“Be careful, husband,” she said mouthed. “I will meet you later.”
“Yes, my darling. We will reunite in the castle when this is all over,” he replied, forcing a smile. “Farewell my friends,” he then said to the group. “May the First guide you and keep you whatever you decide to do.” Turning to Adain, he nodded goodbye and winked at his nephew. “Take them to the air shafts as soon as it is possible,” he whispered. “They must not stay here until the end.”
Adain bowed low to the King, comprehending his ominous meaning. Finally, Treestar looked at Davmiran standing there so youthful and innocent, seemingly unflustered by the events going on all around him. He drew in his breath.
“So much rests upon your young shoulders, my boy. The world awaits you. Firstspeed, and may the Gem of Eternity guide you home.”
With those final words, he glanced once more at Elsinestra and then turned and left the Chamber of the Stars.
Chapter Fifty-one
They swarmed over the hills and valleys, trampling whatever remained alive on the parched surface of the earth. There was no order or formation to their advance. They simply moved forward toward the woods of Lormarion. Some carried massive axes made of a black metal, honed upon the stone foundations of Sedahar. Hundreds of orcs marched with giant saw-toothed tools carried between them. War hammers and spears, swords and sabers, axes, crossbows and countless weapons of unrecognizable intent were pulled and drawn, towed and transported, pushed and lugged all the way from Sedahar. Those of Colton’s flock who were not up to the task of moving the heavy machines of war were dispatched forthwith, and others immediately took their places. Every creature knew that there was no turning back once the Dark Lord signaled the onset of the attack.
Leading the assault upon Seramour were fifty ogres, covered from head to toe in black leather, studded with metal spikes. Upon their enormous heads they wore metal caps, sharply pointed at the top. Their stocky bodies appeared neckless, and they used their heads like battering rams when they fought, skewering their enemies and then casually flinging the dead and dying bodies violently away.
Beneath and between these plodding beasts, it appeared as if the ground itself was dying as they advanced. A black shroud spread out over everything upon which they walked. At first, it was difficult to discern. The green of the countryside seemed to whither as they neared it. Bushes and grass, small trees and underbrush, anything that grew upon the plains of Lormarion disappeared beneath their feet, and all that was left behind was a barren and parched field, void of all organic matter.
Looking closely, one could see long scythe-like tools in the ogre’’s hands that they continually scraped across the ground as they walked. Left to right, they raked the surface, like herders keeping a flock moving. And upon closer examination, one could see that the darkness that rolled over the landscape, like a black carpet being spread out before the advancing army, was itself alive. Larger than the monstrosities that attacked the city from the skies, droves of voracious insects consumed everything in their paths upon the surface. As they neared the woods, the ogres directed them toward their ultimate goal; the massive trees of Lormarion upon which the city of Seramour was perched.
Colton knew that the lifts which transported all the people, goods and services into the city would be sealed from above. But as his legions attacked from the sky, he wanted to be certain that no one could escape through the woods. Behind the ogres and the ravenous bugs marched the remainder of the army of Sedahar. It poured into Lormarion and spread itself throughout the woods. Every group of thirty orcs accompanied by a giant troll, after reaching its appointed destination, dumped a cauldron of burning coals, each carried by six of the dark skinned beasts, onto the forest floor. They then threw whatever twigs and branches they could gather on top of the embers and watched gleefully as they burst immediately into flame.
While the insects began their efforts to gnaw at the giant Noban trees, trying to embed their hard, pointed beaks into the surfaces, the orcs danced around their bonfires, keeping themselves entertained by stripping each and every sapling and smaller tree they could find of their branches and leaves, and carelessly tossing the pieces into the conflagration. Within a short period of time, hundreds of fires had sprung up everywhere, and they cast a nightmarish glow upon the once calm and peaceful environs.
After the city was reduced to a burning ember and the heir was either dead or captured, Colton would allow his creatures to devour what remained of the structural underpinnings of the city. He was certain this time that they had no means to stop the spawn of his evil. Unlike at the debacle before the gates of Pardatha, Calista could no longer come to their assistance. Those few whose power was great enough to challenge him had not surfaced for tiels. Soon, he knew, they would be compelled to defy him, but by then it would be too late for Seramour. He basked in the idea of watching the great city crash down on the floor of the decimated woods of Lormarion.
