That brought them to their feet. The alliance had been formed to stop Serak and his Order of Ancients, and until recently, had been their principle foe. It was not until the battle at Xshaltheria that they’d learned how Draeken had risen to become Serak’s master.
“You killed him?” Rynda nodded in approval.
“No,” Elenyr said. “Draeken thought he would eventually betray him, so he cast him into a prison, one from which even he cannot escape.”
She’d considered withholding the truth of Serak, but had decided it did not matter. Draeken didn’t know Serak’s secret about the Gate, so he wouldn’t care that Elenyr knew of Serak’s imprisonment. But for Elenyr, she needed the alliance to accept her plan, without revealing the truth about the Dark Gate. Only her fragment sons would know everything.
“But the army of fiends is still coming,” Dothlore stated.
“They are.” Elenyr gestured to Mind. “They will arrive tomorrow morning.”
“What does Serak’s absence change in the conflict?” Queen Nelia asked.
The relief in her voice was palpable, and inspired a note of pity for Elenyr. The girl had lost her father to Serak—twice. Once when he’d betrayed their kingdom of Erathan and again when he’d actually perished. To be rid of Serak probably set her mind at ease.
“I spoke with Serak,” Elenyr said. “And have learned a critical piece of information.”
“He turned on Draeken?” Rynda leaned forward, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“Did he tell you how to stop Draeken and the fiends?” Princess Serania asked, drawing a frown from the first princess of the elves.
Elenyr kept her smile in check. Princess Serania was not one to hold back, and Elenyr liked her courage and bluntness. It reminded Elenyr of Queen Alosia. With two princesses ahead of Serania, it was unlikely that she would take the throne, but Elenyr appreciated her lack of fear in a war council of such magnitude.
“Serak shared a secret that can change the war,” Elenyr said.
Excitement buzzed through the room, with several leaning over to speak to their chosen advisors. The surge of hope was palpable, and Mind smiled, probably at what he’d overheard in scattered thoughts. Then Elenyr noticed Dothlore’s frown.
“So your plan is based on knowledge from Serak?” He jerked his head. “I am uncertain we can trust him so much.”
“Then trust me,” Elenyr said, rotating so she could meet the eyes of everyone in the room. “This is our only way of defeating Draeken, his generals, and his army.”
“Where is Oracle Senia?” Queen Annah asked.
Others looked about as if suddenly realizing the oracle was not present. Before their confusion could turn to doubt, Elenyr swept her hand upwards, into the castle. “The oracle has withdrawn to explore possible futures. Time is short, and she seeks to ascertain the best course for one aspect of our plan. Rest assured, she agrees with my plan, or I would not be here.”
“What can you tell us?” Melora asked.
“In order to be victorious, we must kill the four generals, and then we close the Dark Gate, all within a few minutes.”
“At the same moment?” the orc king scoffed. “How? The Gate is in Xshaltheria under heavy guard, and the four generals are sure to be here.”
“We will send a small force to destroy the Gate,” Elenyr said.
“I understand that was already tried,” Queen Annah said.
“Not when Draeken’s focus is here,” Rynda said, rubbing her steel hand against the table, lost in thought. “Then we faced Draeken, Serak, fiends, even his dragons. This time they would all be here.”
“But at the same time?” The gnome king’s voice was full of doubt.
“We strike when the sun is at its zenith,” Elenyr said. “The generals will be on the battlefield, so we merely need to locate them, and attack at the right moment. To succeed, we must endure throughout the morning.”
“Can we do that?” Dothlore asked.
“Are you doubting our defenses?” Queen Alosia asked.
“Not our defenses,” Dothlore exclaimed. “But from what our scouts say, the fiend army already numbers in the millions, and it’s still growing.”
“Surely we will be swept aside,” the orc said.
“We must survive until noonday,” Elenyr repeated. “And there are several elements in motion to assist with that.” She gestured to the fragments. “Water has a task, as does Mind. Both may bring reinforcements.”
“Who can help us now?” Rynda asked, a frown on her face. “We have already gathered all our forces.”
She wants to know if the Bonebreaker is joining us, Mind spoke into Elenyr’s thoughts.
Tell her the truth, Elenyr replied in the same manner. She deserves the truth.
“That I cannot reveal,” Elenyr said to the group, even as a small smile formed on Rynda’s features. “Just know that we will not stand alone on the morrow.”
“I don’t understand,” Queen Nelia exclaimed. “If we kill the generals and close the Gate, we will still have to contend with the millions of fiends already through the Gate. Surely we cannot stand against so many.”
“The fiends will no longer be a threat to us,” Elenyr said.
“What about Draeken?” Rynda asked.
Elenyr looked to her sons, and they held her gaze. Mind inclined his head, a confirmation that they would do what is necessary. She faced the kings and swept her hand to her sons.
“If you can hold the city until noonday, my sons and I will help with the generals and Draeken himself. If we fail in this, the city and all of Lumineia will fall to Draeken.” She turned to each, meeting their eyes, hoping they would accept her plan. “In this I ask for your faith and trust. If we follow this plan, we have a chance at ending this war. Permanently.”
