Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,90

we know it will fall or stand depending on our involvement.”

“Faeldrin, we are all going to die,” Aleor said, reaffirming his position.

“If such is to be our fate, who are we to avoid it?” his brother countered. Faeldrin reached out to place a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I need you at my side. While I cannot promise survival, I give my pledge that I will do everything in my power to preserve as many lives as possible.”

Satisfied with the pledge, Aleor nodded. “Very well. Let us continue forward. If this is to be our fate I would see it done sooner rather than later.”

The Elves mounted up and pushed ahead. Somewhere in the wild lands lay the ruins of Arlevon Gale and the fate of them all.

“We’re in trouble,” Faeldrin told his fellow lords.

Thord grimaced, unsure how to proceed. The look in Krek’s eyes was plain enough. The Minotaur king wanted to attack.

“The Goblins are less than a half day ahead of us and already dug in around Arlevon Gale. They’ve cleared a fairly large field of fire in a full circle. We won’t be able to sneak up from any direction.”

Thord, staring down at the crudely drawn map, asked, “Where is the best place for my cannons? If we can get them in the right position I can break their lines.”

“No, Thord. The enemy is dug in too well even for your cannons,” Faeldrin said. “All is not dire. We’ve seen evidence of a large Human army camped to the northeast. They bear the colors of the Wolfsreik and Rogscroft. Krek, you’ll be interested to know that the Pell Darga are among them as well.”

The Minotaur grunted his approval. They’d fought together once before, long ago.

“How large?” Thord asked.

“Large enough to almost make a difference. I’ve sent my brother to form an alliance with them. Man and Elf haven’t fought together in a very long time. It will be interesting to see if they are willing to do so now.” Faeldrin pursed his lips. The tip of his tongue snaked out to gingerly lick across the top of his bottom lip.

“Has there been any sign of the wizard?” Thord asked. He folded his massive arms across his armor and glared north.

Elf and Dwarf both recalled their conversations with Bahr and Anienam during the battle of Bode Hill. It was no coincidence that all forces were converging on the ruins of Arlevon Gale. At the time, neither Thord nor Faeldrin paid much attention to the enigmatic wizard as he spun tales of gods and the end of the world. Their hands were full in dealing with the dark Dwarves. Little thought was given to Anienam once they were safely escorted to the Thorn River and sent south. Faeldrin guessed they had sorely misinterpreted the wizard’s words. He only hoped it wasn’t too late to correct his error.

“None, but that could mean anything. I believe the wizard was in good hands. Bahr led that group with unwavering fortitude. This was their destination and, unless my calculations are considerably off, this is the hour in which they need to be here.”

“Scouts need to be looking out for them.” Thord didn’t particularly care much for the wizard’s quest. His interests lay solely in his representative, Captain Ironfoot. The Dwarf commander was a valuable asset he dearly wanted back with the main army before they engaged the enemy.

“Agreed, but that would change our objective,” Faeldrin told them.

Krek yawned, lacking interest in the conversation. His dark eyes, almost lost beneath the thick forehead and massive nostrils, were focused on fighting, not talking.

“In what way? There is a Goblin army in need of killing,” Thord countered.

“If the wizard needs to get to the ruins to defeat the dark gods they’re going to need help breaking through that army,” the Elf replied. Meaning we all stand a very high potential of dying in the process.

Thord grumbled a deep sound that vibrated the ground. Krek snort a laugh just as deep.

“I’m beginning not to like you, Elfling,” the Dwarf Lord snapped.

“What do you want from me? It can be no coincidence we are here. Perhaps our true purpose is to blast a hole through their lines to see the wizard through. Who are we to challenge the will of the gods?”

Thord wasn’t convinced. “Dwarf gods are not involved in this war. It is the Human gods who continue to destroy the world. I have half a mind to take my army home and let them deal