Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

An Unpleasant Discovery

Respecting that gesture, knowing how hard it was for Moira to turn away after so recently discovering what lay between them, Shawn turned and walked in the opposite direction, heading towards a part of the forge that looked to be cordoned off for some sort of meeting. From where he was, he could see the three elvish kings of their alliance, the two Tods, Charon and Patrik, his brother standing somewhat apart from the others and oddly without his desert princess. 

The Wielder of the Earth was looking on with a thoughtful frown as the others appeared to be standing together in intense discussion, casting frequent looks at something deeper within the forge's space. 'Methinks I need to see what this is about,' he said to himself and strode with purpose towards the forges.

"Ah, excellent!" Charon exclaimed in Taren for the benefit of the humans present: Ephram, Caedin, General Thundersong, the Mamran marine commanders and Ephram's captain of his personal guard. The wizard, clad as always in a dusty robe and floppy, peaked hat, nodded in greeting as Shawn stepped into the relative shelter of the forge's smoke-darkened roof.

"You've returned from your inspection at the most opportune time, my lord Wielder."

"I try to keep my sense of timing precise," Shawn deadpanned, greeting the others standing around the heavy table Charon was presiding at with nods and smiles. Together they comprised the whole war council guiding the Dagger's defense. Only his own Redeemed officers were missing; a quick scan with his enhanced senses found Banik, Tenne and Aideku engaged in defensive maneuvers to further acquaint the Redeemed troops they commanded with fortress supported tactics, something few of them had experienced during the Ka'thesck rebellion.

"You've some prize for us to examine, master wizard?"

What the powerful human was referring to, and what seemed to be the center of everybody's attention was the unmoving form lying on the table. Charon nodded from where he stood opposite Shawn across the table.

"Our foe." He gestured at the muscular looking creature. "Definitely not anything any one of us has faced before." He reached out to pull the creature's helmet off, revealing a triangular face slack in death.

"However, in possession of some characteristics some of us recognize. King Fenoran?"

The Lusinoran monarch, standing between Najthin and Ciradaan with arms folded over his chest and in possession of a thoughtful expression, nodded when the grizzled human wizard spoke his name.

"It was the eyes," he noted, looking quickly around the curious circle. "I espied them while in battle and I could've sworn they were the same dead black as a tjor'riin's."

"A tjor'riin twice the size of any we faced in the war with the Ke'thesk?" Ciradaan frowned, looking at Charon. "A new strain, perhaps?"

"Not one I'm familiar with," the human wizard admitted with a shake of his head. "During my rather long tenure on this world, I haven't seen the like."

It was Ephram and Caedin's turn to frown.

"Strain, your Majesty?" The human lord of Gorgon's Port directed his question at the Aquilan monarch. "You speak as though this creature was grown like grain, not birthed." But it was Charon who answered, the bewhiskered human possessing more knowledge about the Tjor'riin than any of them combined.

"Grain of the most foul kind, perhaps, Lord Ephram," he exclaimed with a shake of his head, not taking his eyes off the heavy creature lying on the table. "Fruit of seed twisted by dark magic until unrecognizable from what it once was." He wrested his eyes from it to look up at Ephram.

"You see, true Tjor'riin, like what we faced a few days ago, were originally bred by sorcerers of the Crimson Empire during its long, bloody and dark reign over our world several hundred cycles ago, shaped and twisted by dark magic of the foulest kind into ruthless and efficient foot soldiers for their massive armies.