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RUNNING DEEPER INTO THE bramble, Nadir barreled through the forest’s undergrowth as he snapped and tore a new path away from the orcs swarming Ryedale. Suddenly, Nadir passed into a small clearing, striding midway across before skidding to a halt, his feet cutting into the soft dirt as he stopped. Looking warily, his gaze darted in all directions in search of friend or foe. The sounds of elves collectively crashing through the forest filled the air, as his army fled from the fairnheir. He’d seen their orc masters following steadily behind them as they climbed the canyon slopes after the retreating elf, dwarf and Lumbapi forces.
Sweat seeped into his eyes as he searched the clearing, the sweat stinging his eyes and blurring his vision a bit. Trying to make sense of where the Lumbapi were taking their fleeing troops, Nadir called out to the last Lumbapi he’d seen before entering the forest, “Inama! Where are you!?” With the roar of crashing branches and stomping feet, he thought his shout might go unheard. Waiting for a response, Nadir recalled the Lumbapis’ head start on their retreat. He ordered his soldiers to follow them, but the natives seemed to disappear upon entering the forest. He knew the Southland natives were attuned to the network of trails in this dense forest, but his people and the dwarfs were not. With the enemy on their scent, Nadir worried that his soldiers, with their elven ability to run at high speeds, would outpace the locals leading them to safety, and possibly miss their directions entirely.
After taking several deep breaths to slow his heart, Nadir prepared to call Inama once more. During this pause, he heard a series of screeching whistles piercing their way through the crashing in the forest. His instincts told him that only a native Lumbapi could produce such a unique sound. Orcs communicated in a guttural monotone and the fairnheir were too hound-like to produce such a high-pitched, bird-like sound.
Launching into a sprint toward the sound, the newly succeeded Elf King barreled through the undergrowth. Nearly crashing into his fellow elven soldiers, Nadir gathered followers as he ran, shouting, “With me!” in hopes that more elves would join them.
Slowing as he neared the origin of the whistle, Nadir stumbled trying to avoid running into the group of humans who suddenly came into view. Though he and his elves arrived in the Lumbapis’ midst startled and half-crazed, Nadir felt a sense of relief at seeing their allies.
“Where’s Inama?” Nadir asked, backing away slightly from the surprised humans he’d nearly overrun. His elven speed, though slowed, was still much faster than what the humans were capable of.
Princess Inama pushed her way through the cluster of Lumbapi soldiers to address the elf. She leaned heavily on her staff and her waist was saturated in blood. Nadir admired Inama’s determination to continue. He wondered how much Natalia and Solomon had been able to help. Inama’s breathing quickened from their flight as she addressed the elf king, “We must act fast if we’re going to sneak our armies back into camp. If we take too long, the orcs will learn where we’ve gone and hunt us relentlessly.”
“Leaderless,” Nadir nodded, also panting with exhaustion. “We can use it to our advantage now, if we lose them in the forest. They’ll not work together long without a strong leader.”
“Can you gather your people and the dwarfs in all of this confusion?” she asked, straightening slightly.
Nadir glanced to the soldiers behind him and searched their familiar faces; Natalia wasn’t among them. Nadir knew she could communicate mentally, sending direction to all those lost in the forest. He needed to find her if their armies were going to have a chance at making it out of this forest alive. Thoughts of hungry fairnheir sniffing out dwarfs wandering through the forest furthered his sense of urgency. “I can manage it once I’ve located Natalia. Just leave a few of your crew here with us, so they can help us navigate our way back to the camp.”
Inama nodded, pointing quickly to several of her peers and speaking to them in native Lumbapi. Before disappearing into the forest, the princess said, “Good luck, elf. I do hope to see you again,” and she vanished with her people into the greenery.
With the three remaining natives now looking to him for direction, Nadir couldn’t help but feel lost at Inama’s absence. A moment of panic caused his heart to flutter a bit, resulting in a slight cough. Clenching his fists, Nadir forced himself to calm down and carry on as any noble leader would. He was in charge now and he had to get his people’s attention.
Possible solutions began to occur to him. He and those elves with him now could circle in different directions until they’d gathered all of their fleeing soldiers. Or, he could quickly climb a tree to gain a better vantage point and see in what directions his fleeing troops had headed. He could then use the soldiers close by to chase after them. Or, he could start shouting, which had worked when he sought to find Inama, but after hearing the native’s shrill, bird-like call, he was forced to consider the repercussions of this option. Shouting would alert the orcs to his presence and possibly location. His best option was his first thought — he had to find Natalia. If he found her, she could lead all of his wayward troops by way of telepathy.
