The Light and the Darkness: The Ice Fields of Albakor

By R.W. Dekar

Darien and the others have returned, continuing their adventures across Gaianterra, the war-torn land filled with wonder and magic. What new perils await our characters, heroes, and villains alike? What memories of the past have been long forgotten by the people of the world? And what possible dangers could those memories of yore have upon the world of today? The Imperial War is heating up, and forces from all sides are more active now than ever before. Who will strike next, and where will their swords clash? Can the emperor of Lumin'Valeria be stopped before he attacks and crushes the other nations of the world? Darien and his companions are headed for the Temple Shendau, which is high up on Mount Gai Den. Once there, will they find the answers about the mysterious dark sword that Darien now carries? A powerful sword that gives the wielder magic, but at a horrible cost. They search for answers with a sense of urgency, knowing that something dangerous is behind the black sword. Yet as they search for answers, the Bladeknights, elite commandos of Lumin'Valeria, are searching for them. Lord Dragos, the one who's seemingly pulling all the strings, is searching for something, but what and why? This superpowered warrior-mage has the might of the Empire at his beck and call—what else does such a man desire? Sampson Rockfell is still in pursuit of traitors and villains from the Empire. Can he finally put a stop to their dark designs, and will he get revenge upon the one who betrayed his kingdom of Nepheir? Finally, what will happen first? Will Jack Destin, the Vampire Hunter, give up his quest to find the impossible, or will he run into his worst nightmares? Could vampires possibly exist? And if so, what dangers do they present?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647016609

Book preview

Chapter 1

Darien, Kalos, Allura, and Sebastion had been traveling through the Dynasties of Shoa Tang in their horse-drawn wagon. The countryside was beautiful, and the architecture of the cities was different from what they were all used to.

Since their arrival in this new land, nothing had been the same. And nothing would ever be the same again, they knew. With one exception: Kalos was determined to let nothing get in the way of what he wanted most. He would go out of his way and tackle any obstacle to make sure he had it. Nothing would stop him from having it—Moondogs coffee.

Now that’s a good cup of coffee! Kalos exclaimed.

It sure hit the spot, agreed Sebastion.

We’re almost there. I can see the mountain pass a little ways ahead, Darien said. Get ready to do some walking.

"Awe, do we have to?" Kalos said jokingly.

That means no more coffee until we come back to the wagon, Allura said, making both Kalos and Sebastion frown.

Then I’d better make some more before we get there, Kalos said.

I hope you burn your tongue on that coffee of yours.

That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? Don’t be like that. You drink it too.

Yeah, but you’re obsessed with it. It’s not healthy to drink that much.

How can it be unhealthy? It’s just hot water poured over seeds from some fruit.

"Isn’t it obvious? It has something in it that makes you act like a moron."

Everyone was laughing, except Darien; they knew that it was all in good fun, that they were just playing around. Even so, it had been a long journey, and Darien said, a bit too gruffly, Okay, we’re here. Let’s get going.

On their journey to Mount Gai Den, they had skipped past the Yan Pie Dynasty, not stopping much unless the horses needed to rest. They had made it to a beautiful bridge going over a river. It was a nice vista, blue water running through the yellow soil of the surrounding land. And according to the wooden signposts on both sides of the bridge, it was called the Zoren River.

They had continued past that and then began to run extremely low on supplies. They had seen signs to the Hie Bang Dynasty and decided to stop at the first city that they could. The place was called Bang Pao, which Kalos and Sebastion had found funny. Here they had eaten at a nice restaurant and bought the food they needed for the rest of their trip, as well as refilled their water. Even though they had all been expecting it, Kalos still made a scene when they had found no coffee to be had throughout the entire city. Once again, they had to make some of their own. It was also decided that they would spend the night at an inn and get a good night’s rest for a change, as they had been sleeping on the road.

Not much had happened until Kalos had offered some men a cup of his Moondogs coffee, which he brewed himself. He poured each of them a cup of the strong, hot coffee and instructed them to drink it at once. That was how it had begun.

When the men—who were actually soldiers in the military and still were in their hardwood and leather armor, most carrying swords while a few had long flat-headed spears—had drunk the coffee, they immediately spat it out. Outraged and furious, they had accused Kalos of trying to poison them and drew their weapons. There were too many for Kalos to handle, and they could not be stopped peaceably. Darien, Allura, and Sebastion had to step in to help. Of course, since they were soldiers and in their own city, other military men joined their ranks, and just like that, there were too many to deal with, even for the four of them. The soldiers needed no further provocation and began to attack in earnest.

