LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8 - The Second Meeting
Two years went flying by, and John being a very fast learner, had finished his training, or at least finished what was in the folder. Whatever else he would learn must come from experience, which he knew well enough.
During his free time, the Wizard-Elf had talked to most of his old friends, but only most, because not all of the old gang survived the fourteen years of waiting. Two had lived their dreams of being Ves-guards and had great adventures, which they loved to tell all who would be willing to hear. Unfortunately, in the end they paid a heavy price for those dreams and adventures, as they died within just two days of each other.
The first was Veris, the very talented Wicca. She was killed while trying to hold the bridge of the fifth waters, which is on the very boarders of their own country Opredanas. The second, Jebut, died only a day before John and Helen arrived in Dorminya. He was killed from behind while trying to defend one of the many colonies close to the boarders.
John was devastated to hear the terrible news, and although he hadn’t seen them in seven years, he mourned for them greatly, his old dear friends.
When he wasn’t reminiscing with old friends, he was showing Helen the Wizard and Witch World. He had taken her to Cayer-Huld, their largest City where most of the Wizards, Wicca’s, and Warlocks live and work. He also took her to Rengeral Training College for Apprentice Wizards, and even to Hadfold’s School of Witchcraft, where the young Wicca’s and Warlocks go to hone their powers. Helen was not surprised to see that there wasn’t much of a difference between the two.
She loved living there and had no problem expressing it. She told everyone, and she certainly had no intentions in ever leaving again. Though she liked being Queen, she knew that one-day the true reason why they left their Normal lives behind would catch them up. It worried her beyond all reason day and night, even after all of the reassurances from their friends old and new. She still couldn’t forget all she had been told. She remembered John’s words to her after she saw there were only four representatives of the six main races of Dorminya at the council meeting the first day they arrived. She had wandered why. When asked by his wife, John simply said, “It’ll only worry you as it does me.”
Not satisfied with his reply, she pressed and pressed at him until he finally gave in and told all.
“The reason there were only representatives from four of the main kingdoms of Dorminya (which were Dwarves, Elves, Wizards and Witches, and the Men of the Morden) was because the Eagle-Men of Kealhal were secretly attacked, overthrown and wiped out by Ulicoth’s army and by Kilamen,” he told her.
It was John that had found out what had happened, for he had befriended the immortal Wolf Demala, although he did not fully trust the talking Wolf, as he had heard of the terrible crimes he had committed while in his human form. Although mistrustful, the King could not very well ignore this terrible information. So he had the claims of his new friend investigated and had found the terrible tragedy to be true.
The mistrust John had felt toward the once-dark Wolf lifted a little, though he still knew to be wary of him, for it was well known that the Wolf had once worked under Salith himself for the promise of release from the curse that bounds him to that eternal body. The truth of the matter is that Demala had not always been a Wolf. He was once a man and nephew to the King of the once-powerful land of Phadkew.
By the time the Wolf had told John the news of the Eagle-Men, it was too late. Only a handful of the giant eagles survived, but unfortunately they moved to the unmapped lands and have not been seen since.
When all was finally realized, letters were sent to those the Wizards and Witches considered potential allies, and all agreed to meet. All, of course, but the Men of the Tarlonal in the land of Frepwen, who had all vowed to never be involved in anything that the Morden were involved in. For they have been mortal enemies for many a year and would kill their cousins before lifting a single finger to help them?
At the Towers of Telian, the council of the four races held yet another meeting, and this time Helen was invited. She had taken an active role in all council meetings and enjoyed doing so. At the end of this meeting the council had decided that the time had come to bring their forces together.
“Finally, we will attack the fortress of Wulfed and rid the world of the evil of Ulicoth and Kilamen,” said the Dwarf lord, Eiaten.
It took only sixteen days for everyone to arrive. For the armies of the four races had been on standby for two whole years.
The Elves were the first to arrive, closely followed by the Dwarves, and together they waited with the Wizards and Witches for the men to arrive. They did not have to wait very long, as the men were not far behind the Dwarves, who themselves had run all the way from the great city of Eiaten, which is located under the Twin Mountains of Duilsan. The Dwarf city was named after the Lord of those mountains and was the largest of their empire.
Taden, Eiaten’s cousin, was stationed on the second balcony of the right tower. He was not the only one there, as there were two Wizards and an Elf as well.
One could be forgiven for thinking that all were there purely out of friendship, but as always. There was an alternative reason. The Wizards came simply because the building belonged to them. The Elf was there out of helpfulness. As his sight was better than the others, it seemed right for him to be there. Last of all the Dwarf was there, funnily enough, simply because the others were there.
Eiaten, seeing that the Elf was allowed to stand and look, thought that it was only fair and that one of his own be allowed there too. Everyone wondered why Taden was there, for all knew that a Dwarf’s sight is very limited, and he couldn’t possibly see what he needed to, but John saw no harm in Eiaten’s little game and let the Dwarf stay where he was, simply because he knew that Eiaten would love to have an excuse to start something on that day in particular. So there the four stood looking for any sign of the men.
There was moistness in the air that day, and a light fog rolled along sluggishly. The grassy land was saturated after the downpour the night before, though the sky was clear, apart from little puffs of white cloud gently floating past. And although the sun was high in the sky, the trees of the forest behind the Towers made it impossible to see if there was anyone moving their way until they would clear the tree line.
“What do you see cousin?” shouted Eiaten.
“Nothing yet,” replied Taden.
The Elf, Avelan, who was the brother of Feudel, the master of the great Elvin City of Haludon, had caught sight of something with his keen eyes. There were five figures moving closer to their position.
“THERE ARE FIVE OBJECTS COMING OUR WAY!” he shouted to those below.
“Where are they? I don’t see anything,” said Taden as he looked to the edge of the forest.
“Not there, Taden. There,” said Avelan. He pointed to five dots in the sky moving ever closer to them.
“Yes,” said Taden, “now I see them.” But to him they were faint fuzzy blurs.
John rushed to the balcony he jumped straight on to it from the ground. “Where are they, Avelan?” he asked.
“There,” said the Elf as he pointed to them again.
“It’s all right,” said Delsani, who was standing below them. “They’re Wicca’s and Warlocks whom the Council of Witchcraft sent to us. They decided they don’t want to be left in the dark, so they’re sending some of their most talented people to join us.”
Helen wanted to see what everyone up there found so fascinating. “What’s going on?” she asked as she came up behind the old Wizard.
“They can see the Witches who were sent by the Council of Witchcraft, that’s all.”