The Prophesy: Book 1 - Cave Lupus

 

The next morning, well before sunrise, Harold was meeting with his boys and the other royals. Habits of the road die hard, and it had become their habit to be up before the sun's first rays coloured the tip of the mountains. Their nocturnal vision had substantially improved and they no longer needed the light of torches or fire to move around. There had been progress in leaps and bounds in all senses, but eyes and ears had made considerable progress. But the sense that had gained the most in acuity was smell, not always to their pleasure! Keeping clean had become an obsession.

As the breakfast, composed mostly of fresh fruits materialized out of thin air, came to a close, Harold turned towards Harp.

"Last night, son, you mentioned that the lead horse was named Silver Dart. I thought it was Dark Night?"

"There has been a change of command, dad. Dark Night came to me after we entered the Cave, and asked to be relieved of his command. He feels he is getting too old to run ahead of everyone, as any lead stallion must. I healed his body, but he still insisted, saying that there is a need to give the younger generation a chance to learn command and leadership, while he still was around to counsel. I agreed to his request. I have followed in Sitar's steps and reorganized the equine army into legions and divisions, with Silver Dart as general in chief. I wanted to ask you, as it is a royal prerogative, to promote both Dark Night and Silver Dart to dukes. It might also be a good time to ennoble our commanders, as barons. For some blue blood jerks we may meet, these titles have significance, although for both equines and canines, they are meaningless. They do not own land, they travel it."

"And how are the two armies organized?"

"We followed the pattern set by the two-legged. Decades, ten decades to a centurie, and ten centuries constitute a legion. Each species constitutes a branch of the army, and tasks are by divisions. In the equine army, there are the horse legions, the donkey legions, the ass legions, and the mule legions. From my telepathic communications with the zebras found down south, they have begun organizing themselves according to this as well, and will be ready to join the equine command when we move south."

"You say legion like it was a plural?"

"Yes dad, there are several of each species. In fact, we may have to regroup some to constitute armies of their own. There are enough horses to create at least two groups of ten legions, which would create two army corps. Come to think of it, we can easily create army corps of each species of equine. We have enough units already. I will suggest the same to Sitar concerning the canines. We have way too many legions to be controlled by a single command."

"Are you aware of the numbers, Harp? I just did some quick maths in my head. Two army corps of horses means twenty thousand horses! And all that entered in the Cave! And you are telling me there are ten thousand donkeys, and the same number of mules and asses? Where do they all come from?"

"Well, There were wild herds in the mountains, and some come from outside the kingdom as well. Huge herds have migrated across the passes this summer, stumping the orcs on their way, and indirectly helping us in the process. It is also the same with canines. There seems to be a call going from herd to herd. Don't look at me! I didn't do it!"

"Sitar? Was it you?"

"No, dad. I listened to Harp's thoughts and I agree. I will reorganize the canines along the same lines."

"And how many army corps will that generate?"

"I don't know, from five to ten to fifteen? We have quite a lot of dogs!"

"This is nuts!"

"You think? We have old grandpa dogs coming to us begging to join! I had one old fellow, twenty-two years old, the nozzle white with age, clumping to me last night begging to join! I healed his arthritis, and he is now with his great-great-grandson, in one unit, a veritable nutcase! Another one was blind from cataracts, and was brought to me by a pair of helper dogs. I healed the cataracts and he is now with his friends in another unit. The only ones I have refused are the nursing mothers and those who will be giving birth.

"Where will it stop?"

"When every single equine or canine has joined us. And that may be millions. Neither Harp nor I have asked our respective charges to do a census. So, dad, what about the suggestions Harp put on the table?"

"I agree. Do you have any candidates for promotion?"

"Duke Greywolf has a list for your perusal, dad."

"And I asked Silver Dart to do the same. He has yet to finish his consultations with Black Night, but it should be ready shortly."

Given there are more canines than equines, I'll start with them."

"OK. Blackie Wolf has shown great leadership, and should take charge of the first Wolf Army; White Paws is recommended for the Second Wolf Army Corps. He has been doing a remarkable job protecting our rear. Bush Tail Fox need to get a title, Duke, or something; as well as Willie Coyote. I personally recommend that Greywolf receive the title of Grand Marshall. That way he will be in charge of the entire canines, as he is now, and he is doing a remarkable job. As for the dogs, we have so many. Blackie Dog is handling the load, but the stress shows. We have at least five army corps of dogs. I want him near, as well as his family, so I think I want him to be in charge of the First Dog Army Corps, tasked with protecting the family. White Tail, Black Paws, Red Nose, and Jaws are the candidates to head the other Dog Army Corps, respectively the second, third, fourth and fifth."

"What titles for these named?"

"Dukes. I will want barons to head divisions."

"Fine. Harp? Are you ready?"

"Yes. The result of the consultation is as follows. Silver Dart as Grand Marshal, and duke. The rest is as follows: for the horses, two armies, therefore two dukes: White and Star; both have led their respective units in battle already and fought with bravery, minimizing losses. For the asses, Marguerite, she is well-respected and has led the asses through difficult times, especially their crossing of the passes to join us. The donkeys' unanimous vote for general leader is Long Ears. There must be a reason for it, but I've not asked and they did not volunteer the answer. The last to be named is Stubborn. If that is an indication of character, and the mules noticed it, he must be quite a specimen."

