“Die!” I yelled as I swung my great ax on the panicked Orcs. One after another they fell as they scrambled to draw weapons.
“Beastman! Beastman!” I heard one bark out the alarm as he reached for a wicked scimitar slung on his back. As I charged at him, I ducked under a slash of his scimitar, then twisted my hips into my swing. Violet blood gushed as my ax blade rent his legs from the rest of his body.
I cried out as I felt a spear thrust into me, piercing into my back. I twisted and swung wildly, and couldn’t tell if it was my ax swing or my twisting body that broke the spear. I could still feel the spearhead buried in my back as I faced the Orc who had wielded it. He was now reaching, drawing out a long cruel dagger from his belt. My instincts were a lot quicker and a swipe of my claws tore his face open. As he was reeling, screaming, I put him out of his misery as I buried my ax in his chest with a bloody thwack.
The pain from the spearhead was agonizing as my body tried to heal around the wound but kept being cut as the blade was still lodged in me. I twisted and turned trying to pry it out, but had to fend off two, then three Orcs all armed with axes and scimitars.
I felt a slash on my shoulder as one managed to get through while I was busy fighting the other two off. They were all about to pounce on me in my moment of distracted weakness when a great plume of fire rained down on them. I threw myself to the ground to avoid it, but the three were not so quick to react. They were scattered as they went up in flames, one consumed entirely by fire, the other two having limbs burning enough that they went reeling and howling in pain.
“Bellabel,” I grunted to myself, glancing up at her casting fire down from the stones.
My eyes shut by instinct as I squeezed my back muscles to force the spearhead out. Once it had moved enough, I managed to reach back and pry it out of me. “Rargh!” I belted out at the pain, but had no time to whimper as I saw black armored Orc bodies scrambling up the stones to try to get at Bellabel. They must have been incredibly brave or monstrously stupid as they took some time to climb up the stones, and in that time Bellabel had clear aim at them and hurled fire on them the way one might hurl snowballs in winter.
That gave me a brief moment to glance back at the rear of the column. I saw Quistainn’s shield shining bright in the sun, and his hammer glowing Thrawn’s gold rays as he smote one Orc after another. Kyra had set her bow aside in this fight, and instead wielded sword and shield as fiercely as any man. She hacked and cleaved her way to the dozen or so captives who were all strung together like they were being led to the gallows.
Something soared through the air out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see a javelin flying up at Bellabel.
“No!”
The javelin’s head bit into her shoulder, and stuck. “Arghh!” she cried out, falling back.
The Orc grunted in triumph, pumped his arms in the air. He said something to the Orcs around him, giving them courage. One of his companions tossed him another javelin.
Flashes of red eclipsed my vision as I ran straight for them. My ax tore through them, limbs hacked slashed off, chests caved in under the sheer force of my blows—even armor couldn’t save them from the impact as it was shredded like tin.
When I reached the javelin thrower, my beast took over and I lost even the sense of how to wield a weapon. My ax landed in the ground with a thud and I pounced on the Orc. A slash at his throat left blood spewing out as he staggered, somehow still standing. My claws dug into his head, piercing right through his skull and into his brain, my other hand’s claws digging into his jaw, then wrenching so hard that it snapped off, his life mercifully ended in an instant.
In one fluid movement I picked up my ax, snatched it in my jaws and clambered up the stones as if I were a racoon scurrying up a tree. When I reached Bellabel she was on her back, bleeding quickly as the javelin was buried in her upper chest.
She trembled, her teeth clenched, hair sticking to her face with sweat. “Rothan...” she tried to speak.
“I’ll kill them all…” I muttered, the urge to descend down on the Orcs almost overwhelming me.
“The... potion…” she gasped out. That snapped my human mind back to the fore. “It’s... in....” She glanced back and I saw her pouch laying by her side. I scrambled to think what to do. There was a scraping sound behind me and turned to see an Orc hand gripping a jagged stone for a hold. He pulled himself up. In a rage I kicked him square in the face and he went tumbling down the jagged stones.