Why hasn’t she contacted me already? Doesn’t she fear the idea of becoming lost forever in the forest, spread out with no direction? Nadir asked himself.
The elves and selected Lumbapi clustered around Nadir watched as he played out the different scenarios in his mind. Their impatient and frightened expressions forced him to make a decision. Suddenly, he found his answer. He didn’t know if it would work, but it would be the fastest way to communicate with Natalia. The elf king closed his eyes, pushed out all other distractions, and focused on finding Natalia with his mind. He had to create a link with her. He’d practiced the art of telepathy during his training to be a prince and, with hope, a dragonrider. His father believed he would one day be bonded to a dragon and saw fit to begin the mental training he would need. Recently, however, he had only communicated with others who formed a link with his mind first. It had been decades since Nadir practiced the art of controlling his mind, but now more than ever he was determined to have it work for him.
His soldiers’ worried questions faded from hearing and Nadir passed into the trance his instructor had taught him years ago. Feeling for any mental presence, Nadir broadcast his thoughts over the forest. After a moment of doubt, Nadir heard Natalia’s voice in his mind.
Nadir, she said, her tone heavy with worry. Where are you? The elves and dwarfs are running blind. We’re going to lose them to the forest if we can’t find the Lumbapi.
Nadir opened his eyes in surprise nearly losing the connection. He’d done it! Fumbling to hold the connection, he closed his eyes, focused and felt the link strengthen again. Natalia, I’m here with several Lumbapi, but we’re going to need your help in directing everyone to follow us back to camp. How can I find you?
As he spoke, he felt a presence sweep over him like a slight breeze. Stay there, I’m coming to you now, Natalia said, and immediately the telepathic link weakened.
Nadir asked whether she had the strength to call everyone at once, but when he posed the question in his thoughts, there was no reply. He tried again, but Natalia had severed the connection. Grunting at the missed attempt, Nadir pounded his fist against his armor, the plate metal clanging. Realizing he’d had the conversation internally without sharing a word with those around him, Nadir felt the group’s collective stares. He could see their concerns about his mental state written across their faces.
Clearing his throat and straightening his shoulders to address them as their leader, Nadir said, “I’ve communicated with Natalia just now. She knows where we are and is coming this way. She’ll communicate to everyone with mindspeak and help lead them back to camp.” Seeing a collective look of relief among the group, Nadir added, “Look lively while we wait. A fairnheir could find its way into our midst at any moment.”
Within minutes, Natalia, Solomon, and several dwarfs stumbled into the group. Limping, Natalia leaned on a dwarf soldier and winced before speaking to Nadir. “I’m weak, but if we pool our strength, I could broadcast a message to the others, emitting a beacon signal for them to follow. I can’t guarantee that it will work as quickly as we need it to, but I can get everyone headed in the right direction.”
“What about you, Solomon?” Nadir said pointing to the little old wise man. “Can’t you help with the beacon?”
Solomon shook his head in somber silence and Natalia answered for him, “Sol’s tapped out; most of his powers came from the lizards.”
“What happened to the,” Nadir asked, but Natalia’s signal halted him mid-question. Following a brief hesitation, Nadir continued, “Um… the, ah, rest of the elves?” he managed to ask.
“I’ll explain later,” Natalia said, motioning for the elves to gather around. “If I’m going to broadcast this message, I’ll need to draw on our combined energy. I’m almost done, so this might be it for me.”
Nadir nodded. He and the others gathered in a circle close to Natalia as she reached for the elf next to her. Nadir recalled from his lessons on magic that linking physically required less power to pull energy from another individual. Once they had clasped onto one another, Natalia summoned the strength of the group and sent a message into the minds of elves and dwarfs alike. Nadir instantly felt the pull of energy from his body. He experienced a chill as Natalia drew on their collective strength. He began to shiver, as did others in the circle, and then Natalia broke the link.
“It’s done,” Natalia said, again seeking support from the dwarf who’d been assisting her earlier. “We can continue to the camp.”
“Now?” Nadir asked. “But the elves aren’t here yet,” he protested.
“I managed to place the tracker on one of the Lumbapi here,” Natalia said, pointing to one of Inama’s guides.
Nadir saw the Lumbapi soldier begin to search his body, looking for something stuck to him.
