The Prophesy: Book 2 - The Right Hand of Destiny

 

The Royal Army kept progressing south and west, eager to put the maximum distance between the orcs and themselves. They picked up the people still in Beston, a tiny village on Baal's side of the Verona, and crossed into Aden, entering the sister village of Pestrov. The bridge was summarily dispatched and its material recycled into temporary fortifications along the shores of the Verona. Both villages were summarily moved south into Astor, in conformity with the scorched earth policy established by the royals.

A unit of elves was positioned where Pestrov used to be, with orders to move south at the first sign of orcs or crocodile priests. The elves set up tents with a unit of wolves as heating blankets, long-range scouts, and couriers. A small unit of horses were left to carry the tents and the elves south when the need to move south arose.

The royal army itself split in two, one led by Prince Enron, and the other by King Harold. The goal was to proceed as quickly as possible to the evacuation of Baal's capital, for one, and second, to undertake and complete the evacuation of the duchy of Fe. The fact that no news of Fe's populace had been heard in a year left an uneasy taste in King Samson's mouth, as the Fes are close allies of the Throne of Nature. A secondary goal was to evacuate the city of Adana, the westernmost settlement of Aden. After some discussion, it was decided to keep Sitar, Harp, and Paschal with Enron, headed towards Fe, and to have Samson, Harold, Yamato, and the rest of the royal households head towards Baalbeck.

***

The four princes rode in the midst of the army, as the scouts kept ahead of them, and updated them on their progress. The leading units of the princes' army reached the junction that led across Aden's vast forest towards Fe around tierce.

"Enron, have you noticed something?"

"What, Paschal?"

"We seem to be moving a lot more slowly than we used to. It's been a while since we covered eighty-eight miles in a day."

"We have been going over rough terrain, Paschal."

"I know that, but the terrain is a lot less steep here than up north, even if it is hilly. I don't think that's the issue here."

Enron looked around and had to admit the hilliness of the area was less pronounced than it has been in the past days.

"Paschal, maybe the issue is elsewhere. We have been increasing in size and that makes for slower displacement."

"Harp, even if you doubled in size, I doubt it would affect your horse. We are barely felt by the destriers we are riding."

"You got me wrong here. I am talking about the army's size."

"What does that have to do with our speed?"

"Ever considered how much work is required to get on the move each morning? And all the time required preparing a camp at night, from minor fortifications, to latrines? And the hunters have a lot of hunting to do. Even with the help of the canines, it's not an easy task. And we must add the need to supply drinkable water. Once we go through an area, the number of large animals alive is rather limited. I am sure any orc army following us would starve to death or have to resort to eating bark from trees to fill their belly. Even the water must be hard to find, given we probably, unwittingly, contaminate it as we cross stream after stream."

Paschal sat on his horse, thinking about Harp's comments. Finally, he had to admit it made sense.

"Do you think we should supply the food like we did when Nestor visited us?"

"Why?"

"Well, we would not depend on the land as much, and we would leave the animal population at peace."

"Are you suggesting we feed the orcs? As far as I'm concerned, I prefer the food end up in our stomach rather then theirs."

"Seen under that light "

"At least we kill the animals before eating them, the orcs generally do not bother!"

"There, you have a very serious point. I suspect the grazers would prefer staying alive, but if it comes to be eaten, better be dead before the teeth bite."

Sitar had been listening to the discussion, and decided to change the topic. Orc feeding habits reminded him way too much of what he had seen.

"Enron, how long before we reach Fe?"

"If we keep the current pace, I'd say two days. We could reach it within a day if we resumed our old rush, but then we would reach it way too tired to be effective if we needed to fight during the night or the next morning."

"And what are the expected obstacles?"

"There are many. First, geographical, inasmuch as we have three major cities around the lake, all of which must be evacuated. Second, we have no knowledge of the situation in Fe itself, since they didn't show up at the convocation. That comment also applies to the entire area, when we think about it. Third, there is the nature of the people of Fe."

"Care to explain the geographical issues?" asked Paschal, interested.

"Well, the lake is bordered by three administrative divisions: the duchy of Fe, run by duke Islantrop; the archduchy of Aden, whose archduke Robert, is accompanying dad to his capital, Nestoria; and finally, the duchy of Astor. Astoria, the city on Astor's segment of the shores of lake Fairy, is going to be fortified and the western anchor of our line of defence. We will have to displace Fe's capital, Faerie, or Fairy, and Adana, on Aden's shores. The cities' parts that cannot be used to relocate the population will be used to build fortifications along the river, much like we did when we crossed into Aden yesterday, but on a much vaster scale."

"I don't like fortifications."

"Why, Sitar?"

"Because they are immobile, and can be easily bypassed by a mobile army."

"True, Enron. Every time the Ancients built a static fortification, it got run over from behind. A mobile army can run circles around a wall, whatever the size, and get behind it to take it."

"Can you give me examples, Harp?"