“Rothan! Rothan! We have them!” Quistainn was echoing in the canyon, searching amidst the chaos down below.
“We have to get out of here,” I yelled and reached down for Bellabel. I snatched her pouch and slipped the potion out. “Which?”
She glanced down at my huge furry hand holding the two vials.
“Red.”
I handed it to her, having no time before another Orc was upon me. I fought him off and finished him with an ax blow to the gut. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bellabel drink the potion. I gripped her with one arm and scrambled across the rocks looking for a way down. My feet tread over the rough surface of the stones as I slid down. Orc spearmen were waiting for me. Their spearheads snapped as I swung my great ax before me. Arrows began flying at me. It seemed they had some time to rally and form an attack. I turned giving them my back to protect Bellabel who was still dangling from my arm.
“Grngh!” I grunted as I felt two arrows pierce me. I knew they would notch more arrows soon, so I turned and made a dash for it. Quistainn stepped in front of me, putting his shield up to protect me from the arrow fire.
“For Thrawn!” he yelled as he flung his hammer out in a great glowing jet of golden light. I barreled into the rank of goblin archers, and sent most of them scattering.
As I ran past Quistainn I could see that Kyra was cutting prisoners loose from their racks.
I ran past even Kyra and the prisoners to a spot that was removed from the thick of the combat. I set Bellabel down.
“Speak, Bellabel.” She looked at me groggily. “Do you feel the potion?”
“I... think so.”
At least she was speaking. It was a good sign.
“I have to help Quistainn hold the Orcs back. Stay here. You’ll be safe.”
She nodded. “Go.”
I charged back, past the captives to where Quistainn was. I yelled back to Kyra. “Take the captives and run, Kyra!”
Quistainn and I fought shoulder to shoulder. We were indestructible stones and the Orcs were a green tide that broke upon us. Scimitars snapped at us, sometimes biting me, but I returned their bite tenfold as I cleaved through spiked armor, boiled leather and green skin with my ax. Black iron blades, flashing steel ones, Orc fangs, growls, spear thrusts, leaping goblin chain wielders, pressing shields, tripping over fallen bodies, breaking kneecaps, glancing blows off armor, blades cutting into ribs, it all became a madness of combat.
Quistainn guarded my left and I guarded his right. We let no Orc past us, but we also made a gradual retreat. In the open field we would have been cut down, but in these narrow confines, the Orc numbers were not such an advantage. When the cluster of Orcs had exhausted themselves, we made a full retreat and ran back. I was in utter confusion for a moment as I did not see Bellabel where I had left her, but soon I realized that Kyra must have come across her as she fled with the prisoners. By then Kyra and the prisoners were out of sight and it was a few moments of running later that we caught up to them. Bellabel was indeed with them, and was walking on her own, though she still seemed weak.
“Bellabel,” I said, “how do you feel?”
“It still hurts, but the bleeding has stopped. I believe the potion is working.”
She handed me the vial and what remained in it.
“Drink the rest!” I turned the vial back to her. “Why haven’t you already?”
“The prisoners. Some of them are hurt. They will need healing too.”
“Bellabel, this is foolish!”
�
��I’ll be fine. Akaraxis watches over me.”
“You know, you and Quistainn should really be best friends.” As my human side came over me, I felt my beast begin to fade, along with my fangs and fur.
“And you!” Bellabel said, as I walked past her. “You have two arrows in your back!”
I grunted and snapped them off as I walked up and saw the prisoners. They were all northmen, their faces grimy and gaunt from battle. They were disheveled, some with random piece of armor still on them here and there, most with only their under tunics. We kept a brisk pace, but they were mostly too weak to fully run.
“Kyra!” I called out. She was walking with a disheveled soldier leaning on her. He was my equal in size, thick limbed, a cropped beard on his wide jaw. His blonde hair fell long over his back. It was her brother.
“Anvir?” I said as I reached him.
“That’s my brother,” he said with a tired grin. “I’m Tovir.”
“Right,” I said, “my mistake.”
“I’m offended! I’m the much better looking of the two. Baha! I’m surprised ya remember us at all, Rothan, ya heroic bastard. It’s been years.”
