The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) (11 page)

Kishi
smiled at her sibling’s reaction to the truth.
 
Everything was going better than she could have wished for.
 
She had sufficiently provoked her sister into
attacking her verbally.
 
That should give
everyone sufficient doubt in her ability to rule.
 
She just needed to egg Kira on a little more
to reach her breaking point.
 
Now she
would attack the queen’s illegitimate husband who was king.
 
He will
be the perfect trigger to push her over the edge
.

“Dear
sister, you question my right to come here to petition this just council of
high elves?
 
What about your own
violation of our laws in marrying a member of a different race?
 
Have the laws changed for everyone in this
regard, or did we bend the rules for you and this pathetic excuse for a
spouse?
 
Haven’t you defiled yourself
enough by marrying him?
 
Why bring these
good people down with you through your inept leadership?”
 
She had a triumphant smile on her dark
face.
 
She had done it.
 
Let the
storm come. I am ready!

Kira
sent shards of ice hurtling toward her sister, who deflected the darts just
enough to prevent major damage.
 
She
wanted it to appear that she was unprepared for this attack.
 
Many of the icy daggers had pierced her
clothing and grazed her skin.
 
Blood
began to trickle down her sides as she struggled to stand erect.

“What
did I do to deserve this treatment, queen?
 
I am your sister. Why do you attack me so?
 
As a leader, you cannot allow for your
passions and anger to rule your judgment.
 
You must think outside yourself.”
 
Kishi, with the help of the queen’s guard, stood all the way up now to make
the declaration she had come to make this day.

“I
feel that my sister is not a competent leader, so I have taken it upon myself,
the rightful heir, to start anew.”
 
The
queen looked shocked for an instant, and then her countenance fell.

“I
have established the true kingdom of the high elves on Mount Konane without the
help of the deceitful guardians.
 
All
those who wish to join us will be welcome on our mountain kingdom.
 
What I have done cannot be construed as
treason because I have followed the laws of our people.
 
I have set up a monarchy that is in keeping
with the right of rule established by high elven law.
 
I vow to lead the people by their voice and
limit bureaucracy to fulfill their purpose and nothing more.”
 
She winced from the pain from the cuts on her
sides.
 
She turned around and used her
magic to blast open the doors of the hall and departed into the unrelenting
storm.

***

As
the council’s meeting was beginning, Jaali met with the people who had gathered
together for their departure to the east.
 
From their vantage point, they could just see the outer wall and the
massive gate.
 
There were only four
guards protecting the entrance because of the high security at the council
chambers.
 
The people began to murmur
amongst themselves that their escape would come off without a hitch.
 
However, as the black storm clouds began to
move in, many feared that this was an ominous sign that what they were about to
do was wrong.

Jaali
immediately took control of the situation.
 
“The clouds you see overhead were created by our friend Lord
Dükker.
 
He felt that a little darkness
along with rain would assist in keeping our departure secret.”
 
He knew something of how to inspire people
and how to cajole others into accepting what he said.
 
The people seemed to understand and had a
surge of new hope to move forward with their plans.

“By
the time our queen has made known to the council what her intentions are; we
will be off this mountain.
 
The rain will
slow any pursuit if they choose to act so rashly.”
 
He was a natural at this kind of
leadership.
 
He knew that he would get
all of the people off this mountain and not get caught in the process.
 
“Tenanden will guard our retreat from any
possible pursuit.
 
As you can see now,
the guards at the gate have been dealt with.” He gestured toward the main
entrance.
 
“They have not been harmed,
just rendered unconscious.
 
The doors
will be open by the time we reach them, so let’s move out.”

The
group that departed that day was not pursued.
 
They made it all the way to their new home without seeing another
soul.
 
The total number of those that
left the main body of the high elves under Queen Kira’s rule was just a little
more than half the total number of people.
 
Many of them were traditionalists who felt that King Ciel was not bad
but that he had lost control of the kingdom.
 
They saw Queen Kishi as a powerful leader who would not allow the rule
of her people to suffer the same fate as the elves.
 
They also understood that Kira was leading
them down a treacherous road with all of the rules and laws she had personally
broken.

General
Yukio called a halt to his vanguard.
 
They had just caught a glimpse of their homeland of Nairi off in the
distance.
 
He whistled three sharp blasts
that sounded very near to the call of a warrior hawk.
 
Silence was the only answer before the call
was actually returned.
 
A dark spot
appeared on the horizon and appeared to be getting bigger and bigger as it
neared their position.
 
It was obvious
that a bird of some kind was approaching at a very fast pace.
 
This was the hawk that the general had
apparently called to.
 
The bird went into
a steep dive as he approached the group.
 