"Yamato has a book about the history of fortifications, very precious. It explains the whole concept. For instance, the people of Siam built a wall that covered four thousand miles to prevent barbarians from entering their empire, all for naught, the barbarians just went at the end, ran around on horseback, and dealt with the people that held the wall. There is another line, called the Wall of Hadrian, that did not do any better; and then there is the Maginot line, and the Siegfried line, and the Atlantic Wall, all huge, monstrous fortifications, that gave a false sense of security. Let's not repeat these mistakes."

"This is sobering, Harp. Sitar, what would you suggest?"

"A mobile defence. We need to maintain our army in constant movement, and use its mobility to strike at the heart of the orcs. The problem with mobility is the need for constant, accurate, and up to date information on our enemies' moves. For the orcs, it's not too difficult, but for the crocodile priests, it's another matter."

"We need not worry about the crocodiles, they are hibernating."

"Maybe they are, Enron, but their Hunters are not. And to be honest, I would love to deal deadly blows to crocodiles when they are out cold! A sleeping crocodile is a lot easier to kill than one that's hungry and wants to convert one of us into a hot meal!"

"Sitar's right. Furthermore, Enron, as we move south, the crocodiles, even if few, will be active longer. We cannot count on them being in hibernation everywhere."

"That's a valid point too, Paschal. It's just too bad we can't point the orcs on to the crocodiles' hibernation nests. They seem to hate them so much they consider us minor inconveniences, just good to act as a food supply on foot."

"I wish but no use wishing for the impossible. The orcs are such a collection of fanatics it's easier to talk to a rock than to them."

"Let's get back to our problem. We need to know the situation we are walking in."

"We will deal with that like we dealt with the others. I'll fly a bird and look the city over."

"Good, Enron, now there is the third point. What did you mean when you said the people of Fe were special?"

"How could I explain them? They are I have a lot of problem finding the words to describe what they are "

"Are they not elves?"

"No, by far. They are radically different from us. First they are small, but very mobile."

"Are they dwarfs?"

"For them, a dwarf is a giant."

"You intrigue me a lot. What else can you tell us?"

"Well, they are so mobile you are never sure they are there. They seem to appear and vanish."

"Are you describing ghosts?"

"No, no, they are alive, not dead. Very alive, and very prone to playing dirty tricks."

"What do you mean, when you say 'dirty tricks'?"

"Like tying knots in your shoe laces so you fall face first when you try to capture them."

"I see. And what is the relationship between the Throne of Nature and these people?"

"It dates a long time. As you know, we have attempted to protect the diversity of life, and they are under our protection. Fairy is an Elvin city, but the core role of the city is to insure the protection of these people, by giving them shelter, protection against predators, and such."

"That is interesting, Enron, but I would like to know what is special about that city?"

"Harp, this is a state secret, but since you are, in form if not in word, my superior, I'll tell you. The city has a hidden one, located between its walls, which hide the real inhabitants of the city. The elves are mostly military and are sworn to secrecy."

"Aren't all cities between walls?"

"Paschal, the walls in question are the walls of the homes, not the city walls. The buildings are designed to include the inner city. The roofs are even designed so the people of Fe can be outside yet invisible to prying eyes from both above and around them."

"Enron, I'm more and more intrigued. I have no memory of designing a city like that."

"It's recent, well, in the line of things, Paschal. From what I read in our library, the city was built about a thousand years after the Cataclysm. These people came to us and asked for shelter, since they could no longer live in their homeland, deep within the forest west of us, in the mountains. It seems their homeland, although initially spared by the Cataclysm, was being contaminated by water and residues flowing down water and downwind. They began migrating and found themselves forced to cross the mountains into Elvin lands."

"Interesting, but isn't it dangerous to write that information and leave it to sleep in a library?"

"That part of the library is protected. It's not even visible. People do not even know it's there. It is where we keep our deepest secrets."

"Ah, I see. Like the secret library of Horus."

"Exactly."

"We will have to recover your home, Enron. We cannot leave it there forever, too much information is hidden in that library."

"Are you serious, Harp? That would be great!"

"There are many things we must recover, and it seems your home is one of them. We'll get to it in time."

"What about Faerie?"

"We'll see what we find. Hopefully, we will be able to move it, maybe integrate it in our composite town."

"Talking about that process, why didn't we move Kantar?"

"Kantar will be moved in time. I did not feel the urge to do so at the time, and there must be a reason for this. It's like we are assembling a three-dimensional puzzle, as you know, and there seems to be a specific order to put the pieces together. I am guided by things as they trigger in time."

"What do you mean, Harp?"

"Did you ever play domino? If you trigger the cascade at the wrong time, you get the wrong result. It's like what we are doing. Each piece triggers the next one, and for a reason I do not yet understand, the piece 'Kantar' is not to be placed until later, and even if we did move it, we probably would not know how to place it properly. It's like building something. You place the basement before the roof. We are collecting pieces strewn in the field. So far, we have found most rather closely set together, but something tells me we will have to move further afield to find the rest."

"Further afield?"

"Outside of the Elvin kingdom."

