The Fallen Guardian (The Guardian Chronicles 2) by Steven R. Burke Page B

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