“Hang in there, kid, he’ll come around,” Natalia said with a smirk and they returned to the desk.
“So, we’ll meet the dwarf reinforcements here,” Ivan said putting his finger down on the first exposed map.
“And Remli is certain about backing us up with this cause?” Nadir questioned.
“You should’ve seen how eager he was to get back to the glories of the battlefield before that whole business with his ambassador traitor. He’ll be there, with a host of dwarfs ready to wage war,” Ivan assured him.
“Good. I have a feeling we’ll need them,” Nadir said. “I didn’t get the feeling that everyone outside was onboard with the plan to set sail to Southland.”
“There will be some backlash, and many elves will oppose a war so far from the kingdom’s borders, but we must do what we must to keep Merglan from rising further in power over Kartania. If we don’t, who will?” Ivan stated.
“What about the Rollo warriors?” Anders suggested. “And the human armies? Surely we can gather an army of men from Westland and Southland to oppose him?”
“With Red commanding the Rollo warriors, it’s less likely that they’ll support the elves in this. I got the feeling from his most recent letter that now that his people are back on their islands, he’ll be staying put until he’s directly attacked. With his father dead and gone, he’ll not help the elves any more than he would the rest of Kartania,” Ivan said.
“What about other human nations?” Anders asked.
“Forming an army large enough to face Merglan would take months, maybe years. We can’t afford to wait that long. Our scouts say Merglan’s taken control of most of Southland since we’ve been here in the Everlight Kingdom. Scouts have informed us that his orc forces are gathering in the Goblin’s Grove. From there they’ll sail across the narrows to Southland. Merglan’s somehow gathered a large following of humans in Southland. The Lumbapi tribes, however, will never follow him. They’ve managed to evade his influences and have begun gathering in the Ramhorn and Drakeshead provinces in Southland. They’re our only hope of recruiting allies in Southland,” Ivan said.
“That’s our plan then,” Nadir nodded. “We’ll gather as many elves as we can, rendezvous with the dwarfs and sail toward the Drakeshead in Southland. That way we’ll be close to the Goblin’s Grove and we might pick up some help from the Lumbapi who’ve congregated there. We’ll attack Merglan’s forces as they attempt to come across the narrows into Southland and hopefully drive him out, forcing him back to the Eastland territories and dividing his forces.”
“That’s as good a plan as any,” Natalia added, glancing to them.
“Zahara and I can fly ahead to the Rollo Islands and try to convince Red to set sail for our cause,” Anders suggested.
“You’ll have a hard time prying him loose from the islands to help the elves, but it’s worth a shot. Their warriors are such strong fighters, I agree we should try to convince them to join us,” Ivan agreed.
“Well, what are we still standing around here for?” Nadir said, pulling the maps in and rolling them up. “We’ve got an army to assemble.”
Nadir led Ivan, Natalia and Anders out of the building. To their surprise, a host of elves had already assembled outside the door, armed and ready for war.
As the elves marched through the city, Anders rushed off to find Zahara. She sent him a mental image of her location. He knew the place well; she was speaking with her parents near the cliff’s edge where they entered and exited the city. As Anders approached, he could sense worry and angst in Zahara’s parents. Their child was about to fly off to yet another war with her bonded human. Anders couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and guilty for their worry. Despite his feelings, he knew Kartania needed them as a pair.
Anders didn’t have to announce his arrival; Zahara and her parents sensed him when he approached in the distance. He stopped when he drew near, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation. He felt the burning of her father’s glare just before he and his partner took flight.
I’m sorry about that, she said as Anders stepped into view.
No, I’m sorry. I feel terrible that I’m taking you away from them again, he said.
It’s not your fault. I picked you. I knew exactly what came with it when I chose to bond with you. Someone must be strong and face this evil or it will consume everything we’re fighting for. They don’t see it that way, but I’ve seen what Merglan can do. He’ll destroy everything that’s good in this world unless we stop him.
I know. I’ve been having difficulty coming to grips with that reality, but it seems like we’re Kartania’s best hope right now.
We’d better get busy then, Zahara said lowering her shoulder for Anders to climb on.
He shared the discussion she missed in the royal court as they returned to the training grounds. Anders gathered their bags and communicated with Ivan via their minds to grab any items he thought they might need for their journey. Anders hoped Maija would be waiting for them there, back from her adventure to find the red dragon. As he approached his room, he held his breath and closed his eyes. Slowly he opened the door. He peeked through a crack at first, slowly opening his eyes and the door to see the room, which was just as empty as when they’d left. Sighing with disappointment, he joined Zahara in the dining hall for one last hearty meal before their long flight.
She’ll come back, Zahara said as they chewed in silence.
I know. I just miss her, Anders said and returned to his meal. His thoughts bounced between the workings of the sapphire crystal in his sword and the desire to see Maija.
The evening sky chilled him as Anders and Zahara flew toward the southern gate of Cedarbridge’s fortified wall. The elves stood ready at the gate, waiting for their leader to advance toward the Glacial Melt Bays. Anders had hoped their numbers would have been greater. The host appeared to be half the size of the army that had come to Merglan’s fortress several months prior.
