The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) by Steven R. Burke Page A

face.   His jaw was set, and his eyes
turned icy blue.   “I will not let her
succeed in whatever she is planning.”
    “We
will not fail. We cannot possibly lose with our ancient friend’s support.   I will, of course, do as you wish.   When shall I see you again?”   She looked at her master with such a tender
look that he stopped plotting in his mind to really look at her.
    “You
will see me again.   I cannot say
when.   The future is too full of
possibilities and dangers.   With the help
of our friend from the mountain, I will survive this dark tide.   We all will.   However, many of the peoples of Tuwa will not.   This will not be an easy time for us, and it
will not be brief.   Evil has awoken at
the bidding of a new master.”   A feeling
of dread swept over Khalida when he said this.   She finally understood that no one would escape the horrors that were
about to be unleashed upon Tuwa.   Not
even the powerful guardians would survive this war unscathed.
    “Then
you must go and do that which is necessary, master.   I sense the urgency of your quest.   Rest assured that I will do my part to
protect the peoples of the West.”   She
walked up to her master and kissed him lightly on the cheek.   “May the Almighty Kedem bless you and keep
you safe,” she said with a bow.
    “He
will see us through these difficult times.   Kedem will bless you with power and knowledge as you direct and protect
the peoples of Tuwa.”
    He
then rose silently into the air and exploded violently into a ball of pure
energy.   The air was alive with
electricity, and he floated momentarily in midair.   He then built up enormous pressure behind him
and bolted east out over the sea to his unexplained destination.
    Khalida
sat down again at the council table and felt a heavy burden press down upon her
shoulders.   This task was more than she
could bear alone.   She knew that her
master was wise in sending her to visit their friend in the mountain.   He will
be the difference in the pending war .   She did not fully understand their power or even their purpose.   She knew that they were more loyal to the
master than anyone else.   She could not
explain the unbreakable bond between them, but it was one that would save them
all.   She still felt the dread in her
heart and knew that she would not be able to shake the feeling that death and
destruction would soon reign down on the races of Tuwa.   She also knew that the elementals would be in
real danger somehow.   She did not understand
how that was possible, but she knew it to be true nonetheless.

Another Division

 
    Princess
Kishi walked mechanically to a secluded bluff overlooking the dwellings of the
high elves’ new mountain home.   She did
not want to be in the capital for the completion ceremony, as she did not share
in the supposed success many of the people had worked so hard for.   She did not care for the way her sister Kira
was leading the emerging nation.   She
thought that her twin and one time friend had started out with good intentions
but somehow she lost her way over the past few months.   The idea of freedom was spreading like a
plague amongst the population, which meant that Kira did not have complete
control over her subjects.   The queen’s
weakness lay in giving power to the high elven council who were elected by
popular vote.
    This
lack of control combined with her sister’s blind trust in an elemental was
cause for Kishi’s severe turmoil.   A look
of pain and disappointment crept across her beautifully dark face.   She did not like the way she had left things
with Kira three months earlier.   She
wished now that she could express her love for her and try to tear down the
wall that had arisen between them.   She
had been an absolute terror the last time they had faced each other.   She did not feel that her sister would be
willing to forgive her after the way she behaved.   She still believed in what she had said but
that