The strange white objects lay flat upon the table, El-Vador had been staring at them for some time in the dying light of the flickering lantern while waiting for Salvarius' return. He knew he was being guarded, the shuffling of booted feet was regimental in its lack of stealth, even if it wasn't visible it served as a pointed reminder that he was deep in the heart of Orcish territory. He also had no doubts that more guards would be stationed in the cavern from whence he had crawled, as placid as things seemed now he was under no illusions that he was trapped.
Unless the voice aided him in killing them all, that was. From the complete silence had been treated to over the last while he suspected that was not the case.
Salvarius returned long before the flame in the lantern guttered out, this time he arrived in plain garb, divested of all his armour and looking vulnerable without it.
The man had known that El-Vador still possessed his weapons, had the guard Captain's shedding of his own defences been a ploy to win over his trust?
'I could kill you right now.' El-Vador informed him conversationally as he approached in plain sight.
The man nodded at him in acknowledgement of this simple fact. 'You could, but it would be an entirely futile gesture and I don't think you're the sort to take such action without thought.'
El-Vador inclined his head slightly and kicked out a seat toward him, inviting him to parley with him once more.
'I have spoken to General Harg,' Salvarius began, 'he knows that you are here but he has been led to believe that I have imprisoned you.'
The Elf looked about him. 'I may as well be, you have me fairly well guarded to the point of making escape most difficult.'
The guard Captain shrugged. 'A necessary precaution and a largely perfunctory exercise, it doesn't change the reality of the situation.'
El-Vador steepled his fingers and looked over the tabletop at the man with mistrust. 'What would the reality of this situation be?'
'That should the rest of the populace become aware that an Elf resided amongst them they would descend upon you and tear you to pieces.'
He smirked at the guard then. 'Such a noble species, the Orcs.'
Salvarius ignored the jibe. 'I will return with bedding and greet you in the morning, then I shall outline my plan to you before finally convincing Harg to depart.'
'What if your beloved General decides that he doesn't want to depart? What if he would rather see my skin nailed upon his wall?'
'Then I shall release you, and you are free to go elsewhere.'
This simple statement did not seem to remedy the Elf of his concerns, instead he continued to stare at Salvarius with those strange eyes of his, the angular features perched over the top of his steepled hands. 'I am here for a reason, I shall not be leaving this burrow until that reason is fulfilled.'
'Very well.' the man replied, not realising that El-Vador himself did not know exactly what that reason was and instead assuming it was to kill all the Orcs within.
They parted briefly on that, only for Salvarius to return and silently lay out some bedding for him. El-Vador settled cautiously into the luxurious comfort, he hadn't slept this well in some time but the walls of the cavern kept reminding him just where he was.
He only hoped that the voice would provide him with the alacrity required to not perish.
Waking to the sound of booted feet, his eyes adjusted as the room went from total darkness to complete illumination and a slow deterioration of his previous sight gifted by the voice into the flickering light of an incoming torch that made the shadows dance.
Rising quickly to his feet he drew his blade and readied to strike, he need not have bothered as it was Salvarius who had appeared, clad in his armour of before but lacking his customary helm. There was a tiredness about the man's eyes that hadn't been present the previous night, as if he hadn't slept. El-Vador gave the observation no further thought, he had other more important things on his mind at present than the well-being of a potential threat.
Feeling his leg, he straightened up painfully and hid the injury from sight. Any previous injuries he'd accrued were soon cured by a brief slumber and his own body's repair. That the crushing of his leg hadn't been cured immediately and seemed just as painful as before worried him.
'Well?' El-Vador asked the approaching figure, 'have you spoken to your benevolent leader about tucking his tail between his legs and fleeing the burrow?'
Salvarius offered him a tired look. 'The General has been dealt with, he will be leaving the burrow on business I have arranged for him this morning.'
El-Vador eyed him suspiciously, how had the man been so capable of getting the Orcish General to leave his residence at a moment's notice? Unless Salvarius himself had planned this some time ago and simply needed an accomplice to pull it off.
'Here.' Salvarius said, chucking a large bundle at him and forcing the Elf to catch it. 'You'll need these if you want to make it through this alive.'
El-Vador stared at the hooded robes and donned them while keeping a watchful gaze upon his would-be guide.
'None of the Orcs are aware of your presence here, I wish to keep it that way.'
It was a reasonable precaution, and without further preamble the man was off, presumably expecting El-Vador to follow in his wake. He went after him slowly, drinking in every stone wall while masking his limp from any unseen eyes. As he led, the Guard captain continued to outline his plan.
'We are to travel into the very depths of this underground burrow, to a place often unseen by even Orcish eyes. A place where smoke and fire are prohibited and the very genesis of my first thoughts of rebellion against this foul race.'
'Speak plainly.' El-Vador replied, his hand involuntarily moving to his back to unsheathe his sword and instead finding the cloak there.
Salvarius smirked, recognising the movement of the Elf's arm and the conditions he had been placed in. 'I remind you once again, if I had wanted to imprison you I have an entire burrow of Orcs to call down upon you at any given moment should my own might of arms not be enough. As for the place I am leading you to, I shall allow it to speak for itself.'
