War Of The Wildlands Read Free

forces.”
    “I’ll consider it,”
Reylin replied. With those words, he turned and exited the hut, grabbing his
sister’s arm on the way out. He led her away from the hut and stopped when he
had reached the farthest edge of the village.
    “You can’t keep
going off on your own,” she said. “You’re going to get yourself killed, and
then where will we be?”
    “Relax, Reylana,”
he began. “No one even saw us. We shot a few arrows and kept going. We probably
didn’t even kill any of them.”
    “Then you’re
wasting arrows,” she said seriously. Her auburn hair caught the sun’s rays and
flashed red, reflecting her mood. She loved her twin brother, but he could be
very difficult to understand at times. “We should plan a proper raid that
includes archers and sword maidens alike.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he
replied, his tone mocking.
    “I’m serious,” she
replied hotly, looking down at her brother. “You men aren’t the only ones who
can fight. You’re just the only ones who can fight and hide at the same time.
You can send them running and we’ll be there to stop them.”
    Reylin paused for a
moment and thought. “That’s actually a good idea, Sis,” he said. “We can attack
one of their farming villages from the tree line and you and your girls can be
waiting on the other side. Nothing sends a message to your enemy like
slaughtering a village full of fleeing cowards.”
    “It’s no less than
they’ve done to us. Entire clans have been wiped out. Every week new elves are
finding their way here to join up with us. There are no clans now within a
day’s walk of Na’zora.”
    “If we can manage
to win this war there won’t be a Na’zora. I’d like to see that king’s head
mounted above my hut.” Reylin’s tone was serious. He hated the Na’zorans as
well as all other humans. They were responsible for the death of his parents
along with countless other elves. His kinsmen were constantly being pushed
deeper into the Wildlands and away from their traditional homes. The humans did
not care whether they were able to adapt. They would prefer if all elves were
wiped out permanently.
    “I’ll gather some
of the women so we can start planning,” Reylana said before hurrying away. She
glanced back at her brother, who had gone over to speak with his troops. He was
a hothead for sure, but she knew his actions were carried out with the best
intent. He had only gone to Enald to frighten its citizens and let them know
that the elves of the woods would fight back to protect their homes. They were
sick of being bullied by Na’zora’s king, and they would do whatever was
necessary to defend their right to exist.
    Seated on a log
bench at the center of town was Essa, the leader of the Oak Leaf Clan’s sword
maidens. “Essa,” Reylana called as she spotted the dark-haired elf. “I need to
talk with you.”
    Essa had been busy
polishing the blade of her broadsword when Reylana approached. She put the
blade away and eyed her cautiously. “What are you up to?” she asked
suspiciously.
    Reylana laughed and
said, “You know me. When have I ever been up to anything bad? Come with me.
We’re going to discuss plans to attack one of the human farming villages.”
    Essa joined her
friend as they walked back to Reylin’s small hut. Several men were already
inside, noisily sharing their ideas.
    “Ok, everybody shut
up,” Reylin said loudly as his sister entered. “Let’s see what the ladies have
to say.”
    “Nothing much,
really,” Reylana began. “Essa leads the sword maidens for our clan, so I’ll let
her do the talking.”
    “First of all,”
Essa said, “I want to know what village and when. Secondly, I want to know why
you went out today without consulting me? We’d have been happy to come along
and chop a few heads.”
    “It was just a small
scare tactic, Essa,” Reylin said, rolling his hazel eyes. “Don’t act so left
out. You’re as bad as my sister. Sometimes you should just let