themselves along the cliff wall so we can surprise the cursed high elves and hopefully drive them back for a time,” replied General Yukio. The sentry bowed and waited patiently for the general to return. After a few minutes, a blood covered horse came back into view with Yukio on his back. The sentry mounted his steed, and they took off at once toward Ishrafle Castle. The army they left behind moved into action at once. After the army of Nairi had positioned themselves along the cliff wall and at the entrance to Landen, they waited for their quarry to come into view. They did not need to wait long for the high elves to appear. It was clear that the army below the cliffs had no idea that they were walking directly into harm’s way. As the head of the army passed the first defensive position, tension filled the air. The army continued forward until they had passed three more posts without anything happening. When they arrived at the fifth defensive station, the previous four stations opened fire. They sent arrows, rocks, and boiling oil, followed by fire arrows, down into the unsuspecting ranks of Jaali’s army. Shrieks of terror and absolute pain reached the ears of their attackers. The captains took courage at these sounds and ordered the troops to fire at will. The base of the cliffs were ablaze now, and the soldiers below began to run in every direction as though they had no idea which way was out. Several thousand high elves lay dead within the first few minutes of the assault from above. The portions of the army below that had not reached the first defensive position halted their march eastward and turned due north. They positioned themselves directly north of the besieged part of their army and were out of range of the attacks from above. It appeared that they were attempting to set up a defensive perimeter around the survivors. After a few minutes, the troops who had not perished in the surprise attack settled down and rejoined their army. The remains of the high elves that died burned brightly until the fires had burned themselves out. The charred remains smoldered for days after their fiery deaths. General Jaali looked up at the tiny dots that were their attackers and cursed loudly in a fit of rage. After ranting and raving for a few minutes, he regained his composure and surveyed the extent of the damage. They had lost a little over six thousands soldiers in the surprise attack. Their numbers had been reduced to less than one hundred thousand strong. While this infuriated the general greatly, he knew that his forces were still formidable and that with reinforcements that he could capture the Nairi army and the foolish people of Landen. He would merely have to wait for a report back from Queen Kishi on exactly who their allies would be. He decided that he had better send her a report and address his battered soldiers. This is only a temporary setback. Those foolish men will curse the day they betrayed us!
The Sacred Language
Lord Keb shrieked in utter frustration as the wraiths swarmed all about him. They seemed to be feeding off of his anger and anxiety. He was not necessarily afraid of the vile creatures; he was terrified of what Kana was doing. He knew that he had to warn the others of exactly what she was planning to do. His mind ached from the effort of thinking while his essence was racked with pain from Kana’s fire. He calmed his thoughts and drove out all feelings and emotions from his body. He locked his mind from his external foes and emptied all thought. His body finally relaxed, which enabled him to block out the effects of Kana’s magic. The specters stopped their siphoning and floated motionless around the wooden figure that was still ablaze. The anger and anxiety had dissipated all at once, and they could not understand where it went or how Keb had accomplished this feat. As the battered Elemental sat there consumed by flames, his mind was blissfully at ease. He focused his efforts on