Darien was left with no choice—he had left his armor in his room at the inn, but he had the black sword—so he drew the magic blade. Remembering what he had done the last time when he was in the Free Nations, he unleashed a cyclone of dirt and dust-filled wind that violently, but not fatally, tossed his opponents out of his path. His eyes began to glow red, and the blade of his sword burst into flames that danced and arched across the length of the black steel. But the first attack was enough to stop the rest of the men in their tracks. He had not become as angry as the last time he had used the sword—perhaps because he knew it wasn’t the Empire that he was fighting, only culturally confused men. Thus, it was easy to calm Darien down before he cast any more spells. But his eyes did not cease their eerie red glow. However, Kalos was able to explain that the bitter black water he drank actually tasted good to him and his companions. One man asked why anyone would drink something that one had to get used to before they enjoyed it. Kalos just frowned and said, Because it’s great stuff. Not surprisingly, the soldiers opted to drink the tea that they were used to.

After sleeping the night away at a local inn, which had a name they could neither remember nor pronounce, they returned to their journey. Actually, they had not much farther to go to reach the mountain where Wan Shu Zouh was located. It had only taken a little over a day to get to where they were now. Unfortunately, as they all noticed yet none of them mentioned out loud, Darien’s eyes were still glowing red. Darien had no way of knowing that they were still red, a fact that Allura was grateful for. All of which explained Darien’s gruff attitude.

They had eaten lunch before they had gotten there, so they would not have to stop for it once they reached the mountain. By doing this, they could just keep walking along the upward slope of the mountain pass. There were loose rocks, and the slope was steep, very steep in several places. Thus, they agreed that they would not travel the pass in the dark, for fear of how treacherous it would be. Because of this, they did not stop for dinner when they got hungry. A little before dark, they came to the base of the long staircase that led to the mountain city. Here they would have to stop and rest, since there would be nowhere to rest on the stairway once they had begun their ascent. After they had finished eating a cold meal of dried meat, bread, fresh fruit, and nuts, they would go to sleep.

While they were eating, Kalos said, You know, they should sell this fruit cut up and mixed with some nuts or something. It would be the perfect mix to eat on a trail.

I don’t know, Allura chimed in. Don’t your hands get too dirty to repeatedly stick in a bag of food while you’re on a trail?

"Nah, you can wash ’em like this." Kalos brushed his hands off on his pants.

"Okay, that’s gross. You didn’t clean your hands at all, she chided. All you managed to do was smear the dirt all over your clothes."

Personally, I think I’d rather have some strips of dried meat to chew on while hiking, Sebastion added.

Yeah, that’s a great idea too, Kalos agreed.

Allura laughed. Good luck with those silly ideas. They would never sell.

Yeah, you’re probably right, Kalos finally conceded. It’s a stupid idea.

How about something that will keep liquids warm for hours after it’s been boiled? he said after a period of silence. Then you could have coffee anywhere, anytime.

And just how would you do that? Besides, you drink enough coffee without it.

Kalos frowned.

They continued to talk as they laid out their bedrolls, though nothing important was said until they had finished. Then Kalos said, That’s a long staircase. I can’t even see the top. It just winds up high into the mountains.

"Nah, Sebastion said, it’s only a third of the way up the mountains. This stairway stops at the city of Wan Shu Zouh. From there another stairway will take us to the top. The problem is, this is a very high mountain range. You can’t see the tops because of the clouds, but the mountain in the center is the highest. It’s there where we’ll find the temple Shendau."

They made stairs that go all the way up that? Allura said doubtfully.

They sure did, Sebastion replied. It was done long ago, which I don’t know the details of.

"We should get some sleep if we’re going to be going up that at first light," said Kalos, able to be serious when it was needed.

Yes, we should, Allura agreed.

The three of them lay down in their bedrolls. Darien had already fallen asleep, Allura noticed when she looked over at him. He had not spoken most of the trip since his recent use of the sword’s magic. He had not spoken while they ate, nor did he while they prepared their beds. While they were talking just moments ago, he had crawled into his bedroll the moment it was set up. Now Allura lay awake, wondering what color Darien’s eyes were now. What color would they be in the morning? She finally fell asleep.

Come on, everyone, the sun is up. Time to get a move on, came a chipper voice.

Allura got up, stretching and yawning. She opened her eyes to see that it was Darien who had woken them up. She noticed immediately that his eyes were a pure blue. She smiled at him but said nothing, assuming Darien had no idea that his eyes had remained red for so long, and there was no point in telling him now.

Kalos also saw that Darien’s eye color had returned to normal, and he smiled.

