Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  I let Bane fly off to get something to eat, knowing that he had probably not fed yet in his haste to return with the news. Then I then hurried through the camp and gathered everyone who had participated in our last planning session, making sure not to overlook Renn this time. His singular insight might just be the only thing providing us even a glimmer of hope to survive the impending attack. I could only pray that one of us might come up with another such idea. Once I had them all together, we retreated to the officer’s quarters that had been serving as our war room, and I relayed the dire news of our enemy’s approach.

  “Orcs and ogres,” Nalen the bowyer lamented.

  “Our little surprise can handle them,” Dellon said proudly.

  “Perhaps,” Stel added considering the potential impact of the weapons Dellon and Ilvain had constructed for us. “But we only have four of them and there are twelve ogres to account for. They may reach the walls before you have a chance to reload.”

  “We don’t know how the orcs will use their ogre allies during the fight,” Broda offered. “We encountered such alliances on occasion during the many wars we fought against the orcs, but I would bet that the ogres will be the key to their plans to breach our defenses. Whatever strategy they use, we need to target anything that presents a threat to the walls above all else.”

  “I hate to do this, but we’re going to have to split up during the battle,” I announced after considering what had been said and what we were facing. “Stel, I need you to take the north tower and direct fire from there. Use your archers to persuade the orcs to cooperate with our plans. Take out any ogres that threaten to breach the walls with Dellon and Ilvain’s weapon. Venna, take command of the south tower and do the same.”

  “Broda,” I continued. “You’ll be in charge of the northern section of the wall. Your priorities are the same, only you have the additional responsibility of repelling any orcs that attempt to climb over the wall. Khorim, you will oversee the southern section, with the same instructions.”

  “Tási,” I said, looking at her as she was beginning to feel left out. “You have the most important job of all. You, above everyone else, are uniquely qualified to take over the defense of the gateway and its passage. I think you already understand the requirements of that position.”

  “Yes,” she smiled as she realized the task I had given her. “That’s definitely something I can handle.”

  When no one objected to the assignments I had given them, I decided it was time to end the meeting. We had been running ourselves ragged in preparation for the battle, and now that it was finally upon us, all of us needed to get some rest if we were going to be at our best in the fight that was to come.

  “I think we’ve done all we can for now,” I finished, addressing them all. “I want you to finish anything that simply cannot wait and then take the rest of the day off. Broda, you’ve done a great job organizing our watch, I think they can handle things themselves for one night. We’re all going to need to be fresh and well rested tomorrow.”

  “You didn’t say where you will be during the battle,” Tási noted as the meeting began to break up.

  “Everywhere, Tási. I’m going to be everywhere.”

  While my companions and the crafters went their separate ways, each of them tending to their particular responsibilities, I took one last walk along the fortifications. Although everything we wanted to have in place before the orcs arrived had already been completed, the sudden addition of ogres to the equation made me unsure those efforts would be sufficient. I fully intended to follow my own advice and make an early night of it, but I also hoped that one last review of our defenses might help me think of something more we could do to fend off the threat of the ogres.

  As I looked over the top of the wall, I could see Ridge’s final work below me. Instead of a simple earthen trough, the spike-filled hazard was now lined with rough stone. Ridge had clearly taken it upon himself to enhance the barbs that covered the bottom of the trench as well. The razor-sharp stone spears that lined the entire length of the ditch were far sturdier and looked much more formidable than I remembered—the elemental had obviously added his own special touch to the improvements. I was grateful for his dedication and hoped it would make a difference in the battle we were facing.

  I walked the entire length of the fortifications, searching for inspiration as I surveyed our defenses. Along the way, I stopped to speak with the stonemasons as they carved away at a few final projects and thanked them for their dedication. I also made sure to offer a few words of encouragement to the dwarves who were on watch that night. We would be facing a difficult fight very soon, and I wanted to make sure all of the people who were depending on me knew just how much I appreciated the hard work they had done.

  When I’d completed my rounds and spoken with every single person I came across, I still hadn’t come up with any new inspiration to improve our situation. Reluctantly, I resigned myself to follow my own advice and returned to the campsite I shared with my companions. I was not the first to arrive there, Venna was already brewing a pot of tea when I sat down beside her.

  “Our reunion isn’t anything like I had hoped it would be,” I sighed in frustration as I sat on the cold stone next to her. “I thought we would be able to spend some time together. Instead, we’ve been running around all day getting everything ready for this battle and I’ve hardly seen you at all.”

  “This will pass,” Venna replied serenely. “Once we have defeated these orcs, we will have plenty of time for each other.”

  “Unless something else comes up,” I answered her glumly. Ever since I had communed with the valley, linking myself to the land, I had felt the mantle of responsibility growing heavier with every passing day. This place, and all of the people who had come here pursuing a better future, were all my responsibility. A responsibility that would only increase as time marched on and the stakes grew even higher. More people would come, and the outside world would learn about what we were doing here, if it hadn’t already found out. My duties and the time required to tend to them would only increase with each passing day. I feared that the past few days were no exceptions to the burdens I would be facing, but rather only a mere preview of what was to come.

