by Tom Burton
“Yes, master.”
The wind blows again, and the fireplace flickers out. Luke is left alone in the house.
The next morning, before the sun rises on the new day. Luke carries all of his possessions in a small bag from out of the house and gives them to an orc nearby. He sees the orc warriors readying to march, and gives a signal to the Orc commander.
“Move out!” the commander yells. The legion of orcs begins their march toward Greyshore.
Later that same morning, in Greyshore, Tom Silver carries two buckets of milk toward the house. Staring out a window of the house, Robert sees his youngest son struggle with the load. He goes out to give him a hand.
“Here, give me one,” Robert offers.
Tom struggles to pass one of the buckets to his father. Robert smiles as the two walk back to their house.
“You’ll get there,” Robert says, “it just takes time.”
“I miss him,” Tom whispers.
Robert looks back at Tom, gazes back at the house.
Me too, Son….” Robert sighs. “Me too.”
Suddenly, the two hear people screaming in the village. They turn around to see smoke rising from within the center of Greyshore.
“Get inside!” Robert instructs Tom.
The two rush into the house with their buckets of milk.
Within Greyshore, Luke and the orcs have begun raiding the village. The orcs storm into the buildings one by one…they move slowly but relentless across the village, collecting every human they can find. They round them up and hold them captive on a large field on the outskirts of the village. Soon after the village has been cleared, the orcs turn to the farmhouses outside of the village.
Luke waits at the field where the humans are being held. The number of captured grows into the hundreds…then into the thousands. Eventually, the orc commander approaches Luke.
“That’s all of them, my lord.”
Luke nods. He walks up to the crowd of captured humans.
“My name is Luke Snow...and I am the new Lord of the West,” Luke announces to the crowd. He snaps his fingers, and an orc carries Lord Fuller, stopping next to Luke. Some gasp in shock at seeing their lord, as he is pushed to his knees.
“There cannot be two, only one,” Luke observes. He grabs his sword and swings it at the back of Lord Fuller’s neck, chopping his head off cleanly. Some in the crowd scream in horror. The orcs then carry the head and body away from Luke.
“I am here for one reason—I am looking for an Aaron Silver.” When the crowd only stares back in silence, Luke continues: “Now I know how everyone in the West is loyal to each other, and you would not reveal something like that gladly. However, unless you want to end up like your previous lord, you will tell me.”
In spite of Luke’s words, he again receives nothing but silence from the thousands in the crowd. Luke looks back toward the commander, who then moves to the crowd and grabs an elderly man. Some of the men and women around him start to argue and scream, begging them to stop, but other orcs keep them in their place.
“I did warn you all!” Luke shouts.
The orc commander brings the elderly man to the same spot where Lord Fuller was previously and forces the man to his knees. Men and women continue to scream in horror.
“Wait!”
Luke looks over, and sees a hand raised: a man near the back of the crowd. He points toward the man. “Grab him,” he instructs several of the orcs.
The commander shoves the elderly man back to the people at the front of the crowd as the orcs rush over to the man with his hand raised. They grab him quickly and stand him up.
“Who are you?” the orc commander asks.
“I’m Aaron’s father…” Robert Silver replies. The orcs become frenzied with excitement as they grab Robert and start dragging him over to Luke. Suddenly another one of the captured men stands up.
“And I am his brother!” Tom Silver bravely shouts.
Luke smiles at seeing them both own up to being members of Aaron Silver’s family.
“Bring them both over,” Luke instructs.
The orcs drag Robert and Tom to Luke, who immediately puts them on their knees in front of them.
As he and his son are on their knees, Robert notices, in the distance, a young rider galloping away from the crowd. He smiles to himself, seeing him ride away.
Luke suddenly intervenes. He kneels in front of the two Silvers. Luke signals the orcs to let go of their grip on them both; the orcs obey.
“Why did your son leave Greyshore?” Luke asks Robert.
“He never said,” Robert replies sharply.
Luke laughs sarcastically.
“Aaron never told his father why he was going to leave Greyshore and head for the capital?” Luke asks.
Robert simply nods his head in response.
“How does it feel, to betray your own race?” Robert asks.
“Maybe the race betrayed me,” Luke argues. “They are a weak and cowardly bunch who will turn their back on you at any given moment.”
“Humanity is strong. It is powerful, constantly underrated by all the other races around us.” Robert slowly stands as he speaks, watching over Luke. “Thousands of us stand together against you,” Robert says. Beside him, Tom stands up, scowling at Luke.
Luke looks away for a second, frustrated. But he gathers himself, and slowly stands up to match Robert. He unsheathes his sword, as some of the orcs near him unsheathe theirs as well. Suddenly Luke grabs the back of Tom’s head and plunges his sword through his throat. Before Robert can do anything, Luke kicks him in the chest, launching Robert into the crowd.
“Slaughter them!” Luke orders the orcs.
As one, the orcs charge the humans. As the crowd fights back, thrashing their hands and feet, Luke looks at Tom again, whose pale eyes stare back in horror. Luke pulls the sword back, and watches Tom fall the ground. Then he walks slowly away from the slaughter. A few orc subordinates follow him keenly.