The final demise of Seramour, the beloved and legendary city of the elves, a city always believed to be impervious to any assault, would mark the beginning of the end; the first historic step toward dissolution. When all hope was gone, when the blistering fires of Sedahar burned upon the skies of Seramour, in their hour of darkness and their deepest despair, the Dark Lord would arrive. As he had done before in Gwendolen, he would decimate the royal house of Lormarion, and then he would destroy the legend itself. The world would recoil in shock and desperation, and the tide would continue to turn in his favor.
Adrianna kept pace with the other Forsaken, all dressed in the red clothes of battle that characterized them so well. They each had a designated area to which they would proceed once they reached the shelter of the woods. Their job was to make sure that no one at all escaped from the city above. Ruffin, the renegade elf, had given them so much useful information. He informed them of the location of all the air shafts, tunnels and hidden lifts. They knew as much about the secrets of Seramour as anyone inside the city, and they intended to put this invaluable information to good use.
I would love to see the expressions on the faces of the people when they see an elf leading the attack
, she thought to herself.
They think they are so noble, when in fact they are no different than any of the other beasts that walk this earth. They succumb to greed and envy as easily as the meanest of ogres. I wonder though, why Colton favors him so. Is it because he has betrayed his people so completely, or is it because he is an elf and he too believes that the race is high and mighty?
she speculated.
She walked to the spot to which she had been assigned, and now she was thankful that she was not placed by the main lifts in the center of the battleground. From her vantage point on the northern outskirts of the woods of Lormarion, she could relax a little for the first time. It would not be until the very end that she would encounter any fighting, and since her stomach was feeling a bit queasy she was grateful for that. At first she interpreted this choice as an insult, and she moped and sulked inwardly during the first hours of the march. Then she convinced herself that he must have chosen to keep her further away from danger and that he was being generous and protective.
She placed her hand on her abdomen and tried to feel the stirring inside her womb. It comforted her to know that this life grew therein.
He will surely love me when he finds out that I bear his child
, she thought, her chest puffed out with pride.
Soon, the forest was overwhelmed with the slaves of Sedahar, the warriors of the Dark Lord. Having no respect for the wonders of nature, the beauty and glory of Lormarion, they turned the lush paradise into a pit of debauchery and destruction. Fires burned everywhere, singeing the leaves and branches of any trees that grew nearby. Some burst into flame entirely, and with each flare up, those nearby cheered and watched as the foliage turned to ash. Mighty trunks were hewn and great trees were toppled throughout the woods. The air glowed eerily from the light of the fires and hung heavily with the dark smoke from the countless blazes. It was a macabre scene that played out upon the once serene stage of Lormarion that day.
Almost all of the wildlife had long since vanished with the first approach of the invaders. What few sad and helpless creatures who were too young or too weak to escape soon enough, were slaughtered and roasted, regardless of their breed. Hugh cauldrons were set up upon pyres, and a dark liquid boiled and bubbled inside each. Debris and waste was strewn carelessly in all quarters, turning the forest into an almost unrecognizable pit of abomination. And the enemy kept coming. By the thousands, they marched into the sacred woods of Lormarion.
The rapacious bugs had begun their destructive task. Having already decimated the ground cover on their approach, they set about attacking the mighty Nobans that grew far and near, directed to the more important ones by the ogres who drove them on. The wood was hard and dense, and at first it seemed as if the hideous insects were not up to the task; that Colton had not bred them to be strong enough to infiltrate the wood. They scurried all over and jostled with one another for space so that they could attempt to ram their pointed snouts into the hard wood of the trees.
Even the dense Nobans, whose trunks were as firm as most stone, had fissures in their surface in places, and these persistent insects sought them out inexorably. Those that found a weak spot wasted no time whatsoever in inserting themselves into it and undertaking to devour the softer pulp that lay just under the bark. Once the surface was breached, hundreds of other bugs flocked to the orifice, and they pushed their way in behind the first one, spreading quickly in all directions. In some cases it took hours, while in others the weaknesses were discovered quickly. But in almost every instance, the great and mighty Nobans were being devoured, albeit slowly, by these horrible pests.