Yukio stuck his arm out, and his faithful servant landed lightly.
 
He gave his trusty companion some food and
stroked his chest affectionately.

“I
need you to carry a couple of important messages for me,” he said to his
feathered friend.
 
He tied two messages
onto each leg of the warrior hawk.
 
The
messages contained requests for a meeting with the government of the new nation
of high elves.
 
This first trip to his
homeland was important for him to make not only because he had been gone from
the service of Queen Daria for far too long, but also to request her presence
at a summit at the capital city of Alanderas.
 
He needed to explain what had happened and to ask for military
support.
 
He had a very difficult task in
front of him.
 
The messages on the hawk
were for the kings of men.

The
hawk took off with an unexpected urgency as if Yukio had somehow communicated
to him the necessity of ensuring the messages were delivered as fast as
possible.
 
The warrior hawk was heading
in the direction of King Leroy Ishrafle of the realm of Landen.
 
Yukio thought that he would get a positive
reply from him regarding Queen Kira’s request.
 
When he had the king’s reply, the hawk would return with it to his
master before he delivered the next message.
 
His next stop would be King Derek Udrugi of the Forest of Aran.
 
The general was not as sure about that particular
reply.
 
He knew that the Udrugi was close
with the elven king and would not be happy about the division.
 
It remained to be seen if he would come or
not.

“What
do you think will be your queen’s reply to our summons?” questioned Bronwen
Merindiel.
 
He eyed the general passively
as he waited for an answer.

“Well,
I would understand if she was angry with me, but I do not believe she will turn
her back on the high elves in their hour of need.
 
She will respect my judgment in this matter,”
General Yukio said with great confidence.

“Are
we going to visit any of the dwarven kingdoms?
 
They would be very important allies to have if a war comes of this,”
said Bronwen.
 
He continued to watch the
general as they rode along the path that led down to Nairi.

“We
will visit King Edric Nognili at his island kingdom of Mount Ennis,” Yukio replied.
 
“He may not personally come to the summit,
but he will likely send someone in his stead.
 
I believe he will provide us with provisions, armor, and weapons.
 
He does not like to get involved in other
people’s affairs.
 
He has the only
dwarven warriors’ close enough to us to do us any good, so that is why we will
visit him.
 
The mighty kings Jarvis
Dagnolir and Kasim Thokrög are too far to the south for a visit.
 
I will send my hawk to deliver messages to
them once the other kings of men have had their invitations delivered.”
 
His eyes were focused on the beautiful cliffs
of Nairi. He did not notice the looks that Bronwen was giving him.

“That
sounds like a prudent course of action.
 
What of the giants?
 
Will we visit
them?” queried the chairman.

“When
the queen and I were speaking with Mistress Kana, she gave us the impression
that they would side with the elves.
 
It
would not be wise to venture into their realm. We may not come out again.
 
We should not send them any messages either
because that would give away our plans.
 
Secrecy is vital to our success where they are concerned.”

“With
a guardian on our side, we cannot fail.
 
I believe that there is great wisdom in not involving the giants.
 
They are too unpredictable and violent.
 
They would ruin our plans even if they were
on our side.
 
Their aggressive tendencies
have made them an isolated people.
 
Even
King Ciel could not deal with them for very long,” Bronwen explained.

“Well
put, my good friend.
 
Our hope lies with
men and dwarves.
 
They are powerful
allies in seasons of peace and even more so in times of war.
 
We must be persuasive in our meetings with my
queen and with King Edric.
 
Those two
alone would provide us with sufficient protection and much needed
supplies.
 
When we meet with Queen Daria,
please allow me to do the talking at first.
 
I will need to explain my actions and seek her forgiveness.
 
I will let you explain the division that has
taken place.
 
Then we will ask for her
support together,” Yukio explained.

Bronwen
nodded in agreement with Yukio’s plan.
 
He understood that the queen may not be too happy at first because her
general had not reported back for many months.
 
He knew that Yukio was a very persuasive man and would succeed in
securing her pardon.
 
Then he could
present the case for Queen Kira and the high elves.
 
Obtaining the military support of the Nairian
army would be vital to their success.
 
Their first meeting was the most important.
 
His thoughts were beginning to consume him so
much that he did not take notice of the immense beauty of the ragged canyon
lands that the general called home.
 
He
knew that he must succeed in securing the support of the people of Nairi if
their new nation was going to survive.

The
small group continued their journey into the canyon lands as the sun began to
wane.
 
Far to the west the sun was
setting and the clouds overhead turned an auburn color.
 
Mount Ennis could be barely seen, but it too
looked like it was alive with the evening colors.
 
