The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2) by Sam Ferguson Page B
Authors: Sam Ferguson
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banished?” Jaleal asked.
Phinean nodded. “It may not seem justifiable to any who had not lived through that dark time, but the Elf War had been of an almost unimaginable scale. The losses on both sides were high. King Lemork’s forces were winning. Aided by the black dragon, Lemork would have completed his conquest and eradicated the elves, securing the Elven Isles for the exclusive use of the Sierri’Tai. Banishment is not taken lightly, but it was necessary. Lemork offered no quarter to his enemies. Had it not been for the human king, all would have been lost. King Dailex came down from Raia, the main continent in the north that is now divided into the kingdoms of Shausmat and Zinferth. King Dailex rode upon a white dragon and was a terribly formidable warrior. He arrived with thousands of the best human soldiers and bolstered the courage of the elves. He led the united force against Lemork and the Sierri’Tai.”
“A human rode a dragon?” Jaleal asked breathlessly. “That must have been a sight to see.”
Phinean nodded. “There are legends surrounding the dragon. Some say it appeared because it knew the black dragon. Others say it was a magical manifestation sent by the Old Gods to deliver us from extermination.”
Jaleal stepped to the wall and ran his fingers over the painted stone. “I should have liked to see a human ride a dragon, especially a dragon who still had its honor intact.”
“You said you have hunted dragons before,” Phinean said. “What was that like?”
Jaleal shook his head. “It would take longer to explain that adventure than what we have time for. Let’s just say that in the Middle Kingdom, there aren’t too many dragons left that have any honor in them whatsoever.” Jaleal then pointed to the figure of the human king and turned around to Phinean. “What happened to him?”
Phinean nodded soberly. “King Dailex had suffered mortal injuries in his great battle with King Lemork. So, while he succeeded in defeating Lemork, he had not the strength to return to his own kingdom. Thus, Raia fractured from within as different factions grappled with each other for power until the land finally came under the rule of two houses. It was a bloody affair, a lot like the Elf War.”
“Did the elves help the humans?”
Phinean shook his head. “Nothing like how the humans had helped the elves. There were pockets of warriors here and there, but you must understand, nearly everyone was killed during the Elf War. We didn’t have an organized army to send. Even if we had, King Dailex’s family was hunted down. It wasn’t something that could be helped.”
Jaleal nodded and moved along the wall until he came to another image. This one depicted a group of elves standing around an altar.
“That would be the time when the elves were fashioning the relics necessary to banish the rest of the Sierri’Tai. This was a solution the elf council had proposed, but King Dailex had always opposed it, saying it was better to fight to the last man in the hopes that the Sierri’Tai would give up their quest for blood than to banish an entire race to the Netherworld. However, when King Dailex died, there were no other viable options. The Sierri’Tai were fierce warriors, and they only grew more zealous after the death of their king. Banishing them may have destroyed a race, but it saved the rest of us from death. The Svetli’Tai elders worked with a pair of Tomni’Tai elves to banish every Sierri’Tai to the Netherworld.”
“The Tomni’Tai?” Jaleal asked. “But they are also dark elves. They are a closer race of elves to the Sierri’Tai than any other elf race. Why would they work to destroy the Sierri’Tai?”
“As I said,” Phinean began. “The Sierri’Tai wanted the destruction of all other elf races. They viewed all others, even the Tomni’Tai, as inferior races, mistakes of the gods. Their vision was to wipe all inferior races from the Elven Isles, and then to expand from
Phinean nodded. “It may not seem justifiable to any who had not lived through that dark time, but the Elf War had been of an almost unimaginable scale. The losses on both sides were high. King Lemork’s forces were winning. Aided by the black dragon, Lemork would have completed his conquest and eradicated the elves, securing the Elven Isles for the exclusive use of the Sierri’Tai. Banishment is not taken lightly, but it was necessary. Lemork offered no quarter to his enemies. Had it not been for the human king, all would have been lost. King Dailex came down from Raia, the main continent in the north that is now divided into the kingdoms of Shausmat and Zinferth. King Dailex rode upon a white dragon and was a terribly formidable warrior. He arrived with thousands of the best human soldiers and bolstered the courage of the elves. He led the united force against Lemork and the Sierri’Tai.”
“A human rode a dragon?” Jaleal asked breathlessly. “That must have been a sight to see.”
Phinean nodded. “There are legends surrounding the dragon. Some say it appeared because it knew the black dragon. Others say it was a magical manifestation sent by the Old Gods to deliver us from extermination.”
Jaleal stepped to the wall and ran his fingers over the painted stone. “I should have liked to see a human ride a dragon, especially a dragon who still had its honor intact.”
“You said you have hunted dragons before,” Phinean said. “What was that like?”
Jaleal shook his head. “It would take longer to explain that adventure than what we have time for. Let’s just say that in the Middle Kingdom, there aren’t too many dragons left that have any honor in them whatsoever.” Jaleal then pointed to the figure of the human king and turned around to Phinean. “What happened to him?”
Phinean nodded soberly. “King Dailex had suffered mortal injuries in his great battle with King Lemork. So, while he succeeded in defeating Lemork, he had not the strength to return to his own kingdom. Thus, Raia fractured from within as different factions grappled with each other for power until the land finally came under the rule of two houses. It was a bloody affair, a lot like the Elf War.”
“Did the elves help the humans?”
Phinean shook his head. “Nothing like how the humans had helped the elves. There were pockets of warriors here and there, but you must understand, nearly everyone was killed during the Elf War. We didn’t have an organized army to send. Even if we had, King Dailex’s family was hunted down. It wasn’t something that could be helped.”
Jaleal nodded and moved along the wall until he came to another image. This one depicted a group of elves standing around an altar.
“That would be the time when the elves were fashioning the relics necessary to banish the rest of the Sierri’Tai. This was a solution the elf council had proposed, but King Dailex had always opposed it, saying it was better to fight to the last man in the hopes that the Sierri’Tai would give up their quest for blood than to banish an entire race to the Netherworld. However, when King Dailex died, there were no other viable options. The Sierri’Tai were fierce warriors, and they only grew more zealous after the death of their king. Banishing them may have destroyed a race, but it saved the rest of us from death. The Svetli’Tai elders worked with a pair of Tomni’Tai elves to banish every Sierri’Tai to the Netherworld.”
“The Tomni’Tai?” Jaleal asked. “But they are also dark elves. They are a closer race of elves to the Sierri’Tai than any other elf race. Why would they work to destroy the Sierri’Tai?”
“As I said,” Phinean began. “The Sierri’Tai wanted the destruction of all other elf races. They viewed all others, even the Tomni’Tai, as inferior races, mistakes of the gods. Their vision was to wipe all inferior races from the Elven Isles, and then to expand from
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