The Fallen Guardian (The Guardian Chronicles 2) (14 page)

“Well,
it seems to me that you feel you are in a position to change the deal. Why
don’t you show me what you have found, and I will tell you if it is worth
giving you an expanded area to rule.”   The hint of a threat in her voice was
unmistakable. After all, it was she that had undone Drogan’s attempt at world
domination the last time. She was even more capable than before at controlling
the dark beast, and she was simply making that clear to her fellow conspirator.

“As
you wish, my witch.”  He did a quick and unconvincing bow of submission.

“If
you would like, I could return you to your beloved icy fortress instead.”  She
wanted to make it very clear that she was in charge of things.

“Once
you hear what I have to say, you will not blame me for trying to better my
situation.”  Drogan said this with a little more humility this time.  He was a
master at manipulating most living things; however, he had had no affect
whatsoever on the formidable witch.

“Very
well, out with it then.”  She did not like being linked to this dark creature,
but it was the only way to communicate effectively over the vast distance that
separated them. She had other matters to attend to that were more important
than any information that the earth-loving lord possessed. She did not believe
that anything stored in his mind would be of any value to her plans.  She
mentally sighed as she waited for the dark lord to spit out whatever
information he had obtained.

“As
you wish, Kana the ever so patient one. There was an image of some ball that
appeared to have vast power. It was clear by virtue of the significant mental
defenses that were employed that this magical ball was of the utmost
importance.”

“The
question is who this object belongs to and why it is important?”

“It
seems to me that this ball is important to the guardian himself. That is what I
think.”

“I
will look into this matter further. If it proves to be of any worth, then you
will be rewarded. For now, you will still be given reign over the north lands
as we agreed before.”

“What
do you want me to do with Keb?” 
At least I gave it a try; she is still
underestimating my abilities, so that is something.

“Keep
him where he is, and don’t allow him to send any messages. I will take care of
the rest. You will not be needed again until the end,” Kana said this with a
slight edge to her voice that made it clear that the conversation was over.
Drogan said nothing in reply and broke the connection.

What
is this ball, and why have I never heard of it before?  Is this something the
guardian created?  Is it a secret weapon that he is planning on using against
me?  Answers are what I need right now.
As she continued to muse over the barrage of questions, she
reviewed the images that were captured by Drogan. The ball was in some sort of
cave and did not appear to be protected by any visible means. It was probably
protected by magic of some kind. The ball seemed to have every color in it and
did not look particularly impressive when she first saw it. As Kana continued
to scrutinize the image, it hit her.
This ball contains all of the elements
of this world!  How is that possible?  And, more importantly, why would someone
put all four elements into an orb like this?  What purpose would that serve?

The
sky above was clear, and the stars shone brightly overhead as Mistress Khalida
made her way through the dense underbrush. The moon cast awkward shadows
through the trees and thick foliage. As she neared the border of the Seda’s
realm, she could feel the presence of several of the spectral creatures.
Why
had he requested a meeting here of all places?  This cannot be a good omen.
As
she continued to push her way through to the designated meeting place, she
stumbled into a wide clearing of burnt trees and charred earth. She realized
that she had just entered the burnt remains of the portion of the Seda’s home
that was damaged during the siege of Tarisdell. This made the situation even
more perplexing because the guardian did not care for these foul spirits. He
was the one who had banished them to this secluded place all those centuries
ago.

In
the distance a white, furry object appeared to be making its way toward her.
This was no ordinary fur ball; this was Osborn, the largest white bear in all
of Tuwa. He was also the trusted steed of the guardian himself. As Khalida
looked closer, she could see her beloved sitting atop the snow-colored beast.
It was then that she noticed that there was another bear beside Osborn. This
bear was not quite as large as the white bear, but its size was greater than
almost every other bear on the continent. The creature had once been Khalida’s
steed years ago. She had an uneasy feeling of déjà vu come over her as she
watched the pair of massive beasts approach her. They were as tall as the
shortest giant when they stand on their hind legs and weighed many times more
than one of the heaviest giants.

“I
am glad to see that you are well,” welcomed the guardian with a warm smile.
Osborn stopped and let his master slide off his back. Khalida and Adair
embraced one another tightly for moment.

“What
news do you bring?” she asked straight away. She did not like to waste
time…especially when war was looming on the horizon.  A feeling of apprehension
swept through her as she looked at the guardian.

