“Can you gather your people and the dwarfs in all of this confusion?” she asked, straightening slightly.
Nadir glanced to the soldiers behind him and searched their familiar faces; Natalia wasn’t among them. Nadir knew she could communicate mentally, sending direction to all those lost in the forest. He needed to find her if their armies were going to have a chance at making it out of this forest alive. Thoughts of hungry fairnheir sniffing out dwarfs wandering through the forest furthered his sense of urgency. “I can manage it once I’ve located Natalia. Just leave a few of your crew here with us, so they can help us navigate our way back to the camp.”
Inama nodded, pointing quickly to several of her peers and speaking to them in native Lumbapi. Before disappearing into the forest, the princess said, “Good luck, elf. I do hope to see you again,” and she vanished with her people into the greenery.
With the three remaining natives now looking to him for direction, Nadir couldn’t help but feel lost at Inama’s absence. A moment of panic caused his heart to flutter a bit, resulting in a slight cough. Clenching his fists, Nadir forced himself to calm down and carry on as any noble leader would. He was in charge now and he had to get his people’s attention.
Possible solutions began to occur to him. He and those elves with him now could circle in different directions until they’d gathered all of their fleeing soldiers. Or, he could quickly climb a tree to gain a better vantage point and see in what directions his fleeing troops had headed. He could then use the soldiers close by to chase after them. Or, he could start shouting, which had worked when he sought to find Inama, but after hearing the native’s shrill, bird-like call, he was forced to consider the repercussions of this option. Shouting would alert the orcs to his presence and possibly location. His best option was his first thought — he had to find Natalia. If he found her, she could lead all of his wayward troops by way of telepathy.
Why hasn’t she contacted me already?Doesn’t she fear the idea of becoming lost forever in the forest, spread out with no direction? Nadir asked himself.
The elves and selected Lumbapi clustered around Nadir watched as he played out the different scenarios in his mind. Their impatient and frightened expressions forced him to make a decision. Suddenly, he found his answer. He didn’t know if it would work, but it would be the fastest way to communicate with Natalia. The elf king closed his eyes, pushed out all other distractions, and focused on finding Natalia with his mind. He had to create a link with her. He’d practiced the art of telepathy during his training to be a prince and, with hope, a dragonrider. His father believed he would one day be bonded to a dragon and saw fit to begin the mental training he would need. Recently, however, he had only communicated with others who formed a link with his mind first. It had been decades since Nadir practiced the art of controlling his mind, but now more than ever he was determined to have it work for him.
His soldiers’ worried questions faded from hearing and Nadir passed into the trance his instructor had taught him years ago. Feeling for any mental presence, Nadir broadcast his thoughts over the forest. After a moment of doubt, Nadir heard Natalia’s voice in his mind.
Nadir, she said, her tone heavy with worry. Where are you? The elves and dwarfs are running blind. We’re going to lose them to the forest if we can’t find the Lumbapi.
Nadir opened his eyes in surprise nearly losing the connection. He’d done it! Fumbling to hold the connection, he closed his eyes, focused and felt the link strengthen again. Natalia, I’m here with several Lumbapi, but we’re going to need your help in directing everyone to follow us back to camp. How can I find you?
As he spoke, he felt a presence sweep over him like a slight breeze. Stay there, I’m coming to you now, Natalia said, and immediately the telepathic link weakened.
Nadir asked whether she had the strength to call everyone at once, but when he posed the question in his thoughts, there was no reply. He tried again, but Natalia had severed the connection. Grunting at the missed attempt, Nadir pounded his fist against his armor, the plate metal clanging. Realizing he’d had the conversation internally without sharing a word with those around him, Nadir felt the group’s collective stares. He could see their concerns about his mental state written across their faces.
Clearing his throat and straightening his shoulders to address them as their leader, Nadir said, “I’ve communicated with Natalia just now. She knows where we are and is coming this way. She’ll communicate to everyone with mindspeak and help lead them back to camp.” Seeing a collective look of relief among the group, Nadir added, “Look lively while we wait. A fairnheir could find its way into our midst at any moment.”
Within minutes, Natalia, Solomon, and several dwarfs stumbled into the group. Limping, Natalia leaned on a dwarf soldier and winced before speaking to Nadir. “I’m weak, but if we pool our strength, I could broadcast a message to the others, emitting a beacon signal for them to follow. I can’t guarantee that it will work as quickly as we need it to, but I can get everyone headed in the right direction.”
“What about you, Solomon?” Nadir said pointing to the little old wise man. “Can’t you help with the beacon?”
Solomon shook his head in somber silence and Natalia answered for him, “Sol’s tapped out; most of his powers came from the lizards.”
“What happened to the,” Nadir asked, but Natalia’s signal halted him mid-question. Following a brief hesitation, Nadir continued, “Um… the, ah, rest of the elves?” he managed to ask.
“I’ll explain later,” Natalia said, motioning for the elves to gather around. “If I’m going to broadcast this message, I’ll need to draw on our combined energy. I’m almost done, so this might be it for me.”
