Mist rose over the hills and permeated all the spaces between the trees. Azathal could only just make out the silhouettes of the soldiers lying in wait in preparation for the ambush. He stood atop a taller hill at the edge of the wood just able to look over the scene before him, his armor glistening with the pale light that was able to cut through the dense mist and catch the droplets of dew that were able to form. His helmet rest before him atop the pommel of his saddle and he sat astride a magnificent white steed that pawed at the ground anxiously. The elf understood the beast?s anxiety and shared some of it himself, though he could not allow himself in that moment to succumb to such feelings. He turned aside to the man who sat atop a similar stallion on his right. He was another elf, though where Azathal was fair of hair and eyes he was dark. His hair was black and his eyes so brown one might think they too were the color of night. The pair exchanged looks and Azathal gave him a short nod and then the man took up the reins of his steed and with a flick, set to trotting down the hill toward the line of soldiers just in sight.
The cackling of crows drew his attention skyward and he frowned at the sight of so many of the black birds in the sky circling overhead like vultures and he wondered what such creatures were doing so close to Tel?reinarr. This was not the domain of Grailwin or Vidar M?ndogor and though his armies sat at their proverbial gates his creatures and power held no sway there. Not yet, at any rate. Azathal scowled at the birds and he whispered something under his breath.
?Sir?? the elf who spoke was shorter than most and wore leather instead of the plate that Azathal was suited in.
?Crows,? Azathal said quietly.
?They cannot see through this mists, Commander.?
Azathal nodded. Indeed, it must have been so. The mists were not natural but were something conjured up by the land to defend itself from the invaders. Men, Azathal thought disdainfully. The invaders were mere men and not for a thousand years had any nation of man gone to war with either of the elven nations. Even to the far east where the warlike Marakatans attacked the borders shared by Ker and the Silver Marches, mankind was careful not to entice a reaction from the elves. The memory of the last war between man and the fair folk was still strong in the minds of men and the consequences of such a war had been dire. The world had been nearly split in two and the kingdoms that stood today were shadowy reflections of what had come before, all due to the arrogance of man. Azathal wondered at this and the crows and he tried to place himself in the mind of this Vidar M?ndogor and Grailwin. The enemy was foreign to him, from swamps and dark places north and east of Tel?reinarr. He had a monstrous reputation and was said to have taken command of Grailwin by way of slaying the old ruler who many claimed had been the last dragon, though Azathal knew the dragons had perished long ago.
?Perhaps,? he said at last to the elf beside him. ?Perhaps they cannot, but then again perhaps they can. Eagles are more than a match for crows. Release them and see to it that they are all found and killed. We cannot be sure what sorcery bewitches these creatures of Grailwin.?
?As you command,? the elf said. He, unlike Azathal and many others in the nearby hills, moved away on foot. He ran quickly toward the back of the standing forces to relay Azathal?s orders to the keepers there. Azathal continued to watch the crows for some time, only looking away when he heard the loud, thunderous crack of sound that he believed to be the sound of a great tree being torn from the ground.
?They are here,? he said to himself, for he stood alone atop that hill. He could see on the far edges of the mist flickering light turning that silvery body into a pale yellow and knew it to be the flames of Grailwin?s torches as the bearers moved ahead of a large force of infantry that was surely closing in on them.
?It is time, Ithilnaur,? said a voice inside the elf?s head. Azathal nodded to himself and replied aloud.
?So it is, Faenor,? he said. ?Are you with me, my friend??
?I will always be by your side, Ithilnaur.?
The cackling of crows drew his attention skyward and he frowned at the sight of so many of the black birds in the sky circling overhead like vultures and he wondered what such creatures were doing so close to Tel?reinarr. This was not the domain of Grailwin or Vidar M?ndogor and though his armies sat at their proverbial gates his creatures and power held no sway there. Not yet, at any rate. Azathal scowled at the birds and he whispered something under his breath.
?Sir?? the elf who spoke was shorter than most and wore leather instead of the plate that Azathal was suited in.
?Crows,? Azathal said quietly.
?They cannot see through this mists, Commander.?
Azathal nodded. Indeed, it must have been so. The mists were not natural but were something conjured up by the land to defend itself from the invaders. Men, Azathal thought disdainfully. The invaders were mere men and not for a thousand years had any nation of man gone to war with either of the elven nations. Even to the far east where the warlike Marakatans attacked the borders shared by Ker and the Silver Marches, mankind was careful not to entice a reaction from the elves. The memory of the last war between man and the fair folk was still strong in the minds of men and the consequences of such a war had been dire. The world had been nearly split in two and the kingdoms that stood today were shadowy reflections of what had come before, all due to the arrogance of man. Azathal wondered at this and the crows and he tried to place himself in the mind of this Vidar M?ndogor and Grailwin. The enemy was foreign to him, from swamps and dark places north and east of Tel?reinarr. He had a monstrous reputation and was said to have taken command of Grailwin by way of slaying the old ruler who many claimed had been the last dragon, though Azathal knew the dragons had perished long ago.
?Perhaps,? he said at last to the elf beside him. ?Perhaps they cannot, but then again perhaps they can. Eagles are more than a match for crows. Release them and see to it that they are all found and killed. We cannot be sure what sorcery bewitches these creatures of Grailwin.?
?As you command,? the elf said. He, unlike Azathal and many others in the nearby hills, moved away on foot. He ran quickly toward the back of the standing forces to relay Azathal?s orders to the keepers there. Azathal continued to watch the crows for some time, only looking away when he heard the loud, thunderous crack of sound that he believed to be the sound of a great tree being torn from the ground.
?They are here,? he said to himself, for he stood alone atop that hill. He could see on the far edges of the mist flickering light turning that silvery body into a pale yellow and knew it to be the flames of Grailwin?s torches as the bearers moved ahead of a large force of infantry that was surely closing in on them.
?It is time, Ithilnaur,? said a voice inside the elf?s head. Azathal nodded to himself and replied aloud.
?So it is, Faenor,? he said. ?Are you with me, my friend??
?I will always be by your side, Ithilnaur.?