“Don’t worry, my friend. The tracker is only a signal, it’s nothing physical that you can see. It will last as long as my strength does,” Natalia said, addressing the worried man.
“Astonishing,” Nadir remarked.
“Well,” Solomon said, and Nadir heard the irritation in his voice. “Let’s go.”
Looking to the Lumbapi soldiers, Nadir said, “Lead the way. The faster we’re away from here the better.”
Breaking trail through the dense forest, the three Lumbapi soldiers led the small group of elves, dwarfs, and the old wise man as they hurried away from danger. Soon the roar of elves and dwarfs fleeing into the forest faded to soft footsteps slipping away from fairnheir and orcs. Each time Nadir looked back, he could see that their group had grown, others finding them as they moved toward camp.
Their march continued through the night. Nadir walked at a mind-numbing pace, his eyes drifting closed and snapping open as he followed the set of feet in front of him. The darkness faded and a new day brought clarity to their surroundings as they marched. Drawing near in the early morning light, Nadir noticed the tents indicating they’d reached their camp. The shrouding magical barrier that had once concealed their tents from any outside viewer had long since disappeared.
Nadir walked into the camp, his body and mind worn from their campaign. Lumbapi soldiers hurriedly packed their belongings, readying to leave at a moment’s notice. Elves and dwarfs filed into camp, more trickling in after the initial wave arrived. Nadir stood near the camp entrance watching the soldiers return. He knew from his own weariness that they might be inspired upon seeing their leader watching over them as they reached camp safely. Elves and dwarfs alike took rest after entering the camp, dropping their shields and weapons as each found an empty patch of dirt to collapse onto. The battle had been grim and as the last of the soldiers trickled in, Nadir greeted them respectfully. Their numbers had dwindled into the hundreds. They’d lost many to the orcs; a reality Nadir did not want to face. In addition to losing well-trained soldiers, Nadir’s campaign had cost them three of the most valuable allies they had: a bonded rider pair and their mentor, taken by a sorceress, had failed to return to battle.
Nadir pushed the thought from his mind when he saw Remli, the dwarf king, bringing up the rear. Grizzled from action and appearing to be more beast than dwarf from the grime and branches protruding from his hair and beard, Remli managed to smile when he saw Nadir.
Walking up to the elf king, Remli said in a full voice, “Might’ve been lost without the witch’s help. So, what happens now?”
Nadir wondered at how the dwarf could continue to exude so much energy after such a grueling ordeal. He wasn’t in the mood to discuss strategy, but knew the topic couldn’t be avoided. Nadir stared blankly at Remli. He came to Southland for revenge and achieved it in the elimination of Lageena, the traitorous elf queen, but after the overall defeat in battle left Nadir worried about the fate of their world.
“What say you, elf?” Remli said, stepping closer.
Shaking away any defeatist thoughts, Nadir answered, “A council with Inama. I’ll gather those of my leaders who’ve survived and we’ll meet back here in an hour to discuss a strategy.”
“Make it a half-hour,” Remli said sternly. “Those orcs lost our trail during the night, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pick it back up again. Besides, it wouldn’t take Merglan and his dragon very long to dispatch us now that this camp’s been exposed.”
Nadir nodded and began searching for the commanding officers who survived the battle.
Locating next-in-command proved to be even more difficult than he anticipated given that so many high-ranking officers had fallen during the fighting. Nadir felt the burden of loss hang heavily on his soul each time he learned of a loyal elf’s death. Somberly promoting those next in line, Nadir took no joy in rewarding elves on this day. It had been decades since the elven army had suffered such a defeat and it had happened under his command. The hasty assault fueled by his father’s murder had cost the lives of so many of his nation’s proudest elves.
After gathering and promoting nearly half of his commanding officers, Nadir took the most senior three to council with the Lumbapi and dwarfs. Walking stiffly to where he’d last seen Remli, Nadir found the dwarf king accompanied by a select four dwarfs as well as his daughter, Maylox, who had recently saved his life in battle. Inama and two other Lumbapi stood next to the dwarfs. Nadir nodded to them as he joined the group.
“What do your people intend to do next?” Remli asked, directing the question to Inama.
“We can’t stay here,” Inama said, leaning hard on her staff. “What our people do is move quickly after an attack. It’s how we’ve stayed so effective in this war. We can’t remain in the same place for long. When Merglan learns of his commander’s death, he’ll come searching for our camp. If he doesn’t, the orcs will, and they’ll find it eventually. We will retreat to the Ramhorn and join my father’s tribe.”
