The leader of the Orks let out a bellow. “Haha, you funny little Human; it will be fun playing with you. You will scream long time.”
Seeing no way out but to fight, Lindon readied himself. The anger he felt didn't allow him to fear being so badly outnumbered. When the leader ordered two of the Orks to capture Lindon, he waited calmly for them to approach. They were within striking distance when Lindon exploded into action. Faster than they could react, Lindon swung one sword at the weapon of one of his attacker, knocking it away, and followed with his other, slicing through the creature's throat. He then spun around, blocking the strike of the other and bringing his other sword across the second Ork’s stomach just under its leather armor.
The leader of the Ork screamed in rage at the deaths of its men. The Ork was just about to order the rest of its soldiers to attack when an arrow struck him in the chest followed by two more. From behind, Dwarven warriors attacked.
The battle was short and ugly. The Orks were caught completely by surprise, and before they could turn and engage the Dwarfs, fully two thirds of their number were dead or dying. Lindon wanted to join with the Dwarfs, but he stood over top of Nara to not only protect her from the Orks, but also in case the Dwarfs did not understand she was with him.
When the last Ork fell, Lindon watch Kailid approach, giving the Ork female huddled at Lindon's feet a curious look. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Seeing the look on Kailid's face when he approached, he didn't put his weapons away quite yet; the last thing he wanted was to fight his friend but he couldn't let any harm come to Nara. “I would have to say a lot better now that you're here. Where are Donovan and Aina?” Lindon asked.
They are still back at the tunnel, waiting for word about you. They were worried when you didn't come back, so they sent us out to see if you needed help, and judging by your guests I would say they were right.”
Nora started to sit up. One of the Dwarfs with a crossbow thought she was going to attack Lindon and shot his bolt at her. Lindon caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and, faster than the eye could follow, struck down the arrow with his sword. Turning to the surrounding Dwarfs, he said, “She is with me and I consider her a friend. Any attack against her is an attack against me.”
The Dwarfs had all seen Lindon fight and most of them owed him their life. The Dwarf that had shot the arrow stepped forward. “I am sorry my lord, I thought she was with the enemy.”
Lindon faced the Dwarf; his swords still drawn. “No need to apologize; you didn't know,” he said calmly.
Putting his weapons away, Lindon held out his hand to Nara. Looking up at Lindon, she was once again struck by his sincerity. When he had struck down the arrow that was aimed for her, she was sure the would have fought these Dwarfs to protect her if they had tried to attack. She didn’t understand why he would and was hesitant to take his hand, but looking around at the little people, she knew that it was only Lindon's words that were keeping her alive. Reaching up to take his hand, she was drawn up to stand beside him.
“I think it's time to go. Lead on, Kailid,” Lindon said to the Dwarf.
Kailid gave one last look at the Ork female standing beside Lindon before he ordered his men to start back toward the tunnel.
Lindon thought it would be best if he gave Donovan and Aina warning that he was bringing Nara with him and that everything was okay. “Donovan, Aina...Kailid and the Dwarfs have found me and we are on our way back.”
Aina was the first to respond. “Thank the stars; we were worried when you didn't come back.”
Nara turned to Lindon and surprisingly spoke in Lindon's mind. “Who you talking to?” she asked.
Donovan's voice spoke to Lindon, stunned that there was someone else. “Who is that with you? And how can she speak with us?”
“As to who, her name is Nara. As to the how, I have no clue,” Lindon said to Donovan and Aina. To Nara, he said. “These are my friends Donovan and Aina, you will meet them soon, but how is it that you can hear what we are saying and can talk with us this way?”
“I don't know, I heard you talking and just talked back same way,” she said.
“Okay, for now we won't worry about it,” he said to the three of them in his mind. “You should know that Nara is an Ork, and has saved my life. We are coming back, but I don't want any accidents when we get there, so warn everyone not to harm her.”
Donovan's voice came back with amusement. “An Ork, eh? Nothing you do surprises me anymore, Lindon,” he chuckled. “Worry not, I will tell them; she will be safe as long as she comes in peace.”
Lindon breathed a sigh of relief; he had been worried since the attack on the Dwarven homeland. He might have had a problem keeping her safe, but Donovan surprised him once again.
The trip back to the tunnel was not as far as Lindon had feared; by noontime they were in sight of the entrance. Donovan and Aina were both waiting for them as they approached. Seeing Lindon walking toward them in the company of an Ork female should have been out of the ordinary, but for him it didn't look odd. The Human just attracted all sorts of unusual things, from an Elf to a Dwarf being friends despite the cultural dislike for each other’s race, now to an Ork. There wasn't any reason as to why, but he could make the strangest things seem normal.
When Lindon approached them he introduced Nara. “This is Donovan,” he said.
“Nice to meet you,” he replied with a smile, holding out his hand.
Unsure at first, she tentatively grasped his hand, overwhelmed that one of the little people was being nice to her, especially since her people had just recently attacked their home.
“And this is Aina,” Lindon introduced next.
The Elf didn't offer her hand to shake; all she said was “Thank you for saving Lindon.” But she said it warmly.