  “We are here for you, Dreya,” Venna replied, sensing my mood. “Remember that, always. The responsibilities you face are not yours to bear by yourself. You may be in charge, but you are not alone.”

  I smiled back at her weakly, knowing that her offer was sincere, but still dreading the challenges that lay ahead. Instead of wasting her efforts trying to cheer me up, Venna poured the tea, passing me a cup with one hand while taking my arm in the other.

  “Let’s forget all of that for tonight, at least,” she offered. “In the spirit of your orders, there will be no more talk of battle or responsibility tonight. There will be plenty of time for that in the morning. For now, let’s limit our thoughts to simpler things—friendship, and the happy reunion that we have yet to enjoy will be our only concern tonight.”

  “That sounds good,” I answered her, hoping that my mind would cooperate for just one night. “The break might let me look at things from a new perspective, and I definitely need the diversion.”

  The rest of our companions arrived together just then. Khorim had a small cask of ale tucked under his arm and I glanced at him in warning as he put it down and drew a mug from the tap. Khorim merely smiled back in return and passed the ale to me before filling a second mug. Once everyone had been served, he offered a toast.

  “To my companions,” Khorim began. “I have never spilled blood and ale with anyone finer.”

  It was a dwarven toast, made in honor of the most valued of friendships. I raised my cup in response and drank deeply in recognition of his words. Before I had even swallowed the brew, Stel chimed in with another salute.

  “For life and what lies beyond,” he offered.

  His was another traditional toast, but just like Khorim’s words, Stel’s held a dee
per meaning. It was no mere sentiment, but a solemn oath to remain by each other’s side through the rest of our lives and even after they ended, in whatever realm might lay beyond the veil of death. Despite the somber implications, none of us hesitated to raise our cups again and take another mouthful of ale.

  “Before someone offers a blood oath, perhaps we should remember why we’re here,” Venna broke in. “We’re here to relax and for a diversion from the weighty issues that we have all been dealing with. Let’s enjoy each other’s company and partake of this lovely gift that Khorim has brought for us.”

  With that said, Venna topped off her mug and took another sip of ale. We all followed her lead, and almost immediately began trading stories. Although the tales varied greatly, they all had one thing in common: none of them involved any serious matters.

  We laughed and traded stories for hours, and I found myself truly unwinding for the first time in weeks. When darkness fell, we reluctantly ended our time together. Even though we wanted to continue our celebration, there was likely going to be a battle ahead of us the next day, and our main goal was to be ready and refreshed for whatever the coming day would throw at us. We grudgingly retired to our tents for the night, and although our time together had been shorter than any of us had wanted it to be, we were still grateful for the reprieve it had provided.

  As Tási and I laid down together, Bane returned and curled up between us. He let me know that the orc army was still approaching, but probably would not reach us before noon the next day. With our position secured until well past morning, I relaxed and settled into the thick blankets.

  Even though we slept in the same tent each night, I hadn’t spoken to Tási much over the past several days. We both returned to camp exhausted at the end of the day, and barely said two words to each other before collapsing for the night. Now that we had a few peaceful moments, I wondered how she was doing and if the mystery inside her had been causing her any issues.

  “How have you been, Tási?” I tried to inquire tactfully.

  “I’m fine, Dreya,” she laughed. “And no, I haven’t felt anything unusual for quite some time.”

  “Was I that obvious?” I replied.

  “Yes and no,” she answered cryptically before explaining herself.

  “You have a certain way of speaking when you’re looking for a deeper answer than your words imply,” Tási told me. “I doubt anyone who doesn’t know you well would pick up on it, but Venna and I can certainly tell.”

  “It’s seems all of you are keeping secrets from me,” I complained, recalling Bane’s treachery.

  “As if you can’t read us just as well,” Tási retorted.

  She had me there. I certainly could tell a lot from my friends’ tone and mannerisms. It would be unusual if they couldn’t do the same with me.

  “She misses you,” Tási said abruptly after a few moments had passed in silence. “You should spend some time with her when this is over.”

  Her suggestion took me by surprise—the two had been bitter rivals at one time, and even though they had reconciled their differences, Tási’s recommendation was completely unexpected.

  “Did you just suggest that I spend time with Venna?” I asked her incredulously.

  “I did,” Tási replied.

  I waited for her to explain further, but she offered me no further comment on the matter. With nothing left to say, I tuned in to Bane’s soft purr, allowing the gentle thrum of his contentment to lull me to sleep.

  8

  We were awakened in the morning to a fresh breakfast delivered courtesy of Broda. She had ordered the watch to wake us so that we wouldn’t oversleep; however, in addition to ensuring that we were awake, the dwarves she had assigned the task also decided to make sure that we were properly fed as well. That consisted of providing us with heaping plates of food and pitchers of hot tea.

