Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

by Laszlo,Jeremy

  “Go and practice on Nick or Patty, why it’s gotta be me all the time?”

  “Cause you are my little brother and I love you the most,” Jen grinned at her sibling. “Now come here, and let me see it.”

  The boy approached the small girl, and Gnak watched as he lowered his hands. Across his face was a wicked gash where he had been struck by something hard. Not only did the gash bleed, but so too did his nose, which twisted to the side oddly. Gnak watched as the girl calmly approached the boy and raised her hands to his face. She did something odd then that Gnak knew he would never forget. Leaning her head back she spoke soft words into the air, her eyes closed towards the heavens. Within seconds her fingertips began to glow, and he watched as the boy’s face mended within moments. It was difficult, but Gnak managed to fight the urge to jump up and down laughing, pee himself, and leap upon the girl right where she stood and haul her off. This is what the gods wanted him to bring them. The girl was a healer, but not like a shaman. He had heard of such things but never believed in it. The girl had magic!

  “Now don’t you go tellin’ Ma and Pa again, or I’ll whack you harder than I did today, you understand?” Jen asked Jonny, to a replied reluctant nod. “Good. Let’s go home then,” she added.

  Gnak watched the tiny humans leave, closing the door behind them as they departed into the darkness. He would be smarter this time, wiser. He knew he could not just snatch the girl and make a run for it. No. She would need food and supplies if he was to keep her alive. She would be difficult to carry, especially through the pass guarded by the giants in the mountains. He needed to plan and would have to make preparations. The journey home would be slowed dramatically with her as his prisoner. Now that it was nearing dark, he needed a better lay of the land.

  Creeping out from his hiding spot, he pushed the door to the building open slowly and froze, having only opened it a few inches. Outside, the familiar thrumming of the warriors upon their mounts grew louder and louder by the moment. Had they managed to track him?

  Not wanting to find himself cornered within the building, he opened the door barely wide enough for himself to slip through before pushing it closed once more. Slipping around the building, opposite the approaching warriors, he waited and watched as things unfolded.

  It was only minutes when the first of the mounted warriors appeared, leading the others by a good margin. A man from the human camp that Gnak hid within the outskirts of, came out from his home brandishing a torch to fend off the darkness. The man waited as the warriors neared and came to a halt.

  “Sir Geraldo, is that you?” the torch holding man asked.

  “Aye, Tanis, is all well in your town?” the warrior replied.

  “Aye, Sir Geraldo, we’ve had no trouble here. Should be we expecting some?”

  “I doubt it, Tanis, just tell the folks to bar their doors. An Orc was sighted near Raven’s Keep but escaped to the south. We are uncertain of its whereabouts.”

  “I’ll keep my eyes peeled, Sir Geraldo, don’t you worry ‘bout that. If we see it I’ll send one th’boys to come and fetch your men.”

  “Thanks, Tanis. Be safe,” the warrior concluded.

  Gnak watched as the mounted warriors turned into the night and rode off on their mounts, oblivious to his presence. With his face, bicep, and shoulder wounds he was almost happy he would not have to fight this night.

  Making his way around the outskirts of the human camp, he crept through the shadows watching the human named Tanis go home to warn his clan. It was a weak clan, one he could kill easily, but he did not want to raise alarm.

  It was yet another hour before Tanis returned to his own building, and Gnak was free to explore a bit. He found the homes rather interesting, especially the holes cut into the walls that he could peer through to see what was within. Rounding the corner of one building, he came to a sudden stop as an animal began to growl at him. It was a small thing, mostly fur and bones, but it did not run at his presence. In fact, it even barked once, marking it as some tiny breed of wolf. Without delay, Gnak dispatched the foul animal in a single blow, careful not to rupture its flesh and leave blood behind. Snatching up his kill, he tucked it in his belt and continued to search.

  Within an hour he located a building with various food items, including meat. Something he would not require this night. Another building had leather and cloth items in abundance, and yet another had what he desired most. Together in the same room, both Jen and Jonny slept upon separate beds. The young magical healer slept within reach of the window. Gnak grinned wickedly.