"I see no reason to disqualify any. I therefore promote each and all according to the recommendations. Here are the patent letters, sons. I leave it to you to notify each newly ennobled and promoted." With that a pile of scrolls bearing the seal of Harold King of Wolves appeared.

Samson, who had been watching the proceedings, turned to Harold.

"Are you aware that our four-legged allies outnumber us at least a hundred to one?"

"You are under, dad. I did the math, and it's more a thousand to one."

The boys popped out of the royal chambers to distribute the charges. When they came back they saw their dad looking outside the window of his living room, fascinated by a spectacle. Dunbar, Williams, and Samson all seemed to be as enamoured by the scenery, so the boys moved to have a look.

In view came a huge fall with double rainbow and a beautiful deep black, almost bluish bridge that seemed to disappear in the distance, hanging out on air. Harold's eyes were wet with tears as he looked at the ever-changing scenery.

The Rainbow Bridge Seen From Kantar

"What's wrong, dad?" asked Harp, hugging him by the hips.

"It's just that this scenery has triggered a whole series of reminiscences. When Merlin, seventeen thousand years ago, built that bridge it was bright white in the morning, as the mithril shone. The Falls sprayed its deck, creating rainbows that reflected on the metal. Now the falls have regressed and the bridge has stayed where it was. This is the Rainbow Bridge, boys. It was one of the greatest marvels of Atlantis. This memory has created a tension in me I cannot yet measure, sons, but I know we are facing more than orcs and priests. There are so many secrets that we have forgotten, and so little time to find them."

"Little time?"

"Don't ask me how I know, but deeply down, I know we have little time to solve the riddles Merlin and I planted to trigger my memory. Harp? You have a role in this too. Your birth now, and your ease with Bata clearly show something in you is essential. Son, try to reconnect with your past, as I have done with bit and pieces. It extends beyond the horse or wolf consciences, sons."

Harp looked at his dad, troubled.

"Dad, you remember who gave you this walking stick?"

"Yes, Harp, I told you it was Merlin himself, although I did not know that at the time."

"And now we learn that you and Merlin founded this city together, seventeen thousand years ago, that Merlin was a mage from Atlantis, and that you were their king, or pharaoh. Doesn't it seem strange to you? There is more than a simple coincidence here, it cannot be."

The four boys looked at each other, then Harp resumed his line of questioning.

"Dad, when did Merlin die?"

"About five years ago, son. It took me two years to create Excalibur, and three to get it recognized as my work of passage to Companion of the Weapons section of the Ironsmiths."

"Dad, I was born five years ago, this spring or somewhere around that date. Before jumping to conclusions at another troubling coincidence, what do you remember of what you talked about with Merlin?"

"He said something to the effect I was too late. That he wouldn't live long enough to tell me all I needed to know about him and that he was too weak and tired to prove them to me or train me. I must admit I agreed with him, he was weak, very weak. He looked like a dead man still breathing, with a very thin, almost translucent skin, almost a ghost. Given I now know he was seventeen thousand years old, probably more, I finally understand the looks."

"What did you understand of what he said?"

"The first part was easy, I was too late to save his life; as for training me, I had no idea what training that old man could have offered. As for what he had to tell me, and prove it, I had no idea what he was referring to, and, quite frankly, had he told me one-hundredth of what I have live through, I would have called him a liar, or, more charitably, a nutcase."

"Dad, would you have believed him if he said you were from Atlantis?"

"No, because I still remember being born on this continent. My parents attached little importance to faith, having been betrayed by it more than their fair share, as they lost their children one after the other to the greedy hands of the child snatchers as they called them. Furthermore, I did not know of any such place as Atlantis."

"Would you have believed him if he told you who he was?"

"Again, no. I did not know of any Merlin."

"Would you have believed in magic?"

"Yes, for having seen mages as they stopped at my parents' to rest the night and paid by repairing things using magic."

"Dad, this is how I see things. When you helped Merlin, he recognized who you were, but couldn't tell you because you were not ready. He did teach you something, even during his short stay in life by your side, dad. Magic. That is how you came to be able to forge Excalibur anew. You received a tiny share of his knowledge, but he had not enough time to give you all he had in store for you. You indeed met him too late; he knew he was dying so he went to the essential, giving you what he thought were the most critical aspects of magic, without you knowing. He knew these powers would be of use to you in the short term. To add to his misery, he also knew you had very little time to master them, and that too is apparent in his referral to things being too late or so late."

"Harp's analysis stands, dad," completed Paschal. "However, I would like to complete it. Remember when we started talking about this? You said there was little time. I think that Mage Merlin was also referring to that timetable. There is precious time to do what we must, whatever it is. Time is of the essence, and we definitely have a lot to do. And we have been guided to be together. However hard it may be to believe, we are destined to be together. The timetable is so tight that we are getting our powers well before they should normally appear. I believe that Nestor's comment about us being too young to show these powers is correct in a sense. We should have gotten them at adolescence, not while we were still prepubescent boys. But the situation is so critical it can no longer wait and is pushing things forward at a frantic pace."

