Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,97
quite the collection of warriors. I’m told your army has…unique weapons.”
“Very unique,” Bahr said and went on to explain the gunpowder weapons to the combined army’s leadership. When he finished, their looks were a strange combination of respect and abject horror.
Rolnir cleared his throat. “We should have no trouble breaking the Goblin lines with weapons like that, but they have a very large force. Close to fifty thousand or so we’ve guessed.”
“A few less,” Thord grumbled. “We’ve bloodied their noses back in my kingdom. They got a taste of what Dwarven might truly is.”
“Have you any idea how they arrived in Delranan so fast?” Aurec asked.
Anienam answered, “Magic.”
“Excuse me? There is no magic in this part of the world,” Vajna said. His eyes narrowed in mistrust.
“Magic. There is great evil at work here. Surely you must have felt it lurking behind all Badron did? It is no coincidence that our armies have gathered near Arlevon Gale.”
“These are just ruins, old one. Arlevon Gale may once have been important but their time has long fallen into decay,” Rolnir said. “What could possibly be so special as to compel so many combatants here and now?”
“This is the final crossing point for the dark gods,” Anienam said. His voice dropped to a conspiratorial level. “Tomorrow night the agents of evil will attempt to open the path between dimensions and release the dark gods into the world. This, my friends, is the final battle in a war that has stretched since the dawn of the world.”
“How fortunate,” Rolnir said. “Are there other surprises in store for us? I’m not willing to commit to the attack without knowing more. As it stands now we’re going to lose too many soldiers just trying to break their lines, even with the Dwarf cannons.”
The word felt awkward, almost unnatural. Rolnir wanted to see the machines in action but dreaded the effects based on Bahr’s testimony. Until now war had been personal with sword or axe, made only slightly less so by the use of catapults and scorpions. He could almost envision there being no need for large-scale armies composed of infantry if the cannons were as effective as Bahr suggested.
“I assume plenty more we’re not aware of. The least of which are the Dae’shan. Fortunately for us they are only three instead of four. Without a fourth their power is diminished, slightly. I can only assume that they’ve collected the remnants of creations of the dark to protect them during the ritual.”
“You bear ill tidings, wizard,” Aurec said. His voice was strained, for he secretly dealt with conflicting emotions. Rumor had come to him that Maleela was taken by Bahr and the wizard. Yet they came to his camp with open arms and in friendship. Their actions set his kingdom on a course for war, or so he believed. To have them standing before him now left him feeling raw, anguished.
“Magic seldom distinguishes between ill and joy. What matters is we have a chance, the slightest chance, of getting to the Dae’shan and destroying the Olagath Stone, thus sealing the dark gods away forever.” Anienam paused to let his words sink in. “This will not be an easy task. The Dae’shan will be most determined to prevent our interference. They will stop at nothing to see us stopped.”
“Are these the same demons who corrupted Badron?” Rolnir asked, folding his arms.
“They’ve often sought out soft targets with pliable minds.”
“Makes sense. Badron was consumed with getting revenge on Rogscroft, though we’ve come to learn he merely needed an excuse to start a war,” Rolnir said with respect to both Aurec and Bahr. He suddenly felt uncomfortable being caught between them. Any unspoken tension only added to the group dynamic. He wondered how well this newly forged alliance was going to hold together in the coming battle.
“The war was a cleverly crafted diversion from the truth. The Dae’shan have known for millennia this moment was coming and they knew where. We still have much going for us. We know what they intend to do and when. We also know that each time before has resulted in failure for them. This, my friends, is their final attempt.”
“Making them all the more dangerous,” Ingrid said.
“Indeed, but we have all endured much danger over the course of the winter,” Aurec told her. “Rolnir is right, wizard, we stand to lose many lives.”
Anienam shrugged. “Some losses are unavoidable. That is the nature of war, young king. Our Dwarven allies will lessen the odds, as will