It was truly a picturesque scene that they
took in while descending the steep canyon switchbacks.
 
Torches lined the path as they continued down
to the canyon floor.
 
They needed to
reach the palace before too long, or they would have to make camp for the night
and meet with the queen in the morning.
 
They wanted to meet with her before night fell so they could have a nice
place to sleep.

As
they turned another winding corner, Queen Daria’s palace came into view.
 
It was a wonder to look at because of the way
it was constructed.
 
The structure was
built into the side of the canyon walls.
 
All of the dwelling places were constructed in this manner.
 
There were no freestanding buildings in the
entire kingdom.
 
Their construction was
very similar to the dwarven mountain homes.
 
The dwarves had a special affinity for the people of Nairi because of
their many similarities.
 
Most of the
people were miners and blacksmiths, which made them very close with their
dwarven neighbor on the island of Mount Ennis.

The
front of the palace was made of smooth marble, which could withstand the harsh
winds that frequently assailed the canyons.
 
There were symbols carved into the marble that represented their
different gods.
 
These carvings were
filled with silver and gold to represent the various guardians.
 
They believed that the elementals were their
personal deities.
 
This was yet another
similarity between the dwarves and this particular nation of men.
 
As they approached the entrance, they were
met by the captain of the home guard.
 
Commander Zareh Hacus bowed slightly to General Yukio as they approached
the gates outside the queen’s home.

“General,
the queen has been expecting you,” Commander Hacus said stoically.

“Commander
Hacus, how good it is to see you, my old friend!” barked Yukio as he slid off his
beautiful steed and shook hands hardily with the commander.

“I
hope that you have been well, General.
 
We have missed you dearly these many months.
 
We have not heard anything aside from the
troops who returned to us with the tale of an elf witch saving you all from a
pack of demonic wolves,” the commander said with a genuine tone of
concern.
 
He was very much the senior of
the general in years and had many silver hairs to prove it.
 
He had been the head of the queen’s home
guard for many years.
 
While the
commander and the general spoke pleasantly to one another, General Yukio had
never fully trusted Zareh.
 
Yukio was
never able to read his thoughts or intentions.
 
He considered this to be a sign of someone who was hiding something.

“Dear
friend, I am well.
 
I will need to speak
with her majesty tonight.
 
I want to
explain the events of the past few months right away.
 
Is she expecting us straight away?” queried
the general.

“She
is. She ordered me to take you to her as soon as you arrived.
 
I will warn you right now that she is not
entirely happy with you.
 
She has been
worried that you were killed by that elf witch.
 
She has stopped all trade and communications with King Ciel until he
answers for what had happened to you.
 
I
think you are wise in your desire to explain your actions right away,” replied
Commander Hacus.

“Then
let us waste no more time; please lead the way,” commanded the general kindly.

As
they entered the palace gate, everyone except Yukio was in awe.
 
They had expected tight enclosed spaces
inside instead of a vaulted roof.
 
There
were murals of battles and of the Nairi canyons on the ceiling.
 
It too had the appearance of being made of
marble.
 
There were massive pillars on
both sides of the aisle that they were being led down.
 
Torches were positioned on every pillar to
provide visitors with sufficient light.
 
The images on the ceiling had an ominous feel to them in the flickering
light, which made them appear to be alive.
 
The only sound that could be heard was the echoing of their
footsteps.
 
Everyone had the feeling that
they were being watched.
 
The home guard
lay safely concealed in the shadows as they passed them by.
 
Their unseen eyes watched the vanguard
carefully for any indication of a possible assassination attempt.
 
They no longer trusted elves, and the general
was surrounded by them, so they were on edge.

They
came to another chamber, which was much brighter than the previous one.
 
Apparently this was the receiving room for
foreign dignitaries.
 
The queen was
seated on a raised platform at the opposite end of the hall.
 
She was very fair and beautiful to look
upon.
 
She did not have a beautiful look
on her face however.
 
She was clearly displeased
with her general and with his traveling mates.
 
Her look was one of utter disgust as she looked at the elves.
 
Clearly she blamed them for Yukio’s
unexplained absence.
 
She fixated on her
general as he approached.
 
He took one
knee and bowed his face to the floor in a show of reverence.
 
The high elves followed suit hurriedly after
seeing the nasty look from Queen Daria.

“General,
please stand up and explain your actions.
 
We have been worried,” the queen said with genuine concern.
 
If
these elves have done anything to Yukio, there will be bloodshed tonight!

“Your
majesty, please forgive the lateness of my return.
 
I hope that you will understand and accept my
humblest apology.
 
I will explain, in
great detail, what has transpired since the attack by the pack of wolves,” the
general said with another bow.