"One thing that Harp has not dared state out loud, king Harold, is this," began Enron. "He has noted that his birth coincided approximately with Merlin's death. We know, from your own existence, that reincarnation is possible. You are the Pharaoh, founder of this city, albeit your atoms have been recombined and this body is yours; your conscience is extended, beyond time and space. Harp doesn't want to say it aloud, but I think he suspects he is Merlin reincarnated. The fact that the magic stick responds to him with such fluidity and ease clearly shows, to me at least, the validity of this point."

"All this is nice, boys, but if what you say is true, why do I not have access to the repository of knowledge that the founder had?"

"I think that, in a way, the king and the mage made it so. Having access to all that knowledge without proper preparation could well make a madman out of you, dad," offered Sitar. "You are slowly discovering your heritage, as we are. Remember! You knew of the secret passage behind the portrait; you knew how to open it. Duke Imhoteph had no knowledge of it, and he said, clearly to you, last night, and I can still hear his awed voice: What other secrets of my city will you reveal to me, my Lord?"

"I wish I could have answered that question."

"No, you do not, dad. Knowledge must be distilled slowly, dosed progressively. We love you too much to risk seeing you go mad because you get lost in your own mind!" Harp stated firmly.

"Anyways, boys, we must get ready to meet Imhoteph. The fealty test is to be done at sext, in the throne room."

"You can say my throne room, you know," said, ironic, king Samson.

"I never wanted to be king, much less pharaoh! Of the later, I had never heard before we came to this city!"

"There is one thing that we need to talk about, before we go," interrupted Paschal. "Sitar handles Excalibur like it was an extension of his body. We can too, but not as well as he. Could it be that Sitar is the reincarnation of King Arthur?"

The others looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"I don't want to be Arthur, king or no king!" Sitar exploded. "I am Sitar, and only Sitar!"

"Yes, Sitar, we all feel the same way. However, there seems to be precedents, as you have seen today! Furthermore, we do not know what reincarnation actually entails. Does it only include the knowledge base, or the essence of a person? What if you and Arthur were the same essence, simply transferred from one body to another? We may well have been body-hopping for thousands of years and only in the past twenty years have things been getting aligned so we could meet and live together to accomplish our task."

"Samson is right, son. You are who you are. For us you will stay Sitar. You could have been anything before, but now you are Sitar, only Sitar, to our eyes."

"I wonder who is my illustrious ancestor, for me to be here today?" Paschal wondered.

"I was wondering the same thing," added Enron.

"We all are," Samson completed.

"Well let's get moving. I seem to remember one king of old saying that politeness of kings was in being on time. He would probably have preferred being late to his execution!"

"Another reminiscence, Harp?"

"Sort of, I guess."

***

The group, composed of all the royals and their suite, emerged from the pharaoh's suite and walked along the Royal Road to the Throne Room. As they entered the antechamber, trumpets were heard, and the vast double doors swung open. The room was filled to capacity as every member of the city wanted to witness the renewal of their bond to their long-lost suzerain. To insure security, the Wolf Guard, in full parade colours, stood on the right side, while the Elven Royal Guards stood on the left side. The rumours concerning the status of wolves, horses, and dogs within the Pharaoh's suite were being confirmed by their sheer presence, but the role they played in the ceremonial left many totally lost. The security box, composed of wolves, elves, human legionnaires, dogs, and four huge warhorses also took many by surprise.

The sudden appearance of a number of thrones on the dais, along with banners and flags, left a lasting impression to the crowd. All knew the flag of the Elven Throne, but the flag on the left was unknown. The wolf Throne's flag was a new symbol to all. And suddenly, the flag of Atlantis, long lost to memory showed itself: a sun rising over the sea. If confirmation of who was presiding this ceremony were needed, this would supply it.

Contrary to what Duke Imhoteph had wanted, just about everyone that could talk desired to renew his vow to the Pharaoh. It took hours, and the sun had long set when the last vowed fealty to Pharaoh Harold. Just imagine how long it takes for a person to swear something like I, name, swear fealty and obedience to Pharaoh Harold, now and forever, for my descendents and me. So Ra is my witness! And then multiply it by the number of persons living in Ka, some seven out of the nine thousand that lived in Ka. By the end of the day, all royals, from Samson to Harp, wanted to kill the last ones just to escape having to keep their hand from trembling of fatigue at holding Mitsuko at their neck, for everyone had witnessed the duke's oath of fealty and wanted to undergo the same trial of faith. Luckily, the people did not insist that it be Harold that held the blade, and were content with even Duke Williams doing so. For the first time in the history of the blade, no one got a fresh cut.

As the last one passed the test, the wolves howled their approval. Then Kantar's dogs walked into the room, twenty to a row, and sat in front of Harold.

"I know, my loyal subjects. You wish to state your fidelity to the Wolf Crown. I will take it, as I will of the equines, which are waiting their turn in the antechamber, but please humour me, and accept that only one be sworn in for all of you. My arms are going to take leave of the shoulders shortly and I really think that the royal family is also in a pitiful condition. I wish Greywolf could hold the sword, but, unfortunately, paws and sword handles do not do well together."

The dogs accepted, showing a better good sense then the elves of Ka had; the horses followed the dogs' lead and also limited their representative to one per species of equine. The day came to a long awaited conclusion and the royals returned to their suite following the Royal Road, to the acclamation of their subjects.

