Call of the Abyss [Book 2 Complete]

Julia looked around as she and Seyatha entered the chamber, noting that there were both Roots and their Shields present. The discussion seemed to be rather fragmented. One Root discussed the situation with another, while a third shouted across the room to anyone who would listen.

As they approached the circle, the voices began to quiet—Seyatha's mere presence quietly demanding attention.

"I see that word of the impending assault has reached your ears," she said casually, gesturing toward the entire room.

"Seyatha, I am afraid I must object to your bringing an outsider into our council. We plan for the defense of Veshari against a superior foe. No matter how trustworthy, an outsider should not be present for such a meeting," Avelrûn said loudly.

"And yet, Seyatha and I are the only ones in this entire room confirmed to not be aiding the Nashiin," Julia snapped.

She instantly winced internally—why had she said that?! There was no reason to come off so immediately hostile!

The room became deathly quiet, all eyes focused on the pair.

"What are these heinous accusations you bring?" Avelrûn asked carefully, his eyes squinted so tightly they almost looked closed.

"The Zal'Nadir have been aware of the possibility of an informant for the Nashiin in Veshari for quite some time. We searched, but we could never find any trace of them.

"However, with the recent assault on the Nashiin camps, Julia came up with a strategy to lure the informant out. This was why I asked for absolute secrecy when planning the assaults—and why I specifically mentioned which camp Julia herself would be assaulting," Seyatha said, her tone neutral, but her eyes hard.

"...You don't mean to say…" Avelrûn started, but Seyatha cut him off.

"The meeting, and the information presented in it, was known only to the Zal'Nadir participating in the assault and the Roots themselves. This would mean any leaks of that assault would necessarily have to originate with the Roots, as the Zal'Nadir would not leak information about an attack they were participating in.

"Lo and behold, Julia's assault was interrupted by both Nashiin leaders—the Wight and the Barrow Highlord, as we have taken to calling it. The Wight himself described the information about her attack as 'late in coming,' meaning that he definitely received intel on which camp she would be assaulting.

"Fortunately, Julia managed to escape safely. However, the logical conclusion to this incident is that, unless any of the Roots dismissed my call for absolute secrecy and informed others, one of you is likely a Nashiin informant," she finished, and the words were a hammer falling upon an anvil.

The room was filled with a deafening silence, like the stillness after a clap of thunder.

"This information is disturbing, but it does not change what we must do, which is to defend Veshari. The only addendum is that we must also be wary of internal sabotage and traitors," Seyatha said, speaking more softly now that the room was completely still—though she had let them stew in that silence for several seconds.

"We were…just discussing how the defenses should be arranged when you arrived. We are at something of an impasse—" a Root started.

"Does anyone have any experience with large-scale battles or sieges?" Julia asked.

When only silence greeted her, she continued.

"I don't either, but I've read enough to grasp the basics. There are two phases to this battle. The first phase is what we are in right now, which is the setup. The second phase is the battle itself, which will come soon.

"During the first phase, we must prepare our defenses, but the most important thing is gathering information. Where are the enemies coming from? How many are they? How are their troops organized? Where will the most force be concentrated?

"These are questions that we must answer to adequately prepare for the battle. There is a saying my father used to repeat: 'no plan survives contact with the enemy.' However, what we can do is prepare based on what we see right now, while remaining flexible to future changes," Julia finished confidently.

"The Dahmir'veth are scouting as we speak. We have some preliminary information available from their earliest reports.

"Specific information is difficult to obtain, as the Nashiin appear to be moving beneath the water, but we estimate that they will encircle the whole of Veshari. However, their strongest forces will likely be concentrated on the east wall.

"The water churns and swirls with motion beneath in the east, and any attack launched against forces moving from that direction is returned with extreme prejudice. This leads us to believe that the strongest of their forces—those above the weak, ambling skeletons—likely march west to assault our eastern flank," a man said from across the room.

Julia was impressed. Most in this room clearly had no experience with large battles or war—indeed, Seyatha had confirmed that there had never been any large-scale conflicts in or around the marsh—but they had already taken the first steps toward mounting a good defense.

Not that Julia had more experience than they—she'd only read a few books that Braden kept. They were strange as well. They spoke of people and places that she couldn't find on any maps she'd ever seen, likely they were written in and about wherever he considered his homeland.

Julia could only hope the knowledge in those books would translate to battles here.

"Excellent! That's the sort of intel that will allow us to mount a solid defense. I would suggest making a preliminary plan to concentrate the strongest of our forces on the east wall as well. Though we must also be prepared to adjust—we can't rule out the possibility of a diversion.

"We need strong lines of communication first and foremost. I can help with that—I have some enchantments that I have already field tested with the Zal'Nadir.

"I am quite mobile, so I would position myself on the east wall. I can feasibly respond to any change in the battle quicker than—" Julia explained before Avelrûn interjected.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Truly, I must object! Not only is an outsider listening in on and participating in our city's last defense, but she also means to partake in it?! We cannot outsource our last line of defense!" he said with severity.

It was the most animated Julia had seen him get so far, his thin veneer of sociability finally cracking.

"That's rather convenient for the Nashiin, don't you think?" Julia bit back, once again failing to stop herself.

"I beg your pardon?" Avelrûn said with slanted brows, seeming just on the edge of real anger.

