Von Kessel and the reiksmarshal passed through the gatehouse, under the murder holes and hanging portcullis, marching purposefully towards the courtyard, which was also lit with cold blue light. The reiksmarshal and Stefan froze mid-stride as they came out of the gloom of the gatehouse.
The great dragon they had witnessed that afternoon filled the space in front of them. It was sitting like a cat, its rear legs folded beneath it and its front legs straight. Its massive tail, easily thirty feet long, curled around its legs. The thin tapering tip of the tail flicked back and forth angrily. Its wings were folded on its back, and its head was held high and proud, almost as high as the gatehouse itself. It glared down at the two humans maliciously, its eyes narrow, a deep hiss slipping from its serpentine throat. It tensed its claws, ripping up the massive flagstones of the courtyard.
Two figures moved into view. One was the female sorceress that Stefan had spied upon the battlements earlier that day. The other was the tall dragon rider, still dressed in his battle gear. They walked across the courtyard, moving gracefully, like dancers. The woman said something to the man, who did not respond. She spoke again, more sharply, and he replied softly.
She walked towards Stefan and the reiksmarshal, while the man turned and spoke in a sing-song voice to the dragon. It was still glaring balefully at the two humans, smoke rising from its nostrils and a dull rumble emanating from deep within its chest, like the growl of a hundred angry dogs.
The dragon rider spoke a word sharply, and the dragon turned its gaze to him. It blinked its eyes and growled, before unfurling its giant wings and springing high into the air. Beating its wings powerfully, sending leaves and wind swirling around the courtyard, it flew off into the night.
'Greetings, men of the Empire,' said the female elf in perfect Reikspiel. Her voice was clear and crisp, and she enunciated her words carefully. She was beautiful, in a ghostly, haunting way. Her eyes were the softest violet, and her skin was flawless white, almost translucent in its perfection.
'Greetings, my lady,' spoke the reiksmarshal, bowing low to her. Stefan too bowed, somewhat stiffly.
'I am named Aurelion. This is my cousin,' she said, motioning towards the tall dragon rider who was now at her side, 'the prince Khalanos.'
'I am Wolfgange Trenkenhoff, reiksmarshal and commander of the armies of the Empire, my lady. This is Captain Stefan von Kessel.' The lady Aurelion nodded her head gracefully to the two men of the Empire. The tall prince stood impassively, no emotion or recognition of the two men showing on his cold face, his eyes steely grey.
There was an awkward silence, and Stefan felt incredibly uncomfortable. The steely-eyed dragon rider, Prince Khalanos, regarded first him and then the reiksmarshal. Von Kessel did not know whether he should hold eye contact with the elf. He didn't know whether that was considered rudeness, or if it was a sign of weakness if he did not. He glanced at Aurelion, found her coolly regarding him, and flicked his gaze back to the icy prince. He decided that he would rather be seen as rude than as weak, and held the prince's gaze.
'It was a pleasure to fight our mutual enemy on the field of battle with you, once again, Prince Khalanos,' said the reiksmarshal, breaking the silence. Stefan was grateful that the prince switched his gaze to the reiksmarshal. 'As always, your skill and bravery do your people proud.' The prince did not respond, but bowed his head in acknowledgement.
'And we thank you, reiksmarshal and captain, for your efforts this day. Without your arrival, many more elves would have lost their lives and would be making their journeys to the realms beyond this one.'
'It is our pleasure and duty to have lent our aid, my lady Aurelion, although I am sorry that we did not arrive sooner, so as to have saved any elves from losing their lives on Empire soil. I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to those that have survived, and my utmost respect and gratitude to those who passed from life today.'
'Your lands are in ruin, it would seem.' said Aurelion. 'The war may have been won, but your people suffer.' 'They do indeed.' said the reiksmarshal. 'It is a hard time for us. Warbands of Chaos roam our lands slaughtering and burning. Plague spreads amongst our populace. Many are starving. We are most grateful for your aid in combating this evil today.'
'There is more evil to come before your land can begin to heal.' said Aurelion. 'A time of great darkness draws near. The enemies of the Empire are many and powerful, and your land lies defenceless.'