Even Sebastion noticed that his eyes had changed colors—he had been told not to mention the change in colors but was not told why. Instead, Allura had told him that it was normal and meant nothing but Darien was sensitive about it, so no one was supposed to say anything. Sebastion did take note that Darien seemingly acted different when his eyes had changed color; he liked him more when he had blue eyes. Even so, he was too preoccupied with his own situation and did not dwell on Darien and his mysterious eyes, even though glowing red eyes were eerie as hell.

They struck their camp quickly and started off without bothering to eat breakfast. They elected to begin the ascent right away.

The stairs were cut right into the stone of the mountains themselves. It wound with twists and turns and occasionally spiraled up thinner peaks of smaller mountains before turning off onto a larger one, where the two walls of the mountains met. Most times there was no wall on one side of the giant staircase—falling would usually result in death, although sometimes there was a small ledge or shelf to land on. Other times there were walls on both sides of the path.

However, there were no places to sit and rest except on the steps themselves. Sleeping would be impossible, as would continuing in the dark. Thus, they had no choice; they would have to get to Wan Shu Zouh before the night settled on the mountains. But they were not used to such rigorous climbing and took a short break to eat breakfast.

You know, Kalos said in between bites of bread and fruit, we’re actually making good progress. I think we will get there before dinnertime.

I hope you’re right, Allura said. I don’t want to do this in the dark.

Well, if we only make two more stops besides the one for lunch, we’ll be doing just fine, Darien put in. Besides, this stairway has some great, scenic views.

And that it did. They could see different formations in the mountains. As they got higher up, they began to see the land around the mountain range. The landscapes were beautiful. There were plains, rolling hills, some scenes with trees, and there was a field of white and yellow flowers of some type, though they could not tell from that distance; in fact, they were only guessing that they were flowers.

There was an occasional natural pathway, like a bridge that led from one mountain to another, which had no walls at all. Some were extremely dangerous—narrow, steep, and with winds rushing between the mountain walls.

The ascent up the mountain staircase was long and arduous. It felt like days of walking up the stone steps, but it had been merely hours after they had stopped to have breakfast when they stopped again, this time for lunch. They ate another cold meal; nothing in the area could be used as fuel for a fire, so they had bread, dried meat—which, of course, was cooked and salted then wrapped, which was probably nasty after it got to be uncounted days old—and not as fresh a fruit as the previous two days. They saved the nuts that were left to chew on while they walked, per Kalos’s insistence.

My legs are killing me! Allura whined. We should have brought bananas to help with the muscle cramping.

Yeah, Darien agreed. We’re almost there. Another two or three hours of climbing should do it. At least the air is still okay.

It is still good, Kalos confirmed. I wonder how high you have to get before it becomes thin. I assume the town will be okay, but what about the temple that’s higher up? Higher than the clouds even.

We’ll worry about that when we get there, Darien said. Let’s get going.

They all reluctantly got to their feet. Somehow feeling more tired and cramped after stopping for twenty minutes than they had been while on the move. Yet they all trudged along without complaint.

These stairs are torture even for me at this pace. Just who are these guys, anyway? Sebastion wondered. They’re in great shape. Sure, the monks can do these steps without a problem, but the normal people who settle in the city and those that visit bring gear so they can sleep on the way up and take anywhere from three to five days to cover the distance. Well, at least this town will be safe from invasion—ground invasion, anyway.

Finally, the four had made it up the stairs to a large flat area where they could rest. Of course, directly ahead of them was a high wall of mountain stone, a monolith of rock protecting the city. But carved out of the center was a large hole about fifty feet across and thirty-five feet high that had two large wooden doors braced with iron, which barred the passageway into the walled city. Darien guessed that the stone walls themselves were at least two hundred feet high. And parts of the mountains themselves made some sections of all four walls of the city even higher.

After taking a short rest, they got on their feet and approached the large doors. There was a huge metal knocker, an iron ring that rested on an iron plate. Darien used both hands to pick the ring up and pounded it. A few moments later, the doors began to slowly swing open. As the gap in the doors widened, they could see some men wearing baggy dark-brown clothing, their shirts tied together about the waist with a wide black cloth belt. When the doors were opened wider, they could see that there was a fourth man, in a lighter-brown outfit, and all the men were bald.

The man in light brown stepped out just a little. In a commanding tone, he said, State your business.

Darien realized then that these men were gate guards. But none of them carried any weapons. At least not that he could see. In a firm voice of his own, he answered, I am here seeking answers from the monks up on the mountain at the temple Shendau. May we enter?

I’m also here to see and tour the city, Sebastion chimed in.

The commander of monks looked at the four visitors, appraising them. I will ask one question that each of you will answer separately, starting with her. He pointed at Allura. Are you on the side of righteousness and good?