“I
am afraid that Lord Keb has been imprisoned by your dear sister. She has
entrapped him in Mount Mephistopheles in the farthest reaches of the north
lands.”

“What? 
Why has she done this?”  Khalida asked this a little more angrily than she had
intended.  Her nerves were on edge and her restraint was non-existent.

“I
share your frustration with your sister, believe me. She has done some horrific
things that defy all logic for someone with her knowledge. She not only
entrapped our dear friend Keb, but she has also tortured him for information.”

“Oh
no. Has she found out anything?  Does she know about the orb?”  She clasped her
hands tightly over her mouth at this revelation.

“Well,
she has recruited our old friend Drogan to help her retrieve any vital
information from Keb. She knew that Keb was close to me and that I would have
been likely to share secrets with him. She knows that you know the same
secrets, but your power is equal to hers, so that is why she entrapped our
friend instead.”

“So
she knows about the orb then. What are we going to do now?”

“There
is no need for panic. She does not fully understand yet what it is that she has
learned. All she knows is that this object has great magical powers. I alone
know the secrets of its power. My concern is what she is planning to do with
the knowledge she now possesses.”

“So,
are you saying that even if she could find it that she could not use it?”  Her
master had a way of calming her down even in the most dreadful of situations.

“Unfortunately
she will be able to use most of its power if she should find it. However, she
will not be able to unlock its most powerful secrets. She will be able to
inflict serious harm on the races and creatures of Tuwa. That, I cannot
allow.”  Adair said this with an edge to his voice, which made it clear that
the danger was very real.

“Will
she be able to find this orb?”

“No,
I have moved it once again to a new home. She should not be able to find it. I
do worry that Keb may sense where I have moved it to and that Kana would be
able to extract that information from him.”

“I
too can sense the orb in its new location. Should we focus our efforts on
securing the orb or on dealing with the war that is about to break out in
Tuwa?” she asked with a look of urgency on her face.

“I
believe that we need to direct our efforts toward preventing an all-out war. If
this object should come into play, then we will deal with it. I sense that we
are needed in the field of battle right now. If we cannot stem this tide of
war, then we must turn it in our favor…for the benefit of the good peoples of
Tuwa,” replied the guardian stoically.

“I
shall return then to the peoples gathered together in Landen. They probably
have the greatest need right now.”

“I
have a special favor to ask of you before you return. I need you to visit our
friend Lord Neb. It is time we got back the Nairi Canyons from those fallen
elves. Have Neb cleanse it.”  This last statement has an ominous feel and sent
shivers through Khalida.

“Ah…you
are right, of course. That course of action is probably long overdue. I will
take care of it.”

“I
leave you in charge of this affair for the time being. I have other matters to
attend to.” Adair said this with a faraway look in his eye.

“You
are going to visit him, aren’t you?”  Khalida spoke in a reverent manner that
was almost a whisper.

“Yes.
He is the only one who can advise me in these matters. Plus, I must report that
your beloved sister has fallen from her high station. He will not be pleased,
but he will be able to give me the guidance that is sorely needed in this
delicate situation. This bloody affair that is ravaging these free lands is the
responsibility of the guardians. We shall be the ones who will rectify the
wrongs. However, I sense that we are going to need help from my special
children.”

“Please
be careful while you travel. Kana may target you next. She knows that if you
get involved that her plans will be thwarted in the end. I will attempt to
track her movements, but I believe that she may be using powers that are not
rightfully hers.”

Adair
pulled Khalida into another warm embrace and held her for a few minutes. When
he broke away from her, he smiled widely and winked at her. He jumped lightly
onto Osborn’s back, and they were off. Khalida watched him go as the sun began
to peak through the trees. After a few moments of watching the guardian ride
off toward the sunrise, she realized that he had not explained why they had met
in the Seda’s home. She had been too engrossed in their discussion to remember
her initial query. It was at this point that she looked around the charred
clearing and noticed the spirit creatures watching her. There were several
hundred floating in the cool morning air. As she continued to look around, it
was clear that they had surrounded them during their discussion.
Why did
they surround us?  Were they trying to protect us?

Your
god asked us to protect you while you met in our home
.

“The
guardian asked you to do that?” she asked in disbelief. She knew that he did
not trust these treacherous spirits.

He
has forgiven our past transgressions and has asked us to help you in your fight
with the orcs and those wicked elves. We will protect the fair elven cities
from capture and will lead any enemy of your god astray.