'Not defenceless, my lady. Even now, our armies scour the forests, rooting out the Chaos worshippers that have hidden themselves there. The warbands are many, but they are scattered and disordered. They are self-destructive, and have fallen into their usual habits, now that their leader has been slain. They battle each other, slaughtering their own kind as much as they fight us.'
'One has risen who could unite the scattered warbands. He has gathered almost nine thousand warriors to him and they are not in the far north - they are within the borders of the Empire as we speak.'
'Nine thousand? Gathered in one place? Surely that is not possible.'
'Nevertheless, it is true, I fear. A time of darkness grows near.'
'Tell me where you have seen this army, my lady, and we shall raise our armies to fight it. Tell us where this warlord is hidden.'
'He has taken to the seas. He seeks an ancient power: a power that he cannot be allowed to find.' 'He has left the Empire?' asked Stefan, the first words he had spoken since meeting the elves. The mage Aurelion turned her slanted, violet eyes towards him.
'He has, captain.'
'Then surely this is a good day for our lands, lady?'
Aurelion stared coldly at the captain. 'No, it is not a good day. If the enemy is allowed to retrieve what it seeks, then the truly dark days will return, for your Empire and for all enemies of Chaos.'
'What is it that they seek?' asked the reiksmarshal, throwing a sharp glance towards the captain.
'Something that would grant them much power. Something that they cannot be allowed to possess.'
'What would come to pass if they manage to retrieve this thing?'
'Darkness, fire and death. I cannot stress enough the importance of this in the... the language of your people.'
'If that is so, my lady Aurelion, then we must stop them. We of the Empire have always trusted the council of the elves of Ulthuan. We will trust it now.'
'Indeed it would be unwise for you to ignore my warning.'
'Do you know where the forces of Chaos seek this source of darkness?'
'I do.'
'And what, do you propose, is the best way for us to combat this foe? The Empire port of Marienburg is some days' travel. It will take nigh-on a week for a message to reach it, and for ships to be sent. We will have lost the scent of our quarry by then.'
The mage Aurelion turned towards her companion, the dragon rider Khalanos, and nodded almost imperceptibly to him. The muscles in his jaw twitched, and his eyes narrowed.
'It has been many years since I had need to converse in your crude tongue.' the prince said curtly. 'I shall speak but briefly. More of the ships of my fleet will arrive in the night - I sent them to engage the cursed Norse. Already I have lost many elves to them. They will be mourned in Ulthuan. At the height of noon tomorrow, my ships will leave this shore to seek our foe. There will be room for two thousand of your men below decks. There is room enough too for your horses, reiksmarshal, for I lost many Silver Helms this day. Two thousand more men can ride on the decks of my ships if they have no fear of the seas.'
'You are most gracious, Prince Khalanos, to allow us aboard the vessels of fair Ulthuan.' said the reiksmarshal. Prince Khalanos merely nodded.
'You will bring none of your foul black powder cannon aboard the ships of Ulthuan.' said the prince. 'Dwarf inventions have no place on elf ships.'
'Truly, I am loath for my soldiers to leave the soil of the Empire when it is at its most vulnerable, but if that is what must happen, then so it must be.'
'You are wise for one of your kind, Reiksmarshal Wolfgange Trenkenhoff.' said Aurelion.
'However, I am the supreme commander of the armies of the Empire. I cannot leave the Empire without the consent of the Emperor Magnus. I will not lead the Empire forces that accompany you, Prince Khalanos. Captain von Kessel will lead in my stead.'
'As you wish it.' said Aurelion. Stefan felt the cold eyes of Prince Khalanos regarding him. 'Neither shall I be joining the pursuit.' continued Aurelion. 'I am to travel to the city of Altdorf and join with Lord Teclis. I am to aid him in his teaching your people of the ways of magic.'
Stefan cleared his throat, and everyone turned towards him. 'Is it wise, my lord, for our soldiers to be leaving the borders of the Empire at this time?' he asked. The reiksmarshal regarded him impassively, but anger flashed in his eyes.
'Long have we trusted the council of the elves, captain.' said the reiksmarshal diplomatically. 'You are right to be concerned for your Empire, as ever, but this is the course of action that we must take. I will send a messenger to the Emperor Magnus this night, informing him of this new development. Now, my lord and lady, we shall bid you goodnight, and leave to ready our troops.'