The four looked at one another, caught off guard by the question. The bald man stared at Allura, waiting for her answer. She looked into his eyes and said, If you want to know if I’m against evil, then the answer is yes.

The monk continued to watch Allura and then nodded. Yes, I can feel your aura. You are not evil. You wish to fight it. That much I can sense.

Next, the man pointed at Kalos and watched him intently.

Kalos simply said, I am good.

The monk nodded again. You are. You and the woman may pass. You walk with God, although you do not realize it. Please enter. Your companions may be joining you shortly. Although what I am sensing makes me think otherwise.

There, it was out. An evil presence resided among the four travelers. But who could it be? Darien, the man they had known since he was a boy? Or the man they had just recently met, who was in a strange, faraway land for no apparent reason other than sightseeing? The man who had seemed wary of whether or not Darien and the others were Hunters. Could the enemy have gotten this close to them? Could Sebastion be an imperial spy sent to report their activities and whereabouts to the emperor himself? Or even worse, was he an assassin sent to kill Darien in cold blood? But if that was his goal, why had he not yet attacked Darien in his sleep? Or just simply have pushed him off a cliff on the way up the mountain? What exactly was going on?

After Allura and Kalos stepped into the city, as they were told, the inquisition continued.

You—the monk now pointed at Sebastion—answer the question.

I’m not evil, Sebastion stated.

The monk seemed to scrutinize Sebastion for a longer-than-usual period. Then he spoke. "All the evils that you have committed have not tainted your spirit, yet. Deep down in your heart of hearts, you are good and decent. You must strengthen your relationship with the Giver, however, before it’s too late."

To these words, Sebastion smirked and rolled his eyes. So can I enter?

The monk nodded. You may go in.

What? Sebastion was good? Then that only left Darien. What was going on? Kalos and Allura watched intently as the monk now eyed Darien. Darien eyed the monk in kind.

You are the last. Speak your answer. I will hear it.

I am good, Darien exclaimed with no hint of panic or concern in his voice.

The monk wasted no time in proclaiming his judgment. Just as I thought. He shook his head, and the other three monks, wearing the darker-brown clothing, advanced, taking on a fighting stance. You are evil. I can sense it like a sour lemon. You are not welcome here. You must go. If you do not do so willingly, then we will force you.

Wait, you’re making a mistake, Allura said. Darien is a good man. Try again.

Yeah, Darien defended himself. I’m even fighting against the Empire. But first, I need—

"No, there is no mistake. An evil aura pours from you like a miasma. At first, I thought it was coming from all four of you—it was that strong. No, you may not enter, evil one. You are almost no longer even human. You’re a demon!"

Darien took a step back from the accusation, which was said with much venom. No! I have killed demon-like beasts. I am no demon. Demons are nearly indestructible. Demons use hellish magic. I can do neith—wait, the sword! You are judging my sword!

The monk commander eyed Darien curiously. Your sword?

"Yes! Allura exclaimed. I told you that sword was evil. He has a dark sword of magic. Show him, but don’t take it out of its scabbard."

At first, Darien was confused. Don’t take it out of the scabbard? Then it hit him. His eyes would turn red! Red like some sort of monster, like a demon’s eyes. So he carefully took off his sword belt and laid it on the ground.

Step away, the monk in light brown commanded Darien. After Darien moved away from the black sword, the monk walked closer to it, then away again. He looked from the sword to Darien several times, gazing at them for a long time with much scrutiny on his face.

The monk turned to speak to Darien again. "This sword is extremely evil. It’s full of dark magic. It has actually become stronger in its vile nature since it left your side. I can now see that you are a good person, Darien. However, the sword has tainted your very soul. You have been blemished by evil. To be honest, I am surprised that the evil of the sword has not yet overwhelmed the goodness in your heart. I believe that at one time you must have had a nearly divine constitution, for a lesser man would have succumbed to the darkness long ago. Hark! Do not use that sword again. You must not. It will yet devour you. I cannot say how long it will take, but it will. Even carrying it will allow its evil to possess you. You said that you came here seeking answers. Be glad that you did. I believe I know vaguely what this sword is, but I will not discuss it here."

Allura walked over to the sword and bent down. I will carry it the rest of the way. I don’t want you to touch it again, Darien.

Stop, came the monk’s boisterous voice. Do not touch the sword. It will consume you quickly. Darien must be very special to still have this much of his soul left. Be wary of the dark magic, young one. I hate to tell you this, but you could not withstand the evil for long. No, only Darien can safely handle it. Not even I would willingly hold such a thing.

A pause.