“What
was offered to you in exchange for your help?  Surely you do not expect me to
believe that because he forgave you that you are now so willing to help us.” 
She did not like the fact that Adair had not told her about the deal he had
made with the Seda.
How do I know I can trust these shifty shades?

He
bade us to give you a sign if your doubt should remain. He asked us to do one
special task for him and that was to guard the path to the sacred object you
just discussed with your god.
One
of the specters floated forward and transformed itself into the orb to show
that they did know about the object they had been asked to protect.

“You
could have simply overheard our discussion.”

We
do not blame you for your distrust. You have every right to question our
motives. As a further token of our sincerity, we will track your fallen sister
for you. We will report her movements to you so that you will know where she is
at all times.

“How
will you be able to communicate to me the whereabouts of the guardian Kana?”

Time
and space are nothing more than mere guidelines for us; they do not bind us or
control us. When we have information for you, we will send a messenger to you.
The shades began to pull back into the
forest and disappeared after this declaration.

Khalida
sighed softly as she looked around the empty clearing.
Could this day get
any more complex?
  She absentmindedly began to stroke Kuma as she stood
there soaking in the rays of sunlight. She knew that she needed to get back to
Landen, but she could not make herself move. She was still reeling from her
awkward meeting with the Seda. She still did not believe a word that they had
said. She had the feeling that these vile spirits would end up betraying them
somehow. She did not know how or even why; she just had a feeling that this
would be the case.
Adair is too trusting of others. This was not a good
decision on his part
. She pushed that thought out of her mind and mounted
her burly steed. As she slowly made her way toward the cover of the trees,
clouds from the north began to make their way toward the Black Forest. These
clouds were black and were hanging very low over the Nairi Canyons.
So, that
is my answer as to whether or not this day could get any more complicated
.

***

Kana
was flying high in the sky above the Nairi Canyons, which were now covered in
darkness by a black storm cloud. She did not even take a second look at this
mysterious cloud that appeared out of nowhere. She was too busy contemplating
the orb she had been shown.
Why would Keb, of all people, have information
on a powerful magical object that she did not know of?  What power did it
possess, and where was it?  I know that the fool had no idea of where to find
it, but maybe I could force him to use his special connection to the earth to
track it down for me.
She smiled at this thought and spurred her steed to
head north once more. She intended to visit her captive friend one more time.
She had methods of getting what she wanted that even Drogan knew nothing about.
He served his purpose and would continue to do so, but this task required her
special talents.

After
flying for quite some time, she arrived at the mountain that held the earth
lord prisoner. Her dragon fought her once again on going anywhere near the
accursed place. This time she merely set down on the plains leading up to the
evil lair. As she slid off the back of her steed, she gave him a very stern
look. She did not like the fact that her dragon was afraid of anything…even
though he had very good reasons to be scared. She started to walk away toward
her destination and did not look back when Ryo took flight. She casually turned
into a ball of fire and shot across the desolate landscape.

As
she entered the cavern where Lord Keb was being held captive, she noticed that
her magic had been subverted somehow. She could sense the presence of Drogan
before she saw him glowering over the prostrate form of her fellow guardian.
She made a loud popping noise as she changed back into her human form, which got
the attention of her accomplice. He had a look of surprise on his face at the
unexpected visit. He quickly masked that look with a broad, devilish grin. Kana
lowered herself to the ground and looked at him sternly. It was clear that she
was waiting for an explanation as to why he had undone her magic. She did not
try to hide the fact that she was furious with him about the subversion.

“You
have nothing to fear, Kana. I replaced your enchantments with some more potent
ones of my own,” he said smoothly.

“I
know that I have nothing to fear from you!” she snapped indignantly. “I wonder
if you realize that your ‘protections’ denied me access to my prisoner.”  She
made this a statement rather than a question.

“I
could have sworn that I gave you access through my magical webs. I will fix
that straight away.”  He said this with a rather pathetic attempt at looking
sheepish. He simply could not hide his evil grin.

“Leave
us!”  He looked at her sideways before retreating back into one of the walls of
the cavern.

She
watched him go with mounting disgust.
The people I must align myself with! 
I will dispose of him and the others once I have control over the races and
creatures of Tuwa.
She turned her attention to Lord Keb and began to smile
wickedly as she stood over his bent frame. She was not finished with him just
yet. He knew more than he had let on; he simply did not know it yet.