The Eighth God (The Orcslayers Book 1)

by Paul S. Lavender

  ‘My brother, or more precisely my half-brother. Yes, I know commander.’

  ‘Yes. Well, your brother is a very capable young man. I cannot mobilise my forces yet Saethryth. I have no real proof that the orcs are coming. The kings and emperors would never believe me. Can you mobilise the seven Knights?’

  ‘Seven? Hardly Commander, all you’ve got is a new rookie and me. Look, even though I would like to meet my half-brother before you get him killed, myself and the Knight of Amber will go looking for the war band.’

  Saethryth scratched his head, ‘Oh, by the way, the orcs had a bastard in the city. Looked like an elf, he would certainly have fooled all these city folks. You might want to find him, although I think he’ll be long gone.’

  ‘Alright, I’ll have patrols alerted. You better get going, gods be with you.’

  ‘Well, one will be anyway.’ Saethryth headed back out of the window.

  28: Morning

  Melress woke to the sound of gentle snoring coming from across the room, they had arrived at the Battle Mage Inn after an hours hard riding, and Melress had paid for a room from the money he was given by Arande.

  He hadn’t wasted time on any food, but had quickly gotten his armour off and went to bed.

  Ellowe had sat in a chair he placed in front of the door and had stayed there, eventually falling asleep sitting on it.

  The sun was streaming through the window of the room, here and there motes of dust danced and whirled in the small, unseen currents of air.

  Perched on the end of the bed was Caw, his head cocked to one side. It was the bird that was snoring, Melress looked at the bird, which was his animal familiar, and shook his head. I must have the only snoring bird in all the Kingdoms he thought.

  The bird must have sensed his scrutiny as one beady eye opened to regard the half-elf.

  ‘Ah, good you’re awake.’ The raven said.

  ‘Let me guess, Caw, you want to know why Ellowe is with us?’

  ‘Well, it did cross my mind.’

  ‘You’re really nosey, do you know that?’

  ‘I do now, so tell me why we are bringing him along.’

  ‘Caw, the same reason I’m bringing you along. You might be useful one day.’

  Caw laughed, but when a raven laughs it comes out as a series of loud caws. Ellowe jerked upright and looked guiltily around him. Seeing Melress awake he blushed and started to stammer out an apology.

  ‘Relax Ellowe, Caw would have warned us if anyone had tried to break in, anyway I think were still close to the city for bandits.’

  ‘Still, shouldn’t have fallen asleep on duty Si...Melress. It would have got me ten lashes or worse at the castle.’

  ‘Yes, well we aren’t at the castle. Let’s get armoured up and get a move on, we have a long way to go.’

  ‘Melress, can I ask where we are going? You don’t have to tell me, and I’ll understand if you don’t.’

  Melress let out a puff. ‘Well, Ellowe, we’re going to Knight’s Perch, I’m not going to tell you why, not yet anyway. But know this, I’ve got your back, and I hope you will have mine when the time comes. I want to forget the past and move forward as I think we are going to have dark days ahead. Can you forget the past Ellowe and walk into a dark future with me, because if not, I have your letter of safety for you, and you’re free to go?’

  ‘Melress, I am truly sorry for all my past stupidity. You have shown nobility far and above my own. I would be honoured to face the dark with you and call you friend.’

  ‘Then let's suit up and head out.’

  Melress had his armour on quicker, as he only had his leather jacket and trousers to belt up, then his heavy leather boots were put on and his long sword strapped around his waist. While Ellowe was putting his plate mail on, Melress opened the window to the room, and let Caw out into the clear blue sky.

  Melress looked around the inn’s courtyard, a trestle table had been set up to one side, upon which there were various foods, bacon, sausage, bread, tomatoes and apples, oranges and pears. To one side stood an urn full of tea, still steaming into the sky.

  Several merchants and their guards were stood around eating and drinking, their conversation muted by stuffed mouths. A trio of stable boys, none of them older than ten were harnessing teams of oxen or horses onto their waggons. Behind Melress, Ellowe clanked over and looked over the smaller half-elf’s shoulder.

  ‘We had better get down there quickly before the greedy bastards eat it all.’

  ‘Aye, come on then.’

  Melress closed the window, and the two men made their way out of the inn and into the courtyard. Some of the bodyguards tensed on their arrival, hands going to their weapon hilts, then seeing their battle mage colours relaxing again.

  Melress made himself a bacon sandwich and took a bite. The bacon was lukewarm but crispy; he took another bite and turned to watch the others as he ate.

  Ellowe picked up a plate and piled it with bacon and sausage and bread, and went and got two teas, carrying both mugs in one hand and the plate in the other he returned to where Melress was just finishing off his sandwich. Melress took one of the mugs off Ellowe and took a sip of the tea. Lukewarm as well, but it washed down the sandwich nicely.

  ‘Motley Crew’, whispered Ellowe

  ‘Aye, I wouldn’t want to mess with them that’s for sure.’

  The two battle mages watched as the merchants and their guards piled onto their waggons and mounts and started to head off.

  ‘We'll let them have half an hour to get out of the way and then head off,’ said Melress as he turned to make himself another bacon sandwich.

  From the door of the inn, the innkeeper and his wife emerged and started to clear away the detritus that the departing merchants and their retinues had left. The innkeeper gave the two men a quick nod of the head as he cleared the table.

  ‘My lads’ll get yer ‘orses, Sir's.'

  ‘Our thanks, Innkeeper.'

  ‘Oh, I’m not t’keep, tha' be moi lady. No good wiv money me. She’s tha' brains 'ov the outfit.’

  ‘Then our thanks, my Lady, for your hospitality. We slept most pleasantly.’