Sorry, young man, but the burden must remain with you. He gave Darien a compassionate look. I can sense it continuing to drain you even now. My guess is that you have used it one too many times. Even if you left it behind now and went back home, it would still devour the good within you. You must hurry and find the answers that you seek. I can only pray that it is not too late.

The mouths of Darien and his three companions were wide-open. They all felt a hollow helplessness at the words the monk had spoken. The other three could only look at Darien, worry filling their expressions. None could speak.

Take back the sword, get some food and rest. You must finish your journey to Shendau early in the morning. Do not dwell on this matter. That will accomplish nothing. Try to enjoy this beautiful city. It may actually help to combat the evil sword, however slight.

When Darien strapped the sword belt back on, he could actually feel the evil within the sword that hung on his hip. Why had he not noticed this before? Was the sword like a parasite, the host unaware of its presence until something happened that drew attention to it? He thought that was a good possibility. Stupid idiot! he chided himself. Why would you think picking up a sword that materialized from a demon-like beast was safe to handle? He pushed those thoughts out of his head; they would not help. He decided to put himself in a better mood. Smiling, he said to the others, Let’s go get some meat kebabs and find a place to brew some Moondogs.

The others smiled uncertainly. Kalos spoke first. Before we do that, we should get you a different sword to use, just in case.

Darien nodded. I think that would be for the best.

They walked into the city and looked at their surroundings for the first time. It was beautiful. The buildings were painted to look like they were made from gold. The roofs were a jet-black shingle-like design but were cylindrical instead of flat and rectangular. The stones that cobbled the streets looked like gold, but there was no way they could be gold, right? Whatever it was, it sure looked spectacular.

There were a lot of people, more than one would ever expect to see in such a remote, hard-to-reach location. It was a tribute to how devout they were to their religious beliefs. Unlike the other cities in Shoa Tang that they had been to, here there were no economic extremes of rich and poor. It looked like everyone lived a modest, middle-class life. As Darien and his companions looked around, they could not help but think that this was how a religious society should be. This was a far cry from the Federation with its rich politicians controlling citizens as slaves. Not that they thought anything was wrong with a capitalistic economy, but one where no one went without seemed very satisfying even though they themselves were not fervent practitioners of a religion. Of course, one did not have to follow a religion to be a good, decent person. The beliefs that one held did not make a person; it was the actions that they performed. Although it would be much easier to act out good lives in a society such as this one.

A thought hit Darien. How exactly do people in such an isolated city get their food and goods? He couldn’t imagine where the people got meat and produce and materials for clothes and construction. They were on a mountain! Surely, they didn’t cart it up the stairs on their backs. Oh well, he had more important questions that needed to be answered.

Hey, before we do anything else, we should shop for some more food, a new sword for Darien, and refill our water, Allura suggested.

The others agreed. They headed for the city’s central marketplace, which had everything they needed in one area. The food was all sold in open-air vendors, from which they bought all the food they’d need for the trip there and back as well as some extra in case they needed to stay at the temple for an extended period.

After refilling their water sacks, they went into a weapons shop. The market had a lot of weapons, considering it was in a religious city. However, there were few swords to choose from. Darien finally ended up just getting a standard longsword for fifteen gold pieces.

Darien walked to an open area, making sure no one was near him, and took a few practice swings with his newly purchased sword. Not bad. Not as good as the magic sword, but it has potential.

Now, if you can just manage not to break it. Kalos laughed.

Darien gazed at Kalos sharply before laughing with him.

They left the shop and proceeded to leave the marketplace, although they did not quite succeed, as Kalos then pointed out, Hey, guys, they have some meat kebabs over there.

All right, let’s go check out that vendor, then, Darien suggested.

The vendor had all kinds of meats and sauces, fruits and vegetables, all to be combined at one’s own desire. They would make your kebab combo and cook it right then, nice and fresh. Darien got some with beef, pork, and lamb with onions, peppers, and pineapples. He got some more with chicken, turkey, and duck with olives, radish, and pear slices.

Allura ordered beef and pork with onions and orange slices.

Kalos was very excited that they had something he’d wanted to try. He ended up with a seafood array of several kinds of fish—trout, bass, and perch, along with some chunks of octopus—with onions and lemon slices.

Sebastion got his all loaded with just nice, juicy beef.

The sauces ranged from mild to superhot; they also had sweet and sour, a few barbecue sauces with various levels of spiciness, yogurt sauce, and even a peach sauce marinade.

They chose their favorites and applied liberally before and after it was cooked on a wood-fueled grill. They even had different kinds of wood they could use, including maple, cherry, and mesquite, just to name a few. This only made Darien wonder once again how they could possibly get all this stuff up on a mountain.

