Light of Elliana: Book One—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Sixteen: Elliana’s Wrath

Later, in the morning. The last seven days had proven to be hectic ones for Donovan and his father. They had met with Brennen, a Master Engineer. The proposed changes to Kandalare’s walls and towers would be impressive. The refortification discussions included tedious meetings between Bennen, the Stone Mason’s Guild, King Tarran, and himself. At a snail’s pace, they agreed on plans of what was required. Prince Donovan and King Tarran had hoped for a miracle. Instead, they were forced to accept it would be a while before Kandalare was ready for war.

This morning, bright and sunny as it was, Changa and Donovan had been asked to visit Conroy. He was a genius of a man who was able to create new and wondrous devices. Their inventor friend had sent a cryptic message, stating he wanted to show them something new.

Usually, messages from his friend were more self-explanatory and left little to the imagination. Conroy felt his current project was too important to risk its discovery by the enemy. The inventor’s project served to pique Prince Donovan’s curiosity considerably.

Conroy had been allotted a large area of land, behind a patrolled walled enclosure in the heights above Kandalare, beside the river. Changa and Prince Donovan arrived in front of a wide white wooden gate, which led to Conroy’s work-site. Changa pulled on the rope, hanging beside the gateway. A large bell rang from somewhere inside.

Immediately, the gates swung inward, manned by four armed guards who snapped to attention when they saw him. Donovan nodded to them, and one stepped forward to take Shadow’s bridle after he dismounted. Prince Donovan scanned the compound, but there was no sign of Conroy. Suddenly, from a small wooden building directly in front of them, sounded a loud whoosh. The noise was accompanied by dense black smoke pouring out of its door and windows. A reek of Sulfur burning filled the surrounding air as a dark cloud expanded. From out of the stinking dark haze staggered two coughing men.

“Karsen, I believe we’re on the right trail. We must carefully review our notes and find where we can improve upon this mixture. However—all future tests of this miraculous powder must be outdoors,” shouted Conrad, the taller of the two who started coughing again.

“Yes, Sir, I agree. Let me take care of this mess and check our notes. It was amazing how fast the powder burned—it made my heart go thump,” Karsen exclaimed.

“My friend, if it would’ve been any stronger, it would have killed us,” Conroy said.

From around Conroy, Donovan watched another dark cloud form. The inventor was smacking at his clothes and brushing at his hair and arms, ridding himself of a layer of black soot. Their friends appeared none the worse for wear, though the inventor’s beard was missing from the left side of his face.

Donovan and Changa stood quietly, waiting for about five minutes, waiting for Conroy and his apprentice to finish dusting themselves off. Both men took turns swatting one another to rid themselves of the black grime, which formed a dark haze around them. Finally, the air around the two started to clear, and their coughing lessened.

“Hopefully, this was not the extent of your little demonstration, my friend,” Donovan said. Both Changa and Prince Donovan started laughing out loud, to the chagrin of their friend.

As Conroy approached, Prince Donovan thought his friend could stand to put on some pounds. But, the young genius had been tall and thin for as long as he had known him. His friend’s worn brown leggings, and his long-sleeved tunic was now almost turned black by the soot. The inventor’s brown eyes widened once he recognized them. Despite having lost his beard on the left side, his shoulder-length brown hair remained untouched.

“Oh—hello, Prince Donovan and Changa. I had not expected you to arrive this quickly. What you witnessed was an unfortunate setback on a promising new idea. The special project I informed you about is over on this bench. Please, follow me,” Conroy led them to a worktable, standing beside a trebuchet.

“For some time now, Karsen, my assistants, and I have been traveling back and forth to a large bog. Certain nasty fluids gather from somewhere beneath the swamp, which we collect and bring back here. With some preparation on our part, these liquids burn exceedingly hot,” Conroy explained carefully. He paused to wipe the soot off his dark face with a cloth.

Donovan nodded in understanding. “What in the world has he come up with now?” the prince silently wondered.

“First, I fill the fired clay jug like so with Elliana’s Wrath. Next, I carefully take a wooden plug, which has a small hole in it and places it into the mouth of the vessel. I feed a fire rope through the hole and seal the top of the pot and around the cord with pine pitch.” Conroy explained in detail, with a broad smile upon his face, which made him appear ghoulish.

