(Perhaps the elves picked our world because it was an easier target. Perhaps they’d been driven off other worlds before…by peoples with more powerful magics. Only time will tell.)
Isavan turned to make sure Karena was still behind him. She was struggling through the brush, muttering as she did. Pausing to catch her breath, she looked up at him.
“What the hell are we doing out here anyway?” She asked in an annoyed tone.
“I told you. We’re going to see the statues.” He reached down and grabbed her hand and pulled her free from a thick tangle of brush.
“Thanks” She wiped a matted strand of hair from her forehead and blew out a breath. “By the makers, it’s hot.”
“Yeah, I know. Once we get to the top of this hill, we’ll be able to rest a bit. I think they’re around here somewhere, anyway.” Isavan replied.
Karena rolled her eyes, exasperated and then looked over Isavan’s shoulder, into the underbrush. “Isa. My god. I think that’s one!” She pointed excitedly past him.
Isavan turned and stared into the underbrush, then he saw it. A moss and vine covered figure stood silently, almost invisible in the undergrowth.
Shouldering her way past Isavan, Karena pushed her way through the underbrush, making for the figure. Isavan followed. In a moment, they’d pushed through the foliage and made their way to the figure, and stopped to stare.
It was a statue of an armored figure; with plate armor and helm of an unfamiliar design. It was turned with an arm partially raised, as if gesturing behind him. In his left hand, he bore a sword. The detail on the statue was incredible. They could see every buckle, strap and dent in the figures armor.
The two stared for a moment, then Karena said in an awed voice. “It looks so real.”
“They say that they are.” Isavan replied, transfixed by the statue. “They say that this was a mighty army at the end of the Age of Magic, struck into stone by an enemy wizard.”
“Who’s they?” Karena asked skeptically.
“You know. Them.” Isivan gestured vaguely, “The stories.” He made his way around behind the statue and examined it as he continued talking. “They say that an army of Orcs and Dwarves and Men all combined to defeat the Elves in the final battle.”
“There’s no dwarves anymore.” Kerena replied. Her tone was dubious.
“Sure but there were then. Thousands of them. They were supposed to be amazing warriors. Brave and steadfast. They said that they held the lines when the men broke at the Battle of the Burning Sands.” He gestured into the brush. “Look, there’s another one.”
The two made their way several feet to the next moss covered statue. This one was a human, similarly clad, except his helmet was off. He was kneeling, and had a somber expression on his face. The figure his hand on the chest of another man, which had been lying hidden in the weeds. There was an arrow protruding from the lying figures chest, and its youthful face stared blankly at the sky. In the underbrush, there were now dozens of figures visible.
“Did they win?” Kerena asked, staring at the statue.
“Who?”
“These guys.” She gestured at the statues around them.”Did they win here?”
“I don’t know.” Isivan shrugged. “I mean, I guess they won eventually, ‘cause the elves went away but I don’t know if they won here.” He peered at the man on the ground somberly, and added, “There was a lot of magic used in the war. Not all of it did this. Some of it did other stuff too. Unpredictable stuff.”
Kerena considered this for a moment, then asked, “Is that why we can’t plant in the south fields when the soil glows after a cold winter? Or why the plants and animals in the Western Forest are so weird?”
“Pop says it is. He says that there’s still old traces of magic from the battles coming out.” He frowned for a moment, then added. “Pop called it ‘arcane contamination’. He says it will go away someday.”
Regarding the silent army around them for a moment, Kerena was thoughtfully silent. After a moment, she said, “They aren’t gone, you know. They just left. They could come back.”
“The elves? Oh come on. No one’s seen an elf in hundreds of years.” Isavan scoffed.
“So?”
“So that means they aren’t coming back.” He replied, “They were beaten.”
“Maybe, but the orcs were beat once too and they came back to help us against the elves.” Karena challenged in return.
“Well, yeah; but that’s different.” Isivan replied, defensively. “Orcs are a lot tougher than elves and are better fighters.”
Looking at the statues around them, Karena remarked, “I’m not sure just being a good fighter would be enough. Look at these guys. They look like good fighters and yet here they are- forgotten lumps of stone.” She shivered, and added, “We should go.” She turned to head down the hill and added, “I’m just saying. If the elves could do this to a whole army of warriors, maybe they could come back.”
Isavan shrugged. “Who cares? We beat them before. We can beat them again.” He started off following her down the hill.
“Could we though?” Kerena started to carefully pick her way through the undergrowth, down the hill. She paused and turned. “I mean, the last time we had the dwarves and orcs to help us.” She hesitated a moment, the added, “And magic of our own. We don’t have that stuff anymore.”
“We have the orcs. They’re still pretty tough.”
“I guess, but after what we did to them, would they help us? I mean, there was that whole keeping them as slaves thing. That sort of thing can make a person sore.” Karena continued down the hill. She could hear Isavan following.
“We have steam power now too. We didn’t have that last time.” He called.
“I guess. Not sure what a steam-gun is going to do against a mage.”
“Nothing because the elves are gone and not coming back.” Isavan’s voice was not as confident as it had been.
“Whatever you say, baby brother.” She stopped to look back at him with a slight smile. “Will you hurry up? We need to get back before nightfall.” She looked at the woods around them. “I’d prefer not to be out here with them at night.” She turned and continued down the hill.
Looking around them at the still figures of the soldiers frozen in the middle of their long forgotten battle, Isavan shivered, nodded and hurried after his sister.