  I was grateful for their consideration and made a point of telling them so. The dwarves seemed happy to have their efforts praised and returned to their duties with smiles plastered on their faces.

  “They have no idea about the full extent of your powers,” Venna commented as she observed the interaction. “Yet they can still sense that you are somehow special. Just having your praise makes them happy. I wonder how some of them will react once the truth is known.”

  “Better than I did, I hope,” I quipped back at her, trying to avoid the subject.

  Venna smiled back at me, obviously sensing my reluctance to delve into the matter. Instead, we sat down around the ashes of the previous night’s fire to enjoy the food that had been brought for us. All too soon, it came time for us to leave and take up our positions along the fortifications. Every single individual that was capable of fighting would be manning the defenses alongside us—nothing would be held back against the orcs today. Each of my companions would be setting off to take command of their assigned locations, but before we separated, I offered them a few final words of advice.

  “Each of you has one of our little surprises under your control,” I reminded them. “Use them to take out the ogres first; they represent the biggest threat to us. Especially any that seem likely to breach the wall in some way.”

  “Yes,” Stel agreed. “They won’t be likely to come at us one at a time either, but all at once. We each need to take out the ones in front of our own positions first, so that we do not fire more than one of the weapons at a single target. We’ll probably have too few chances to take them out as it is without wasting our shots on the same target.”

  “You all have some runners assigned to you,” I added. “Use them if you need to communicate anything to each other during the battle. I will try to remain in the center between Broda and Khorim’s sections of the wall, but may wind up elsewhere if I’m needed.”

  Reluctantly, and with a heavy sense of foreboding, we separated. I couldn’t help but wonder as I watched my friends walking away if this would be the last time I saw some of them alive. I banished the dark thought from my mind, focusing instead on doing everything I could to prevent that from happening. Operating out of fear would only put them at more risk, I needed to keep my thoughts on winning the battle rather than worrying over things that were beyond my control.

  Tási stayed with me the entire way to the fortifications. Her assigned area was directly beneath where I would be stationing myself, at least for the start of the battle. As I climbed the stairs, she stayed behind and organized the troops she had at her disposal to defend the passageway. Ultimately, her job was rather straightforward, and I trusted her to perform the tasks I had given her without reservation. Reaching the top of the battlements, I looked out over the field we had cleared beyond the wall.

  The area was larger than it had been during our previous battle. Although Ridge’s efforts had been directed elsewhere, the elves had brought a great deal of logging equipment with them, along with parts for a small sawmill. While setting up that mill would have to wait, there had been no reason not to set some of the people to work clearing the forest. Dwarves and elves working together had managed to hack down a respectable portion of the forest. Although they had left stumps behind in their haste, we still had a much larger clearing in front of us than before.

  The orc scouts continued to glare at us from across the distance, watching our every move. Dwarven guards manned our defenses, staring back at our foes impassively while the elves remained waiting below, hidden from the orcs behind the cover of the wall. The plan was to have them launch their first volley of arrows in unison, hopefully taking the orcs completely by surprise. There might even be a chance that the shock of that attack would cause the orcs to retreat, but I doubted it.

  Hidden just as well were the weapons Dellon and Ilvain had worked so hard to create. The two in the towers had been assembled within the protective confines of their dedicated spaces, while the other pair on the wall had been carefully concealed by wooden screens designed to look like defensive barriers. While I was uncertain what effect our arch
ers might have on the large army that approached, I was much more confident in the impact that these weapons would have. Or, at least I was until Bane revealed the ogres that accompanied the horde. Now, instead of being a shock weapon, the devices were likely one of the two elements that would determine the outcome of the battle; the other being Renn’s special contribution.

  I smiled as I considered the impact his idea might have that day. Against the orcs, it had the potential to transform victory into near total annihilation. With the ogres thrown into the equation, it might be the difference between life and death for us all.

  My thoughts began to drift as the morning wore on. While watches rotated and time dragged on, my mind wandered to unrelated matters. For some reason, I became fixated on how I was able to channel my emotions into others. I focused on not only the control I had gained over it, but the details of the process itself. Idly, I practiced channeling into the stone of the wall as my mind seemed unable to consider anything else. My efforts had no effect on the blocks, but somehow, I felt better for having practiced the ability. Yet beneath all of my unusual musings, something seemed to nag at me. I had the inescapable feeling that I was missing something, that there was some aspect of my power I was overlooking. My contemplation was abruptly ended when Bane alighted on my shoulder. His return could mean only one thing, and I braced myself as he reported.

  They are here, Sintári. The orcs have arrived.

  Tási had seen Bane flying in and joined me atop the wall to observe the orc army. We stood together looking over the battlements and across the open field while an entire orc regiment emerged from the trees.

  Orcs by the hundreds broke from the forest and into the edges of the clearing. Tiny health bars and identification tags hung over their heads, but I ignored them all while I waited for the ogres to appear. My wait was all too short, as our giant foes followed almost immediately behind the orc army’s first soldiers.