Acaila inclined his head in a gesture they both read to mean / wish it were so.
Tomas spoke, ‘Yes, it would be a noble thing if all the tribes of the edhel were as one.’ He looked at his wife. ‘For every moredhel who finds his way here, who returns to us and forsakes the Dark Path, we have slain a dozen more. It is in their nature to seek out power.’ He looked at Acaila. ‘And it appears the taredhel have found that power.’
Aglaranna said, ‘What do you propose we do, husband?’
‘I think it is time for me to have a private discussion with our guest.’ He turned to Acaila and said, ‘Ask Gulamendis to meet with me at the entrance to the Holy Grove.’
The old eldar bowed slightly, then bowed more deeply to the Queen, and departed. After he was gone, Aglaranna said, ‘Why the Holy Grove, Tomas?’
‘This Gulamendis seems to be struggling with something. I don’t presume to know what it is, but I do know that there’s no place on this world that gives an elf more strength to make difficult choices than the Holy Grove. Acaila says Gulamendis is almost consumed by wonder over these ancient trees.’
She nodded, ‘I understand.’
Tomas sighed deeply. ‘And I think I need to provide one more, additional prod.’
She watched silently as her husband went into their quarters to don his white and gold armour.
*
Gulamendis followed the elf detailed to escort him to his meeting with Lord Tomas. He found her a fair example of the females of the edhel, though their women were generally too dainty for his taste. Most of the taredhel women stood as tall as the men and were very striking, although he considered it was mostly a matter of taste. This female was attractive in a rough-hewn fashion.
They passed down a path in the woods that took them some distance from the heart of Elvandar, away from the majestic trees the Demon Master thought of as ‘stars’. When they reached a clearing, she halted and said, ‘Lord Tomas will meet with you shortly.’
He said, ‘Thank you,’ and she left him alone.
At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about the area, but he did feel a faint, gentle flow of energy. It was nothing he could identify, yet it did feel familiar, as if he heard the echo of a song he couldn’t quite remember. The familiar feeling of conflict arose; his agenda was anything but simple, but it was straightforward, establish a relationship with these primitive elves and use them as a means to recruit allies against the Demon Legion, should they follow the taredhel to this world. He had no doubt they eventually would.
The blame placed upon him and others who explored demon lore was unfounded; neither he, nor any other taredhel magic user was responsible for the demons reaching the first outpost colony on the world of Estandarin. It was certainly no Demon Master’s fault that the colonists had failed to destroy the portal before the demons reached the translocation hub in Shadin City on Dastin-Barin. From there they had spread like a cancer, infecting four other taredhel worlds.
At first, the taredhel were confident they could crush the attackers, for they had never known defeat in any conflict. But the number of demons appeared endless. Despite taking innumerable casualties, the creatures were relentless.
The Demon Masters knew the truth, but no one in the Regent’s Meeting would listen to them. Somewhere, perhaps on Estandarin, there was a gate through which the demons poured into this realm. Gulamendis had tried to find other Demon Masters with whom to confer, but after their years of isolation and persecution, there were so few of them it was impossible for any coherent picture of the demon realm to be drawn.
He only knew what he’d discovered from his years of studying a handful of trained demons. But whatever the truth behind the demons’ reach into this realm, he was certain that somehow they would follow the taredhel to Midkemia. Even if he was wrong, there was no harm in gulling these elves into an alliance; they would be allowed to serve. Yet there was something about their Queen, this Aglaranna. She might truly be of the ancient line, for when he beheld her for the first time, Gulamendis had felt something deep, basic, and . . . right. This woodland was new to him, yet she felt profoundly familiar.
As if reading his mind, a voice from behind said, ‘It is the ancient Home.’