Sons of Ironstorm - Book 1: Griffon's Rise

Stone Forest

As Garth prepared his troops for an attack on the Hernakese stronghold at Burjian Dur, half a world away in the heart of the sprawling Landshawl Forest, a determined company of elves pushed northwest. Deep in enemy territory, they pushed hard for the nearest Aquilan outpost where they hoped to find a measure of safety.

'A measure of safety,' Ciramax silently mused as he stepped off the trail to watch his cloaked company ease silently by, cloaked heads moving this way and that as they watched for any sign of an enemy. 'In our world, is there any such thing? Where elf is pitted against elf every frosting day of their lives?' Of their own accord, Ciramax's eyes swung to where KeLarion was positioned in the snaking column, his long time friend and comrade visible thanks to built-in magic in the cloak that allowed any elf already cloaked to be seen.

And now they had brought this boy into that world, putting his yet unfulfilled life at risk. Ciramax's eyes narrowed as KeLarion's figure seemed to ripple with light, the magic of his cloak doing nothing to hide the strange aura the wiry prince now sensed emanating from the boy, much as Halen had in that blood-filled glade several days ago. He could only hope whatever potential burned like Ri'im's fiery crown through flimsy shadow would justify taking him from his world into theirs.

A low trill caught the Aquilan lord's attention. Turning just enough to let the sounds source come into his field of view, Ciramax spotted the lean guard officer, Chaendra, some thirty or so paces off the trail. She and a handful of the more experienced warriors were serving as scouts. The trill was the signal that she had found something.

Intently he watched as the partially hidden elven scout made a series of quick, economical hand gestures before vanishing back into the dense forest around them. 'Kadasa! More sign?' Ciramax felt his jaw ripple with tension at the report. Since moving northwest towards Aquilan territory, they had come across increasing traces of elves moving through the very forest they now traversed. And, going by telltale signs in the footprints, they were Sylvasin and not from the Eagle clan. That meant they belonged to the only other wood elf clan making a claim on the Stone Forest: the Puma clan. He could only hope they remained undiscovered until they were close enough to Sulin to call for aide.

Pushing the dark thoughts back into the recesses of his mind, Ciramax eased back onto the trail and into the smoothly moving column of his comrades. At least he could take some comfort in the fact they weren't Lithosin, the Bear clan also having some claim to the Stone Forest.

As they were divided by clan, House and kingdom, much as the humans were, the elves were also divided by race. Two of those races dominated the forests south of the Ya'tual Mountains, the Lithosin or stone elves, and the Sylvasin, or wood elves. Stone elves were a powerful people, broad and tall, that chose to dwell high in the mountains and places lashed by winds and storms. They feared no element or weather beneath the vaults of heaven, and were bold adventurers and warriors all, the mightiest of the elven races.

Wood elves, in contrast, were not as tall as Lithosin, or as sturdy, being much lighter in frame, making them more quick and fleet of foot. These traits favored the wood elves, allowing them to become trackers and scouts without peer. Preferring the bow and the spear over the Lithosin sword and axe, the Sylvasin still made a great mark in battle, as valiant and courageous as a stone elf, yet blessed with greater caution, strategy and stealth as their lesser strength forced them to be more wary.

Skill, strategy and stealth notwithstanding, Ciramax still preferred fighting his own race than the more powerful Lithosin. After all, there were advantages and then, there were advantages. And he had faced enough stone elves in his time that he wanted as much advantage in battle as he could get.