“You’re going to abandon this ground?” Remli said in protest.
“We don’t have an option now. Merglan and his dragon could come at any moment and, without the concealment spell, we’re at his disposal.”
“They could always come at any moment!” Remli growled. “He has had that damned dragon for nearly thirty years. We just forgot about him when he disappeared last, growing comfortable in their absence, but the threat has never gone away.”
“We’ve been effective thus far in the fight because we’ve been able to strike quickly and get away unseen. After seeing the size of his army in Southland, I doubt he even noticed us before. Now that we’ve gotten so big, though, we’ll surely attract his full attention,” Inama said
“Damn it all. This ground is good for an ambush. We shouldn’t just abandon it. So we suffered a defeat. We’ll find a new place to hide, here on the Drakeshead, and we’ll send for reinforcements,” Remli urged.
“No, it’s too late for that. We’re going to join our other tribes, and we’ll hold ground there. I’ve dedicated myself to my people’s preservation. We thought that we could defeat the orc army by combining our forces, but now, after seeing what they’ve brought to the fight, there’s no way we can compete with their numbers in open combat.”
“Not with that attitude!” Remli bellowed.
“What about you, Nadir? What are your thoughts in all of this?” Inama asked, motioning toward Nadir.
“Don’t forget what I risked in order to save you back there,” Remli growled, his face reddening.
“Remli!” Nadir warned. “I don’t want to back down from this fight, just as Remli you don’t.”
With a snort, Remli nodded curtly and Inama opened her mouth in protest.
Before she could interrupt, Nadir quickly added, “But that doesn’t mean I want to drag out the fighting here in the Drakeshead.” Addressing Remli, Nadir said, “You have to acknowledge the massive loss we’ve suffered from this battle. If we continue to fight with dwindling numbers, we’ll only be delaying the inevitable. Eventually we’ll be caught outnumbered and out-ranked.”
“That’s why I say we send for reinforcements,” Remli said. “I have an army of dwarfs in reserve at Hardstone. We can send your ships to bring them here. And this elven force you’ve brought, Nadir, isn’t even half the full might of the Everlight soldiers at your command. You could bring them in full force and together we could crush this orc army.”
“This is not our battle,” one of Nadir’s officers interrupted.
Nadir turned to face the voice that came from behind him, “How do you mean?” he asked. “Did we not come here to fight in the name of Kartania?”
“No,” the elf responded, firm in his stance. “With all due respect to you and King Remli, we came here with you to avenge the death of our leader. Lageena’s dead and the tie to Merglan has been severed. We can now return to the safety of our Enlightened Forest where the sorcerer can’t touch us.”
Nadir stepped back, slighted by his soldier’s opinion. “Are you suggesting we abandon the world to Merglan’s control?”
“Not at all, my King. I am suggesting that we survive his wrath. From the protection behind Cedarbridge’s walls we can replenish the dragonriders and hold out until we’re in a position to pose a real threat to the sorcerer.”
Nadir searched the officer’s hardened expression. “You’d be condemning entire nations to slaughter. By holding back in our protective bubble, we’d be allowing evil to destroy free will in Kartania.”
“I stand firm in my belief, Commander, as do many of our race. We’re done fighting here and need to return home. The fate of the world depends on our ability to produce more dragonriders. You saw for yourself that we can’t rely on a single rider pair,” Nadir’s officer continued, his words an offense to the level of trust he’d held in Anders and Zahara.
Before Nadir could respond, Remli shouted, “And what about us!? When you leave, would you at least bring us home? Or will you just leave us behind because we’re all dead anyway?”
The elf’s face reddened and he responded with a frown, “I’m sorry, my King. Your army has spoken. We’re returning to the Everlight Kingdom. Our people need a ruler now more than ever. Bring us together and we might fight another day. Divide us and we’ll descend into chaos like the realm of humans.”
“And what of Anders, Zahara and Ivan? I will not abandon them here,” Nadir said.
“They have a dragon. If they survive, they can fly away. We don’t have that luxury. We need to move before Merglan can make a plan.”
“I am your King,” Nadir said.
“And we want you to continue to be our king,” the elf said. “But if you stay with the Lumbapi and we return home, the High Council will vote in our favor, for the preservation of life on this earth, and they’ll choose a new king.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Inama said. “You do what you want, elf. I’m leading my people to the Ramhorn. We’re moving out within the hour.” Inama waved her fellow Lumbapi to follow her and she limped away.
