The Day of Treachery

"The peasants are on the verge of rebelling!" yelled the emperor, pacing the throne room. "They claim that I have brought them into this economic depression, have impoverished and starved them. This must be stopped at once!"

From his hiding spot, Goldenthorn saw the empress try to comfort her husband.

"All peasants are like that," she said. "Surely it will pass."

Goldenthorn’s eyes moved to his aching feet. He rubbed the soles, swollen from stooping so long. He could never resist the urge to eavesdrop, no matter the pain.

With knees almost buckling, Goldenthorn finally chose to depart his hideout. A fellow messenger suddenly sprinted into the throne room, riveting Goldenthorn. He moved back into position, forgetting his aching feet.

"Pardon, Your Excellence," panted the messenger, "I have urgent news. A dwarf has been discovered on our side of the border."

"Is there something startling about one of our allies being in Calagea?" asked the emperor.

"Your Excellence," said the messenger, "he carried a scroll from the dwarf king." The messenger handed a scroll case to the emperor. Calgeas XX unscrewed it and unrolled its contents.

The emperor’s eyes widened in shock. "Silverhead," he said to the messenger, "deliver this oral message to Rholian:

Silverhead scurried from the throne room.

A servant emerged from the chamber, summoning Goldenthorn. "His Excellency requests your presence," the servant declared. Goldenthorn rushed into the throne room.

He bowed before the king, saying, "I shall do whatever it is you request, Your Excellence."

"I have an errand for you," said the emperor. "Go to General Vanui and tell him to send as large a force as possible to the eastern border. You are dismissed." Goldenthorn ran to the stables, mounting his horse and racing to army headquarters.

Upon arrival, he flew inside the barracks, dashing for the general’s quarters. To the guardsman standing outside the door, he said, "Tell the general that ice giants are invading. We must send the largest force possible to the eastern border, by direct orders from the emperor!"

The general quickly roused the elfin army, racing to intercept the ice giants. By nightfall, the army had arrived at the eastern border.

Goldenthorn was scouting for the army.

"General, I see no giants," reported Goldenthorn to Vanui. The general ordered the army to erect a camp and wait out the giants.

"You, assist the soldiers in pulling in the supply wagons and assembling my pavilion," ordered the general of Goldenthorn.

It was near midnight when the army fully made camp. Goldenthorn trudged to his tent, plopping down upon his bed and quickly falling asleep.

Near noon the next day, Goldenthorn was resting at the foot of a willow tree a few yards from the general’s quarters.

Suddenly, Goldenthorn noticed a huge mass approaching the camp from the crest of a hill a few hundred feet away.