The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) (14 page)

“You
are definitely my rock and the light in the darkness.
 
I feel better already.
 
It was as if a weight had been lifted from my
shoulders as you spoke.
 
Let’s retire for
the evening. I have not slept much lately, but I think I will sleep well
tonight.
 
This whole nightmare will be
over soon enough, and we can finally move on,” she said while stifling a yawn.

“Yes,
let us get some rest dear.
 
Everything
will be all right.
 
I promise,” he said
as they left the balcony.
 
As long as I have breath in my lungs, I will
keep you from harm.

The
queen could not believe what she had just experienced in the council room.
 
She had no idea that Kishi was going to
divide this newly created nation in two.
 
She lay on her bed with that sick feeling ravaging her stomach.
 
She still could not shake the ominous,
dreadful sensation even though she just had the most gut-wrenching experience
she could have ever imagined.
 
She knew
that she should not have attacked her sister, but she simply could not believe
that her sibling would be so treacherous.
 
Anger and disbelief coursed through her body as she sat up to look at
her silent husband.

“I
thought you said she loved me and would be my biggest supporter!” she snapped
hotly.

“I
know what I said. Her time for understanding has not come yet.
 
Please be patient a little while longer. I am
sure she will come around.
 
Maybe the two
of you were meant to rule the high elves together.
 
Maybe by crowning you queen and making her a
princess caused an unintentional rift between you.
 
You know that I can read minds, so believe me
when I say that your sister does love you,” Yukio pleaded with his wife.
 
She had
better get a hold of herself now or all will be lost.

Silence
enveloped the room while they stared at one another.
 
The queen’s expression began to soften as she
felt her husband’s words bringing her a measure of peace.
 
She did not know what she would do without
the strong support of such a devoted husband.
 
He always knew exactly what to say and when to say it.
 
He had his flaws for sure, but he
complimented her in ways no one else could.
 
She felt the anger and frustration leave her body as though she was
slowly deflating.
 
She stood up and
walked to where Yukio was standing.

“You
are right…as usual.
 
I just do not know
what to do at this point.
 
Kishi must be
furious with me.
 
I think we will need to
establish some sort of ties, but I am not sure she will be too accepting after
what I did.
 
I am sure the people who
followed her will know by now what happened, so they will not support any
diplomacy with such an unstable ruler,” she said dejectedly.

“That
is a good point, my dear.
 
We do need to
strike some sort of accord with your sister and her people as soon as
possible.
 
Maybe I should take Bronwen
with me and head over there in a few days.
 
I do not think it would be prudent to go right now while everyone is
still agitated.
 
Also, you need to
address those who remained behind to renew their support of you as their
leader,” Yukio said decisively.

“Do
you really think diplomacy will work with those that left?” she asked.

“If
we are to survive an outside attack, then there must be peace between the two
mountain nations,” explained the general.
 
He wrapped his massive arms around his wife and held her close.
 
He was troubled in his mind about the recent
events, but he too did not know what to do.
 
He stood there lost in his own thoughts, holding on to his beautiful
wife.
 
Where has Kana gone?
 
Why has she
not helped us?

They
held each other for a long time while looking out the window at the pouring
rain.
 
Both were consumed by their own
thoughts and were not in the mood to talk anymore.
 
They were both determined to figure out the
best course of action before the day was out.
 
They watched passively as the home guard darted this way and that across
the royal courtyard.
 
The weather got
increasingly worse as the day wore on.
 
Finally the couple decided they had to do something aside from just
standing there.
 
They both left the room
heading in opposite directions.
 
Yukio
had to get back to his troops and give them their new orders while the queen
returned to the council room for a follow-up meeting.
 
A swift and decisive course of action was
needed.
 
These two would do just that in
their separate responsibilities.

The
troops under General Yukio’s command instantly snapped to attention at his
arrival.
 
He looked calm and in control
of the ever-eroding situation.
 
The
master manipulator immediately sensed that the men felt a diminished sense of
purpose.
 
He could tell that there was a
singular question amongst them regarding what should be done now.
 
Do they give chase to those who departed, or
do we just continue to defend the city?
 
He would have to put an immediate stop to the questions and doubts.
 
He would infuse purpose back into the men and
inspire them to greater heights.
 
He
called for the troops to come to attention, and complete silence fell; even the
rain seemed to have been silenced.

“About
half of the high elves have departed for Mount Konane while we were in that
dreadful meeting,” General Yukio declared solemnly.
 
“We will leave them alone for the time being
and even wish them well in their new endeavor.
 
Our goal will be to establish diplomatic ties with them, so whenever we
see one of the departed, treat them kindly.”
 
He was trying to impress upon the minds of the troops that they were not
to mistreat the high elves that left Alanderas.

“What
are our orders now, General?” asked one of the captains.

“We
are going to fortify the outer and inner walls of this great city.
 
No one will penetrate our defenses while we
still have breath in our bodies!
 
There
is a very real possibility that we will be attacked very soon.
 
The enemies of the high elves will think that
this is the right time to attack since there is a division among the
people.
 
We will prove them wrong!”
bellowed General Ibreshri.
 
His eyes were
blood red with intensity as he spoke.