“What now, my lord?” asks one of the orcs.
“We head back home, bringing the lord’s head with us, as a token gesture.”
Another orc approaches him from the side.
“My lord, a few Redlock scouts spotted a base in the East…it’s military.”
Luke stops and looks at the orc.
“I’m sure we can make a stop along the way home,” Luke suggests confidently.
Robert manages to resurface from the crowd. He runs desperately to Tom’s body. Cradling Tom in his arms, he falls to the ground, unable to comprehend that his youngest son is dead. Slowly picking him up, he cries over his lifeless face, the fight raging all around him.
As the sun rises on a new day in Dellmoor, Laura Hutton rushes through the corridors within the royal castle. The noise of her boots pounding the concrete floors echo across the entire castle. Eventually Laura arrives at the king’s chambers, and she stands in front of the closed double doors. She pauses for a moment, catching her breath. Then she knocks on the door loudly and quickly.
“Laura Hutton, my king,” Laura calls through the closed doors. She waits nervously for a response.
“It’s open,” the king wearily mutters.
Laura slowly opens the doors. She walks toward the king, who is getting out of bed.
“Pardon your grace, my queen,” Laura offers the royal couple. Queen Kendra is still in bed, half asleep.
“What news, Laura?” the king asks. His eyes are still adjusting to the clear sky and the sun shining through the window.
Laura then begins to smile. “They’re back!” she tells the king.
The king focuses on Laura for a moment then looks back to the queen. Then, again, he looks back to Laura.
“Gather them in the throne room, as quick as you can!” King Edmund instructs.
Laura nods
her head and strides out of the room, closing the doors behind her.
Outside the capital, an extremely weary Sam walks ahead of his three companions. He looks up from the map in his hand and sees the high walls of Dellmoor in the distance. He smiles and turns around. Aaron, Jaylen, and Daniel are following behind him, walking as a trio.
“We’ve made it!” Sam informs them excitedly. The next moment he turns and carries on walking.
Aaron and Daniel smile at finally returning to the capital. Jaylen’s expression, however, remains vacant.
Once Sam turns onto the main pathway that leads to the front gates of the city, he stops and waits for the others to catch up.
“It’s good to be back!” Daniel says.
Jaylen looks over to him coldly. “We still have a job to do,” he says.
Daniel ignores Jaylen’s assertion; together, the four men walk weakly toward the front gates.
As they approach the gate, Jaylen looks up. He finds more soldiers manning the walls than when the four men had left the city. He looks above the front gate and sees archers at the ready. Once they walk through the gates and enter the city, Daniel sees Laura Hutton up ahead. Laura smiles to him, and Daniel strides quickly toward her. Aaron and Sam smile. When Daniel reaches Laura, the two close friends share a tight hug but quickly release their hold on each other.
“It’s good to see you back,” Laura tells Daniel nervously.
“It’s good to be back,” Daniel replies, smiling ear to ear.
Jaylen suddenly appears between the two, visibly irritated. “How’s my city?” he asks Laura.
Laura snaps back to focus on the matter at hand. She turns to Jaylen.
“Desperate, my lord. They await news.”
Aaron and Sam now join them.
“The king knows of your return,” Laura tells them all. “He has asked for your presence in the throne room right away.”
Jaylen nods. He marches straight toward the royal castle. The others nervously follow.
Inside the castle, the throne room doors are open for the four to proceed to the king. King Edmund sits on his throne, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together nervously. Jaylen continues to lead the other three; they remain just as nervous as the king. As Jaylen approaches, he goes down on one knee in front of King Edmund. Aaron and Daniel quickly stand to the side of Jaylen and bow. Sam eventually bows, too.
“Stand,” the king instructs.
The four men stand up simultaneously.
“What news have you brought home?”
Jaylen steps closer to the king, separating himself from the others.
“Your grace, the rumors were true.”
After a few moments, the king leans back in his chair. His eyes stay fixed on Jaylen.
“We went up to Redlock, what we thought was an empty stronghold filled with myth and legend…was the complete opposite. The stronghold is alive, full of orc soldiers, preparing for an all-out war with the rest of Neroman.”
King Edmund closes his eyes for a few moments. When he opens them again, he looks toward the four men.
“How have they built an army so quickly?” the king asks.
While Jaylen considers the king’s question for a few seconds, Sam takes a step forward.
“The natural resources surrounding Redlock were completely eradicated,” he tells the king. “I assume they’ve been consuming these resources to speed up the process of creating their army of orcs.”
“There was something else…your grace,” Aaron reluctantly says.
King Edmund turns his attention to Aaron.
“On the way back, we encountered two men on the road. When they told us who they were, we didn’t believe them.” King Edmund leans forward with interest. “The two men were...Azdus and Goras.”
Kind Edmund springs up from the throne. He walks down the steps toward Aaron.
“The two wizards…the ones that disappeared centuries ago?”
Aaron nods.
“And how did you know it was them?” the king asks.