  He could have left the very first night. Snatched the supplies he needed, the girl too, and headed south. But he didn’t dare. Not with a girl who had magic. Who knew what she could do? She might turn him into a toad or something. He would have to watch and see if she did anything else peculiar before he snatched her. And that was exactly his plan.

  Heading out, away from the village, Gnak jogged into the forest east of the buildings and went a few miles into the trees to assure himself that none of the humans would see. Once assured, he pulled his kill from his belt and tossed it on the ground before gathering some fallen wood. Pulling his fire rock from his pocket, he struck it over and over with the blade of his sword, watching the sparks of fire land upon the wood. Within a couple of minutes a small blaze crackled.

  A little while later he had the miniature wolf all gutted and skinned and upon a small wooden spit, where he turned the handle slowly. Patiently he waited until the meat browned, and only fat dripped from the creature before he snatched it up and ate it ravenously. It was two hours later, with a full stomach, when Gnak stomped out his small fire and turned back towards the human camp.

  Returning to the building he had first inhabited, he again slipped past the door and better inspected the inside. Though his first hiding spot was adequate, he noticed one that could possible serve him better. Climbing the ladder up to a space above the room, he could see both down into the room, and out one of the portals in the wall facing the humans’ camp. He could see the home of the small human female called Jen from here, and nearly every other home as well. Victory would be his.

  CHAPTER SIX

  For two days and nights Gnak watched the happenings of the humans. Theirs was a simple and stupid life of feeding animals they had captured, and cutting down more weeds to feed the animals they had captured. Of course, it made his nightly hunting very simple. Even with a full belly and plenty of sleep, however, his condition worsened by the day. The swelling in his face had already spread to his neck, and for more than a day his head had a drumming within it that would not stop. His opportunity was fading with each day he delayed. If he waited much longer he would not make the return journey himself. It was a risk he could not take.

  He had seen Jen nearly all day every day, watching from his hidden perch within the building. It was her job to pick up the bundled grasses and place them into a cart pulled by a stubborn four-legged beast similar to those rode by the human warriors. Daily she struck her little brother, a little harder than the day before, and daily she healed him flawlessly. He even knew that she relieved herself behind the building he occupied, even though she was repeatedly told not to by what he assumed was her mother.

  Over the course of his watching, never did he see her do anything wicked to man or animal. She was soft. Weak. Gnak was decided that this night would be the night.

  He watched the camp’s routine that final time, and watched as the humans returned to their homes as darkness threatened. Stragglers were a daily occurrence, as it appeared that some of the male humans would rather be in the fields working than in their homes with their mates. By the looks of the females, he couldn’t blame them.

  He waited then, a full two hours after the last sighting of a human, before he climbed down the ladder and back out of the building. Visiting the leather and cloth home first, he reached one long arm through the hole in its wall and collected a bag to fill with provisions and a small scrap of soft leather.
Next came the food storage building.

  Entering the unlatched door, Gnak strode inside eyeing all the supplies. No humans lived in this building, but several families of rats did. Collecting some dried meat, a round block of some hard substance the humans seemed to like, two long brown things that the humans cooked, and a large skin of water, he made his way back outside, slinging the bag over his shoulder. He had no idea how much the little female required, but assumed he had taken plenty.

  Walking back around and behind the buildings, he entered a small storage room where he snatched up the spear he had eyeballed nightly, and two short lengths of rope. The human spear was shorter than one made by his race but would suffice. Walking to the southern end of the camp, he shoved the spear down into the soil and hung the pack upon it. Then he prepared the short lengths of rope into loops he could easily tighten, but that the small girl could not escape. Prepared, he went to collect his prize.