They ate their meal in a grassy area with trees. Now, where the hell did the water and rich topsoil come from? This was one unique place, to be sure. It was perfect.

When they finished eating, they walked around the city, looking for a tavern or an inn. They could not find a tavern anywhere, and there was only one inn, although it was a large inn. They met a man who explained to them that their society in the walled city did not drink alcohol in general. Also that there were few visitors that came and most of those that did visit ended up staying. In those cases, the community helped the new citizens build a residence.

So they gave up on looking for a tavern, of course, and went to the inn. It was called the Blessed Golden Inn. There they were given permission to use the kitchen in the café to brew their coffee. As they did so, one of the women came by, commenting on the awful, strong odor. One man thought it smelled good, but when he tried some, he spat it out and asked if it was a penitence brew. Apparently, the people in this society drank putrid liquids to help them reflect on the wrongs that they had committed. The bad taste represented the spiritual bad taste that wrong deeds left in your soul.

But the four of them enjoyed a little coffee and went to bed early. The hotel staff would be waking them up before sunrise so they could be ready to make their way up to the tallest mountain, where the temple Shendau sat. Once there, hopefully they could have their questions answered.

*     *     *

Termenus and Exterra had bathed and had a good rest. In the morning, they were ready to give their presentation to the High Council. Exterra was dressed in an outfit much like the Forest Wardens’, except it was a dark green instead of brown, and upon her head was a hat like the warden’s, but of course that, too, was dark green. In place of the gold leaf was a silver sword that was smaller, and it didn’t stick up but was flat against the fabric. For she wore the uniform of an elven soldier. While Termenus donned his uniform, which was a dull gray, for he was a lieutenant and it was an officer’s uniform. Neither brought their weapons to the High Council, of course; doing so would be a grave folly.

Head Chairman Zarka sat in his chair on the dais at the front of the High Council chamber. The rest of the members, the thirty chairmen, sat at the semicircle-shaped table. They were ready to listen to the report that Termenus and Exterra were about to give.

When Termenus and Exterra walked in, they wasted no time.

Termenus began immediately. "The first topic I’d like to talk to you about is the political situation within the Empire of Lumin’Valeria. As we had feared, the emperor is a dictator and a tyrant. He does not have to answer to any council, ministry, senate, or any other form of political assembly. He allows a lord, named only as Dragos, to control whatever he wants to within the military. This Dragos even has four subordinates that rank like generals, called the Four Blades. Each has their own unit of special forces, known as Bladeknights. This lord and the Four Blades seem to be even more evil in nature than Emperor Gershwin himself, and he’s a sinister bastard.

"Emperor Alexander Gershwin has dangerous goals and ambitions. They are simple concepts, to dominate and rule, for which he will do anything necessary to achieve. He wants influence, power, and a grandiose legacy. He will conquer every land on the planet, and these dark desires will still not be quenched. Gershwin actually enjoys the pain, sorrow, and death of others. Even more so when it’s at his hands.

Months ago, he held a War Council where he planned to increase the war efforts against the Kingdom of Ballentine, the Island Kingdom of Rozphallia, and the Royal Kingdom of Zal’Thora. Because we have been imprisoned for so long—Termenus glared fiercely at Zarka—it has no doubt already begun. They were gathering information on all three of these nations, planning an invasion force on Ballentine, a naval assault on Rozphallia, and an air strike on Zal’Thora.

Exterra took over the presentation. "As you may know, the Empire has made weapons called tanks. Mammoth Tanks, as they call them. And they are more powerful than we ever imagined. You’ve also heard about their Skyships and how powerful they are rumored to be. Well, they have improved on the engine design, and these things are now more dangerous than ever. They also made gigantic versions of the Skyships, which are even deadlier. Even more bad news, they used the idea of the engines for the Skyships to improve the speed of their navy. The speed was increased by so much that their chief engineer, a man named Donald Altan, came up with an idea to clad their ships in metal. Now the Imperial Navy is also the most powerful sea force on Gaianterra. With these technological advancements, the Empire will easily control the land, sea, and air.

But that’s not even all of it. They have a newly devised, up-and-coming brigade of special forces. They even promoted a man named Victor ‘Vicious’ Valkyrie to head these new special forces. He now ranks as the Empire’s second-highest general. We don’t know much about this, but they feel that this will tip the scales of war to their favor.

Termenus was back in the saddle. "The bottom line, if Lumin’Valeria is not stopped now, they won’t ever be stopped. The only way to defeat the Empire is to join forces with the other nations of the world and strike as one. If we do not help end this war, we will be alone when it is our turn to face this sinister force.

