Kyrinn traced a finger along a cloth map as the other High Elves looked on.
“The Baeridhon flows south to join the Swale of Miralei here. To the west, there is the Forlorn Isle and to the south, Lacorith. The Shadow Warriors have seen small bands of Dark Elves in all of these places, and they appear to be searching for something. Until now, we did not know what.”
The other Champions and Captains nodded in agreement. The Dark Elves’ invasion strategy had been unusual. They had attacked and engaged the Shining Guard on the beaches near Narthain, to the north. They had the Shining Guard outnumbered and might have defeated them, but instead the Dark Elves broke off and raced southward.
“Now, behold as I illuminate the ley lines that pass beneath the land.” The Mage held her hands above the map and whispered an incantation. The surface of the map rippled like water, and several thin lines, all glowing pale blue, materialized. The lines passed from north to south, drawing closer toward the southern edge of the map. To make her point more clear, the Magess indicated three of the lines.
“These pass beneath Lacorith, the Swale and the Forlorn Isle. My companions, I do not think the Dark Elves are searching for something. Rather, I believe they are following the ley lines southward.”
“But to what end?” asked Champion Sarnuil
Mage Kyrinn bowed her head. “That is what we must learn. I do not know what our enemies intend, but no good can come of it. We must find and confront our dark kin and learn their plans. Only then can we ensure those plans do not come to fruition.”
One by one, the High Elf leaders saluted the Magess and exited her command tent. She followed the last of them out into the cool night air. The Chaos Moon waxed full, bathing the ruins of the ancient village of Adunei in an unnatural, greenish opalescence. The sight made Magess Kyrinn feel uneasy. This was an ill omen, she knew.
In her heart, she sensed that black times lay ahead for her people, and that whatever the Dark Elves were up to would play some part in it.
