Sons of Ironstorm: Book 5 - Griffon's War

Summoning Reinforcements

Lawrence frowned as, from the top of Storm Keep's highest tower, he watched the scrying wave wash over the trees just beyond the cleared area in front of the primary walls, the wave visibly shifting to confirm the continuing presence of demonic forces within striking range of the fortress.

"That's ... disturbing," Ciradaan noted, his understatement shot through with a fair amount of dismay. Slung hunter-style across his back, the Sword of Aesthegon pulsed a soft blue in agreement, the semi-intelligent weapon sensing its master's sudden unease.

"How long have they been sitting out there, watching?" Fenoran wanted to know as he crossed his arms over his chest to hide the sudden shake in his hands. An abysslord? Right outside their gates??

Lawrence grimaced.

"I'd say shortly after we finished cleansing the fortress of the Crimson Empire's sycophants," he growled. "While we were too busy to notice them slipping in close under that cloak."

"So why don't they attack?" Najthin asked, the sylvasin king of Alisair suddenly twirling hand axes in his gauntleted hands. "The demons haven't hesitated to attack as soon as they arrived, before."

Lawrence looked over at the jittery elven monarch, before letting his eyes scan over not only Ciradaan and Fenoran, but Mram'met, Tearn and Qo'sa as well. But it was his brother Patrik, standing just behind him, that replied.

"Shawn suspects they've been commanded to hold us here while the horde completes campaigns on other continents," the Wielder of the Earth indicated. "He suggested the enemy feels one of the reasons they failed to destroy Ramnor the first time, was they went straight at Reutha and the sa'anish Wielders and discounted the remaining forces the elves were fielding, that, when the demon gate was closed in a stealth attack, flanked the enemy and diverted resources away from the main fight." His expression became thoughtful at that point.

"And my visions of the first War of Shadow would confirm that," Patrik added.

"That, and I suspect they don't think they have the strength in this scouting party to overwhelm all three Wielders at once," Ciradaan said, pushing his earlier dismay aside to put his keen tactical mind on the subject. "They fielded a good dozen abysslords at Tal Morun, but only attacked directly when their lord arrived to face Lawrence directly."

Just then the door into the observation chamber opened to let Caedin Tod step through, General Morningsong in his shadow.

"Forgive us our tardiness," the mamran prince said as Morningsong closed the door behind her. "We were just finishing up our reports to our various kings and commanders with those crystals you gave us, Lawrence." He came to a halt beside Ciradaan and gave a quick nod of greeting to each of them before letting his eyes land on the grim king of Talemon.

"What did we miss?"

"A troubling revelation," Qo'sa replied, the picean Scion still disturbed enough by Lawrence's report, that his Taren was heavily accented. Instead of leaning against the Spear of Jun'tek as was his habit, he had it firmly gripped in both hands and ready for battle.

"Aye," Mram'met chuffed, his muzzle twitching with unease even as his ears remained against his head in a sign of his own dismay. The powerful and massive muraan warrior pointed out the center of the three large windows they were looking through at the forest behind the fortress.

"The enemy is at our gates!"

"What?" Caedin stepped to the window and peered out. And quickly hissed in dismay at the lingering displacement image the scrying wave had left behind, just then starting to fade.