'Why do you bear those scars upon your face, human?' It was Prince Khalanos who spoke, and silence greeted his question. Stefan's face darkened. The reiksmarshal looked at him, frowning.
'It... I received them as a babe. My face was burnt.' he said finally.
'Burnt?' asked Khalanos coldly. 'An accident?'
'No.' said the captain. 'I... my grandfather brought shame upon my family. He was burnt at the stake for his crimes. It is this shame that I bear.'
The elf dragon prince frowned. 'You are a barbaric race.' said the elf, his mouth curled in distaste.
'Burnt at the stake... Is that not the manner of death within the Empire for those who consort with the powers of darkness?' asked Aurelion.
'It is, my lady.' said the reiksmarshal quickly, 'but von Kessel is utterly dedicated to the Empire and our cause, and a fervent follower of Sigmar, I assure you.' The reiksmarshal's words were dismissed with a slight shake of the head from the mage.
'No, I doubt that not.' she said, a slight frown creasing her delicate mouth. She regarded Stefan evenly, her eyes unblinking. He found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her gaze, both beautiful and uncomfortable. 'There is no taint in you, captain, nor is there any in your family.' With that, she turned on her heel and left, the stunned human trying to understand what her words meant. The dragon prince nodded to the reiksmarshal and left the two humans standing alone.
The older man slapped the captain on the shoulder with a heavy hand. 'Come.' he said, 'this is not the time to dwell on the words of an elf seer.' Von Kessel nodded dumbly, and the pair walked from the castle to rejoin their army.
'They are a
barbaric race.' the Dragon Prince Khalanos repeated, this time in the elegant language of his race.
'They have a certain... vitality about them.' said Aurelion.
'It is their short lives. Why did you tell the human that he had no taint in him?'
'He feared that he harboured the seed of Chaos within him, yet he does not.'
'But why tell him? What does it matter to us?' asked Khalanos. The elf mage shrugged her shoulders.
'He has a right to know.' she said. 'Will you be able to stop the enemy from discovering the body of the Chaos warlord?'
'We will stop them or we will not.' said Khalanos simply. 'The human warriors will help, but will it be enough? I know not. The humans must not learn that it was the duty of the elves to protect the body of the Chaos warlord, no matter what happens. None must learn that our wards have failed.'
Aurelion's eyes met with those of the dragon prince. She understood his words, and they saddened her. If word escaped that their wards had failed, then it may be discovered that the wards set on blessed Ulthuan itself were close to faltering. They needed Teclis to return to Ulthuan, but he was determined to aid the humans. She would travel to the Empire city of Altdorf and help him set up the colleges of magic. She would work hard so that Teclis could return home all the sooner.
'I will retire now, cousin. I will leave on the morrow to join with Lord Teclis. May your sleep be peaceful.' Aurelion said, and standing on her toes she kissed him lightly on the cheek. She left the dragon prince alone. His face was cold and impassive, proud and noble. He had seen the passing of over eight hundred years, and here he was helping fight in the wars of barbarous humans. He had argued against aiding the humans. 'Leave them to their own fate.' he had said. 'Their fate is our own.' had been the reply. He hoped that was not so, for he could not see the humans of the Empire surviving many more generations before being overwhelmed. They would be gone in the blink of an eye - a decade, a century, or three centuries perhaps, and then they would be gone. They would be forgotten by history.
Still, never would he let it be said that one of the noble-born princes of Caledor would shirk his duty. The Phoenix King himself decreed that the elves would aid the humans, and Khalanos would fight with all the strength and power that he possessed to do so.
Raising his head to the dark heavens above, he gave a shrill, reverberating whistle that carried far into the air. Within minutes, he could make out a serpentine shape descending through the darkness. He would ride the skies this night.
There was a
messenger waiting for the reiksmarshal when he and Stefan returned to the Empire camp. Receiving these dispatches, the pair of men retired to the reiksmarshal's tent. Stefan stood uneasily while the knight ripped open the wax-sealed parchments and spread them out on the table before him. Minutes passed as the reiksmarshal read the dispatches, turning the pages of the parchments impatiently. He swore softly.
'What is it, sir?' asked von Kessel, feeling uneasy. The reiksmarshal passed a page of parchment to him wordlessly. Stefan read over the document slowly. Reaching the end, he scanned over it again. He looked up, his face flushed red.