Clidhna paced back and forth in the room.
"I never expected things would go down this quickly.”
“According to what I know, anybody who sends the message of ‘Red Rise” cannot be other than Alexander himself.”
“But, from what I know, Alexander should be dead.”
“Magic perhaps...”
Clidhna thought.
The door creaked open behind her, and Clidhna turned sharply.
A man entered,
Elefrin was tall and broad-shouldered, with a sharp jawline and piercing gray eyes.
His cloak, a muted shade of gray, shifted with his movements.
"Clidhna, you called for me?"
Clidhna nodded and gestured for him to sit, though she herself remained standing.
"I’ve received a message from Gareth—or rather, from someone who claims to be Gareth."
Elefrin’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Claims to be Gareth? Explain."
----------------------------------------
"A runner came to me earlier today, delivering a phrase directly from Gareth: Red Rise. You know what that means."
Elefrin’s face grew serious.
"I do," he said. "It’s a trigger. A call to arms.”
Clidhna leaned forward, resting her hands on the edge of the table between them.
"Because whether or not it’s him, whoever sent the message has intimate knowledge of our network and the protocol for activating Red Rise.”
Elefrin considered this for a moment, then nodded.
"And what makes you suspect it’s not Gareth?"
Clidhna hesitated,
"Gareth I knew wouldn’t have been so cryptic. Also, the way the message is delivered is in line with what Alexander told me to do before he died. He said, If the message is delivered like the way it was delivered to me, I should believe it comes from him, not by anybody else..."
----------------------------------------
Elefrin leaned back in his chair,
"Then, there is not much need to talk. Everything is set for the plans."
Clidhna
"Yes, that should be it. Everybody prepared enough water for themselves, am I right?"
Elefrin nodded.
“Of course, the water reserves of all the plan members, which should include Dark Father, Frost Elves, Dark Sickle, and the smaller organizations below the level five, should know about it.”
“So, that should be no problem; all these people have two to three months of water reserves...”
Elefrin’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“That being said, it shows that we have every reason to activate the plan...”
----------------------------------------
Clidhna straightened,
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"I’ll mobilize our people here, strengthen our defenses, and prepare for the big battle.”
Elefrin tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to continue.
"I need you to go to the upper levels and notify Dark Sickle."
Clidhna said. "
“They need to know about Plan Red Rise being activated and the possibility of a counterattack from Third Circle and Sylind House.”
“Compared to us, Third Circle and Sylind House both have strong, powerful magical forces.”
Elefrin’s expression hardened.
"Dark Sickle is already prepared on this matter, the battle between Frost Elves and the Third Circle, the attack, and the problems; they already know the big factions of magic. It is their reason to be in here in the first place."
Clidhna met his gaze unflinchingly. "I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t sure. If anything goes bad, one side of this battle will lose everything while the other side will gain everything.”
“Because we are the first attackers, it is most likely that Blue Hope will be supporting Third Circle and Sylind House or the Empire.”
----------------------------------------
Elefrin sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"You’re right. I’ll go to Dark Sickle and deliver the message personally. You be sure to reach the Frost Elves and Dark Father.”
“It is more than likely they know about it, but it is best to be ready for everything.”
"Then we’ll be ready."
Clidhna interrupted, her voice resolute.
"I’ll make sure of it."
Elefrin nodded, his gaze steady.
"You must be prepared, Clidhna. Everything will go down in the next one to two weeks, whether we’re ready or not."
Clidhna’s jaw tightened. "I know. That’s why we don’t have a moment to waste. Go now. I’ll handle things here."
----------------------------------------
Elefrin rose from his seat, adjusting his cloak as he prepared to leave.
“Don’t let yourself become a pawn in it," he said.
Clidhna allowed herself a small, grim smile.
"I stopped being a pawn a long time ago, Elefrin. Now go."
With a final nod, Elefrin turned and disappeared into the shadows of the hallway beyond.
Clidhna stood alone in the room, her mind already racing with the preparations she needed to make.
-
Level 10 – Room – 1
-
Lady Lide-El Tis sat upright,
Across from her, Oprein leaned forward, his fingers steepled as they discussed the recent developments.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
“Enter,” Lady Lide-El Tis called,
A young man stepped in, bowing deeply.
“My Lady, my Lord, Elefrin is here. He says it’s urgent and would not disclose details to anyone else.”
Lide-El Tis glanced at Oprein. Their eyes met for a brief moment, exchanging a silent conversation. Oprein gave a curt nod.
“Send him in,” Oprein instructed.
The underling bowed again and exited swiftly.
Moments later, Elefrin entered the room.
He bowed slightly before standing tall.
“My Lady. Lord Oprein,” he greeted,
“Elefrin,” Lide-El Tis said, gesturing for him to speak.
“You’ve come directly to us, which means this must be of great importance. What news do you bring?”
Elefrin inclined his head.
“It concerns Red Rise, my lady.”
Both Lide-El Tis and Oprein stiffened.
Oprein’s eyes narrowed as he leaned further forward. “Go on,” he said.
“I’ve come from Clidhna,” Elefrin began.
“She received a message from Gareth, but the message she received should only be known to Alexander Distantias, who should be dead.”
“Distantias, Alexander?” Lide-El Tis interrupted, her brow furrowing.
“Yes,” Elefrin confirmed.
“The message can only be sent to him by Alexander herself. It was delivered by one of his trusted runners.”
“So, what do you think? "Is something wrong or not?” Oprein asked.
Elefrin hesitated,
“There is only one explanation.”
“Alexander is not dead, and he is in the body of Gareth, the guard captain of the Blue Hope!”