. “Thank you all for taking the time to join us today for what I consider to be a truly momentous occasion. This meeting will mark a change in our destiny going forward. A change that will offer our people a better and brighter future.”
There was some polite applause and Sebastian gave his sister an approving smile.
As the applause died away, Tamara turned to look at Ethmira, who was sitting nearby along with Malfiess and Callius. The three rangers guarding the elven delegation were standing against the wall several yards away from the table, watching the proceedings silently.
“I want to welcome our guests to this meeting,” the mage said with a smile. “For those of you who don't recognize them, allow me to introduce each person in turn. First, this is Ethmira, the leader of the elven rangers.”
Ethmira stood up and bowed politely to the leadership.
“Along with Captain Ethmira, we are honored to welcome Malfiess, a member of the elven Council, and the scryer, Callius.”
Malfiess and Callius also rose from their seats to stand next to Ethmira and the entire audience around the table began to applaud again, this time with greater enthusiasm.
The three elves smiled gratefully at their reaction, although Callius looked quite awkward and abashed at being the center of attention.
Malfiess raised his hands and the group settled down again.
“On behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank all of you for your warm welcome,” he said, his voice echoing around the hall. “My people hope that what we do today will forge new bonds between our races, and with the dwarves as well. We understand that some of you might have reservations about establishing a permanent connection from Nottinghill Castle to our settlement of Caladur and to the dwarven capital city of Kingstone. I wish I could say that your fears were unfounded, but I am a realist.”
He glanced at his companions for a moment.
“After what my people have endured, all of us are,” he continued.
Ethmira nodded grimly while Callius swallowed, his face becoming even paler than usual.
Malfiess looked down the table again at the attentive audience.
“But the evil that hunts us all must be countered by any means at our disposal,” he stated firmly. “And with both of our races decimated by the lords of Chaos and their dark armies, joining forces with each other and with the dwarves is the only option that may save us all. So again, I thank you for approving this plan. May it bring us all closer and mark the beginning of the end of the evil gods who began this devastating war so many years ago.”
The audience began to cheer, with several of the leaders leaping to their feet in raucous applause. Malcolm was one of them. The big man towered over everyone else and his wide grin and shouts of approval made all of the elves smile, even Callius.
“You are a good orator, my friend,” Tamara told Malfiess quietly.
He looked at her wryly.
“No, I'm just used to speaking to my fellow councilors and trying to find common ground with them on policy. Your people need hope as much as mine do. That is why they are cheering, Lady, not because of my eloquence.”
Tamara laughed lightly and they both waited for the room to settle down.
As everyone was taking their seats again, she motioned for the elves to do the same. Then Tamara looked down the table and caught the eye of the head of the stonemason's guild, a short grizzled fellow named Thomas Kennedy. He was wearing a dusty white t-shirt and a heavy leather apron and his hands were thick with callouses.
“Thomas, have your masons finished their special project yet?” she asked him.
The man stood up, his bald head reflecting the sunlight that brightly lit the hall. His face with heavily wrinkled and he had thick eyebrows and a wide nose. Beneath his brows, his bright green eyes looked back at the mage with a flicker of amusement.
“Aye, we're done. Mind you, it was a rush job and we'll have to charge you double for overtime, but we finished it this morning.”
A ripple of laughter followed his jibe and Tamara grinned at the small man.
“Put it on my tab,” she told him.
“I will do that.”
Tamara looked around the table and saw puzzled looks from many of the others.
“Yes, I know that some of you weren't told about the stonemasons' task,” she told them. “And I'm sorry about that. But once we had all agreed to allow the elves to install their permanent link here in Nottinghill, several of us realized that it should be located in a secure location. We cannot allow our enemies the opportunity to use the node to attack either the elves or the dwarves, nor should the average citizen be tempted to touch the thing. It will be a powerful conduit of ley energy and so it could be dangerous to regular people.”
“So where will it be built?” the blacksmith, Daniel Cooper, asked loudly.
“All of you know the courtyard well,” Tamara told the group. “On the western side, there is a large empty area that was created during our last expansion, which was going to used for new shops and homes some time in the future.”