  Back into the camp he crept silently, and as he had done on each night he rounded the corner of the building warily, peering around that last bit to be sure no light shone in the wall holes. Deeming it safe, he walked right up to the hole and looked inside. There she was, sleeping as if the world owed it to her. Carefully, gingerly, he slipped his hands beneath her, lifting her slowly. She stirred a little, but remained asleep. Once she was off of the bed roll, he pulled her up and out through the hole and simultaneously tucked her under one arm as he stuffed the scrap of leather he had collected in her mouth. That certainly woke her up!

  Kicking and thrashing with muffled screams of fear and panic, the girl’s eyes popped open as silent screams caught in her throat. Wrapping the first rope about her head he cinched it tight, securing the leather in her mouth. Readjusting his kicking cargo, he grasped her tiny arms in one large hand, wrapping the second coil of rope around them and securing it in place as well. Then he tossed her up over one shoulder and strode to the edge of the camp where he collected his new spear and pack. It was time to go home.

  Setting a nice brisk pace, he strode across the grass covered hills back to the south, all the while his prized bundle kicked and thrashed and tried to scream. Over. And over. And over. She was relentless. Even tied and gagged she fought on, trying to free herself from her captor. It was annoying beyond a doubt, but so too was it admirable. She was a stronger child than she appeared. She had heart. She would make a proud sacrifice.

  It was several hours later when her thrashing began to lessen, and thinking she had finally given up he was quickly proven wrong. The girl said something quite calmly through her gag, and then was silent for several long minutes. Then without warning he felt the wet warmth flowing down his shoulder, back, and chest. She had pissed on him. Disgusted, he yanked her from his shoulder and deposited her on the ground roughly. She crumpled into a pile and Gnak could swear she was giggling.

  With the urge to smash her little skull he paced back and forth, waiting for the urge to pass. It refused… at least for a quarter of an hour or more. Then he had an idea. If the humans spoke basically the same tongue as him, then perhaps he could convince her to not make him kill her prematurely.

  Stalking to the girl, he stood towering above her and jutted one massive finger in her face.

  “Next time you piss me… I piss you.” he grunted at her, and watched as her eyes grew wide and mouth began moving a mile a minute.

  “No talk!” he told her in no uncertain terms, and with her shoulders sagging she complied.

  Snatching her back up off the ground, he shook her slightly at arm’s length to be sure she was not still dripping before once again slinging her upon his now wet shoulder. Disgusting humans.

  It was an hour before dawn when he found a seemingly safe location to rest for the day. The humans might come looking while it was light, and if they did, he did not want to be moving about. Setting her down again, feeling dizzy as he bent, he lowered himself down upon the ground where he could easily see her. Their only protection from view was the tall grass around them, and as such he needed to express to her the circumstances of his companionship.

  “You hear talk. Take rope mouth. You no yell. Yes yell, me kill. You eat. You drink. I rope back. Yes?” He questioned her understanding. She nodded her agreement.

  Reaching out, he grasped the rope in both hands and loosened the knots that held it in place. Once loose, he allowed her to remove it with her still bound hands. She stared at him a moment and he held the bag full of supplies out to her. She took it easily, if not a bit reluctantly, and pulled the straps open to reveal its contents. The thirty seconds of silence was then apparently too much for her.

  “You can talk?” she asked entirely too loudly.

  Baring his teeth at her, he squinted menacingly and she took well his meaning.

  “I mean, I was told Orcs and goblins and trolls and giants couldn’t talk. Can all of you talk?”

  “Humans talk much. Very much,” Gnak replied, still scowling at the girl.

  She reached inside the bag and pulled out one of the long brown objects, breaking herself off a hunk. The inside, it seemed, was soft and fluffy. Tearing the piece she had collected in half, she placed one half on each of her knees. Reaching in again, she tore free a chunk of the hard orange substance, and sat it atop one of the halves of fluffy stuff. Then she again reached in the bag and extracted a small piece of the dried meat. This she put atop the orange stuff, and then she placed the second piece of fluffy stuff from her opposite knee on top of the small pile of human food. Grasping it from each side with her bound hands, she smashed it down and crammed the first bite in her mouth, chewing with her mouth open like the large animals the humans kept and fed. Disgusting!

