When Men Meet Monsters

Ellova ~ 18 Swords and Stones

"Ell." Akalze walked into the room, interrupting us.

The leader of the Kaingan army, Inwyn Purta, was sitting across from me, arguing the details of our peace agreement. With the Zakaisans at my current disposal, the Kaingans had little option but to accept my terms. That was not to say that they were not vocal about their displeasures. The Zakaisan commander, Soci Gallus, leaned up against the wall. He tried to make himself look disinterested, but he was paying close attention to the proceedings. I had already graciously apologized for King Isvarr's declaration of war, and informed Purta of the change in power. I was the reigning monarch of Thaedia. At least for now...

"My apologies, but..." Akalze's eyes were wide. "You have to see this." We all followed her out into the street.

Thaedians knelt on the stones scrubbing streets or stood cleaning walls. Bodies and debri were being hauled away on wagons or on the backs of other soldiers. Everyone worked to remove the signs of our tragedies. We were ready to erase the horrors of war. And with everyone working in tandem as they were, I believed that we could. Akalze stood in the middle of the bustle and pointed up at the sky. It was mostly dark with clouds, but golden light shone through the gaps. It was pretty, but hardly an urgent matter. " Look down." I looked lower until I saw the Anduix Mountain Range. Then, I understood. Blue smoke streamed from the tallest mountain.

"Does that mean something to you?" Soci Gallus asked. I watched the puffs of smoke, some longer than others. It was a message; it was a cry for martial help, and I had a feeling I knew who it was. That color blue was representative of Thaedia, the god came from that mountain range, and I had a little brother who loved a good adventure and smoke signals. If Casian had found the specific mountain where it had been released, it explained why the god had disappeared with Isvarr and left me with an image of my brother. And now Casian needed my help. There was no further thought process. There would be no discussion.

"Gallus, gather your men." He was confused but obeyed. "Sir," I turned to the Kaingan leader, "That smoke signal is a call to war. I know I have no right to ask you or your soldiers to fight with us, but I am."

"Why?" I held his gaze intensely.

"Because the enemy we face is one not limited by the kingdom we serve. It is the orchestrator of all the recent conflicts. If we continue to act on our own interests, then it will succeed in destroying us." He started to laugh, but stopped when he saw that Akalze and I were serious.

"Who or what is this orchestrator?"

"A god." He scoffed again and turned his back to me. I blocked his path. "What do you have to lose? Either I am wrong and we waste a few days, or I am right-"

"And this will be a battle that goes down in history." Akalze jumped in.

Whether it was Akalze and I's persuasion, or his own men's superstition, the Kaingan army agreed to march with us to the mountain.

It took us several days. As we marched each day, I kept my eyes on the smoking mountain, and after we made camp at nightfall, I continued to watch it. Three nights later, I was doing the same, though the smoke had gone. I sat in front of the tent I shared with Akalze and stared to the north. Every few minutes I would check on the soldiers behind me. They drank and laughed and yelled and fought a little. I kept my few people well behaved, but did not interfere with the other soldiers. I looked back at the northern sky. The stars were bright and sparkling tonight. I imagined Casian was looking up at the same stars, wondering if I had gotten his message, wondering if I was coming. I pressed my fingers to my lips.

Akalze sat down beside me. She glanced at my face a few times, but allowed me to sit quietly. I appreciated that about her. Eventually, I noticed a scroll held in her hands. I pointed to it.