“But it will take him a long time to run all this way,” Anders said.
“He met the red shirts on their return with the dwarfs,” Maija said.
Anders looked down at the wooden box in his hand, knowing roughly how many elves had gone before Merglan’s attack. “How many dwarfs are they?”
“All of them,” Maija said.
Anders looked into her eyes again and repeated, “All of them?”
She nodded, “Natalia didn’t have all of the details because they didn’t know if Merglan was capable of listening in on their conversation.” Anders questioning look caused her to add, “Because he’s in the capital and has access to the mirrors.”
“There are more like the mirrors Nadir had?” he asked.
Maija shrugged, “Maybe? That’s why they’ve only been saying what they absolutely need to in order to form a plan.”
“So they’re sailing here?” Anders asked.
Maija nodded, “They’d planned to sail to the Rollo Islands and meet there, but now Natalia’s having the Rollo Islanders who came to the Ramhorn return to send the ships here.”
“They did listen to me,” Anders said under his breath.
“Some, I guess,” Maija said. “And Natalia managed to convince the Lumbapi people to come with her. They’re headed here.”
Anders’ eyes widened, “That’s,” he started and Maija finished his sentence.
“An army big enough to fight Merglan’s.”
“If we can hold out here that long,” Anders added.
“Why?” Maija asked.
“Yesterday, I saw him outside the city.”
“What?” Maija asked, looking around as if they were no longer safe there.
“Thomas was with me. We saw a dragon and rider just before last light. Shortly after that, a demon attacked and killed one of the leaders of the Revolution,” Anders explained. “Zahara and I were able to chase it down and kill it, but before it died, it said that more were coming.”
“That was yesterday?” Maija asked.
Anders nodded.
“And he hasn’t attacked?” Maija asked.
Anders shook his head, “Not yet.”
Maija seemed to be pondering these events, then asked, “How do you know that it was Merglan you saw?”
Anders chuckled, “It wasn’t me or you, so who else could it have been?” He noticed her worried frown and knew that she still hadn’t told him everything. “It couldn’t be anyone else,” he said.
She cringed and said, “It could’ve been one of Merglan’s other dragonriders.”
“But he doesn’t have any,” Anders said.
“Unless they were in the prison and he has them under his control now that they’re free,” Maija said.
“But the elves don’t lock up bonded riders with their dragons in that facility,” Anders said and Maija nodded her head. “I read about it in the library there, they don’t do it for that exact reason,” he said.
Maija shrugged, “And that’s what Natalia told me when I mentioned how three dragonriders passed over Raffa and me when we reached the peninsula.”
Anders looked down at the box in his hands again and thought for several long moments. “They were going to retrieve the crystals,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “And in a few more days when they return with them, he’ll have the power to crush us again. That’s why he’s not attacking yet and sending demons to do his dirty work.”
Maija shook her head.
“What?” Anders asked. “You don’t think he’ll be able to alter them back to his mad magic?”
“Not if he doesn’t have them,” she said.
Anders furrowed his brow.
“He couldn't have them if Natalia took them with her,” she said.
Anders leaned back in surprise, “No,” he gasped. “She took them with her?”
Maija nodded.
“That means we’ll have enough to arm others,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “A lot of others, not to mention ourselves. With Natalia and Nadir, we’ll have some serious power.”
“It didn’t come cheap, though,” Maija said. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
