“You knew where they were sailing?”
“With Merglan in the elven capital, it makes the most sense for him to pull his troops there. He has access to magic there; magic far more powerful than what he’d been harvesting in Eastland.”
Maija thought again of the power source on the ship and nearly asked about it when her sister continued, “It was shortly after Sol died that they began to evacuate the city and head east toward their ships.”
“Sol?” Maija asked.
“You never met him?” Natalia asked.
Maija shook her head.
“The old wise hermit of the Riverlands?”
“No. I hadn’t been there before just a few days ago.”
Natalia grinned for a moment, “Sol was more than just an old hermit, as I came to know; he was so much more.”
“What do you mean?”
“Solomon was a King once, but he turned the throne over to his nephew. He and those Lumbapi Lizards were vital to what we accomplished in Southland. He’s dead now, though, and the lizards are back in their homeland.” A tear rolled partway down her cheek before she wiped it away.
“I’m sorry. Were you there when it happened?” Maija asked, reaching to gently touch her shoulder.
“I was,” Natalia grimaced. “Well, I might as well start from the beginning, after I last saw you.”
“If it helps,” Maija started. “Anders filled me in on what happened until he and Ivan were transported by Lageena.”
Natalia nodded, describing to her younger sister the details of her journey. Nearing the end, where she altered the inhabitance crystals, she said, “Our plan of changing them hinged on him not knowing they had been altered. As it turns out, it didn’t much matter.”
“I think it did matter,” Maija said. “The moment it happened, I heard him say he felt the power from the crystals change.”
Natalia looked down, seeming to consider that fact.
“How did you escape?” Maija asked.
“So, after Sol passed,” she said, returning to her story, “I kind of went into a blind rage and returned to the fighting. I found Maylox and Inama again. Shortly after that the orcs retreated.”
“But I thought you said the Rollo force was smaller than the elven army in that other town?” Maija asked.
“Ryedale,” Natalia corrected. “They were fewer in number, but we had the entire Lumbapi tribe with us. Still, the odds were nearly the same as they were in Ryedale.”
“So what changed? Why did the orcs retreat?”
“I believe they were commanded to by Merglan. Whether the order had been issued before he left or after he took control of Cedarbridge, I’m not sure. The orcs left the city en masse, returning to their ships and setting sail. Not wanting to lose them, the Rollo warriors and I started in pursuit. That’s when I got the next call from Nadir, telling me of the capital’s downfall.”
“But I thought the Rollo ships were much faster than orc vessels?”
“They are,” Natalia said.
Maija eyed her sister curiously, “And the other ships? Why would the Rollo warriors take merchant ships if they have much faster boats of their own?”
“Once we learned that Merglan had turned the world upside down, I was nearly certain that he would return to Kingston in haste to retrieve his crystals.”
Maija suddenly realized the source of the overwhelming sense of power and why she could feel it connected to Natalia. “You went back for the crystals?”
“I went back for the crystals,” Natalia concurred with a broadening grin. “And while I was there, I told the Lumbapi about Merglan’s control of the elves. Inama helped them to see that this fight is quickly becoming more than just one among humans.”
“And that’s why you needed the additional ships,” Maija said with a nod.
“We were able to get them all on ships. When the elves and dwarfs join us at the Islands, we’ll have assembled the largest force Merglan has yet to face.”
“Even with the additions, Merglan has more orc, kurr, and men, not counting his riders.”
“He has dragonriders? But that can’t be. We were assured that all the imprisoned dragonriders were either dead or had broken bonds,” Natalia said.
Maija shook her head and shrugged, “They lied to you because Raffa and I ran into three of them on our way here. They were heading south, probably to get the crystals.”
“They didn’t see you?”
“No, but if they did, they weren’t intrigued enough to chase us,” Maija said, shivering slightly at the thought of the bone-chilling sensation the searching rider had sent through her.
“It’s worse than I had imagined,” Natalia said wide-eyed. “If there were bonded dragonriders locked away in that prison with their dragons, who knows what kind of monsters Asmond and the others kept down there.”
“I can imagine that Merglan could control dragonriders, but would other creatures finally gaining their freedom really follow his orders?”
“If he taps into the magic within the city and figures out how to wield it...” Natalia trailed off.
“I need to go back to Brookside and warn Anders,” Maija said, standing. “He needs to get the people of Westland out of harm’s way. With Merglan’s powerful army, he’ll be marching on them next.”