"Oh, that would fit the predictions of the Book of Times."

"What are you talking about, Enron?"

"Well, in the library, there is a book that is the collection of all the prophecies done by elves, and before even. Some are written on strange sheets, others are in scripts we cannot even read. But all in all, it can be resumed into the fact that I will accompany the Wolf King in his quest for truth."

"We'll have to look at that book. Maybe it would help us figure out what to do next."

"There is one thing that bugs me, Sitar."

"What is that, Paschal?"

"How precise are prophecies?"

"Good question."

"The problem is two-fold, my brothers."

"What do you mean, Harp?" Paschal asked.

"Let me see. The further away you move in time, the less details you can see, but the better the overall picture. It's like looking at a tree's bark and moving away from it: first you see the trunk, then the tree, then the other trees, and, if you can move far enough, the forest. But as you move further, you see less details."

"That makes sense. But how does it relate to our problem?"

"Well, the Oracles have a good idea of the overall picture the further they are from the events they predict, but they are unable to see details."

"Ok, I understand that, but what about the fact that the Oracles of the Atlanteans did better at predicting how many of us must be with Ian to protect him effectively than the Oracle of the Elves we met in Elvin Woods?"

"There, I am thinking about something, Sitar. Enron, how many oracles do the Elvin people have?"

"I know of only the one we met, why?"

"See, I think we had more than one oracle working on the issues at hand. They probably combined their power together to create a vastly more precise composite picture than a single oracle would ever have been able to. Furthermore, time is like a limb. The closer an event is to the oracle, the harder it is to bend time to see what will happen at the end."

"Bend time? How can you bend time, Harp?"

"In the same manner we bend space to pop from one place to another. I've not actually tried to bend time, but I think it is in fact the same principle, applied across another field. We will have to look into this. But remember, when we combine our capacities together, it multiplies them. If that works for us, it probably worked for the oracles."

"That is an interesting proposition. It would be nice to look at our selves in the past and try to gain insights into what lays ahead from this."

"That's another issue I have to address. Is the capacity to look only forward or is it backwards? What are the real capacities of oracles? And what are the risks? Knowing the future is a strong incentive to change it by modifying the parameters. Maybe it would not be a good idea for us. Some bad things may be required for good things to result, who would we be to determine what is good and what is bad?"

"Harp, you sound more and more like dad!"

"'Maybe I'm growing up."

"And then, are there many possible futures but only one past? Or could there be as many pasts as there are options? Is it a road or a web?"

"Now look who is taking dad's mantle. Let's get back on the road trip's goal and plan things, Sitar. It's almost sext, we should be getting close to the lunch break."

***

Meanwhile the other army was progressing east at a similar pace. Debates were of similar nature, focussing on strategy and future developments. Finally, Samson stated what was bugging him ever since the battle with the orcs.

"I've been bugged ever since we battled the orcs, Harold. They look so like us, but so different at the same time. What brought them into existence? Such savagery, such force! I saw one break a tree with his bare hands to make a mace. It's incredible. Did you see the size of that orc general? I am amazed Sitar survived the confrontation, unscathed!"

"To be honest, Samson, I am as surprised as you by the size of that orc general. Something terrible must underpin their existence. We lack information about their genesis and where they actually come from."

"Maybe we should ask for help in clarifying this?"

"I already asked our healer, and the interrogation some prisoners has shown they are the result of the crocodile priests, but that is all we actually know. Maybe Francesca has more to add, since then?"

"Sorry, Sire, I have been as miffed as you on this. We lack some critical information. We should ask the College of Magic for input. Maybe they do have information we do not have access to."

"That is a good idea, Francesca. Let me see if I've improved my telepathy. I know I could ask Harp, but, for some reason, I want to test my own range, and Harp is relatively close."

«Nestor?»

«Ahhhh! Shit! Who is this? Don't yell, I fell off the diving board into the pool and almost drowned!»

«Sorry Nestor, I thought the further the distance the more powerful I should shout to be heard!"

«Telepathy is a bending of one of the dimensions of energy, mysterious interlocutor. Only idiots like my son and other would try to rip the dimension to get their thought across. Anyway, you put so much energy in that focussed call I would have hard you right across the stars. Anyway, who are you?»

«I am Harold.»

«Oh. Has anything happened to Harp? You have me worried.»

«No, nothing bad happened, except to orcs. I just wanted to talk to you about a problem Samson, Francesca, and I have been discussing.»

«Can't my ambassador deal with the issue?»

«Frankly, we completely forgot to ask him if he could answer our question.»

«Since I am finally out of the pool and in the sauna, I'll see if I can answer your question. I will be warm and stop shivering.»

«You swim in cold water?»

«Yes, it's a good wakeup call believe me. And it imposes a modicum of self-discipline. Being a mage tends to make a person lazy.»

«Oh, I see. Well, back to why I'm doing this long-distance call. What can you tell us about the origins of the orcs?»