"Finally! Bedtime, I'm too tired to even eat a nightcap. I hope this won't repeat itself too often!" Harold lamented.

"The weight of the crown, dad!" Paschal said, while smiling.

"Another bout of irony like this, and you wear it!"

"Oh no, dad. I may not know yet whose spirit I carry, but I am in no rush to wear any piece of junk!"

***

The next morning came way too early for the convenience of the exhausted royals, but duty called. Time was of the essence, and Harold called a strategy meeting.

"Imhoteph, first question. Has everyone of the duchy reported?"

"Yes. We began collapsing the mines and retreating to Kantar when the first reports of the orcs' massive concentration at the dam came in. Everyone made it here in time, with all the reserves."

"When was that?"

"Last fall. I sent a note to Ra, Ma, Ur, Edom, and Baal immediately, and received a reply to the effect that they were experiencing a similar situation. That prompted me to send you my son with a request for assistance."

"What are the reserves?"

"Non-existent, we have at most for a week's worth of food left. We have been unable to seed or reap."

"What about water?"

"For now it's supplied by ancient wells, but for how long? If the orcs dry the river that circles this city, the water wells well dry out."

"Are you telling me you are taping into these waters?"

"Yes."

"But this is unsafe! If the orcs figure out this, they can poison the wells!"

"True, your Majesty, but it seems the water is filtered somehow."

"That was the doing of Merlin, dad. I can see the trick he used. There is a basin of fine sand, and gravel layered about a hundred feet thick, and then a layer of fine charcoal another hundred feet thick. It is so that the pressure of the river forces the water through a layer of porous rock before entering the filtering system. All three combined insure that nothing from the outside world ever reaches the wells' reservoirs, cut deep into the granite of this mountain. The other advantage is that, should the orcs find the water intakes, of which there are ten, they wouldn't figure their use since they are designed to look like natural pools of water. I remember polishing one of them to a fine finish, a few days ago."

"Ok, Harp."

"May I enquire as to what prince Harp is talking about? He seems to know more than even the engineers of the city do."

"Oh. Well, tomorrow, the sandstorm will have abated and you will be able to see for yourself the result of their work. I kind of remember there is what looks like a natural overhang on the eastern wall, that let people inspect the wall and the moat."

"Yes, there is. We haven't been there in a while. But that still doesn't answer the question of his deep knowledge of our city."

"It doesn't, does it?" Harold looked at Harp, who blinked at him, with a small smile on his lips, a mimic that did not go unnoticed by the duke. What now? Imhoteph thought.

"Duke Imhoteph, may I introduce Prince Harp, of the royal Wolf Throne, depositary of the essence of Mage Merlin of Atlantis, designer of the city of Kantar, and a close friend of Pharaoh Horus, last ruler of Atlantis, whose essence the Throne of the Sun, Ra, recognized in me at the Claiming! What the people of the world recognized as an effort to reclaim from the loss of Atlantis, all these rituals of embalmment, mummifications, all these stories of life after death, are the result of this very simple fact: We die and are reborn, to accumulate sagacity, knowledge, and grow for the well-being of Gaia. That we are not reborn in the same body totally escaped those who survived the cataclysm."

"What about the other princes?"

"We think we have identified king Arthur in Sitar, but we still need to find the underlying identities of the others. Now, back to our problem, if you do not mind?"

"Ah yes. We have a week of food, and no way to escape, as the orcs occupy the bridge." They cannot cross the gap because the moat is too deep and wide, but we cannot lower the drawbridge to get out without letting them in."

"Something is nagging me, dad. I need to look at the bridge a bit more closely. Maybe it will trigger the memory that is trying to emerge."

"Since you designed that bridge and it has withstood seventeen thousand years of weathering, I figure it won't do harm that you had a peek. But first, have a look from the battlements. And please, son, wait for the wind to diminish. It should be clear tomorrow, and the wind will lull, just before sun up."

"Yes. And I will also bring Bata. Something tells me I will need it, like a key to unlock a door."

"Meanwhile, Harold, I suggest we plan the evacuation of Kantar. We should start teleporting the defenceless, the feeding mothers, the babies, and those expecting. There are few, something in the order of a thousand and five hundred elves, and about six hundred dogs, and a hundred equines. The rest will be incorporated into the army."

"That is an idea that has crossed my mind, Prince Enron, but I do not see how we can fight our way across the bridge without it collapsing under us. It holds, but for how long?"

"You need not worry, Duke. I will renew the wards that protected the bridge. They will be as strong as the originals. The issue is removing the orcs from it. Had the wards still held sway, it wouldn't have rusted as badly as it did, and the orcs wouldn't have even been able to set foot on it."

"If you say so, prince Harp. But what will stop the orcs from entering the city once we have left? I feel enraged that their dirty feet will walk these sacred halls!"

"I never said they would be able to. The tongue of Seth, which supports the wooden drawbridge when it is down, still retracts as you raise it, I would wager. The drawbridge is but made of wood, and can be raised and burned if necessary. Furthermore, the real door have been opened for seventeen thousand years, but now they will be closed, completely sealing this city until such time we choose to return. And, unless the orcs learn to fly, or swim swift rivers, and climb glossy cliffs that would put a fly to the test, they aren't likely to get in this city any time soon. I will make sure that any and all orifices are closed. Nothing, not even a ghost, will be able to enter."