“It was he that saved me first, but I do not understand why he did it,” Nara stated.
Aina looked at Lindon. “You will get used to it, I don't even think he knows why he does half the things he does, but that is one of the reasons we love him,” she said with a smile.
Nara looked between the friends in wonder. How could they accept someone like her into their group so easily? It was beyond her understanding. Among her people, if you were different or an outsider, you were either killed or ignored as much as possible, as in the case of the Humans that were Ork allies. If it weren’t for the masters ordering them to work with them, Nara was sure that they would kill the Humans the first chance they got.
“Did you make it through the barrier?” she asked Lindon.
Nara, hearing that, turned to face Lindon. “You go in to barrier, that not possible,” she stated, but the image of Lindon putting his leg into it when he was healing her made her wonder.
Ignoring Nara's comment, Lindon looked into Aina's eyes. “Yes, Aina, I did.”
Aina could see the sadness in his eyes when he answered her, but knowing that she wasn't going to like the next answer, she asked anyway. “What of my people?”
“Aina…I am sorry more than I can say, but there was no one left alive. Everyone that I found in the city was dead.” He moved next to her.
“What happened to them?” she asked, trying to hold back her tears.
“When I first arrived on the other side of the barrier, I noticed that the barrier was being fed off the land. The trees and the grass all looked like they were dead or dying, and the city itself seemed to be wilting under the drain of energy. Following the source, I made my way to the center of the city. I found a stone tower, with runes similar that was on Fenella's house, but mixed in with them were other runes that were darker, more sinister, and out of place.
“Fearing that if it went unchecked it would keep draining the life of the surrounding area, I used the power of the tower against itself and destroyed it. Afterward, I was inspecting the area to see if it had stopped draining the land when I heard a strange noise. I started running back toward the barrier, not wanting to be there for whatever killed the
Elves to find me. When I was near the barrier, I looked behind me and found a creature about to grab me. It was an Merrow.”
At the name of her former masters, Nara gasped and all the color drained from her face.
Lindon once again ignored her outburst, not wanting to scare her any more than she already was. “He has some kind of power that makes you want to surrender, to not fight and let him win. Even the look of them has the same effect. I was close to surrendering when the same voice that I had heard in Donovan's home told me to protect myself. Fearing being lost, I brought up magic that I was holding from passing through the barrier.
“We fought for a while but I could feel the magic in me weakening so with some effort I was able to get past his guard and cut him. For as strong and as fast as he was, he wasn't a very good swordsman. If it weren’t for his power over my mind I would have killed him. Anyway, the surprise of the cut allowed me to jump into the barrier where he couldn't follow.”
When Lindon was done telling Aina and Donovan what had happened in the Elven homeland, it was Nara that spoke. “You make master bleed?” she asked in awe.
“Yes, Nara, I did. They bleed like everyone else. It is only their magic that makes them strong. Take that away and anyone can beat them,” he said, trying to help her understand that her former masters were mortal and not worth worshiping.
“Was he the one that killed my people?” Aina asked.
“I believe he was. He didn't admit it but he was the only thing alive inside the barrier,” Lindon told her.
Donovan turned to Aina. “We will hunt him down and take our vengeance on him.”
Knowing he meant well, Aina simply thanked him. “I need some time alone, if it's all right.” She turned and entered the tunnel.
Lindon looked after Aina as she walked away, his heart aching for her loss. “We should go.”
Donovan answered, “Yes, we should; I will bring down the tunnel entrance once everyone is through.”
“Come, Nara, we have to go now,” Lindon said.
“Yes master,” she answered.
Lindon stopped and stared at the Ork. “I am not your master, Nara. I am your friend; never your master. As long as you are with me you are your own master, understand?”
Nara looked back at Lindon, seeing the intensity in his eyes. “Okay, I sorry, I not used to being on my own,” she answered.
“That is okay, Nara. I only want you to start thinking for yourself and see that you are your own person, that your thoughts and feeling are important and that you do not belong to anyone but yourself.”
Taking her hand, he led her down the tunnel to join the Dwarfs.
Chapter 20
When they first joined the Dwarfs, there was anger at her presence, but their respect for Lindon and a word from Donovan put an end to it before it got out of hand.
Walking the tunnels was hard for Nara. Like the Humans, Orks could not see in the dark but a kindly old magus made a light for her to see her way.
They had been walking for what seemed like days. Underground, Lindon didn't have a very good sense of time. On what he assumed was the seventh day of traveling, he turned to Nara. “Do you mind if I ask you where you were born?”
“Not at all,” she answered. After having spent time with the Dwarfs she was in a great mood; never before had she traveled without the abuse that was common among her own people. The females of the Dwarfs were not slaves to the men but valued members of their society.
“I was born many miles north of where you found me. I remember walking for many months to get there,” she said.
Lindon was amazed at her progress. In only a short time among the Dwarfs, she was able to speak clearly, no longer speaking in part sentences.
“What was it like there?” he asked.
“It was cold. In the summer months the sun would never leave, and in the winter it never came, but in many ways I miss it. Sometimes it gets so hot here that it is hard to do anything and it feels like my skin is on fire.”