She nodded at the stonemason.
“Thomas and his people spent part of yesterday and all last night walling up a large section of that part of the courtyard and installing heavy iron doors in that wall. That is where Callius will install his anchor. Malcolm has already set up a schedule for a cadre of guards who will watch over it. They will bar entry into that section of the yard to anyone who does not have our permission to be there. And if we need to send troops to aid our allies, or they wish to send some of their forces to help us, the new section is large enough to allow for that.”
Daniel nodded his understanding.
“A wise decision,” he told Tamara. “Well done.”
She smiled at him.
“Thanks, Daniel, but it wasn't my idea. My little brother is the one who pointed out that putting the anchor inside of the castle would not be the best idea.”
Sebastian winked at the blacksmith, who chuckled at his sly grin.
“Now, if you are all ready,” Tamara told them. “We will adjourn to the courtyard where Callius will install this new communication node.”
She looked down at the scryer.
“Are you prepared to go ahead with that task?” she asked him.
“Yes, lady mage,” he replied shyly.
“Excellent.”
Tamara looked at the other leaders.
“Go ahead, my friends,” she told them. “We'll be along in a few minutes.”
The entire group began to stand up and make their way to the doors of the hall. A hum of conversation filled the air as Tamara sat down and pensively watched them leave.
“Are you all right?”
The mage looked at Ethmira, who was sitting next to Sebastian.
“Me? I'm fine, thanks,” Tamara replied with some surprise. “Today marks a new and positive step in my people's future, which pleases me greatly.”
“Then why do you look like you just swallowed a bug?” her brother asked her.
She frowned at him and then shook her head as she saw that the elves were all staring at her.
“Look, everyone, I am pleased that the leadership has agreed to allow us to install the node. It will benefit all of our people. But it also presents a significant danger, which I am sure you all know. That's why we had the stonemasons build that new secure area in the courtyard. But if our enemies learn of it, and they may, will even the thickest walls be enough to stop them from reaching it and using it to attack either your people,” she said with a nod at Malfiess, “or the dwarves? I don't know. And that is what is making me nervous, not the installation of the device itself.”
“We know that it is a risk,” Malfiess assured her. “We have all discussed it. And we were contacted a short time ago by the leader of the mages in Kingstone concerning that same topic.”
Both Tamara and Sebastian stared at him in surprise.
“You were?” she asked him. “And when were you going to mention that?”
Malfiess shrugged.
“Now, obviously,” he told her. “This is the first opportunity we've had to pass on the news. We weren't sure that you would want us to tell your entire leadership group about it, so Ethmira and I decided to wait to inform you privately and leave it up to you to decide who to tell and when.”
“Ah, I see,” Tamara said with a glance at her brother. “In that case, thank you. Of course we will pass the information along to all of the others, but it might be better to wait to do so until we can speak to each of them one on one. So what did the dwarves have to say?”
The last of the leaders had left the hall and only the two mages and the elves were left. The three rangers still stood silently against the wall behind them, watching the group closely.
Malfiess nodded at Callius, who cleared his throat and began to speak nervously.
“Larin, the leader of the dwarven mages, contacted me early this morning,” he said softly. “Their king has given us permission to build an anchor in Kingstone.”
“Now that is good news!” Sebastian exclaimed with a wide grin.
“Yes, sir mage, it is,” Callius agreed. “But the even better news is that the king has decided that the node should be located in the middle of his palace, in the throne room.”
Tamara gaped at him.
“Um, is that really a good idea?” she asked the scryer.
“Oh yes, lady mage, it is,” Callius assured her. “At least, according to Larin. You see, the palace is very large and very secure. For an enemy to escape from the throne room, they would have to fight through hundreds of well-trained warriors who protect the king and the palace at all times. No matter how secure you keep your link, or we keep ours, the one that the dwarves will be guarding will be the safest of them all.”
Tamara and Sebastian looked reassured by Callius' news and she smiled warmly at the elf.
“Thank you for telling us that,” she said to him. “I am definitely feeling more relieved knowing that the dwarves are taking this entire project so seriously.”
