Ithilsyn sat in the tent poring over the map of waystones. Caranordor had not reappeared. A guard had been placed at the spot where he had vanished in case he re-emerged, yet as the sky paled with the approach of dawn, he had not returned. Her retainer, Aegnyr, stood quietly leaving her in her thoughts as she considered how the stones had been used as portals by some. Potential perhaps to move entire armies quickly from one part of the continent to another, but not like this. And what lay behind their veil? Whispers of horrors, worlds outside their realm where daemons dwelt. Had Caranordor been doomed to face them alone? The knowledge passed to her and her sisters from the crystals at the hidden pool had taught them much, yet something was wrong. Very wrong.
“It sounds like it was a trap, my lady.”
Ithilsyn glanced up, surprised that her retainer seemed to have heard her thoughts. A trusted advisor, Aegnyr had been told of the find and what gifts the crystals had bestowed. “The thalken would not leave such a treasure unguarded. They would surely destroy it, unless they wanted to trick us.”
Of course. Ithilsyn scowled at the map as the realisation sank in. They had been complacent, certain that they were close to understanding the waystones, certain that they could undo the wards. Some enchantment had been set in place to trap them, perhaps the entire Regiment had they attempted to use the waystone to travel. The Commander had been lost; quite a blow for the invasion, but still recovery was possible.
Her retainer was dismissed, as she summoned Telalis for a meeting of urgency. At this point, as second-in-command, it fell to him to restore order amid the troops. Ithilsyn was well aware that the situation looked bad for the Coven; many suspected this to be a deliberate attempt to be rid of Caranordor to tip the balance of power back to the former cabal of Drukae Khalir. Perhaps that would still come to pass if the Commander was lost for good? Diplomacy was all that kept her from losing her head right now, and she knew it. Now where did loyalties lie?
“Telalis, how good of you to join me. Come in”, she said, gesturing to an empty chair. As the Druchii took a seat, she poured two goblets of wine, offering one to him, which he sniffed suspiciously before taking a sip.
“Seeress”, he replied, nodding his head in greeting. “I hear that we misplaced the Commander”.
“Indeed that is so,” Ithilsyn remarked, ensuring her poise was relaxed and confident, despite the whirl of tension flowing through her in this disastrous situation. “Some thalken magic. We were undoing the wards at a waystone, and Caranordor just walked up to it. What could have possessed him to do that?” she frowned, thinking it quite possible for some High Elf magic to have consumed his mind and lured him to step forth. The Druchii was a battle-hardened Commander, surely he would not have been so stupid as to meddle with something so potently charged with raw magic. “And that leaves us with the problem of who takes care of the Regiment in his absence. Remind me Telalis, should Caranordor fall in battle, who would take his place?”
The Dark Elf sipped his wine slowly and looked up to her from his cup. “Why that would be me.”
The seeress regarded his face carefully for signs of triumph that might betray his involvement in a scheme that she now suspected was at play here. Outwardly, Telalis was a brazen rogue, yet she knew that behind this veneer lay a cunning Druchii with a mind like quicksilver. To underestimate this one would be a grave mistake.
“Such a pity about Caranordor,” she mused, “We can only hope that he has been transported by the stone, rather than suffer some terrible fate.” Fishing for his thoughts on this matter, she added, “However, it would seem that you have done rather well out of this.”
Telalis looked at her with his brassy eyes, and it was apparent to the seeress that he knew that she was testing his loyalties. “I am certain he will emerge again at some point. Whether it be whole or in a scattering of meaty chunks, we will find him” he chuckled darkly, swirling his wine and taking a sip. “Until then, we will continue the Witch King’s good work. And keep this situation to ourselves. There is no need for this news to reach the halls of Naggarond, yet.”
"Then you must see to it that there is no disarray and rebellion among the ranks. I trust that you are up to the task, Telalis."
Ithilsyn sipped her wine quietly. The next steps forward would have to be made very carefully. Telalis was keeping his cards close to his chest, and she would have to make it quite clear to the Regiment that this recent inconvenience was not of deliberate fabrication on her part. No. It was far too early for that.
Come the morrow, she would summon the Coven. But until then, wine and company was welcome.
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Previous Chapters:
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Chapter V - viewtopic.php?f=55&t=24875
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