“Aye,” I said, “We’ll have time to swap stories later, I have to make sure the Orcs aren’t trailing us.” I began walking opposite of the rest. “Kyra, once you reach the end of the canyon, climb up and wait for us at the stony overlook. You should be able to see us coming from there.”
She nodded and I dashed back in the opposite direction they were moving, back into the fray.
16
The Orcs had no desire to pursue, it seemed. The canyon where we had fought was littered with the dead and dying. The stony walls of the canyon were splattered with blood. There were two Orcs still half-alive. I thought of questioning them, but they could barely speak. In their state it was more a mercy to put them out of their misery with a quick ax stroke. Quistainn and I made our way out of the canyon, to the overlook where we had agreed to meet Kyra and the rest.
Climbing up the stone path, I felt a great exhaustion begin to slip over me and I actually lost my grip on the stone surface and slipped off. I felt the hardness of stone banging against my back, my skull, my hips as I tumbled.
“Rothan!” Quistainn called out and clambered back down to tend to me.
“It’s alright,” I said, staggering up. My head was ringing. “I’m just… tired.”
“You’re wounded?”
“No, I’ve healed.”
“But you still have the arrowheads in your back.”
“Aye, that’s not enough to slow me down. I just… need rest. The beast drains me.”
“Well, let’s get you up at least.” He helped me up the rest of the way until we reached the overlook.
“Watching you climb up, I would have thought you were one of the released prisoners.” Kyra said, coming to me and looking me over.
“Very funny,” I said glancing at her. “Come, it seems the Orcs have had enough ax to the face for one day. But we should find a safer spot before we make camp.”
We walked an hour until we came to a clearing surrounded on three sides by a steep rise of stone that would have been difficult even for my clawed beast form to climb.
“Alright, this seems like a safe spot... the sun won’t be out for much longer so we should…” A weakness came over me so strong I felt my legs buckle under me and then i slipped to my knees.
“Rothan!” I heard Quistainn call out to me. Things became a blur as I saw faces… Kyra… Bellabel…. I felt a grogginess flood over me deeper than any drunkenness I had felt in years.
When I came to it was dark. I was still in a lull between full sleep and wakefulness, but at least I was conscious. I felt the heat of a fire near my face. The effort to speak was still a burden, and so I remained silent, aware but still as a corpse.
“He is still not awake?” I heard Kyra’s voice. I wanted to reply, but my whole face still felt numb with utter exhaustion.
“No, but he breaths,” Bellabel answered. “We think it is simply exhaustion.”
“I should tend to the prisoners, but when he does wake, make sure he gets some rabbit. I caught some tonight. It will strengthen him.”
“He has fought and traveled much in the last days, and without the aid of any potions.”
“Speak of that,” I heard Kyra say, “I… thank you Bellabel, for what you did. You helped us find my brothers, and you saved some of the healing potion for them and the rest of the prisoners when you could have used it for yourself.”
“Of course, we are on the same journey, the same quest.”
“It is not just that… I … I have been unkind to you.” She held out a handshake to her. “I was wrong.”
Bellabel gazed at her for a moment, then clasped Kyra’s outstretched hand with both of hers.
“It is alright. I am glad we can be friends.”
Kyra seemed to linger for a moment, then her feet rasped against the dirt as she made to leave.
“Kyra,” Bellabel stopped her, “I do not mind… that he loves you.”
“Wh… what?” Kyra said, taken aback.
“I do not mind that Rothan loves you. I hope that he loves me too, it is true, but… no matter, you bring him so much joy.”
There was a long silence. “How can you be so…? How can you ask so little of him?”
“It is not that I ask little of him, it is that I put his joy first. I am content in this. I have seen that the more I do this, the more in turn he cares for me and seeks my joy as well. Besides, how could I hold it against him? He loved you years ago, and any man can see how beautiful you are. Is he not a man also? More than a man, and so his desires are even greater.”
“I… had not thought of it that way.”
“Does it displease you… that he has me?”