«That's a long and sad story, and my ambassador would have had trouble answering your question. Phylogeny of creatures, whether they are magical or otherwise, is a complicated research, which is not undertaken by most mages, sadly. You are in luck, Harold. Before becoming the headmaster of the College of Magic, I was head of the laboratory that studied the genesis of these creatures. Are you sitting comfortably? It will be a long explanation, I am afraid.»

«I am on my destrier and it is following the others without my intervention. I have been in the saddle for so long I could probably sleep on it and not fall off. So, please, go ahead and explain. I just reserve the right to ask questions if I do not understand a point. By the way, I hope you do not mind if I have invited in this chat the other royals near me. The princes will have to drag the information out of you in their own time.»

«Ok. I'll try to keep things simple and non-technical. But first, what do you know of orcs?»

«They look like us, except a lot more hairy; they are much stronger than we are; they can climb and run on surfaces we would be hard put to cling to; they vary widely in size, much more so than we do, at least to my knowledge. Ah yes, they hate the crocodile priests with a passion. And finally, the crocodiles played a role in their inception.»

«Well, the last point is the most important. You are right in concluding the crocodiles played a role in creating the orcs. Do you know what happens when crocodiles are born?»

«Yes, I saw that.»

«Then you know what drove the crocodiles to create the orcs. They wanted reproductive females with a high rate of reproduction, and capable to feed their newborns until fruition.»

«We also came to that conclusion.»

«Now comes the hard part. The crocodiles needed a species that was close to human but that would be stronger, since they, themselves are the result of a phylogenic regression of the humans due to exposition to radiation. They had a ready source of genetically close human look-alikes: the human species' cousins.»

«We have cousins?»

«We had cousins. Most of them were destroyed during the cataclysm, but some were in laboratories for 'primates' and the scientists were already using them for experiments. The nuclear scientists, and laboratory personnel, irradiated and noticing their loss of female counterpart, decided to use the primates as substitutes.»

«What? They had sex with the animals? How disgusting!»

«Yes, but it gets worse. They noticed they had drifted too far apart from the primates to reproduce with them. They did something horrible! They forced humans to copulate with the primates, in the hope of getting a fertile couple. It did not go well, so they began manipulating the genetic baggage of all the species, and mixing them up in a desperate search for the right combination. It gave rise to a whole family of orcs, some derived from bonobos, others from chimpanzees, and others from gorillas. From the description of the general you gave me, you met one derived from a gorilla ancestry. The result was far more than what the crocodiles bargained for. They had their species, more than one in fact, that multiplied like rabbits, had no scruples, were extremely strong; but what they didn't take into account was that the population of humans they used for their mix was highly intelligent, since it was essentially made up of the laboratory handlers. Scientists frequently underestimate these lowly collaborators, and the crocodile priests were so sure of their superiority they misjudged the hybrids severely. At some point, the hybrids escaped the paradise of the laboratories and spilled into nature, uncontrolled. But these orcs were furious at what had happened in the laboratories of the crocodiles and developed a hate which has grown over time, rather than abate.»

«Talk about a mess!»

«Yes, this story resembles the escape of humans from the laboratory of the Elohim. History tends to repeat itself. There is a lesson in ethics that can be gained here; one who plays with fire burns himself.»

«Why do the orcs hate us humans?»

«First, they are jealous; they see us and feel they were robbed of their human status by the crocodiles; second, remember the crocodiles were humans, and probably more so back in time when they were responsible for the creation of these horrors; third, we haven't been very friendly towards them; and finally, they see us as food.»

«I see. What about elves?»

«That's even worse. The elves represent a positive mutation of the human species, the exact opposite of the orcs. Elves are slaps in their faces. Each time they see one, it's like it's yelling at them 'Hello failure! See what you missed!' Can you imagine their pain?»

«I get the drift. Anything else you can tell us? Such as do they have powers like we do?»

«They do not have powers, but it doesn't mean there are not other species that do. I learned lately that the new leader of the Black Mages is a mix between a human and a bull, named the Minotaur. I have tried to track his movements. For now he seems to be moving south, trying to find a path across the mountains east of here. Radiations seem to stop him and, from our own exploration, he will have to go deeply south, nearly to the Isthmus that joins the two continents before crossing over. It will take some time for him, but from our observations of the magic field, he is a powerful mage. There are in fact many species with power, most of them latent. There are also many forms of power, so do not expect things to be a smooth ride.»

«Ok.»

«Talking about the field, there was a lot of magical activity in your area?»

«Yes, the four terrors have been playing with orc armies. They sank one, played bomb ahoy with another, threw up bridges, blew up dams, and moved whole cities south with their population.»

«Frankly, Harold, these kids scare the shits out of me. The word 'impossible' seems to have been removed off the dictionary.»

«Don't I know it! I only hope they never turn evil or this world wouldn't stand a chance.»

«I hope not. Tell Harp grandpa Nestor says hi when you see him.»

«I will, Nestor. I hope to see you soon. Something tells me it will be sooner rather than later.»