"I don't mean to brag, but I've personally killed six Barrowlords at this point. I will be a strong asset in this battle, and you would bar me from participating? That sounds exactly like something a Nashiin sympathizer would want," she not-so-subtly accused.

Avelrûn's eyes widened so much that Julia could see just as much white as iris.

"You would dare accuse me of betraying my people?! I have served the Jadhariin for centuries, little girl! I have—" he began, heat clear in his voice, but Julia was having none of it.

"Before I left to strike the Nashiin camp—on the very day—you sent Yathil, your Shield, to compliment me for my bravery. You had him wish me well on my task. Now, I'm sure it's no secret to anyone here—and it certainly isn't to me—that you don't like me. You never have.

"So, this seems a strange thing to do for someone you dislike. None of the other Roots did anything similar, and they—at the very least—don't dislike me as much as you. Why did you do that, Avelrûn?

"It sounds to me like a gloat. It sounds to me like you sent Yathil to wish me well because you assumed I was going to my grave. It sounds to me like you knew that I—an extreme annoyance—was about to be removed" Julia sneered.

These were legitimate issues that she'd been thinking about, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't also just feel good to air her grievances.

"Preposterous! You do not know me at all if you would even think that I would sacrifice the whole of my people for a personal grievance! This is an outrageous and unfounded accusation!" he yelled.

His face was tight, grimace stretching across it.

"Regardless of your personal feelings, there is no proof one way or the other. Rest assured that an investigation will be forthcoming, but for now, I still must object to the inclusion of an outsider in the defense of—" Avelrûn started to say, cooling down a little.

Suddenly, Ithshar landed with a thud, having (apparently) jumped from Seyatha's private booth.

A hushed silence blanketed the room. Though no expert on the Jadhariin, Julia knew they held tradition and rules in high regard. Ithshar's interruption of an Assembly in this manner was likely quite a departure from the norm.

Ithshar stood straight, her left hand hanging to her side, and her right hand on her hip. She looked at everyone in the room one-by-one, a tool from Seyatha's belt, Julia thought. She walked slowly but confidently over to Julia before looking her in the eyes, slamming her fist against her chest, and speaking with a gravity Julia instantly knew was more than just words.

"Ithshar Ithsharûn-Tûrathiin anah'lûn.

Tûravi zaharun veth il'Zal'Nadir,

durahn ven'tarhal zah'Nahsiin.

Anarh jul'Dahm'Zahra,

zahra il'rah'karan anah,

tûravi athil veth'an'vahl,

thûn ven'marghal an'il Tûrathiin.

Zah'Thîrah an'il Zahra, shilun.

Vethan'dorh il'karan, il'rah, il'zah.

Tûravi dorh an'kalan, thûn an'zahnar,

il'shar thûn'an val'anarh."

A stunned silence spread throughout the chamber. Julia wasn't even sure the Roots were breathing.

Avelrûn, wide-eyed, turned his gaze to Seyatha, who stood at Julia's side with a faint, knowing smile.

"Surely you do not—" he began.

"Silence," Seyatha said, her smile vanishing. "Speak further, and it will not be me you question, but Her."

Her gaze shifted unmistakably toward the Mother's direction.

Then, a breeze passed through the sealed chamber. Light, cool, and damp. It carried the scent of growing things—moss, fresh soil, spring leaves just unfurled.

Julia blinked. There were no windows.

Seyatha closed her eyes, hands folded behind her back. "The Mother has spoken. Ithshar's oath is accepted."

She then looked Avelrûn straight in the eyes, hands still clasped behind her back.

"It seems that if you wish Ithshar and her squad to participate in the battle, you must allow Julia's participation as well," she said with an impressively neutral face, though Julia knew her well enough to detect the barest hint of a smile in her tone.

Julia was confused. She didn't speak the elvish language, and Ithshar had clearly spoken without a translation.

Clearly, some kind of oath had been made, and Julia had definitely noted her name within it. However, the details were lost on her. Ithshar had…what, refused to participate unless Julia was allowed to?

"A suggestion, if you still find this difficult," Ithshar said, the words directed unmistakably at Avelrûn, who nodded at her to continue.

"We will form a new squad under Julia's leadership. Should the Assembly allow it, we will be under your direct command. That should alleviate any concerns about how we will impact the battle, yes? If you direct our actions, then any incompetence will be the fault of the leader, not the led," she finished with a glimmer in her eye.

Avelrûn opened and closed his mouth for a solid fifteen seconds before he managed to eke out a response.

"All in favor?" he asked with an exhausted formality.

Julia left the Assembly exhausted herself. Ithshar walked beside her, Seyatha having stayed to help strategize the defense further.

"Why am I leading, and why place us under Avelrûn's command?" she asked Ithshar dejectedly. It was true that she was even willing to be in his company to participate in the battle, but she was not enthused about it.

"You are leading because you will be good at it, and your ability to respond quickly to changes in the battle will be invaluable.

"As for why Avelrûn…'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,' as they say. You suspect him of being the traitor, yes? We cannot respond to his treachery if we cannot see it. Thus, we must remain close, and be ready to respond when—if—he reveals himself," she explained as they walked.

Julia nodded—it made sense, though she was still not pleased.

Regardless, the inevitable conflict was drawing near, and Julia had her own preparations to make. She wasn't going to go into her first war unprepared.

Just as the elves have defenses only they can prepare, so do I.

She glanced down at the several clear crystal fragments in hand and smiled.