"The tongue of Seth?"

"Your question answers mine. The Tongue of Seth, the snake God, is a narrow slice of mithril that sticks out under the drawbridge to support it as it gets lowered. Since enemies rarely reach the bridge's end before being detected, none has ever witnessed its being retracted into its alveoli as the bridge went up. The tongue of Seth is what allows the wooden part of the bridge to be so thin, that even a child can raise it. In fact, both drawbridges have this mechanism."

"Does it still work?"

"Oh yes, it worked for the door of Horus when we entered the Cave. There is no reason to believe that these other mechanisms will not work, given they are even protected by the drawbridges, while the one at the door of Horus was not."

"What a funny name for it."

"Not so funny. If you look at it from above it is forked to insert itself in the cliff face on the other side of the abyss, in such a way that its insertion point is totally invisible. We saw it as it moved towards us from the door of Horus and we were totally taken by surprised when it inserted itself underfoot. It entered into a cavity we had not even seen on our side! Its appearance clearly matches the tongue of a snake, Seth."

"Back to our problem, boys. What will we do?"

"First, displace the defenceless. Mother?"

«Yes, Paschal?»

«Have you kept tab of our exchange?»

«Yes and I was going to intervene. We will have to evacuate Elven Woods shortly, because the orcs are descending from the mountains in ever increasing numbers and our situation is not any better than yours. I plan to fall back on York, if possible. I have already planned an alternate route via Radisson, but their forests are dense and ideal for orcs to assault a long column, I will certainly privilege the York road and head for Eloise, their capital. The baron there is expecting us. I suggest you teleport these you need to evacuate directly to Eloise, rather than here. I will have my hands full.»

«What about Radisson's situation?»

«As of last courier, they have begun falling back on Kent, York, and Valerian. I knocked a few more heads off shoulders from Vicksburg, and they are showing a bit more reason.»

«I see. What about the mobilization?»

«It is progressing as fast as possible, but the orcs and priests are also closing on us from the western mountains. We are trapped.»

«Mother, do not delay evacuating Elven Woods. We will deal with the concentration of orcs up north, but that may trigger severe retaliatory actions. You are too vulnerable. Ian first, mom, the village is secondary.»

«I agree with Sitar. Evacuate. Start now. I am sending you Dunbar and the second army of horses. Harp, Sitar, and Enron will teleport them immediately. Paschal will handle the evacuation of the people from Kantar.»

The looks of sorrow on Samson and Enron's face did not escape the duke.

"What is wrong, your Majesty?"

"The decision has been made to evacuate Elven Woods. The Second Horse Army will be teleported to Elven Woods to help in carrying those that will constitute the core of the evacuees and the Third Elven Royal Army Corps, under command of Queen Annabelle. The entire Kings' Land is being evacuated west towards the archduchy of York." Harold informed him.

"Surely the situation cannot be that bad?"

"It is worse, duke. Much worse. The process of mobilization is well underway, but orcs and crocodiles are coming from every direction. Radisson is also falling back towards the center, and so are the western marches of the kingdom. Things look dark, duke, very dark. Vicksburg's last blue blood tried to foreswear their oath to the Elven Throne, and Queen Annabelle finished them off. She has my full approval for her actions." Samson said, icily.

"What about these places you crossed coming here?'

"The bloodbath we imposed on them seems to have been effective. And the wolf units are reporting that they are fortifying and falling back along a defence line that should let us pull back south once we have cleansed the dams, if we can finally reach them, that is." Paschal told them. "The canines are ferociously fighting the orcs for each inch of land they gain. We have been moving their families out of the way and further south. The horses are also doing a valiant rear-guard fight."

"The costs must be considerable."

"So far, they have been minimal, the orcs just have not figured out that the wolves and horses team up, and work together. They still see them as wild animals unworthy of consideration. Too bad for their strategists!"

"The first issue after we have removed those that will not keep up with the army is progressing north. We cannot expect to teleport the entire army unnoticed."

"Dad, if what I am trying to remember is as important as it is, we may have another way out. Just let me see that damn bridge, first!"

"Ok, ok, Harp. Calm down. You have your work cut out for you for today anyways: teleporting the second Horse army to Elven Woods. Dunbar, can you accompany the first centurie, to help Annabelle organize the evacuation?"

"Certainly. I'm going down to the Assembly room where our forces are right away." With that Dunbar popped out of the suite with a bang.

"Either he is another Harp wannabe or he needs to learn to exchange the air from where he is going to where he is during teleportation!" Enron noted.

"Anyways, he knows how to make an exit!" Williams said, laughing.

The princes then popped down to follow Dunbar.

As things were getting readied, Enron asked to talk to Dunbar.

"Dunbar, when you are ready to evacuate Elven Woods, can you please contact us? I feel sad for my homeland, and I want to try protecting at least the segment that covers the Throne, the Palace, and the royal parks. The rest is of lesser quality."

"How do you plan to do this?"

"I plan on placing it under a stasis dome. Nothing will change, and the orcs will not be able to penetrate our home. Ah yes, I almost forgot. Please see to the Royal Zoo in your planning for evacuation. The poor animals do not deserve to end up in the belly of orcs. Many are rescued species found nowhere else. I wonder how we will safeguard the Royal Aquarium. In there are found the only living specimens of dolphins, five breeding couples. They are the last of their kind, and are very intelligent and friendly."