***

The four terrors decided to halt the army's progress early, so they could think out their strategy from the information Enron could gain from a flyby during the late hours of the day. A golden eagle conveniently flew overhead and lost its independence to Enron's controlling mind. After an hour of flight, Enron found himself over the Northern Islengard river separating Aden from Fe. He then had the bird follow downriver until the bridge joining Aden's shores to Fe's side came into view. He figured the bird might need a rest so he perched it high up in the upper structure of the bridge. Still maintaining a tight grip, he began looking around for indications, and noticed immediately some crocodile priests hiding in the bushes on Aden's side; further study revealed a small unit of orcs on Fe's side, and slightly behind them, an advancing unit of Hunters. It seemed some orc meat would be on the menu for the crocodiles. As he watched the two opposing factions, he noticed that the Hunters seemed busy digging along the sandy overhangs of the shore found essentially on the Aden side of the river. After some thinking, Enron figured the Hunters were preparing a hibernation nest for their masters, and stored the information for further reference.

Feeling the eagle had recovered from its long flight, Enron took off downriver until he reached the lake and followed its western shore to Faerie. As he flew over the lake, he kept an eye for more information. The first thing he noticed was the presence of a relatively small contingents of crocodiles languorously trying to warm up on some rocks sticking out in the middle of Faerie lake, well away from any disturbing orcs. The second element that attracted his attention was that the number of orc activity grew as he moved westward, clearly indicating their forces had been moving east from the mountains. This did not bode well for the city of Fairy.

His over flight revealed the gravity of the situation when he flew low over the main streets of the town: it was apparently occupied by orcs, and no elf was visible. As he was flying over a section of the city, he noticed some strange things happening: suddenly, an orc would fall down, uttering a cry of surprise and not stand up. Another would slap his face as if he had been stung, and a few seconds later, fall on the ground, in convulsions, turning a deep purple as his breathing stopped and his tongue stuck out. Another one came running down to check on his companion and his head suddenly separated from his body in a geyser of blood. Another walked cautiously under an arch, looking up, and suddenly fell in a hole that was not there less than a second before. Another orc jumped over the hole to apparent safety just to receive a huge block of rock on his head, converting instantly into a meat patty. The strangest occurrence was the orc that seemed to be glued to a wall by his hands. Try as he might, he couldn't let go of the giant fly (or orc?) trap. Another could be heard hollering for help in the middle of the street, feet glued to the pavement.

What was happening? As the eagle flew over a narrow street, Enron and the eagle noticed a mouse running across; it took Enron all his mastery to keep the eagle from diving on the meal, and it served good: suddenly the mouse stopped on a tile and couldn't go any further, however hard it tried; its cries of despair were turning the eagle's head so bad that Enron decided to leave the area rather than risk losing his tool to the mysterious piece of gluing pavement.

Enron began a more careful study of the city. Something was definitely odd! He spotted an orc stuck on a wall in midair, as it seemed to have been trying to reach a window. Another was stuck by his hands on an overhang, upside down, its back arched as if it had fallen head over heels with the hands glued to the underside of the overhang. More and more orcs could be seen in strange postures, one on all fours on the ground hollering for help; another who was trying to pulls his ass off a wall, scratching at the ground desperately; another seemed to have put his penis too close to one of these sticky bricks and was wailing as it tried to pull it off. Horrendous scenes could be seen everywhere; rats were trying to eat the orcs alive, only to fall victim to the traps themselves as they clambered over their food. Scavengers were entrapped as well as orcs. Everywhere.

Moving towards the lake, Enron was not surprised to find some crocodiles had fallen into these traps as well, and a few Hunters too. The carnage was sickening. As he flew over a large hole, he spotted the most horrendous of all: a giant spider web held in its sticky grips an orc, a Hunter and a crocodile. A spider colony was busy gift-wrapping them in sticky silken cocoons. Enron had never seen cooperative activity of that scale in insects, much less in arachnids, well known for their independence.

After flying in all directions over the city, Enron had yet to see any trace of elves or Fe's hidden population. This could be perceived in two ways: either the population had somehow escaped the orcs, or the orcs had done a very credible cleanup job of their usual post-meal mess; the later seemed unlikely, since it is well known that pigs do not change table manners overnight.

He decided to do a quick survey of the other cities on the lake. Directly across from Fairy was a big Astorian town, Astoria. Surveying the city, he noticed it was rather crowded with elves, and that there was a lot of military activity going on, including the construction of ballistaes and catapults. The walls were being restored and strengthened. He figured they would be able to hold their own for a while, so he decided to head towards Aden's city, Adana, which would have to be crossed to enter Fe.

There, things showed traces of fighting, mainly in burned out fields and collapsed farmsteads around the city, which seemed to be teeming with activity. No sign of either orcs or crocodiles could be seen, which bode well for their travels the next day.

Enron noticed the fish market was rather deserted, with few stands still open. Given the crocodiles in the lake, Enron figured the fishermen were out of a living. Who would be dumb enough to go fish in a lake where the fisherman could well be attacked by these predators? He took the opportunity to guide the bird to a rather impressive collection of fish carcasses and left it to feed on them.

