The Eldars

40

They started early the next morning hoping to catch the great eagles as they leave searching for food. Montani is the only one that has seen one of the giant eagles, but she too is awed by the sight of them. The last time she saw them she was still trying to come to terms with the huge change in her life.

Suddenly one of the eagles breaks off and comes down and settles itself nearby. It waits for them to come to him before saying anything.

"It has been some time since we have seen you, young human." The eagle says as they come near.

"I am sorry, it has been some years and that time is rather cloudy in my mind." Montani says as an apology.

"Ahh, yes, you weren't in the best of shape when the Eldar leader called to us. You look far better than you did that last time. I am Chiar, leader of the eagles."

"I have been named Montani by the Eldar, by the humans I am known as Katiri." Montani states with a small smile.

"You have been gifted a name of power. That then is the name we shall call you by."

"I am Mant, I am the son of the one you whose call you answered." Mant bows to the eagle.

"Eldar prince, you and the human are close are you not?" The eagle states confidently.

Mant bows once more, "Yes, Montani is my wife and master of masters among my people." At his words there is definitely a sense of surprise with the eagle. Even though  his face isn't made to give many clues as to how he feels.

"A human becoming a master of masters? Then I've heard everything. You truly have earned the power name then." Here Chiar bows to Montani in respect.

"I am Leean, son of Leear, crown prince of the elves," Leean bows his respect to the eagle. Chiar reciprocates.

Chiar waits expectantly for their last member to introduce himself. He is unable to place which race this person is.

"I am Teondae, king of the Vacar. It is a pleasure to meet the Eagle king," Teondae says and gives an elegant bow.

If there was surprise on Chiar's face before it is nothing in response to the horror to be found there now.

"The stories are true then?"

"The horror stories were created by rebels of my people. We hunted them down and killed them like the rabid animals they had become. Yes, the stories of my people are true." Teondae hides the pain Chiar's response brings him. He had known that that would be the reaction or likely reaction of all that find out what he is.

The group wait patiently for the eagle to process what he's been told and to be able to pay attention once more.

After several minutes Chiar is able to focus on them once more. "A formidable group has come before me. Representatives from all but the dwarves. Tell me exalted ones, why you feel the need to visit with me?"

"You made an alliance with my father ten years ago. Yet, there has been no contact with you since. Have you decided to pull out of the alliance without telling us?"

"Forgive me, prince. Your concerns are valid of course. The evil one's have increased their activity so much that we have had little time to even rest let alone convey the information to your people." Chiar bows his head in shame for failing in his end of the alliance.

Montani sniffs in disdain. This brings the attention of Chiar to her. "Is something wrong powerful one?"

Montani gives the eagle a smile, but it isn't a nice one and Mant closes his eyes and winces before Montani even says a word. The others do the same once Montani starts speaking.

"Your lack of keeping up the alliance caused Mant to spend five years locked up and tortured by the evil humans that work with the evil ones. Five years of torture, Chiar, how do you plan to make that right?" Montani isn't in the mood to give him any quarter. She lost five years with Mant due to this lack. "And that's crap anyway, you have mind speech like the Eldar, you could have contacted them that way, even if it was just to let them know you were having troubles just cleaning up the vermin here."

Chiar looks at Mant in alarm, "You were captured and tortured for five years? Truly prince, if we hadn't been so hard pressed to keep the evil ones back we would have warned you. The numbers are larger than any we've seen ever. They are equal to what we are told they were during the great war. We are being hard pressed to keep them back." Chiar ignores Montani's other words about the mind speech, but the others didn't.

"It is the same everywhere, the Eldar, Elves, humans. They are even going through the Vacar lands. Although I think they will find that a huge mistake on their part." Leean steps in wishing to calm the waters that Montani boiled.

Chiar is alarmed at this news. For this to be happening means the numbers of the evil ones truly are greater than any time since the great war. There is no alliance this time, they are doomed.

"Hello?" Montani calls out to Chiar. Her tone indicates that she's been trying to get his attention for some time.

"Apologies great one." Chiar says bowing low to her.

Montani gives him a dirty look. "We are forging a new alliance. You told us ten years ago that you would not join such an alliance. We, or rather Mauntie said that should circumstances change then they, meaning you and the Eldar, would revisit the alliance terms. But since you didn't uphold your end of the terms with the other..."

"The time has indeed come to revisit the alliance we have. It is true that we have violated the terms we had before. What would you have the eagles do in your new alliance?" Chiar asks opening alliance negotiations.

They spend the next several hours setting out the new alliance with the eagles. 

When it is finally finished Montani stretches muscles stiffened from sitting in one spot for too long. "Do you know the direction of the Dwarven strongholds from here?"

"You plan on inviting the hard headed little ones into this alliance as well? They haven't even left their mountain lairs for centuries." Chiar says astounded.

"If we are to survive, any of us, then we all have to unite and stand against the evil ones like they did in the great war. This time though, we have the vacar on our side." Montani says smiling her not so nice smile once again.

"Are they such formidable opponents then? No offense intended king." Chiar says quickly, having no wish to feel the wrath of a Vacar.

"It was necessary for us to hunt down the rebels because they were difficult for us to take down, all others would have no chance against them." Teondae says broodingly.

Chiar is about to speak again, but he catches Montani shaking her head and wisely decides to forgo any further questions.

"We will take you to the mountain strongholds of the dwarves tomorrow." Chiar says instead to the group before him.

"We thank you for your courtesy," Leean says on behalf of the group. Montani and Mant were focused on Teondae until Montani snaps her head up and gives the creepiest smile Leean has ever seen. She gathers up her weapons and soon disappears in the shadows hunting.

"Go back to your people, Chiar. Montani is going hunting and I doubt you or your people will enjoy seeing her. You definitely won't like it if you get in her way." Chiar nods his head and starts flapping his wings to take to the sky. As he does so the others are already melting into the darkness, doing their own hunting.

"Montani?" Mant says through mind speech.

"I don't trust him, Mant. He can do the mind speech, or he never would have answered Mauntie's call in the first place. Yet, now he's avoiding all mention of it." Montani lets loose her arrow taking down the evil one in front of her.

Mant takes down his own kill before he responds, "I know. But there is no way the eagles and evil ones are allies. They are natural enemies and nothing can change that."

Montani is silent as she continues hunting. When the last of the evil ones is down she finally replies to Mant's last statement. "Perhaps, but these evil ones weren't worried about hiding from the eagles and this is the eagles land. Their eyries aren't that far away, there is no way the eagles would allow the evil one's this close to their eyries if they weren't working together for some sort of mutual benefit."