And if you think we are safe, that they can’t find us, hear me out. The Empire will be flying those Skyships over the Forest of Life, especially when they begin to attack the Serene Kingdom of Austeria—which they will. They will inevitably spot one, if not all, of our villages and then declare war on us too. Our own ancestors have even warned us about this eventuality. Please, if we are to save ourselves, save future generations of elves, then we must act now. We must rally together with other nations to defeat the Empire.

That’s nonsense! Zarka roared. You just want to lead a battle!

No, I want—

Termenus was cut off by a High Council member.

We have never been at war with mankind, yet you expect us to go ahead and get involved in a major war that does not even concern us?

That’s just my point, Termenus countered. It may not affect us yet, but it will later. And by then it will be too late. We will have already lost.

Not this ridiculous argument again, Zarka said. They don’t have any idea that we exist. There is no way that they will find us. Men are too afraid of the Great Woods, as they call it, to come in here and search. Why involve ourselves in something that does not concern us? This Empire may be evil, I’ll concede that for argument’s sake, but how long could such a violent culture last? A mere two hundred years, a childhood for us? Three, maybe even four hundred? And then it will fall. It will collapse on its own. This is a battle that will be won with time. We can wait this out, as we have done with everything else.

Yes, I think the head chairman has some excellent points, a Forest Village chairman said.

There was a general murmur of agreement from most of the High Council chairmen. Zarka had a huge, smug grin on his face.

Termenus couldn’t believe it. Sertaine couldn’t believe it either; they were on his side just yesterday. What had happened? Were they just afraid of war? Did they not see the potential threat? Or was it something else?

Can’t you see that if we look upon this with a blind eye, we will only be hurting ourselves? Exterra said. "Can’t you see that future generations depend on what we decide now? And not just elven generations but the generations of all mankind in all their kingdoms will be adversely affected. It will then, in turn, affect how their society, as a whole, develops on this planet. You’re either missing a lot of what’s happening or there is more we should have added. But these machina, the engines they use, the factories that make them all, they change the environment. Pollution is spilling out into the world. With just the Empire doing it, it may not affect much of anything, but if the Empire is allowed to reign over the entire planet’s societies, then the pollution will become too great and change things for the worse.

"I’m not talking about the world of man. It won’t harm them. It may not even harm their environment enough for them to care. But we are different. It will harm us. It will harm the Tree of Life. It may even kill it, and if it dies, we die.

Don’t you see? It all comes back to us either way. And even if it didn’t, how can you just sit back and watch countless young people, children, and elderly people die in the world around you? Sure, you can sit there and say they are not elves, that they are only men. You can say that they don’t live long anyway, that a whole family line of theirs can begin and end in less than one of our life spans. That they’ll go through generation after generation, each in the blink of an eye. However, are we not but a blink of the eye to the Tree of Life, to Gaianterra? Does that make our existence meaningless? Are men not intelligent beings as we are? Do they not have the same feelings that we do? Do they not have the same kind of family structure that we do? Are their lives really so meaningless, just because they are short? Please do not merely see their race but instead see them as fellow inhabitants of this planet.

There were shocked expressions throughout the chamber. Zarka smiled, clapped, and said, "Bravo, bravo! I’ve never heard propaganda to start a war sound so heartfelt and compassionate. Usually, war is seen as killing people, not as saving everyone’s life. You sure can cover the truth with pretty colors of lies. The lies of a pollution that will affect the Tree of Life. You have no proof. No tests have been done. It’s nothing but made-up lies twisted to sound pretty and convincing. You make yourselves sound like humanitarians and us like monsters. You want the war, not us! You are advocating death! You are the monsters! Bloodthirsty monsters! Joining the military wasn’t enough, you want a war to fight, to test your skills.

How can the enemy find us if we don’t want to be found? They will not enter this forest. You say that they will see us from the air? Ridiculous! Not only is the Forest of Life enormous and grand, but to think we’d believe that they would happen over one of our villages. And even more preposterous, you actually tried to convince us that they have huge iron machina that can fly.

Laughter broke out around the chamber.

Furthermore, Zarka continued, you speak of their navy using these engines on their ships to move without using the winds. That they are clad in iron. Do you think us so stupid? Iron sinks. Go ahead and throw your sword in a pond. See if it floats.

There was more laughter. Zarka was on a roll.