Enron returned to a normal state of mind as he released the bird, a change that did not go undetected by the other princes.

"So, Enron, what did you learn?" exclaimed Paschal, as the others looked on with interest.

"First, the road to Fe is relatively open. The bridge is unoccupied, but crocodiles are gradually occupying the shores. I wonder if the crocodiles' metabolism slows down when they feed, like reptiles? I will have to ask Francesca."

"Why do you want to know?" Sitar enquired.

"Oh, the Hunters were preparing to attack a party of orcs on Fe's side of the bridge, probably to feed their masters in preparation for their hibernation. They were also very busy digging hibernation nesting pods in the sandy buffs of the river on Aden's side of the said river."

"That would make sense, you know. The crocodiles' metabolism slows with cold, as we already discovered; if it also slows down after they have had a good meal, it would help them kick-start the hibernation process," commented Harp.

"We might take advantage of this by attacking the hibernation sites immediately after they have been occupied. However we have no idea as to where they are located," Paschal added, with a sigh.

"Maybe we do not know where they are, but maybe we could discover them faster than you think, Paschal. Consider what we know: easy to dig river banks; a steep incline to keep the water out, and most importantly, Hunter camps around to protect the hibernation sites. If they follow logic, they would organize themselves in a half-moon around the hibernation site, to protect all approaches. This would make good defence strategy, but it has a major inconvenience: it increases the footprint of a nest to the size of the patrolling Hunters' range around such a fixed camp."

"Sitar is right, you guys!" exclaimed Harp. "All we need to do is look for fixed Hunter camps located along the proper river banks and we have an almost certain nest in the middle!"

"That's an interesting proposition, Harp, and we'll float it during the next royal council. Meanwhile, let's listen to the rest of Enron's report," replied Paschal, bringing the meeting back on track.

"Ok. Where was I? Oh, yes. The cities in Aden and Astor are both on a full war footing, and seem ready to hold their own. However, the fishing industry of the lake is dead in the water given the presence of crocodiles in it. Things should improve for them once the crocodiles hibernate, which, given what I saw and reported earlier, should not be too long now. They will probably have a month of fishing in very cold water before the ice covers the lake and lets the orcs roam freely on it."

"That's good, but what about Faerie?" asked an impatient Harp.

"I'm coming to that. I'm trying to make sense of what I saw. Something really strange is happening, and believe me it's not good for either the orcs, the crocodiles, or their minions the hunters."

After describing what he had seen, he asked for input into how to interpret the data. At first, the other princes were as baffled as he was, and floated the most ludicrous ideas, much to their mutual hilarity. Finally Harp took over the meeting.

"Let's get serious guys!"

"That from someone who is known for his resounding pranks!" replied Sitar.

"Bite me! Well, let's try to collate the data in an orderly fashion. From what Enron said, the city is a death trap. There are four forms of traps: the poison, which must be delivered in one form or other; the head cutters, which we have no idea about the nature, and all these glue spots that seem to be able to hold anything stuck in place on a mere touch. And last but not least there seems to be trigger traps that create holes in the ground into which orcs or any unwary individual falls, or collapsing blocks of rocks triggered in one way or another."

"Yes, that sums things up pretty well," commented Enron.

"The interesting thing is that huge spider web you saw, Enron. You saw only one, but there may be more; you didn't stay around for long, did you?"

"No, I was disgusted by the events below me."

"Too bad, it might have revealed something about these traps. It could well be they close and become invisible for an unsuspecting observer, until it is too late for the person to escape their grip."

"That sends shivers down my spine, Harp!"

"However disgusting, knowledge is of the essence here. I, for one, am not ready to send troops in Fairy until we know what we are dealing with!"

"You have a point there, Harp. Continue your analysis, please."

"Thanks. What do you know about spiders, guys?"

"They are ugly!" replied Enron.

"They bite and kill using a powerful venom!" Sitar added.

"They catch their prey with sticky webs whose fibres, if they could be cleansed of their glue, would have more resistence per weight than steel, yet be almost invisible," replied Paschal.

"And, they are ferociously individualistic, eating each other with a passion," completed Harp. "Now, what do we have here?"

The others looked at him dumbfounded, brains at neutral, befuddled by the question.

"Think it out: First clue: the strange cooperative behaviour observed by Enron; second clue: the traps; third clue: the huge web; fourth clue: the glue; fifth clue: the beheading; sixth clue: the poisoning observed."

"And?" asked Enron, still not understanding where Harp was going.

"I think the people of Fairy domesticated the arachnids, that's what; by natural selection, they created a cooperative species! They seem to collect the webs to extract the fibres to act as cutters and trap triggers; they collect the glue to act as traps; they collect the poison to kill their enemies! This is the ultimate symbiosis. They feed the arachnids, and collect their products in exchange. I wouldn't be surprised they clothed themselves with the silk of the arachnidan webs!"

"What? You mean the Royal silk clothes I have were produced by these monstrosities?"