Nadir nodded. He and the others gathered in a circle close to Natalia as she reached for the elf next to her. Nadir recalled from his lessons on magic that linking physically required less power to pull energy from another individual. Once they had clasped onto one another, Natalia summoned the strength of the group and sent a message into the minds of elves and dwarfs alike. Nadir instantly felt the pull of energy from his body. He experienced a chill as Natalia drew on their collective strength. He began to shiver, as did others in the circle, and then Natalia broke the link.
“It’s done,” Natalia said, again seeking support from the dwarf who’d been assisting her earlier. “We can continue to the camp.”
“Now?” Nadir asked. “But the elves aren’t here yet,” he protested.
“I managed to place the tracker on one of the Lumbapi here,” Natalia said, pointing to one of Inama’s guides.
Nadir saw the Lumbapi soldier begin to search his body, looking for something stuck to him.
“Don’t worry, my friend. The tracker is only a signal, it’s nothing physical that you can see. It will last as long as my strength does,” Natalia said, addressing the worried man.
“Astonishing,” Nadir remarked.
“Well,” Solomon said, and Nadir heard the irritation in his voice. “Let’s go.”
Looking to the Lumbapi soldiers, Nadir said, “Lead the way. The faster we’re away from here the better.”
Breaking trail through the dense forest, the three Lumbapi soldiers led the small group of elves, dwarfs, and the old wise man as they hurried away from danger. Soon the roar of elves and dwarfs fleeing into the forest faded to soft footsteps slipping away from fairnheir and orcs. Each time Nadir looked back, he could see that their group had grown, others finding them as they moved toward camp.
Their march continued through the night. Nadir walked at a mind-numbing pace, his eyes drifting closed and snapping open as he followed the set of feet in front of him. The darkness faded and a new day brought clarity to their surroundings as they marched. Drawing near in the early morning light, Nadir noticed the tents indicating they’d reached their camp. The shrouding magical barrier that had once concealed their tents from any outside viewer had long since disappeared.
Nadir walked into the camp, his body and mind worn from their campaign. Lumbapi soldiers hurriedly packed their belongings, readying to leave at a moment’s notice. Elves and dwarfs filed into camp, more trickling in after the initial wave arrived. Nadir stood near the camp entrance watching the soldiers return. He knew from his own weariness that they might be inspired upon seeing their leader watching over them as they reached camp safely. Elves and dwarfs alike took rest after entering the camp, dropping their shields and weapons as each found an empty patch of dirt to collapse onto. The battle had been grim and as the last of the soldiers trickled in, Nadir greeted them respectfully. Their numbers had dwindled into the hundreds. They’d lost many to the orcs; a reality Nadir did not want to face. In addition to losing well-trained soldiers, Nadir’s campaign had cost them three of the most valuable allies they had: a bonded rider pair and their mentor, taken by a sorceress, had failed to return to battle.
Nadir pushed the thought from his mind when he saw Remli, the dwarf king, bringing up the rear. Grizzled from action and appearing to be more beast than dwarf from the grime and branches protruding from his hair and beard, Remli managed to smile when he saw Nadir.
Walking up to the elf king, Remli said in a full voice, “Might’ve been lost without the witch’s help. So, what happens now?”
Nadir wondered at how the dwarf could continue to exude so much energy after such a grueling ordeal. He wasn’t in the mood to discuss strategy, but knew the topic couldn’t be avoided. Nadir stared blankly at Remli. He came to Southland for revenge and achieved it in the elimination of Lageena, the traitorous elf queen, but after the overall defeat in battle left Nadir worried about the fate of their world.
“What say you, elf?” Remli said, stepping closer.
Shaking away any defeatist thoughts, Nadir answered, “A council with Inama. I’ll gather those of my leaders who’ve survived and we’ll meet back here in an hour to discuss a strategy.”
“Make it a half-hour,” Remli said sternly. “Those orcs lost our trail during the night, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pick it back up again. Besides, it wouldn’t take Merglan and his dragon very long to dispatch us now that this camp’s been exposed.”
Nadir nodded and began searching for the commanding officers who survived the battle.
Locating next-in-command proved to be even more difficult than he anticipated given that so many high-ranking officers had fallen during the fighting. Nadir felt the burden of loss hang heavily on his soul each time he learned of a loyal elf’s death. Somberly promoting those next in line, Nadir took no joy in rewarding elves on this day. It had been decades since the elven army had suffered such a defeat and it had happened under his command. The hasty assault fueled by his father’s murder had cost the lives of so many of his nation’s proudest elves.
After gathering and promoting nearly half of his commanding officers, Nadir took the most senior three to council with the Lumbapi and dwarfs. Walking stiffly to where he’d last seen Remli, Nadir found the dwarf king accompanied by a select four dwarfs as well as his daughter, Maylox, who had recently saved his life in battle. Inama and two other Lumbapi stood next to the dwarfs. Nadir nodded to them as he joined the group.
“What do your people intend to do next?” Remli asked, directing the question to Inama.