The
whole army erupted into shouts of approval, and war chants soon drowned out the
yelling.
 
The excitement and anticipation
the men were feeling was palpable.
 
General Yukio cracked into a wide smile as he watched the enthusiasm of
his soldiers.
 
He felt reassured that the
defense of this massive city was in capable hands.
 
He knew that they would be able to defend
against anything or anyone that came at them now.
 
He had the feeling that some kind of war was
brewing and that there were going to be people from the different races
involved.
 
There will be many of the
powerful creatures of Tuwa who would be dragged into the conflict.
 
Maybe
even the elementals would get involved
somehow
.
 
He just knew that he had to be prepared for
whatever tried to breach the walls of Alanderas.

After
talking with the men, he headed to the council chambers where he knew he could
find his wife.
 
He needed to talk with
the high elven home guard to make sure they knew their role in defending the
city from assault.
 
The guard would have
the queen as their charge; nothing would change that.
 
Yukio would defend the city from external
attacks, but the queen would have to be defended from traitors by her
guard.
 
He was confident that they would
be equal to the task; however, he would make sure that they were properly
motivated.

As
he was walking toward the council chambers lost in his thoughts, he came across
the very person he had intended to talk to.
 
General Marek Thraadinal snapped to attention when Yukio came into
sight.
 
Marek was in charge of the army
of the high elves, diminished as they were in numbers.
 
The army doubled as the high elven home guard
because of their small size and because their main purpose was to defend the
capital city.
 
The two military leaders
looked at one another for a moment and then threw their arms around each other
in a hearty embrace.
 
They stood back
looking at one another appraisingly.

“My
dear old friend, how have you been?” queried General Marek.

“Better
than you from the looks of it,” General Yukio replied with a laugh and a hearty
slap on the back.
 
“I have not lost over
half my army.
 
How are the inner wall
defenses?”

“The
inner wall and the castle are impregnable.
 
Do not worry, my friend. I will keep your wife safe at all costs.
 
You do not hide your feelings in this matter
very well.
 
I thought you were the master
of controlling your emotions while manipulating others to do your will,” Marek
chided knowingly.

“If
you were anyone else, I would have you locked away for such brashness, but then
again, you were always good with words,” Yukio joked.
 
“I have come to talk to you about the
importance of maintaining the inner wall defenses as well as to give you some
vital information that will be needed to defend the queen against hidden attacks.”

“I
could use all of the intelligence I can get my hands on.
 
I fear there are some who would want to do
the queen harm.
 
I do not think these
attempts will come from without; they will come from within.”

“You
are very perceptive, my friend.
 
That is
my worry as well.
 
So, let me give you
some information that no one else has.
 
There are two secret entrances to the queen’s bedchambers.
 
The entrance to one is a magically hidden
door within the inner wall.
 
The door is
opened by tapping on the wall five times at the east end of the wall where it
meets the mountainside.
 
Make the sign of
the star with the five taps, and you will be given admittance.
 
This secret passage will lead to the portrait
on the right side of the queen’s bed.
 
Kira does not know about the secret doors, so be careful.”
 
If you
surprise her, it will probably be the last thing you ever do.

“I
understand what you mean.
 
I would not
want to surprise her; I would not survive the attack.”

“No
one would survive her attack.
 
I do not
worry about her ability to defend herself.
 
However, she is a very trusting person who can be led astray by cunning
words or devices.
 
That is why I am
entrusting her into your care, Marek.”

“Your
trust is not misplaced, Yukio. I will make sure she is not harmed in any way.”

“Good.
 
Now, there is a second secret entrance that
is much more elaborate and goes through the entire mountain to the north face.
 
At the base of the other side of the mountain,
there is a secret door behind Gorgen Falls.
 
Behind the waterfall is solid rock with no crevices or cracks in it.
 
There is a jet-black mark on one part of the
wall that when it is pressed opens a small entrance.
 
The opening is only big enough for one person
to walk through.
 
The passage is very
small for most of the way except for a massive cavern at the very heart of the
mountain.
 
This space is big enough to
fit the royal castle within it.”

“That
is very impressive.
 
How did you find
such a path?”

“Well,
the cavern was already there. I just had to create the path to and from
it.
 
I also made sure to place supplies
in there in case you need to take the queen there to hide.
 
To magically seal the entrance to this path
from the queen’s bedchamber, carefully shut the door and say, ‘Twilight
Cavern.’
 
The trap door will disappear
and can only be opened from inside the tunnel.
 
This door is located under the bed and is covered by a throw rug.”

“Why
would I say, ‘Twilight Cavern,’ to magically seal the door?”

“The
phrase ‘Twilight Cavern’ is actually the name of the cavern at the heart of the
mountain.
 
By saying its name, the magic
that protects the trap door will seal the entrance from the bedchamber so no
one could follow you.
 
I discovered the
secret of the magical cavern from Mistress Kana.
 
She knew that it might be necessary to use it
at some point in the future.”

“I
see great wisdom in what you have shared with me, my friend.
 
I will do what you have asked of me. In
return, I ask that you keep our city and its people safe from whatever the
shortsighted people of Tuwa throw at us.
 
I vow to keep your wife safe from any kind of harm.
 
Promise me to protect the high elves at all
costs.”