"I will find a way. I think we may do what we will do with the defenceless: Teleport them to Eloise. I only need to talk to Archduke Volant for a bit so he can pinpoint to me a safe place to put them."

"I heard your worries, Prince Enron, Duke Dunbar," replied Volant, who had walked up on them after hearing his capital was the fallback point for the Royal Lands. "I may have a solution. There is a large field, currently used during the height of trading season by caravans, that is totally devoid of constructions. Would that do?"

"Does it cover five hundred acres? No, seven hundred and fifty, I did not count the Aquarium in my initial size estimates."

"That and a lot more. Its size is near two thousand acres. It should be sufficient."

"Thank you. Would you accompany me to Eloise as soon as we have finishes transferring the equine army to mother?"

"Mother?"

"Queen Annabelle has treated me as a son; I never knew my birth mother, for which I am sad, but I am sure she would not mind me taking Annabelle as surrogate mother."

"Oh, I see. As to accompany you on your scouting trip to Eloise, I see no objection."

***

The transfer of the Second Horse Army Corps began, with Dunbar riding on the lead horse, Duke Star.

"Ready when you are, Prince Harp."

"I'm getting a visual of the field from Annabelle. There goes. Good luck!"

The transfer of the first centurie went without a glitch, and from there, centurie after centurie moved in line, first in front of Harp, then, while he was dealing with the space time warp required for the teleportation, another unit placed itself in marching order in front of Sitar. As Harp recovered from the effort, Sitar did his part, and another unit placed itself in front of Enron. By the time Enron had done its deed, another unit was ready for teleportation by Harp.

At the receiving end, Annabelle gave visual anchor points for the teleported unit, while Dunbar, still on Star, directed the emerging units to their assigned station. By sext, the entire army had been transported to Elven Woods, and had begun its preparations for the evacuation.

«Transfer completed, Dunbar. Enron and Volant just teleported to Eloise,» told him Sitar.

«Thank you. We are readying piles of goods for transfer in bulk. By and large, we plan to practice the scorched earth technique, The orcs will find nothing to eat, not even a rotten egg.»

«Leave them the traitors' resting grounds, in the latrines! That's all they deserve!»

«Are you sure, Sitar? I wouldn't like to be held responsible for poisoning an entire orc army!»

«Do not worry. I heard they are able to digest anything.»

«Son, I'm ready to begin teleporting the first pregnant women to Eloise. Enron has given me a good visual of the ducal Throne room, and Volant is organizing a wing of his palace to receive them and the children. Starting now, by decade.»

«OK. As soon as you are done, we will transfer those in Kantar.»

It took until nones to complete the transfer of the parturient out of Elven Woods, including the canines and the equines. As soon as the signal was given, Harp, Sitar and Paschal began the process of doing the same with those found in Kantar. It went a lot faster as they had decided to practice what had worked so well with the horses. Meanwhile the goods to be salvaged were transferred to repositories in the caves of the ducal palace. The same process was undertaken with the material goods to be salvaged from Kantar, immediately after the last children was send to the safety of Eloise. As sext came, Dunbar contacted Enron.

«Enron? We have finished in Elven Woods. Everything worth salvaging has been, including the contents of the royal palace. What now?»

«Hold position, I'm sending Sitar, Harp and Paschal to teleport the Aquarium, Zoo, and Botanical Gardens. Dad reminded me there were very rare species of plants there that wouldn't survive stasis. The Royal Oak, I will deal personally with.»

A few minutes later, the three princes materialized beside Dunbar.

"It's vespers. We will wait until everyone is sleeping to do the transfers. Say, around compline, that is, three hours from now. It will be dark, most people will be in bed, and we will clean up that slum between the core and the field. Let's do some city management while we are at it. We can spend the next three hours building the houses for the families, to pass time. Enron will supply us with visuals to materialize the objects needed, the family dogs will give us a count of each family and if everyone is home."

The process went as Paschal had envisioned, his talent at city planning showing itself with the sudden emergence of grand boulevards, wide streets, trees lined perfectly, houses of compatible but not necessarily identical styles, and the establishment of a proper sewer and water supply system. Fountains popped up everywhere, gardens and parks, playgrounds, sports areas, everything materialized in orderly fashion, creating a new city quarter where once there were only marshes. The boys enjoyed creating tiny streams to let the water drain, wooden bridges that would let people walk over them, vistas that would leave the stroller awed at its beauty. The three hours were spent in an outflow of creativity that would have rivalled the Renaissance.

Finally, the time came to deal with the relocation. Silently, Enron popped in each shack, and teleported its occupants and their goods to their new residence. Not one woke up during the process. Once the process got completed, the shacks were disintegrated and the mud streets, ugly open sky sewers, and the dirt floors were rearranged; grass grew at the speed of thought, and quickly covered the squalor.

"We're done with phase one of relocation project Alpha. Let's start phase two. Enron, we need a visual.» Paschal informed him.

"Got it, let's bind. The animals are all sleeping, well most, and won't even be aware of anything. We'll teleport everything up to twenty feet below, and exchange the ground as well as the air. Its not a good idea to give the crocodiles a mating pool," decided Harp.