He continued, "And then you talk about huge iron machina, tanks, that move on land. How? Wind isn’t strong enough to move something like that. Earth and soil do not flow like water. Perhaps you want us to believe they use horses to pull these tanks? Or better yet, mules. And then what? Add some feathers to the tanks so they can fly too? Is that what you expect us to believe? Skyships! He muttered the term with contempt. This technology that you speak of is scary, yes, but it is imaginary. I have not seen any of these machina. Nor do I suppose that anyone else here has either. Sertaine, how about you? You advocate these two warriors. Have you seen these machina of which they speak? Sertaine frowned and shook his head. These lies may work on the uneducated, but we here are the enlightened. We see your pretty words for the lies that they are."

Exterra opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Zarka.

"Now, now, none of that. I think this session is over. We will vote now. All in favor of war and all against, the voting begins now."

Right from the start, the voting was a landslide. It came as no surprise to Sertaine, not after he had seen the way the chairmen had reacted to Termenus’s and Exterra’s words. It was eight to two against, after those from Sky Garden voted. After Forest Village, it was seventeen to three. And after the last chairman from Flowering Grounds voted, the tally was twenty-four to only six. Zarka’s vote would not be needed; it was over.

Some Forest Wardens came in and escorted Termenus and Exterra out of the High Council chamber. They were not under arrest; they would not be taken back to the Abyss. It was standard operating procedure to escort the presenters of a failed proposal out of the chamber. Resisting would show intent to harm the chairmen. It would be folly. They had no choice but to cooperate because neither had any desire to be thrown back into a cell again.

But what would they do next?

What can we do now? Termenus thought.

Neither of them knew what they would do, only that they had to do something.

*     *     *

There was a large courtyard with a stone floor. Many people had gathered, soldiers, knights, and peasants, men, women, and even children. Surrounded by Imperial Sentinels, Emperor Gershwin sat in a large chair up on the higher tier of a two-tiered dais. In a smaller chair on his right sat Lord Dragos. And on the other side sat Commander General Treize Wrenwold. On the lower tier of the dais was a hooded man dressed all in black. Only his eyes could be seen. He stood next to a large wooden structure that had a big sharp blade at the top. A guillotine. Two Imperial Sentinels wearing their grim, heavy dark-gray plate mail were dragging a cuffed man who was kicking and screaming. They brought him in front of the emperor, the man’s back to the guillotine and the crowd.

Do you have any last words before your execution, ex-commander Tabor Halbert? Emperor Gershwin asked.

"Please, Your Imperial Highness, don’t execute me. It wasn’t my fault. It was everyone else. They lied. They made the mistakes, not me! Kill them! Please, let me live. I only want to serve you!" Tabor Halbert begged for his life.

Stop your crying, your groveling, and your sniveling, Gershwin said sternly. Can’t you at least die like the man you’ve always pretended to be? Enough! You disgust me. Execute him!

The Imperial Sentinels locked Halbert into the wooden confines of the guillotine. The hooded executioner was about to pull the lever when the emperor’s voice boomed out. Wait!

Oh yes, please, Your Excellency, show me mercy! I knew you would. Halbert sniffled.

Mercy? No, not mercy, Gershwin said. A new blade is too good for you. Guards, change the sharp blade to a rusted, blunted blade. Executioner, only raise the blade one-third of the way up.

They did as their emperor bade, all while Halbert screamed and begged. When it was complete, they dropped the blade from one-third the usual height. It came down and struck Halbert’s spinal cord and stopped. Halbert screamed in pain.

Raise it to one-third again and drop it, the emperor ordered.

More screams came from Halbert as his blood poured onto the dais.

Again.

Screams of pain.

Again.

Pain.

Again.

Screams.

Again.

Silence.

Then the crowd roared and cheered as they realized that Halbert’s head had finally come off and landed in the bucket.

Muwahhahahaha! The emperor’s eerie laugh echoed through the blood-scented air.

*     *     *

My Liege, Captain Vincent is back and ready to make his report, said the herald.

Excellent! It is a good sign that he returned at all, King Luther Rozphallia LXXIX said. Send him in at once.

Moments later, Vincent came in, greeted the king, and bowed. He put his tricorne back on, as always.

So how did the mission go? Luther asked.

I have not had the chance to go over all the reports in detail, but I can tell you that all objectives were completed in all six imperial ports. The Empire has no navy to speak of, at least for now. And I can report that among my crew and those that attacked Van’Charl, none were killed. Vincent beamed as he spoke.

King Luther LXXIX was beaming now too. Great news, indeed. That will buy us some time. Good work, Captain. You will be free this evening, I presume?

Well, I was going to celebrate the victory with some other Corsair captains and their crews. A lot of food and booze, of course.

Luther waved his hand dismissively. Cancel all that. Have a crewman bring me the reports straight away. Then come here this evening and we will go over the reports together, he said solemnly. "Oh, and, Captain, I expect you to be well-dressed.