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appearance was not by chance. She has some role to play.”
     The King looked up, a tired smile on his face.
“Thank you, Relisar. I suppose in truth we are no worse off than we were
before, but the situation does not improve with each month that passes. Now it
appears that it is more desperate than we knew. My son,” he said, indicating
Sarrick, “led a party of men to our northern border at the River Harnor. The
news he has brought back makes it even more imperative to obtain help. The
Turog are massing in huge number in the forest beyond the river. Their
camp-fires stud the forest by night. By day, the forest rings with the forging
of weapons and the sound of their axes felling trees. It is only a matter of
time before they sweep across the Harnor into Eskendria. We are vastly
outnumbered and our allies desert us. Moreover, many of our men are tied down
in the mountains to the west, trying to keep that blackguard Celedorn from
harassing the trade routes to the coast. We cannot fight on two fronts at once.
In fact, I intend to send Andarion with a large force to put an end to that
brigand once and for all.”
     Andarion nodded. “My preparations are well under
way. I leave in a few weeks for the Westrin Mountains. We must deal with
Celedorn. He must be destroyed before the Turog attack because our army must
not be split. It is most likely that the Turog will attack in the spring, when
the weather improves, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they will
take advantage of the winter ice to cross the Harnor. The river is wide and
deep, and as we destroyed the only bridge across it some years ago, it
constitutes a formidable barrier. In spring they must construct their own
bridge - but we would soon get to hear about that. Sarrick left scouts posted
all along the southern banks of the river. The Turog are vulnerable while
trying to construct the bridge and we will do all we can to prevent its
completion, but they may deem the risks of a winter campaign worth it, in order
to be able to march across the river once it is frozen.”
     “We must pray for a mild winter,” Relisar remarked.
     “Indeed, but in the meantime, Celedorn must be dealt
with. Perhaps if we got rid of him, our old allies on the coast might change
their minds. After all, he has disrupted their trade as much as ours. If he
were gone, communications with  the coast would be much easier. At the
moment, any messenger sent to Serendar most likely falls into Celedorn’s net. A
victory over him just might bring them into this war on our side.”
     
       When they were walking back to the Ivy Tower,
Elorin, who had kept quiet in such exalted company, demanded enlightenment from
Relisar.
     “Tell me more about this Celedorn they were all
talking about? Why does he pose such a threat?”
     “No one really knows much about him. He’s a bit of a
mystery.” Relisar replied. “No one is certain who he is or where he came
from.....”
     “......a bit like me?” she interrupted a little
sadly.
     Relisar smiled kindly at her. “Not in the least like
you. He appeared out of the forest about ten years ago and took control of the
bandits who had infested the old fortress of Ravenshold.”
     “Had they captured it?”
     “No, it was empty, abandoned. Indeed, it had been
lying semi-derelict since the Lord of Westrin and his family had been massacred
by the Turog.” To her surprise the old man’s eyes misted with tears. “It was
long ago and yet I remember it well. I remember Lord Calordin and his noble
lady. As I recall, they had two young children - both slaughtered. They were
travelling to Addania, obeying King Tharin’s summons to take the yearly oath of
loyalty. It was in time of peace, so the whole family was travelling through
the forest. The Turogs’ attack was as dreadful as it was sudden. No one knew
that a party of them had crept across the borders into Eskendria. They
butchered everyone. Calordin and his family, his servants and