Lindon smiled at Nara. “Yes, I know what you mean. Sometimes when it was really hot outside, I would just sit under a big tree on the farm and dream of adventure. Of course, now that I have had them, I think back on those days with fondness; it was a simpler time without everyone trying to kill me.” He paused. “Can I ask you another question?”
“Lindon, you can ask me anything, you have saved me from the only life I knew and have given me so much,” she replied, full of emotion. She owed this Human so much that she didn't think she could ever repay his kindness.
“Why were you in that wagon at the barrier?” he asked, not wanting to bring back bad memories for her, but he thought it might be important.
She looked down at the ground before answering. “I was accused of sleeping with a male who my father didn't approve of, but it wasn't true. My father didn't have any choice. He had to sacrifice me on the word of the master to save face with the other tribes.”
“I don't mean to bring up bad memories, but are you telling me that your own father sent you to die like that?” Lindon asked, shocked that anyone could do such a thing.
“Yes, that is the Ork way. If the masters tell them to do something, they do it, but I think it was another reason the master told him to do it.”
“Why do you think they wanted you dead?”
“One day we were in a valley, the rains come, and without warning a big wave of water was rushing toward us when I sang it away so it wouldn't kill all of us. And since then, the master would watch me all the time; never say anything to me, just watch. I had a bad feeling about it, but there was nothing I could do. The people liked that I saved them and for a while treated me good. That is until I was accused and sacrificed. It was the master that ordered them to put me in the wagon and then dipped in and out of the barrier, until my legs melted. I think the day you found me they were going to put me in for the last time.”
“What do you mean you sang the water away?” It was Aina that asked, coming up behind them during her story.
This was the first time that Aina spoke to Nara, having avoided everyone in her grief over her people.
“I don't know how, and I am the only one of the tribes, but ever since I can remember I have been able to help water move, where I want it to go, even the snow. When I was young, I would make carvings in the snow,” Nara told the Elf but wouldn't look directly at her. She felt nervous around her. It was not that she was scary. There was just something intimidating about her and the stories she had been told about the Elves were just too hard to dismiss.
Aina looked at Lindon. “That's not surprising; our Lindon here has a habit of finding the things he needs when he needs them.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Lindon asked.
Chuckling, she responded, “What are the chances that you would find the water shaper on your trip to my homeland? Let's face it, not very likely, and yet that is exactly what you did. If I would have to guess I would say that something is helping us to fulfill the prophecy.”
Lindon walked in silence for a bit, thinking on Aina's words before answering. “You might be right; if we are to succeed in ridding the world of the Merrow, then we will definitely need all the help we can get.”
“Tell us more about your encounter with the one behind the barrier. What was he like?” Aina asked.
Lindon took a minute to think. “The elves are beautiful. Of course, I have only met one,” Lindon said with a shy smile. “But from all that I have heard, all the elves are, right?”
“That depends if you like the skinny type with no meat on their bones,” Donovan answered with a chuckle. “But yeah, I know what you mean. Their features are sharp and I will admit it, pleasing to the eye. Just don't tell my people I said that; they might think I have gone insane.”
Lindon smiled at that. It was good to see his friends teasing each other. It meant that they cared, and to include Nara, also meant that they had accepted her into their group.
“And yet as
beautiful as the Elves are, compared to the one that I fought, they would look plain and ordinary beside him,” Lindon continued. “There is something so compelling about how they look that it makes you just want to give up and do whatever they ask. If it weren’t for the voice in my head and the barrier I was able to put between my thoughts and the Merrow, I would have fallen.”
“I doubt if they would have the same effect on a Dwarf,” Donovan boasted.
“I don't think you understand, my friend. It was magic, the most subtle and the most powerful I have ever encountered.” Looking to Aina, he continued. “Don't forget, Donovan, the Elves fell to just one of them, and they have had experience with them before,” Lindon said with a little shiver, remembering the Elves lying in the street.
“It took every bit of magic that I had absorbed from going through the barrier, and it was a lot; more than I have ever carried. It was like I was hit with a hundred bolts from the magus, and I was still only able to fight him for a few minutes. Their power is incredible. I don't know if I can find a way to prolong it when facing them. I didn't have much chance to experiment with it, but the more I think about it, I might be able to use less power next time and be able to last longer, but I don't really know if it will work.”
One of the Dwarfs approached Donovan. “Sire. Kailid sent me. The tunnels ahead are blocked.”
“What do you mean blocked?” Donovan asked.
“They are collapsed, and we can go no further. It looks like this area had an earthquake sometime in the past and from what we can tell it's the same for many miles,” the Dwarf told Donovan.
“Damn. Take us to Kailid.”
When they approached, Kailid said, “We will have to travel above ground until we get past this, it looks like it goes on for quite a long way; too far for us to dig.”
Donovan walked to the collapsed tunnel and placing his hand on it, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned to Lindon. “He's right; there is no way to dig our way through. It would take months to open the tunnel.”
“You don't think this is a trap to bring us to the surface?” Lindon asked.
Shaping Magic (Mistakes Return) Page 19