Angry footsteps announce his arrival. Cye was furious at this blatant disregard for orders. Anyone else might very well have been executed on the spot, but Master Delmont had earned a chance to explain.
“How in the heavens did you interpret my orders to disband the protectors as ’build a godsdamned army.”
“Sir, I understand your frustration with the situation. After they heard the girls speech the first ones wanted to be a part of this. Then word spread to other skulks then to other communities. It got out of control before I even got your message. I don’t know how to stop this now, they all want to fight the Hunters.”
“How did you get them all working as a team so quickly, they look like they have been fighting together for years.” Mel asks redirecting the conversation.
“They kind of have been your majesty.”
“That is something I would like to see.” Mel replies.
“May I have a word with you your majesty?”
Mel moves to allow for some privacy and waits for his obvious objections.
“Mel, we cannot allow this. Not only will this bring the hunters down on us but the rest of the world too. If it looks like an army and it acts like an army it probably is an army. As peaceful as these Canadian folk are, I really doubt they are going to tolerate us forming an army on thier soil. Secondly, even if he is somehow concealing this,which he cannot, how do we know he is not disobeying orders so he can betray us.”
“Do you honestly believe one of the most honorable elves ever to live would betray his own kind? This guy was a special force operative in the world wars rescuing our kind from twisted experiments that we don’t understand the point of even today. If Master Delmont wants to show me his army, then so be it. Then, if after all of this has been explained and you still think its a bad idea we will break them into squads, send them underground and use them for simple and uncomplicated missions until they are disinterested in the cause. Happy?”
“As you wish?”
“Don’t hand me that crap, you’re here to protect me while I try and reinvent the mousetrap to stop these hunters. Do you have any reason to believe I am in clear and present danger?”
Cye shakes his head eyeing the impressive show of skill from the practicing subs.
“Master Delmont, how did you manage to train them all so quickly? Actually put that on hold for a moment how did you recruit so many so quickly?”
“If you look over there, you will see a young Kitsune with two tails fighting twice as hard as those around her; this whole thing started with her.”
“One single kitsune recruited all this?” Cye asks skeptically.
“Not exactly, she fought for the right to become a protector after she helped rescue two other Kitsune girls. She fired up the people there so much that a bunch more wanted to join. Then word spread of this girl who fights like a demon to save them all. They decided to come fight; this of course gets amplified when they find out I am training her. I apparently made a lot of friends over the years.”
“By my estimates you have thirteen different types of Kitsune numbering in the several hundreds total, more than two dozen ogres, are those Avians dressed as Valkaries?”
“Four hundred and fifty eight Kitsune, thirty ogres, two hundred and twenty four Avians, two hundred and thirteen elves, and seventy four Naga.”
“How did you convince the Naga? Since their inception the have done nothing but reject us when we have asked for their help.”
“You can thank the Hunters themselves for that. Two years ago they raided the underground home of the Naga. The massacred them en masse slaughtered three of the four Gorgons and took captive many of their young along with the last gorgon.”
“Why did they not come to us. We could have helped.” Cye cries out.
“Well they didn’t know we exist. Remember? Secret organization inside a people who don’t exist? Anyways, one of them caught wind of this when a group of recruits were on the way here. Now, what remains of their healthy people have joined us in an attempt to either save their people by recovering the last gorgon or burn out trying.”
“Well, I guess Cye and I will make one thousand and one soldiers.”
“Your majesty, you wear a very large target on your back. Not only would it be extremely dangerous to step onto the battlefield, but you also lack the ability to do harm to them.”
“My mother told me that I can’t use my power against subs because they can’t be affected by it. The reality is that we hold the position of queen because our presence inspires them. I think that the First Hunters powers do not come from his bargain that made him the First Hunter; I think it comes from my mother. Cye, please pick up that rock over there.”
“Hold on. You think your mother knew the First Hunter before he was the First Hunter? Then why does he hate her more than any other sub?” Cye asks as he approaches the rocks.
“That’s the million dollar question is it not? Master Delmont, for all intensive purposes you are in charge of this army, I will simply be a figure head to rally around. Not that one, the big one Cye.”
Cye looked at her confused. The rock was far larger than any elf should be able to heft. “A rock like this would take an ogre to lift.”
“Your thick headed enough to fit that bill. Pick it up please.”
Cye checks his anger at the underhanded insult and bends to lift the rock; it fails to move even an inch.
“Lift with your knees, you don’t really want me to go down there and demonstrate do you?” Mel eggs him on further.
On the verge of losing his cool entirely he grips the rock firmly and puts all his might into it, still failing to move it.
“Fine, I will show you how to lift the little rock.” Mel says clearly provoking him to anger.
With a roar Cye loses his cool and puts it all into lifting the rock. At first nothing, then the rock rumbles in place before it completely breaks free. The elf hefts it easily over his head.
Master Delmont looks on in stunned disbelief. Then Cye realizes what he just did and drops the rock behind him with a thunderous rumble. “H- how did that just happen?” stutters the bewildered elf.
“Its a simple matter of transference. Ed was going to hand me over to the Hunters to be slaughtered so I reached out with my powers in a desperate measure. It turns out I took his life force and powers. Then, when I was wishing I could save Cye, my body reacted and gave the ability and life force to him. He then healed up and launched the debris that had crushed him and carried me to safety.”
“How did you know to make me angry?
”I guessed. That was a fifty fifty shot, either you lifted the rock or I got a show.“
With Cye on the edge of blowing another gasket Master Delmont decides to redirect. ”You were saying about the army?“
”Yes of course, forgive me. Obviously I am not as well suited to lead this band as you are so you will be the one really in charge, I will install myself as a figure head. A rally point if you will. Cye will assume a role of leadership in some role he has the most experience in. Maybe something in special squadrons or a group that does not respond well to you.“
”The Valkyries are led by a former student of mine. They are charged and ready for a fight but they follow her not me.“
”Then Cye will lead the flyers.“
”Hold on a second, I do not fly.“
”You don’t have to fly to lead them cutie, just make them trust and follow you.“
”That kind of trust takes months. The Valkyries are emotionally charged and reckless.“
”I am sure you will fit right in then.“ Mel retorts
”I have some friends who can help with the time issue.“