The elf officer addressed Nadir again, “We’ll begin loading the ships and wait for your decision before leaving. But we, too, need to leave this place.”
Nadir watched silently as his senior officers turned away. The Elf King turned to Remli and said, “What about Anders and Ivan? I can’t abandon them.”
“What happened to them?” Remli’s daughter asked before Remli could give Nadir a piece of his mind.
“Lageena, she used the crystal to transport them from the battle,” he felt at his side where he’d placed that crystal, forgetting he had taken it from her corpse.
“Lageena came back, but Anders, Zahara and Ivan didn’t,” Maylox said, looking toward Nadir’s feet.
“We can’t just give up hope for them,” Nadir said. “I refuse to leave them with no way of knowing what’s happened.”
Remli’s face turned a paler complexion as he heard the elf king’s grief, “We’re clearly outnumbered and now the Lumbapi are moving west. They don’t fight like we do and, with or without us, they’ll be effective with their guerilla warfare. We have hardened soldiers at Hardstone who will fight for the fate of the world. I don’t want to lose my good faith with the elves at such a critical time. We’re going to need to fight together if we want to win this war.”
“But you’ve seen what just happened. I’ve lost control. They won’t follow me anymore,” Nadir said.
“Being a leader is not about ordering your people to obey, it’s about making compromises, just like I’m about to do now,” Remli said. “Your people want you to lead. They need you to lead them, but they can’t have you lead them from here. We’re just sitting ducks for Merglan if we stay put, despite what I said about the good ground. Sure, if we had enough forces, we could put up a good fight and maybe win, but no one else seems to agree. So, I propose you go with your people and take us back to Eastland along the way. That way I can rally my army and lead a strike force against Merglan. You’ll need to convince your people that together we can defeat Merglan.”
“What about Anders and Ivan?” Nadir asked.
“From what I learned in my time spent around Ivan and Natalia, she won’t be going with you, not even if you ordered her. She’ll stay here with the Lumbapi until she learns more about what’s happened to them. And, at this point, a smaller extraction team led by some fierce dwarfs, Lumbapi guerillas and an elf or two would be the best way to get them out of trouble if Merglan’s found them.”
“You don’t think he’d kill them on the spot?” Nadir asked.
Remli shrugged, “He might. I would. But I’d be willing to bet he thinks he can control or convert them. That’s why he hasn’t just ridden in and killed them already. He’s obviously got a plan for them, so if Lageena somehow tricked them into getting close to Merglan and they got caught, I bet he’s going to hold onto them for awhile.”
Nadir nodded thinking over Remli’s theory.
“At the very least, I’ll want to leave a few people here with the Lumbapi. We’ll need to know where to strike when we return,” Remli said.
“I’ll stay,” Maylox offered.
“No,” Remli commanded, shaking his head. “You’re needed with me.”
“You didn’t want me with you when you came here, but now you need me to join you when you’re leaving?” she asked. “You’ve guaranteed me a position in the dwarf army; let me start here with this mission. I won’t let you down.”
Remli swelled with pride, “Well, no one will ever accuse you of not being like your old man.”
Maylox chuckled.
Remli nodded, “Yes, I need to let you go, don’t I? If this is what you truly desire, then you can stay.”
“I’ll task Natalia with staying, even though she would regardless. Solomon will follow the Lumbapi, as he did before, so that leaves us with some allies here among the Lumbapi.”
“Very well,” Remli said. “I’ll order my dwarfs to the ships. ‘Tuck tail and sail’ as I used to say to those Rollo Islanders.”
Nadir grinned, chuckling at the slight. He found Natalia resting against a tree, eyeing the Lumbapi soldiers. Kneeling next to her, Nadir handed her a small pouch.
“What’s this?” she asked, taking it.
“Keep it on you at all times for communication,” he said as she opened the pouch.
“Your father’s communication mirrors,” she said, sounding confused.
“Our people need convincing to stay in this fight. I need to lead them to make the right choice,” he paused, shaking his head. “I should be staying to help you seek out Anders and Ivan, but I can’t. The council will usurp my reign if I don’t follow our army home. That’s why you need to stay and keep me updated. Follow the Lumbapi and keep me in the loop. I’ll return with the full strength of the elven army and the dwarf army.”
Nadir rose to his feet once Natalia had nodded. “Serve me well, Natalia. Our rider’s fate may very well depend on it.” As Nadir walked back to the ships, he hoped Anders, Zahara and Ivan would be waiting for them at the Everlight Kingdom.