«Ready, Enron, Sitar, Paschal?»

As each acknowledged mentally, the bind between the four boys coalesced. A clear image of what needed to be done was created and unified.

«Set! Three! Two! One! Teleport!»

Under the iron fist of Harp, the teleportation process went on, and progressively, very progressively, the huge masses exchanged location.

«Report!»

«Enron here. Inspecting the zoo. The birds did not even wake up. Nothing is missing.»

«Sitar here. I can see right clear across a vast field, to the gates.»

«Paschal here, Similar, I can see the outer limits of the Botanical Gardens.»

«And I can see the constructions that Enron identified as the Aquarium. Transfer successful. An hour's rest, then we do the Aquarium! Let's join Dunbar and mother at the central plaza. It's been a while since I've hugged her.»

«I'll be staying with Volant. We need to build houses for the refugees. The Palace is more packed than a sardine can.»

«Ok, Enron. I'll signal when we are ready for the Aquarium. Don't forget to find a place for the Botanical Garden.»

The three boys were overjoyed to spend an hour with Queen Annabelle and their little brother Ian.

"He has grown!"

"Yes Harp, he has. I can only regret that his first steps will be done while my husband will be at war far away."

"That needs not be, mom. You know that Harold would teleport in a flash to see his son's first steps!"

"I know, Sitar, but he has responsibilities and a war to manage."

"His first responsibility is to Ian."

"Paschal is right, mom. And dad would be furious if you kept these precious moments to yourself."

"I know, Harp. I'll tell him the moment I see an important milestone."

'Good. Mom, we have to teleport the Aquarium and Botanical Garden. We'll be back between the two transfers and before leaving. Dunbar? When do you plan to leave Elven Woods?"

"Tomorrow at prime. We will take the western road to York."

"Do not forget to tell us when you leave. We will be on your back, with Enron, to install the stasis field."

"I thought only Enron would be here?"

"So he thinks, but a layered stasis field, like the one needed for this, requires combined minds. And we need to teleport the Royal Oak. We will do that before dawn, when it is still inactive."

"Where do you plan to put it?"

"There is a great open area left between the zoo, the aquarium, and the botanical garden. We'll put it there."

"Do not forget that the roots of an oak extend five times its overhead range."

"We counted that in. In fact, we plan to take the entire dirt and about twenty feet additional. That way, there shouldn't be any transplant shock."

"I thought the caravan field was smaller?"

"It was, but we relocated the slums between it and the city center. We materialized housing for every family, with individual rooms for children. A hundred-fold improvement on their previous lot, along with some space for gardening and playgrounds."

"Knowing how conservative people are, there must have been a lot of protest."

"Actually, no, they were sleeping when we did it! In fact they still are!"

"Harp, you are terrible!"

"That's my charm! Anyways, back to work."

«Enron, we are ready. Have the slums woken up yet?»

«No, there is not a sound. That is where Volant and I are now, Give us a second to move in place at the caravan field. The dogs didn't bother barking during the move, so as not to alert the two-legs! But they are happy! Very happy!»

A few minutes later, the Aquarium relocated to its new emplacement, and the boys returned to Dunbar and Annabelle for another break.

"When do you plan to finish this transfer?"

"Around matins, mom. Enron reports not even a single fish tank fractured. The fish are still asleep, as well as the dolphins."

"Have you considered teleporting the zoo keepers and the aquarium keepers?"

"Yes mom. They are next, immediately after we're done with the Botanical garden. They are collecting in the field, with their family, as we speak. Some of the kids are grumpy, but the idea of living a real teleportation has them excited."

"Harp, I know that smile! You are planning something, son!"

"Moi?"

Dunbar looked at the diminutive Harp, and exploded in laughter.

"Prince Harp, when you have that look of guilty innocence, and compound it with the use of a dead language, we can be assured there is going to be some sparks somewhere!"

"Who ever gave you that idea, Dunbar?"

"Experience!"

Rather than answer, the three boys teleported to their assigned position for the teleportation of the Botanical Garden. The howl of laughter they left behind sent shivers down the back of the two adults.

The transfer of the botanical garden went on schedule, and the boys took a ten minute break before doing the transfer of the staff, Enron had worked during the previous break to create a small village right outside of the new addition to Eloise, which would lodge the botanists and zoo and aquarium keepers. They were within walking distance of their respective work area.

"Ok, ladies and gentlemen. We are ready to relocate you to your new home. You will be materialized in the agora. Each street in the village reserved for you has a nameplate, and each house a number, called a civic number. Paschal was tired of the dumb way addresses were given. From now on it's no longer 'the little green house next to the butcher, just in front of the meat market southern entrance', its 82 Bag's End. We have supplied each of you with a street map, with two dots and a line joining them. The red dot is where you will be teleported with your family, and the green dot is where you need to walk. Why we didn't send you direct? For two reasons: it takes more time and we are getting tired; second, you do need to familiarize yourself with the new place. The best is to do it going home with a map. Any questions?"

Sitar's speech must have been clear, for no questions were forthcoming. Harp called their attention to the imminence of teleportation, and got a visual from Enron. The teleportation went in cascading slices, as each family ported in a shower of sparks to their new home, to the immense joy of the kids. The huge smile on Harp's face clearly showed his enjoyment of the pyrotechnics involved.