"Not the clothes themselves, but the filament that was used to weave them into existence. After all, I read somewhere Siam produced silk from the cocoon of a worm, the silk worm. It too was glued together and probably produced as a by-product glue. Enron, these clothes must be worth a king's ransom!"

"I remember dad mentioning the funny feeling your clothes had, Enron, when they recovered them. Their softness, even if they were in shreds, totally baffled everyone at the camp. No one asked you or Samson about them given how busy we were disposing of candidates to regicide," summed up Paschal.

"All this doesn't solve our problem! How do we find out what happened to the elves? Where is everyone?" asked Sitar.

"Do you know if there were any canines in the town?" wondered Paschal, looking at Enron.

"Yes, the canines are part of every single city of the kingdom, and Faerie did not constitute an exception."

"Harp, do you think you can contact the canines? If they are there, then there is a chance they could tell us something as to the fate of the population."

"Good idea, guys, I'll do that after we have had supper. What about horses?"

"I'll deal with them, if there are any?" suggested Sitar.

"Yes there are, but they are few, and small. The city had a reputation at producing the smallest horses ever seen!"

"That shouldn't affect my capacity at contacting them, I think," replied Sitar.

"I'll look at trying to contact the birds. I know we say bird brains to mean clueless, but if there is any alive in there, that too would be an indication of something," added Enron.

"I'll keep watch while you three are vulnerable. It wouldn't do us any good to fall into a trap while you guys are focussing elsewhere," completed Paschal.

***

Meanwhile the kings and their suite, accompanied by their segment of the army, somewhat smaller than the one under the princes' control, had reached Aden's capital, Nestoria, crossed the city and exited through the northern door rapidly heading towards Baalbek, Baal's capital. Samson and Harold decided to minimize the army used to evacuate Baalbek, since it would have to do a turnaround and come back with the evacuees into Aden. Once the units dedicated to evacuating Baalbeck were past the agora of Aden's capital, the rest of the army turned south and exited the town, intent on reaching Astor as quickly as possible.

The impressive army took care of any idea of contesting the kings' decisions, and the list of conscripts earmarked for forced enrolment was quickly incorporated in the army under Harold's command, which was headed south. Another list, destined for Baalbeck, was under the belt of Samson, who had been tasked with evacuating it.

Things went roundly, albeit at a slower, much slower pace than when things were done by the princes.

"You know, it's now I miss the sense of organization of Enron," complained Samson. These four terrors would have had this place cleansed of any inhabitants within twenty-four hours!"

"I know, your majesty. I've seen them at work, and their synchrony and organization at this is unsurpassed," commented Yamato. "Let's try to speed things up, I do not want to shame them by being a slow sloth at this!"

"I'm glad he is the Regent, you know. He has shown to be more than adequate at the task. I'm considering resigning in his favour definitively."

"An abdication, Sire? Talk to him about it, because I believe you would greatly hurt him otherwise."

"Maybe you are right."

"It is sad that duke Isnogood died early in resisting the orcs; his daughter seems to be in shock still, and not ready to reign."

"I'm not too worried about that. Think about it, Yamato. On what would she be reigning? We are completing the evacuation of the duchy, and from the looks of things, may well be unable to come back for a long time."

"You have a sombre view of things, your Majesty."

"Things are looking bleak. I would say hopeless, but, somehow, I refuse to give up where my own son has not."

***

Harold was doing the same observation to Francesca, as they organized things in Nestoria, with the help of Archduke Robert.

"I miss my boys bad, you know. I feel like I'm nude when they are not there."

"You know you just need to call them and they will pop up right here!"

"And admit they outwit me by a factor of ten? Never!"

"Ah men! If they didn't have their pride, their dick would fall off! And what will you do with the city? We have practiced a policy of burned grounds to hinder orcs and crocodile movements!"

"Shit! We forgot to consider that! We will have to hold a teleconference tonight!"

"Do not worry, Harold, at the speed things are going we have a week to consider the problem!"

"Are you trying to turn the knife in the wound, Francesca? I knew you like butchering your patients, but wait until I fall sick before doing it!"

Francesca exploded in laughter, as tears flew out of her eyes; the laughter was contagious and quickly spread around to include everyone within hearing distance.

***

As Enron, Harp and Sitar returned from their telepathic trance, Paschal was growing impatient.

"What did you guys learn?"

"There are still elves and small people according to the canines. They say they are below the city and between the walls. It seems the surface city was a lure. Did you know about it Enron?"

"Actually, no; we were kept in the dark about the underground city. We did know about the small people living between the walls of the surface city, but we did not have any idea of its extent."

"There are horses as well, and they have been moved below in farms; in fact all animals were moved down."

"There, I confirm, there are even birds."

"Any elves?"

"According to the dogs, it's the little people that opened the underground city to the elves, when the situation became uncontrollable."

"What now? We can't possibly just walk in and expect to survive."

"One of the canines says there are entries to the underground city found outside of the walls, which let the small people exit and return at will. Maybe we could locate one of these entries?" suggested Harp.