“We were pleased as well,” Ethmira told her.
“So now that we are all caught up, shouldn't we get moving?” Sebastian asked his sister. “The others will get impatient if we keep them from their regular duties by holding up the installation of the node.”
Tamara stood up and everyone else rose as well.
“Yes, let's get to it,” she said. “It will be good to speak with Shandon Ironhand again. He is a strong leader and I hope that strength will help to inspire our people as it obviously has his own.”
Out in the courtyard, a crowd had gathered under the afternoon sun to watch as the leaders approached the new wall surrounding the site of the permanent anchor. As Tamara, Sebastian and the elves walked through the crowd, the people became quiet and watched the group pass by.
Ethmira looked around at the wide-eyed humans and smiled and nodded at several of them. Her smile was returned hesitantly and a wave of conversation followed the elves as they passed by.
When they had reached the other leaders, Tamara stopped and looked up at the walled-off section of courtyard.
“So what do you think?” the stonemason, Thomas, asked her proudly. “Strong enough for you?”
The masons had constructed a twenty foot high, semi-circular wall from large square blocks of dark granite. The wall blocked off the northwest corner of the courtyard, connecting to the north and west battlements. Each section was about fifty feet in length and in the center of the new wall were a set of heavy iron doors.
“Good grief, Thomas,” Sebastian exclaimed as he looked up at the barrier. “Your people built this entire thing in one night? That's extraordinary!”
“Well, she still needs finishing,” the stonemason replied as he grinned at his wall. “But she'll do for now, I suppose. Yeah, the lads and I wanted her to be ready for this grand ceremony. Mind you, we needed to rope in some extra help. Malcolm, some of your off-duty soldiers are gonna be sore for a few days. We had them hauling granite blocks for hours last night.”
The big man chuckled.
“Understood,” he said. “I'll be sure to go easy on them until they've recovered.”
The iron gates were wide open and guards had been stationed on either side of the entrance.
“After you, Tamara,” Thomas said with a respectful nod at the elves beside her. “Your guests are the stars of this show, after all.”
The mage smiled at him and entered the new section. Ethmira, Malfiess and Callius walked in with her, followed by their ranger escort.
The leaders came in behind them and spread out to the left and right of the entrance, giving the scryer space to create the anchor.
“Wonder what he'd going to do?” Malcolm whispered to Chao, who walked in beside him.
Chao looked up at the warrior. He had been silent during the talks in the conference hall, remaining attentive but preferring to listen rather than speak out.
Now he glanced at Callius and the other elves as he replied.
“Something foreign to me and the other mages, I'd imagine,” he said. “The scryer uses ley energy, the lifeblood of the planet, to cast his spells. I do not know how he does that, but it gives him access to an almost limitless supply of power. Ellas has told me that in ancient times, many elves could also use that power, but most of them lost the ability to do so when they left the Earth.”
Malcolm listened closely as he watched Tamara speaking with Callius. The frail-looking young elf was gesturing as he spoke, as if explaining what he was about to do.
“The only elves who could tap into the ley lines were the keepers and the scryers,” Chao continued. “Keepers opened portals to transport elves around their new world, Trillfarness, and scryers could tap into the ley to see over vast distances and communicate with elves all over the planet. Sadly, all of the scryers died in the massive attacks on the elves by dark powers. All but Callius. A few keepers have survived, I'm told, but they no longer are able to reach the ley lines here on Earth.”
He looked sadly at Callius.
“Only that one young elf is able to touch the ley now, but somehow he has gained the ability to manipulate it in new ways. I doubt that even he knows his limits now. Extraordinary.”
“Well, I hope that he does a good job today,” Malcolm said soberly. “We need this to work. The ability to transport troops from here to the dwarves' territory or to the new elven settlement and vice-versa is essential for all of us.”
The crowd saw Callius nod at Tamara and then turn to walk to the center of the large area. The sun was still high and it beamed down on to his red robe, making it glow with the color of fresh blood. His long dark hair gleamed and his pale skin looked almost white in the sunlight.