  After the second bite, with her mouth still full of half chewed food, her eyes looked up to his once again and she talked through the disgusting mass of gelatinous gunk in her mouth.

  “Are we going to where you live?”

  Gnak did not bother to answer.

  “Why did you take me?”

  He ignored her again.

  “Are you going to eat me?”

  Maybe this would shut her up… “Maybe yes. Maybe no. Me think yes,” he replied.

  “So why not just kill me now and not have to feed me on the journey?”

  She had called his bluff. Eat a human? Yuck!

  “Maybe kill. Maybe no.”

  “Maybe blah, maybe blah,” she recited through another half chewed bite.

  “Are you smart enough to answer a single question?”

  Gnak was tired of her already.

  “Are you smart enough to no ask more?” He half repeated her own words back to her, showing his understanding.

  Her eyes widened. She had obviously underestimated his intelligence. He could only imagine what she would ask next.

  “I’m Jen, and I am eleven. What’s your name?” she asked.

  He was at a loss with the tiny girl. Perhaps if he gave her one answer, her simple mind would be satisfied and she would shut up after all.

  “Gnak,” he replied.

  “Gnak…” She tested the word. “Is that really your name? Gnak? Kinda… um… silly. Isn’t it?

  This time she had him at a loss. He knew none of her words. Kinda? Um? Silly? Orcs had no such words so instead of listening further, he reached across as she pulled the watering skin from her lips and picked up the leather, stuffing it back in her mouth. She did not resist. He was more than a little disappointed by the fact. He had thought her strong of heart.

  Securing the rope back in place around her mouth, he used the remaining length of it to tie around his own wrist. If she moved, he would awake. The dizziness was becoming more and more an issue. He needed rest. But first, before he tried to get some sleep he ate a quick meal of dried meat as her eyes watched his every move. Then, looking to her, he spoke once again with his finger in her face.

  “You run. You die. You yell. You die. You piss. You die. Yes?”

  She nodded her agreement and he shoved her over on
to her side so she could rest as well. Then laying down a very short distance from her, keeping her easily in reach, he closed his own eyes. For a minute. Then he popped them open to see if she had moved. She hadn’t. Closing them again, he did not reopen them again until at least three minutes later. Still no change.

  Try as he might, he could not just trust her to lay still and obey his orders. Even if she was small. He knew that even if she did get away and run he could catch her easy. But what if she put magic on him and made him sleep forever? Or what if she sealed his eyes closed, making him blind? Many what ifs assaulted his mind, lulling him off to an uncomfortable sleep where he thrashed and kicked, a cold sweat covering his entire body.

  It was dark again when he woke, and there she sat quietly, her gag removed, a mouth full of half-chewed food as she decided to greet him.

  “Hello, Gnak,” she said.

  He grunted in reply, his body filled with ache, the side of his face feeling worse than ever. He reached up to touch the wound and found it wet. Removing his fingers, he pulled them in front of his face to reveal a thick yellow pus that reeked of decay. He needed to reach the shaman. Fast.

  Rising, he stumbled slightly, his whole world spinning for a moment before it finally settled into place. Looking to the girl, he gave his orders.

  “I lead. You come. I walk, you walk. No talk. Walk. Eat. Piss. Yes?”

  She nodded, then decided that apparently a simple unspoken ‘yes’ was not enough.

  “Are you OK, Gnak? Cause I gotta tell ya, you’re not looking so good.”

  “Gnak good. I walk, you come.”

  With nothing more, he snatched up the supply bag and began walking at a pace that made her struggle to keep up. If she was breathing hard, perhaps she would talk less.

  Hours later, bless the gods, he stopped as she picked herself up off the ground for what had to have been the fifteenth time. Her eyes were pathetic in the dark, and she seemed to trip over every single obstacle they passed. Even so, with such short legs, she was making good time so long as he kept her moving.