"What for? We may be small compared to adults, but we still are way too big to ever consider using these passages."

"Enron, I'm not thinking of using the entries to gain entry, but to wait for a party of small people to leave the underground city on an external expedition."

"That could be done. However how do we know where and when?"

"The canines roam freely in the underground city, being used as carriers. They know in advance when and where, they would inform us of an impending expedition."

"I like the idea. However, given the presence of orcs, we must be weary. And there are probably traps on the ground as well, so sending a wolf or any other landlocked animal would be suicidal."

"True, and I would be surprised if the trees were not booby trapped either, Enron."

"True. Any suggestion?"

"Why send an animal in the area? We could inform them of our presence by dropping a small letter, say a simple sheet wrapped around a rock, as they exit their tunnel. That should be intriguing enough for the little people to bring it inside to be read by an elf."

"Good. I'll prepare it."

"Keep it simple, Enron. Remember, size is of the essence."

"I am no fool Harp, I know we need to take size in consideration. Anyway, it has to be easy to carry by a bird."

"Guys, let's focus on timing here, we need to listen to the canines in order to detect when they are going out," intervened Sitar. "It's really not the time to get into a shouting match."

"According to them, it should be soon, which makes sense, given the night is almost on us," replied Harp.

The four princes relaxed and listened to the canines exchanging information about the activity going on in the inner city. Enron quickly made a letter-sized notice of intent, explaining they expected to arrive in the vicinity of Faerie within forty-eight hours.

Enron put a bird on reserve shortly before sunset, and he held it in check. Sitar was the first to notice a change in the pattern of activity, and shortly, Harp confirmed a congregation of dogs carrying little people were converging towards a common point. As the prince observed the activity from the dogs' eyes, they realised an expedition was in preparation.

"Pinpoint the area!"

"Difficult, Enron, we lack lines of reference!"

"Shit! What now?"

"Fly off with the bird, we can measure angle and relative distance using the bird as a point of reference. When we feel you are flying over the area, same distance and same angle, we'll tell you. The rest will be up to you. Once you pinpoint the small people, drop the rock with the letter."

"I figure we don't have much of a choice. But I hope the dogs carry the expedition members close to the exit."

"I hope so too, Paschal."

"They are on the move, guys. They are on the dogs. Let's track them!"

"Thanks Harp. Focus guys. Enron, up you go!"

Ten minutes later, the dogs stopped and the expedition members left them. Enron was flying as fast as he could towards the last reported position of the dogs, following the straightest line he could muster given the shifting winds. He arrived on site a mere five minutes after the dogs had stopped to let their passengers off. He began a search pattern, flying in concentric circles around the last reported position of the dogs, but the forest, mostly composed of conifers, hindered his view.

After an hour of this hazardous flying, he was growing desperate, when, suddenly, he saw a small figure laying on a rock. Unfortunately, an orc was also in the small clearing and seemed to be monitoring the area. The acute sense of smell the orcs had probably told it there was a potential meal in the area but he couldn't pinpoint it. Enron was wondering what to do when he suddenly noticed the tiny figure pull what looked like a flute out of his clothes. Suddenly a small 'pfff' was heard and the orc turned to look in its direction just in time to receive a tiny dart in his face. Before it could utter even the slightest sound, it fell face first on the ground, motionless. The small person quickly walked to the orc and pulled on a tiny silk strand, removing the dart from under the body.

Enron decided it was time to drop his letter and he swooped down on the tiny figure still visible in the moonlight. The figure turned in time to see the bird come towards it and fell on the ground. Enron released the rock and its letter just as he was over the diminutive figure and then climbed up. As he watched from above, he saw the small figure take the letter, and disappear under the nearest conifer. He could now track the person as it made its way towards the entrance with remarkable speed given its diminutive size. As it entered a fissure in a rock, not to exit anywhere, Enron concluded this was the secret entrance the expedition had used.

"Guys, the package got delivered. Watch the dogs, there should be a small person carrying the letter appearing shortly!"

A few minutes later, Harp confirmed he saw the courier. Since it took another dog rather than the one Harp had used, he changed for the one the courier selected. It took fifteen minutes for the letter to reach the core of the underground city, and then another five minutes before the letter was delivered to an elf. As the dog watched, the elf looked at the letter, read it, and took off in a dash.

"Guys, the letter reached the elves. Let's rest. Tomorrow is another long day."

"By the way, Enron, you didn't tell us what you put in that letter?"

"A notice of intent, a timetable, a request for a safe meeting place, and a request to show the reply to the last dog used by a courier. That way, we will be able to read it."

"You are a genius. Hopefully they will take the last request seriously. Let's head to bed," replied Harp.

"Don't lose that dog, Harp. He is the weak link in this process."

"Don't worry Sitar, I'm binded. It knows the importance of the link and has not moved an inch, even if the little guy has been prompting it to get going."

"I forgot to tell you, the little people do not use the same writing as we do, so it probably was impossible for the person to read the contents. They do not have the same native language either, but they have learned ours."