“I… no… he, you two can do as you please.” I managed to move some, and made the slightest noise doing so. Kyra seemed startled. “I—I should tend to my brothers and the rest. Make sure Rothan eats.”
I saw Kyra’s pale legs scurrying out from our tent.
“Rothan?” Bellabel looked down at me. “You’re awake!”
When morning came I felt much better. The rabbit I had wolfed down had given me some vitality, and dozing off again for the rest of the night had restored me. After filling myself on some bread and wine, I made my way over to Kyra and her brothers.
The captives were now also milling about, seemingly in better spirits. I made my way past them, exchanging nods and brief salutations. Bellabel had mentioned that Kyra had explained my peculiar form when we rescued them, and that they were grateful.
“Kyra,” I said, “I’m back to my senses. How many captives did we release?”
“Fourteen counting my brothers.”
“Good. We should send them home and make our next plan.”
She nodded. “I’ve already spoken with Tovir and Anvir. They have some idea of where Ghazrak went.”
I walked to where the two brothers were. Tovir had long hair, so pale it was a blonde that almost looked like snow. Anvir wore his hair shorter, as well as his beard, and it was a darker blonde with streaks of chestnut in it. Anvir had kept his hauberk and greaves on through his captivity, while Tovir wore only pants, combat boots, a ragged tunic and his helm with the emblem of a red bear upon it.
“Tovir, Anvir,” I said giving each of them my hand.
They greeted me warmly.
“You’re still a hell of a fighter and still after our sister’s big arse.” Tovir laughed heartily, giving me a big slap on the back.
“Hey!” Kyra said, her face a scowl.
I raised my hand, asking for peace between them. “It’s good to see you as well,” I replied to Tovir. The brothers were some of the few men in Wolf Rein who matched my size, and Tovir especially had always been boisterous, like his father. Anvir was leaner, in face and body, his voice softer. He was the brains of the two, as growing up he had learned our people’s lore far quicker than others
our age, and to my annoyance had often beat me in Rook, a game of strategy. When the war came he led many men far older than he into battle.
“What this loudmouth is trying to say, is that we’re in debt to you, Rothan,” Anvir said.
“It was Kyra who was completely determined to find you two. She kept on searching even when it was almost certain you had perished in battle.”
“Whatever you say, but that doesn’t change that you have us as your men. We hold to the old ways, to Fenris, and you are his champion, as we have seen. We’ll help you on your quest to slay this Orc, Ghazrak. And we’re sure the other men will too. You’ll fulfill your oath then. Hells if anyone deserves to marry the Jarl’s daughter, it’s you.”
I looked over at Kyra, not sure how much she had told them. “The situation at home is complicated. You cannot help me slay Ghazrak. That is something I must do by my own hand. But tell me, what do you know of his forces?”
“The gods favor you,” Anvir said. “The greenksins intended to sacrifice us to some foul god, and did not bother blindfolding us. They even spoke openly around us about plans and such. I know the Orc tongue well enough that I picked up much of what they discussed.”
“I left that all to him. I can’t stand hearing the Orc tongue, much less learning it,” Tovir said, spitting in disgust.
“Aye, and what did you learn, Anvir?” I asked.
“Well, first I can tell you that I spoke with the rest of the men already, and as best we all pieced together, the Orcs that were taking us through the canyon were headed to a place in Ironrise they call Shorigunzz, which is some kind of temple where they worship. That’s where we were to be sacrificed. This Orc force which you just faced, they numbered some 250, but now probably number an even 200 on account of you and my sister. But Ghazrak split off from this group back near the Lantern Forest. He suffered terrible losses in the forest, mostly because of the fires.”
“Ey, we killed plenty too with sword and ax!” Tovir said, offended.
“In any case, he suffered terrible losses. And as he left the Lantern Forest, he must have had a force between 800 and 1,000 left. He was headed to Jarkandur, where there is a much larger Orc force preparing to flood the far north. They’ll make their way south, to Wolf Rein, then to Goldwater. By their telling this horde will number some 100,000 once it gathers together under Ghazrak.”
Wolf Blade: A Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Harem Page 20