The Elf shrugged and followed, he had little choice but to trust this man now as they descended even deeper into the darkness, Salvarius holding the torch aloft to brighten the walls whilst entirely unaware that El-Vador could see just fine with his enhanced eyesight.
They travelled through the deeper reaches of the Orcish burrow for some time, the thick cloak that El-Vador wore did little to ward off the chill that had slowly seeped into his bones. The caves grew deeper and the ceiling gradually disappeared from even his improved sight, making him idly wonder how the burrow could be constructed above such hollow earth.
Eventually their endless trek ceased, none too soon for El-Vador's injured leg, which he had long since given up disguising. Salvarius had simply stopped for reasons unknown, potentially to impart some new wisdom regarding his plan.
'Before we continue any further, it would be advisable for me to explain what lies beyond.'
El-Vador peered at the far wall beyond them and spotted a large metal door set into it that differed greatly in construction from anything he had previously seen in the burrow. 'What is it that lies beyond?'
'A large cache of an alchemical substance powerful enough to eradicate the entirety of the burrow.'
The Elf raised an eyebrow. 'You expect me to believe that such a destructive force was simply lying down here waiting to be ignited?' he looked around him, as if expecting some kind of ambush to set upon him. 'What stopped you from simply setting such a substance alight prior to my arrival if you loathed the Orcs so much?'
He caught something odd in the man's eyes as he turned to face him then, but it was gone too quickly for him to determine what.
'Prior to your fortunate arrival I had no opportunity to do so without killing General Harg. Your destroying of supply wagons between the burrows has caused quite the fuss, few have dared to attack the Orcs directly in many years.
The great council has called for a session in the main burrow, General Harg will be travelling there soon upon my advice. He wanted to send me as the representative but I convinced him that the council would frown upon such actions from the leader of a burrow that has been directly targeted.'
Realising that he had no choice but to accept the man's story whether it held truth or not, El-Vador nodded. He could see from the man's reaction that he knew he hadn't convinced the Elf of anything.
'You're just going to have to trust me.' he said in response to the caution still in his prisoner's eyes. 'I would not detail such a plan to you if I was simply going to throw you into a dungeon after.'
'You have your distraction.' El-Vador said. 'Why involve me any further in this when you can now simply do everything yourself?'
Salvarius smiled. 'I may be able to take this burrow alone, but that would leave me stranded in Orcish lands with nothing but my wits to serve me. Having a co-conspirator, even one that I do not entirely trust, is still much better than working alone in such lands.'
It was the crux of his argument and the Elf begrudgingly had to admit that it made sense, there was nothing to lose in Salvarius' mind by teaming up with him. El-Vador had already spared his life once before, so he knew it was unlikely that the Elf would stab him in the back now after aiding him. Not that men decked in plate could be stabbed so easily.
Seeing that he had done enough to convince El-Vador not to kill him, Salvarius paced forward and rapped on the large door with his gauntlet.
A series of clicks began working through the inside of the door, as if a thousand termites had all begun marching in unison from the top to bottom. The result was the door swinging open with a creak that echoed out into the cavern and bounced around the insides of El-Vador's keen ears.
The inside of the chamber was darkness, Salvarius held up his torch to further illuminate its contents, still completely oblivious to El-Vador's own sight. The innards of this smaller chamber were just as plain as the hard dirt and stone walls they had travelled through before. For some reason El-Vador had been expecting something more grandiose or significant to be hidden behind this intricate door.
'The Orcs are a practical people.' Salvarius informed him, answering his unspoken observation. 'They have little user for décor or over-elaborate designs. Their lives are proven through action rather than the congregation of things.'
El-Vador shrugged, he cared not what Salvarius thought of his adopted people, and was more than a little suspicious that the man had spoken positively of them while attempting to help destroy them.
The smaller corridor wound onward into what would have been darkness until eventually peeling off into a larger concourse area upon which there were a myriad of benches stacked with ingredients the likes of which El-Vador had never seen.
He had once been inside a small hut that had served as the village's apothecary and herbalist, but it had been paltry compared to the scale of the vast array of plant life and ground powders that surrounded him now.
'Our chief herb man and co-conspirator resides within this small sanctum. Under these walls are created mixtures that could level armies.' He took a deep breath of air, pausing dramatically as if soaking himself in the sensation of his tools for vengeance. 'Or level burrows.'
It was the conviction in the man's voice that gave El-Vador pause, there was no doubt or hesitation behind the words. He really did mean them, but another question quickly rose in opposition to Salvarius winning him over.
'Why would anyone so devoted to their craft choose to destroy all that they have worked to build?'
A phlegm-riddled cough interrupted Salvarius' response, followed by shaky footsteps that El-Vador's hearing had somehow failed to pick up previously.
'Your friend asks too many damn questions, boy.'
It wasn't an Orc that spoke, and he was using the common tongue rather than the rough variant of Orcish that El-Vador had grown accustomed to. He was swathed in a robe much like the one El-Vador had been given, though this one bore the stains and burn marks of much use and did little to disguise the frail frame underneath.