Above these hellish surroundings, in the skies over Seramour, another ghastly situation was rapidly developing. Treestar had left the Chamber of the Stars as quickly as he could in order to join his troops below. Elsinestra leaned over the wall, and from the great height of the tower, she watched her beloved scurry across the woven wood of the surface. She saw him as he was greeted by his loyal generals and she looked on expectantly as he mounted the sturdy pony he preferred to ride. She was so anxious to keep him within her sight for as long as possible, that she did not even notice the enemy as it swooped down out of the pitch black sky directly toward her.
A giant, bee-like beast darted through the clouds and dove like a missile, point blank for the Queen. Its beak, like a honed sword, extended from its snout at least five feet in length. As it careened downward, it made a shrill sound that finally drew Elsinestra’s attention away from her husband’s departure. She turned to look upward in order to see where the noise was coming from, and she thus exposed her face and chest to the onrushing monster.
Atop its back, sitting on a small leather saddle with loops like stirrups hanging from its side, was a rider with its arm extended in the air and with its hand grasping a mace with a studded iron ball dangling from its end. Together, they came rushing down upon the unsuspecting woman at an unbelievable speed. The rest of the group in the chamber heard the sound as well, but they too were preoccupied with other thoughts and considerations. Robyn was still standing with Davmiran, while Filaree and Cairn were staring out over the opposite wall and attempting to determine just how bad the situation in the city was. Only Adain was near enough to her to assist in any way, but he too was looking elsewhere and was not aware of what was transpiring.
Robyn turned toward the disturbance. Once he realized the danger he conjured a barrier of air to protect the elfin Queen, but he too was too late to prevent the collision. The beast swooped in at an incredible velocity with its saber-like beak heading directly for Elsinestra. She turned to face it and realized in horror that an elf rode upon its back. Aghast, she raised her arms to protect herself.
Ruffin shrieked a familiar elfin battle cry and swung his weapon over his head. He wanted so to be the one to deal the death blow to the Queen of Seramour. Adain caught sight of the descending invader as it approached the Queen, when he turned his eyes toward the sky after being startled by Robyn’s sudden movement. He shouted a word of warning, knowing only too well that Elsinestra could not react quickly enough now to avoid the attack. As the enemy drew nearer, Adain saw the ghoulish expression upon the aggressor’s face, and he knew that he would have only one opportunity to prevent him from killing the Queen. He could see immediately that this dark warrior was clearly possessed and that it was too late to deter his course.
The true-hearted elf dove from where he was standing, smothered his aunt with his own body and took her to the ground in the process. Ruffin swooped in swinging the deadly ball and he caught Adain with it on the side of his head, knocking him violently sideways and onto his back. Shrugging off the searing pain, Adain rolled over once more on top of Elsinestra and still shielded her from the invader, though his face was bloodied and battered.
The renegade elf dove still again, but the Queen was completely covered by her wounded nephew’s body. In frustration, Ruffin struck Adain repeatedly on the back. His body went limp in response, though he had already stretched his arms out wide beforehand so that little if nothing of the Queen was exposed.
Ruffin pulled upon the reins he used to direct the flying monster and rose precipitously into the dark sky. The others rushed to Adain’s side and they moved him carefully as close to the wall as they could, seeking to use that as shelter against another attack. Elsinestra squirmed out from under his limp body and immediately attempted to determine the extent of his injuries. By this time, the blood was seeping onto the stone of the floor from more than one gaping wound in Adain’s head and back.
“Close the roof,” she shouted to Cairn and pointed to a lever.
Cairn rushed to where she indicated, pulled upon the handle and the slats of the ceiling immediately began to rise. Ruffin, seeing the Queen alive and unharmed, turned his hideous mount abruptly. With its wings tucked tightly to its side, it dove once again, making a shrill and frightening sound as it neared the chamber.
The roof was closing too slowly. It had not been designed for protection. Ruffin realized he would have one more opportunity to attack and he urged the animal on recklessly. With its pointed beak heading directly for Elsinestra’s chest, it dove through the narrowing opening in the high ceiling.
From the other side of the chamber, a streak of light arced toward the descending danger. No wider than a ribbon, it wrapped itself around the head and body of the beast at an astonishing speed, shoving it into the wall. Ruffin fell, slamming hard into the stone. Davmiran pointed his finger at Ruffin and another ribbon of light bound him fast as well.