Touching down near the gate, Anders stayed mounted on Zahara, knowing they were meant to leave at a moment’s notice. Nadir didn’t waste any time. Once the trickle of arrivals slowed, he opened the gates and led the army out into the forest. Anders and Zahara carried Ivan as they took to the sky, flying over the militant force running to the innermost bay.
The journey to the bay didn’t take the elves long. Though they were weighed down with protective plate and steel, they advanced quickly through the forest. Zahara landed near the water as Ivan climbed down and rushed to join the elves. Nadir spoke of a naval fleet, but Anders didn’t see any ships in the bay. It wasn’t until he saw them climbing on the many cliff-like protrusions from the bay’s coast that he realized the disguise. The ships had been cloaked by vegetation, appearing as natural landmasses. Anders watched wide-eyed as the vessels slid out from the forested shoreline into the open water.
As Ivan helped Anders offload Zahara’s saddlebags to make her saddle as light as possible for their long flight to the Rollo Islands, Ivan spoke to them with his mind, We’ll be on a course to meet Remli and the dwarf army at the base of the Eastland Mountains, near Black Water Bay. From there we’ll sail across the Marauder’s Sea and around the easternmost reaches of Southland. You two should have just enough time to fly to the Rollo Islands, try to convince Red to join our cause, and join us as we near Southland. If Red does decide to sail, arrange a meeting time along the Ramhorn of Southland. We’ll be attacking from near the Drakeshead, but the Ramhorn is not more than half a week’s sail from there. If the winds are in our favor, we’ll make landfall in just over a week’s time. It should take you three days to fly to the Rollo Islands, one day of negotiations and three days south to Southland. That’s one week. Plan to meet us near the Drakeshead. You’ll probably have an easier time finding us, than us trying to locate you. Good luck and make haste. We’re counting on you two in the battle to come.
Anders nodded, settling into his seat on Zahara as she took flight. They veered to the west, following the coastline as they flew. Anders hoped Merglan wasn’t wise to their plan. If he wanted to, he could ride out and intercept Anders and Zahara on their solo mission as he’d done to Natalia and Keanu. They didn’t have much choice, however. They would have to hope they could fly under his radar for now.
During the following days, Anders and Zahara slept little, keeping to the sky. They flew low to the ground and bypassed any town or sign of civilization along the way. Anders didn’t know how many disciples Merglan had in Westland, but he didn’t want to take the chance of being seen by anyone. During one stop they camped near the place where they had first met, recalling how scared they were of one another, yet also intrigued. Anders and Zahara shared these memories. Though actually only months ago, it seemed like years to both of them.
After their rest, they began their last day of flying as they ventured out over open water. It was the most direct route to the islands from the Bareback Plains. They would cross the ocean rich with pelagic life and fly straight to the islands. If circumstances were different, they could lessen the distance over open water by continuing north along the coast. If they did that now, they’d increase the risk of being seen and alerting Merglan to their vulnerability. Most of Westland’s major cities were built along the coast north of the plains. Anders desperately wanted to see his cousins and considered the risk. But he was sure that they had made it back to Grandwood. If they hadn’t, Red’s message would’ve mentioned it. He couldn’t risk being seen, not when there was so much riding on his return before the fighting began.
The third day of flying was long. The travel over the open water for such a great distance made them uneasy. Having never been to the islands, they worried they would miss the small landmasses amidst the vast ocean. So, it was a great relief when they first saw the volcano island rising from the blue horizon. Anders was just beginning to wonder if they’d flown past it when islands appeared in the distance. And now came the hard part, convincing Red to fight for the elves.
Chapter 38
A Dragon in the Rollo Islands
The Rollo Islands shone brilliant green and indigo as Zahara and Anders flew over the island chain. Argon, the capital city of the Rollo nation, sat nestled below an actively smoking volcano rising from the largest of the islands. Dispersed around the main island, smaller islands scattered the waters. Anders marveled at the changing color of the ocean water as it turned from a dark blue out at sea to brilliant indigo with light blue edging at the base of each island. White sand skirted much of the islands and the Rollo’s famous long-ships could be seen anchored or moving among the islands. Argon’s port, however, hosted the most extensive collection of ships Anders had ever seen in his life.
As they circled above the city, Anders saw masses of mahogany-toned warriors gathering on the beaches. His mission was to negotiate with Red, but he was looking forward to seeing Britt and Max the most; if Max had stayed on with her crew. Anders missed Britt’s strong will and determined demeanor and Max’s light-hearted attitude and joy for adventure. The time he’d spent with them was brief, but they both had made a lasting impression on him that he couldn’t ignore.
Zahara swooped low over the shallow water, bringing them in close to shore and preparing to land. The crowd of people that had gathered along Argon’s white sand beach cleared an area of them to touch down. Anders had worried about the warriors’ reaction to their unannounced arrival. As soon as he and Zahara came into view of the city, he felt a lot of worry rising collectively from the island people. The closer they flew, the less they could sense that feeling. The tension was replaced with familiarity and relief as the Islanders prepared to welcome these allies.
