War Of The Wildlands(71)

This bit of information intrigued Yori. Enlightened Elf magic must be entirely different from any magic he would find in the forests. “With all the power you have, why do you need a conventional weapon?” he asked.

“We do not have an unlimited supply of power, though some of us have more than others,” Eldon replied. “A weapon can carry hefty enchantments that are too draining for a sorcerer to conjure at a moment’s notice. Also, you wouldn’t want to cast a spell that could drain your entire magical store. Carrying a sidearm is the best way to go if you fear you may be attacked.”

“Do attacks happen often?” Yori wondered out loud.

Master Eldon laughed. “All day long, young man.”

He continued to laugh as they made their way down the street towards one of the stone towers. Each tower looked basically the same to Yori, and he wondered how people could tell their homes apart. He decided they must use magic for that as well and entered the tower behind Eldon.

The interior of the tower was breathtaking. The expanse of the room was surreal. What had seemed like a cold stone spire was warm and inviting. All around him, he saw ornately carved wooden furniture, white marble sculptures, and brass lamps shining brightly on every wall.

“There are quarters for you on the seventh floor,” Eldon said, pointing at the spiral staircase. “Third door on your left. I trust you can find it yourself. I’ll have one of my apprentices bring you those scrolls.”

“Thank you,” Yori said as he ascended the stairs. Arriving at his room, he was once again impressed. It was easily twice the size of the room at the inn, and it had multiple rooms for his use. There was a sitting area with tall bookcases lined with hundreds of different books, a laboratory room with vials, flasks, and all sorts of other equipment, and a large metal table with a glowing orb at its center. The bedroom held an enormous bed topped with deep red velvet cushions. Never in his life had he slept anywhere so fancy. These quarters were finer than any in the king’s palace in Na’zora.

Setting down his leather bag, he headed to the window to take in his surroundings. From this height, he could see far into the distance. The sea lay before him, gleaming in the sunlight. Despite being only midday, few people could be seen moving about the streets. Perhaps most of them had returned home already as Master Eldon had done.

A knock sounded from his door, and an elf in a red robe stepped inside. Under one arm, he clutched several scrolls. “These are for you,” he said, placing them on the large wooden desk. “Master Eldon says to tell you a meal will be prepared in the next ten minutes. You’re invited to join us.” With a huff, the elf turned and exited the room.

“Thanks,” Yori called after him. Clearly not everyone was thrilled about his presence here, but being snubbed didn’t bother Yori in the slightest. He had come here to learn, not make friends.





Chapter 42




“Why are we waiting for dawn?” Sal asked. “Why not attack now, while the villagers are still sleeping?”

“Essa insisted,” Reylin replied. “Since our weapons are much better, she insisted we at least wait until the people were awake.”

“Ah,” Sal said. “She’s a true warrior, then. She wants them to put up a fight.”

“It still won’t be much of one,” Reylin commented. “But two attacks happening at once will certainly send a message to their king. Essa and Nat will attack Duana with the rest of our army this morning, and we will burn Enald to the ground. Domren is going to think it’s an invasion.”

A thousand elven troops hid in the trees just outside the village of Enald. They waited for sunrise, when the villagers would begin to emerge from their homes. Children would not be attacked directly, but every adult was a fair target. The houses and shops were to be destroyed, forcing the humans out of their homes as the elves had been.

“I’m surprised this village has no lookouts,” Sal remarked. “Do they not realize there is a war taking place in the woods?”

“They’re going to realize it today,” Reylin replied.

The snow had held off for the night, providing clear paths for the elves to make their way to Enald. By now, Essa’s troops would be in position, allowing the elves to attack both cities at once. King Domren would be forced to retaliate and bring the war back into elven territory. Once there, they planned to have an even greater advantage.

As the sun finally began to peek over the horizon, the elves began descending from the trees. The shadowy figures of Enald’s citizens began to move about the streets, preparing for their daily chores. The sword maidens readied the charge as the archers spread out to cover three sides of the town.