Aaron looks toward Jaylen. Jaylen slowly takes off his armor then lifts the bottom of his undershirt, showing the king the wound on his stomach.
“That wound almost killed him,” Aaron explains, “until the wizards healed it in a manner of seconds.”
King Edmund gazes at the wound for a few moments then slowly looks back to Aaron.
“Rest, all of you. You’ve had a long and tiring journey.”
Sam is the first to turn toward the front gates of the throne room. Daniel quickly follows behind.
King Edmund slowly turns away disappointed by what he was just told. He passes through the small doorway at the corner of the throne room.
“He believed you,” Jaylen reassures Aaron, lingering behind Sam and Daniel.
“How do you know?” Aaron asks.
Jaylen smiles.
“He’s living in the capital, he knows a liar when he sees one.”
Aaron seems reassured by his comment.
“Come,” Daniel shouts to them both, “I need a good ale!” The four men walk out of the royal castle, then stroll together down the street. Jaylen points to a nearby building.
“The ale is free here,” he says.
“The military barracks?” Daniel asks.
“Of course, I don’t drink…but you do!” Jaylen says.
He turns toward the barracks. The others follow him.
As the four men walk into the barracks, they come straight into the main hallway; a contingent of young cadets part ways for Jaylen to pass by. Aaron, Daniel, and Sam follow hesitantly, feeling as though they have not warranted the right to intrude. Eventually, the four men sit down on a bench at the end of the hallway. One of the young cadets sets four pints of ale on the table. Jaylen nods gratefully, but slowly sets his drink aside.
“I reckon we can get you drinking by the end of the day,” Daniel remarks, noting the ale Jaylen had pushed aside.
“The king will be preparing for a siege,” Jaylen warns.
Jaylen’s remark captures the attention of the other three men.
“Under no circumstances do you tell anyone — the last thing this city needs is a panic,” Jaylen explains.
Aaron and Daniel nod, as they understand the severity of the situation, drinking their ales as they do so. But Sam sighs as he looks away. Jaylen notes this.
“You all right, Sam?” Jaylen asks.
Sam quickly turns back to Jaylen but waits a moment before he responds.
“You know how to fight—all of you. What good am I going to be in a siege?”
Daniel puts his arm around Sam.
“A siege is not just about fighting; saving lives is more important than taking them.”
Reluctantly, Sam nods.
Daniel pulls back his arm from around Sam’s shoulders. “I will speak to the king about our next plan for defending Neroman,” he reassures all of his companions.
Just then Laura walks into the room. Daniel spots her but looks away quickly, pretending to not have noticed her. Laura sees the four men sitting at the other end of the room. She nervously approaches their table.
“Hi, Laura!” Aaron shouts.
As soon as Aaron calls out to her, Daniel quickly turns around to see her.
“Hello, everyone!” Laura greets.
Sam simply waves at her; Daniel smiles back. Laura looks toward Daniel apprehensively.
“Daniel, may I speak with you?” Laura asks.
Daniel puts his ale down quickly. Then, he walks up to Laura and follows her out of the barracks.
Aaron and Sam try to control their laughter but eventually end up laughing. Jaylen looks at the two, confused.
“What are you laughing at?”
Sam and Aaron only roll their eyes at him.
“Has the king told you of our report?” Daniel asks Laura.
Laura nods her head.
“I never expected the commoners to be correct about it all! I always thought they were all rumors!” Laura admits. Daniel laughs, but Laura seems to be nervous about something, her gaze is jittery, never focusing in any particular direction. But she turns to look at Daniel.
“There is something that I have to tell you,” Laura says. She stops in her path. Daniel turns toward her. Laura takes a deep breath.
“I have been hearing grave things being said among the soldiers.”
Laura looks at the paving stones of the street, then at Daniel again.
“There has been an attack on Greyshore,” Laura says, breaking the news to Daniel.
Aghast, Daniel takes a step back. He runs back to the barracks: back to Aaron. Laura raises her arm and calls out to him.
Daniel stops and looks back at her.
“If this is true, Aaron has to know!” Daniel argues. But, Laura says firmly, “The king will tell him; he needs Aaron here.”
Daniel is left confused with Laura’s explanation of King Edmund’s demands. The two then see a pair of guards in the distance, entering the barracks.
Inside the barracks, the guards hear howling and laughter. They spot Aaron, Sam, and Jaylen sitting at the table across the room. The guards march toward their table.
“You won’t let us rest, will you?” Jaylen jokes.
The guards look at Jaylen nervously.
“Apologies, lord commander—but we have received a letter from Greyshore,” one of the guards tells Jaylen. Aaron turns to face the guard, who is now all ears.
“The king would like to see you both back in the throne room,” the other guard informs Aaron and Jaylen, “Immediately!”
Jaylen sighs in annoyance, then turns to Sam.
“Head back to the chamber, we will meet you there,” Jaylen instructs.
Sam quickly leaves the table.
Aaron looks deeply troubled, as the king has received the letter from Greyshore, not him. Jaylen and Aaron follow the guards out of the barracks.