Karsen, who was shorter and stockier built than Conroy, was directing five aides. His brown hair was cut short, and Donovan noted he was now clean-shaven. The brown eyes of Conrad’s assistant were locked in a gaze, following the five helper’s every move. The stocky man’s black leggings and long-sleeved tunic were the same color as his skin. It was hard to tell where the soot ended, and the color of the clothing started.

The assistants were raising the trebuchet’s counterweight, arming the weapon. It was apparent the men had done this before, for it didn’t take them long before the device was c****d. The men stepped aside and waited for Conroy.

“Next, I place the jug in the trebuchet and set fire to the fire-rope. Now, watch what happens,” Conroy said. He pulled a lever, releasing the trebuchet’s counterweight.

Instantly, the trebuchet’s main arm became a blur, as it hurled the vessel against a cliff face some distance away. The target, a vertical wall of rock, erupted into a seething mass of flames with an explosive whoosh. Both Donovan and Changa took a step backward in shock. Small trees and brush over a large area burned brightly. After the initial flames finally went out, only blackened and charred rock along with small smoking portions of small trees remained.

“It was a marvelous sight. Our demonstration required only a small jug, thrown by a small trebuchet. The impact will be much greater with a larger vessel,” Conroy explained. “There is one other thing I must tell you, water does not put out Elliana’s Wrath. It keeps burning until there is no more fluid left to burn.”

For a moment, both Changa and Donovan could only stare at the charred section of the cliff face. “This weapon would give an enormous advantage to whoever possessed it,” Donovan thought. The sheer enormity of this discovery would change warfare.

“Can you make any more of this?” Donovan was trying to imagine a battlefield where he was facing many of these exploding vessels. The thought took his breath away as a sense of fear filled him. “There was no need to question why Conroy had been so secretive. In a word, this was—big,” Donovan realized and stepped back.

“Yes, yes—the formula has been perfected and correctly logged. The essential ingredients are easy enough to obtain. All that’s required is more able bodies.”

“Conroy, starting tomorrow, you will get all the help you need. Order the fired clay vessels you will need, by the thousand,” Donovan ordered excitedly. “I will send one hundred and fifty workers here, to assist you in gathering those fluids from the bog and help make Elliana’s wrath. I will make sure armed troops will accompany the workers.”

Conroy nodded while stroking his chin. “My sister died in Drennard, Prince Donovan. Please make them pay—so my revenge is complete.”

“I will not rest until the enemy pays for all they’ve done, my friend.” Donovan clapped Conroy on the shoulder, who turned to him with a trace of tears in his eyes.

“The old played-out mines would be a good storage site for all the Elliana’s Wrath Conroy can make. He can stockpile our supply,” Changa said thoughtfully.

“Excellent idea, Changa. Conroy, you must make sure only your most trusted apprentices are aware of what you’re creating here. You must keep your work secret,” Donovan explained carefully in a lowered voice.

“I understand Prince Donovan. It’s why I sent you the message in the manner I did.” Conroy gazed into his eyes and smiled.

His friend knew full well, the ramifications of his discovery, and Donovan felt he was only beginning to develop its use. Excited beyond belief, the prince could hardly wait to inform his father. After mounting his horse, Donovan starred in the distance at the scorched cliff-face. The implications of Conrad’s and Karsen’s discovery were immense.

“Destroy the enemy with exploding fire. Brother, it’s an incredible idea! I often wonder where Conroy gets his ideas,” Changa commented as they started the journey back to the city.

“Conroy told me, many ideas come to him in the form of dreams,” Donovan commented to Changa, as they trotted past Sedner’s Falls, towards Kandalare.

“Elliana’s Wrath will serve to make the Twin Sister Cities Defense more effective, no doubt. The question is, how much will we need?” Changa asked the prince with a puzzled expression.

“We believe the enemies’ army will be larger than anything we’ve ever faced; we will need all the firepower we can get. As you know, the alliance created the Twin Sister Cities Defense, to give our kingdoms staying power, until we could respond,” Donovan said. “Kandalare, Etmindor’s Capital City, and Etria, Caralon’s Capital City, stand as the primary support pillars to enable the defense system to work. The sister city nearest to the conflict is to be the central supply hub. It will command our forces until reinforcements from the second sister city and surrounding allies arrive.”

Changa paused as he nodded in understanding. “Brother—I say, dream on Conroy! Give us more ways to say hello and devastate these thieving cowards who dare invade our lands. May our enemies screaming never end!”