«We are done our end, Enron, see you an hour before prime to move the oak. We will sleep in dad's cart tonight. It feels so nice to be home!»

«I know. Don't twist the blade in the wound, I'm losing mine.»

***

All four boys took a much-needed rest. An hour before prime, they were ready to teleport the Oak. Paschal, Harp and Sitar focussed on the tree, and bounded with it, becoming the tree for this very particular transfer. It glowed from the last leaf to the furthest root, the earth itself took a deep emerald green look and suddenly the tree, with all its populace of birds, vanished to reappear in the middle of the now very occupied former market field. Again, the whole process was so smooth that the birds did not even wake up.

Enron merged with the tree's essence and confirmed that it had not suffered. This done, he returned to Elven Woods with Volant.

"Job well done, we are now almost finished here. The village has just about vanished, the only thing left is the palace."

"Why didn't we teleport the palace as well?" Volant asked.

"We need a claim, and the palace is the claim. It will stay there, visible, yet inaccessible, a vibrant reminder to all that we, and only we, have claim to this land. Do you want to return to our current position in Kantar or stay with us until the last unit has left Elven Woods?"

"I'll stay, but we need to eat. Dunbar is about due to start his movements westward."

"Yes. The wolves signalled an important concentration of orcs from the mountains east of here, and we need to be on the move before they emerge. I've asked Dunbar to move quietly, no trumpets, no fanfare. Noise travels far in the early dawn, and we do not wish to alert the orcs to our intentions."

"Proper strategy calls for a stealthy retreat, Enron, so I agree with your decision," commented Volant.

"There goes the first unit, and it's still half an hour to prime. Dunbar must feel the pressure. They are moving at a trot. From what I see he has put the elves in front, the horses in between, and the wolves at the end, as rear guard. The caravan Dunbar led to here is in the middle of the horses, hidden. It is the most vulnerable. I'm also glad of this arrangement. Mom is better protected. Give me a minute, I'll teleport to say good-bye to mom, and then we'll do a last round." Paschal said.

"We'll go with you. Wait for us, we'll be right back." Sitar replied, as he looked at Volant.

The four boys popped into the moving cart and hugged Annabelle, who was playing with Ian under the watchful eyes of the milk nanny and a plethora of wolves.

"Be careful, mom. The road to Eloise is long and treacherous. If need be, call on us. We have been training a lot, and I, for one, have a blood lust that would make any orc or crocodile run for their den!"

"I know, Harp, be careful too."

The boys returned to Volant and watched as the column moved quickly out of the village's western gate and rapidly diminished from sight. As the dust cloud settled, the boys turned to their last task and bounded to create a quadruple-linked stasis spherical field that enclosed the elven palace and its grounds into an impenetrable time wrap wall. As they finished their task, a group of wolves came to the village.

«What are the pups still doing here? The orcs are on our tail!»

«We sealed this place, the den of the Alpha Elves.»

«I see. Let's move across the river and westward. Now!»

The wolves and the boys, teleporting themselves progressively to keep up with the running pack, quickly crossed the bridge. As they finished the crossing, the first orcs ran into the now deserted portion of Elven Woods.

"These are too close!" decided Harp. "Fire! Hail! Wind!"

As each command emerged from his mouth, fire erupted setting the eastern portion of Elven Wood on fire, as hail the size of fists fell on the advancing orcs, and the fire was blown towards them by a sudden, ferocious wind.

Not to be outdone, Sitar added, in a commanding voice, "Lightning!" to which the now already darkened skies replied with the mother of all thunderstorms.

"Whirlwind!" thundered Paschal, and a huge tornado blew across the already ravaged portion of the village, sucking the orcs and throwing them like straws all over the place.

"Let the bridge fly and crush my enemies!" ordered Enron, equally incensed by the presence of the orcs. The wooden bridge seemed to buckle and hiccup before its timber flew off and smashed into the incoming orc column.

"That solves the problem for a while. The orcs swim like rocks."

«The pups sure know how to fight! Where are they headed?»

«We are going to go back north to rejoin dad. Please run and join the rear guard of the column on the western road. We will finish ravaging the village, in accordance to our policy of scorched earth.»

«We obey. Move out! Run!»

The wolf pack began a hasty retreat westward accompanied by the boys and Volant. As soon as the last wolf left the village, the boys set every building on fire and collapsed the palisade. The wolves had barely disappeared over the nearest hill that the boys teleported themselves and Volant back to Kantar.

The boys and Volant materialized in the royal suite. Harp decided it was too late to safely inspect the bridge, as the wind had picked up.

"No use taking unnecessary risks. The bridge will be there tomorrow, and we need rest. Dad, mom says hello, and expects you when Ian says his first words, that is, shortly!"

"Thank you for reminding me I'm not seeing my first born grow, Harp."

"Dad, don't play the tragedy string on me. I'm a harp, and it could make people cry. You can go see her every time you wish, and you know it! Nobody, and I mean it, would blame you for that!"

"You are right, Harp. I just feel that if I leave, I'm abandoning my station!"

"Don't be foolish! We have proven without any doubt that we can deal with just about anything."