Affixing this newcomer with his rheumy gaze, the old man muttered something inaudible to himself and then made his way to one of the benches. 'I suppose you're here about the magical powder that will make your problems go away?'
El-Vador opened his mouth to voice a question but Salvarius cut in. 'Is the final batch prepared?'
A grunt of distaste was the only response for a while, El-Vador was still wondering why there was another human down here in the first place.
'I am old.' the man said angrily, 'it takes me more time to do things properly and that's something I don't have much left of.'
He hobbled over toward them and grasped Salvarius by his arm, the stick-like fingers working their way under the plate. 'I can feel it, eating away at me, but you will have your powder and the Orcs will have what's coming to them.'
The guard Captain turned to El-Vador now, a sense of purpose and expectancy about him now that his plans had been outlined in full. 'Are you with us, Elf?'
El-Vador nodded silently, which brought an unnerving toothless grin to the old man's face.
The large door on the far side of the room creaked open and out stepped four heavily-armed Orcish guards wielding wicked-looking axes and wearing the grim look of killers without compunction.
The lead guard stepped forward and promptly lopped off the head of the old man, spattering both Salvarius and El-Vador with blood.
Tracing a finger down his face and staring at the blood in mild distaste, Salvarius nodded at the guard, who saluted him in return.
'Why?' the Elf asked of Salvarius' betrayal. 'You could have taken me into custody at any point, why here? Why now?'
The man was silent as the guards divested the Elf of both his robes and weapons, El-Vador felt no compelling power to prevent them gifted by the voice and thus wasn't foolish enough to resist their rough and questing hands. He offered Salvarius' impassive face one final murderous glare before the swiftly descending axe handle rendered him unconscious.
XL
Captivity. There are many forms, emotional or physical, that can be inflicted upon an individual. I have experienced them all, I have no plans to experience them again.
The cell was cold and damp, and though the lack of illumination did not trouble El-Vador the general lack of care did. They were not being overconfident in their confining him with only two guards in the room, they simply knew that he could offer them little resistance that wouldn't immediately be known about by the Orcs beyond.
They cared not for his health or well-being and as a result he had not slept or eaten since the day before arriving at the burrow. In this subterranean place it was impossible to determine the hour anyway, so he tried not to dwell on just how long he had been here lest he drive himself mad.
The burning desire for freedom was what had pushed him, it seemed an eternity ago that he had stood in defiance of the Orcs and their occupation. Now he was in the heart of their society and was being trampled upon once more. The rage blossomed within him but the voice was silent yet again, implying that now was not the time to strike back at his captors.
The tiredness made his head muggy and unresponsive, he couldn't think of a way to get himself out of this impossible situation and the lack of aid was beginning to cause a mild panic to build within him. He had no doubt that the double-cross by Salvarius would result in his death, from execution or eternal imprisonment. He needed to do something, before his fate was taken out of his hands entirely.
A knock sounded on the outer door, which in turn led to a brief discussion between the answering guard and this new arrival that El-Vador couldn't quite make out. The door was flung open and Salvarius marched in, his eyes constantly resting on the cage that the Elf resided in as he held aloft what seemed a customary torch in these dark conditions.
'Come to gloat about how you suckered me into believing?' El-Vador snapped at hi
m, surprised at the wince the tone elicited from the man.
Motioning to the guards, he was left in silence with his prisoner so that his words may be heard by no other.
'I am not here to gloat.' the man began saying, then stopped to stare into middle-distance, as if searching for the right words. 'The things that I said to you, they were all true. The meaning behind them was heartfelt, there was not a single word that I did not believe with all of my heart.'
El-Vador snorted at this. 'It is as easy to disavow your actions with more words as it is to breathe the air of this cell. Your actions do not add up, guard Captain. If you truly cared for my well-being and the destruction of the Orcs, you would not have imprisoned me as if you were still a servile lackey of your lord.'
Salvarius seemed to absorb all of this without moving a muscle, as if waiting for the Elf to run out of speech before continuing what he had been saying previously. 'I know that the game of trust is one that is easily broken, and from your bearing I understand that this isn't the first time that your confidence has seemed misplaced. I want you to know that the general I serve is a very intelligent being, if he senses the slightest scent of treachery from me he will have my head without compunction. This is why I must play the game on both sides, this is why for a time you must exercise patience, in due course you shall see that it will be to your benefit.'
There it was again, the man delivered his words without the slightest hint of disingenuousness pervading his speech. Had he really been echoing a truth that was much more complex than El-Vador had been initially led to believe?
'You speak of benefits, yet here I am rotting in a cell surrounded by enemies. I see no beneficiary from this deal other than yourself and the General you lick the boots of.'
Salvarius shook his head sadly. 'I know that you won't believe me, but I had to make an allowance for the possibility so that events about to unfold would not leave you paralysed with indecision or shock.' He turned then, as if to leave the prison altogether. 'Believe what you will, Elf. A time will come when your words of defiance will hold no meaning, their clattering against my eardrums will have as little effect as the strike of a blade upon my cuirass. When that time comes, I ask of you to be vigilant and ready.'
El-Vador's Travels Page 29