  The innkeeper smiled at the two men, ‘Your welcome, Sir’s.’

  The two of them then waltzed off balancing plates and mugs with the air and grace of long practice.

  Soon Ellowe had had his fill, and the two men walked over to the stable. Inside their horses were loaded and ready to go, they checked the straps and made sure the horses had no injuries, satisfied Melress gave each of the boys a copper head. The boys nodded their thanks, and then went off to carry out some more of the long list of chores that they had to carry out.

  The two battle mages mounted up and headed along the road towards Knight’s Perch.

  29: Look No Wings

  ‘You look as if you’ve been up half the night.’

  Ashalone jumped at the sound of Saethryth’s voice. How did he get so damn close without her hearing him? She looked at him, he looked fresh and alert, his blond hair neatly brushed, hanging over the hood of his cloak in a wave. He stood about an inch taller than her, slightly on the small side for an elven male. She had already seen and felt that he was physically perfect.

  ‘I have. Took me that long to find out how to get these wings to disappear. It’s…’

  ‘Don’t tell me, once you know it, just think it to get your wings to appear or disappear if you tell anyone they may be able to figure out a way to counteract it. You don’t want to find yourself plummeting out of the sky in the middle of a flight.’

  ‘All right, makes sense I guess. Are you going somewhere and leaving me again?’

  ‘No. You’re coming with me. I spoke to the commander, and he tells me that there is an orcish war band loose in the kingdoms. We need to find it and destroy it.’

  ‘How did a war band get into the kingdom’s and what backup can we expect?’

  Saethryth filled Tierra in on the conversation he had had with the Commander.<
br />
  ‘I don’t think there will be any backup, I think the orcs will have some duplicity in place to cover up my father’s death. I get the feeling it will just be us two.’

  ‘Just us?’

  ‘If I were an orcs war band, I would be rather worried now.’

  ‘Ha-ha.’

  ‘I’m serious. You’re not a soldier anymore, Tierra, you’re a gods-damned hero, it’s just no-one knows it yet!’

  ‘Okay, let’s go to work then,’ said Tierra and then gave a long yawn.

  Saethryth was headed for the door, he turned around.'

  ‘We can leave in an hour or so, go and get a bit more rest.’

  ‘But.’

  ‘No buts, rest, I have a little job in the city I can do while you have a nap.’

  Tierra could see that he would not let her win, so she shuffled off to her bed, as Saethryth made for the front door of the house.

  30: Restitution

  Saethryth walked through the city streets, heading for the poorest quarter. Known locally as The Vile, the name pretty much summed it up. As he walked, he took in the people and the buildings around him. Brightly coloured houses gave way to shops and emporiums with their ancient black and white facades.

  The people he saw went from being fashionably dressed to everyday work wear. The hustle and bustle of city life had never attracted him, and he moved quickly and quietly through the crowds, almost dancing around small clusters of women, as they looked at the goods on offer, while the men looking surly and defiantly on, wishing they were in the nearest pub.

  His eyes were always on the move, always scanning, like a mouse out in the open in the wrong part of town. He knew they would be coming, that someone would have been watching the roof’s last night and reported in.

  And then he saw them; Two men hunkered down on the flat roof of a Butcher’s shop. If it had been a Jeweller's he would have thought it was a heist, but you don’t rob a Butcher, they have knives and blades and don’t mind cutting meat into small pieces. There was many a rumour of high-class establishments selling fillet of thief off as fillet of beef.

  He studiously ignored the two men, they were mere lookouts, something would happen next to get him somewhere quieter, where he could be dealt with.

  From the corner of his left eye, he saw the girl move in. She was about six years old and wore nothing but a dirty smock. He had to resist shaking his head, not only did they send a child to do a man’s job, a child for fucks sake, but the girl was so out of place, she stood out like a slashed thumb.

  The girl reached for his pouch and with well-practised hands slit the pouch near the top, catching the pouch as it fell. It was well done, Saethryth had to admit, most people wouldn’t have even noticed the lift, but he wasn’t most people.

  The girl started to whirl away from him, he took a step or two, pretending indecision and then also whirled to follow the girl. Here we go, he thought.

  The girl suddenly started to pick up speed, and was soon sprinting back through the crowds, Saethryth followed close behind, but not too close as he didn’t want to frighten her, he needed to speak to the men and women hiding behind the girl.

  It was never good to have the local Thieves’ Guild after you, and he wanted it sorted, get them off his arse. Otherwise, he would have to kill them all, and that would present all sorts of complications, a power vacuum being one of them.

  Soon the girl turned and ran off down a nearby alley, and Saethryth followed, they both jumped and danced around the detritus strewn everywhere. A beggar sat on one side of the alley

  Saethryth took no notice as he passed. Guard, was his only thought as he carried on.

  The girl had come to a dead end and had jumped onto a crate that stood against the wall. She stood panting slowly, with hands on hips as Saethryth slowed to a halt. Behind him he heard footsteps approach, turning to look he saw the beggar, the two men from the roof and another dozen thieves and cutthroats. Most of them were dressed in little more than rags, on or two leather jerks could be seen, and they all had a variety of steel knives thrust in belts. He couldn’t see any clubs or staves; he let out a slight smile.

  No problem, he thought.

  He turned to face the girl on the box. ‘You had better leave lass; it’s going to get messy here. Keep the money, and if your boss ever turns up, there’s plenty more where that came from.’

  The girl looked at him and smiled a too knowing smile, a smile that was scary to look at like she was far older than she looked. Saethryth started to feel disconcerted, and realisation started to dawn.

  ‘You’re the boss, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ When the girl spoke it was with a voice as old as dry parchment, ‘And you have killed some of my people. Restitution must be made, a price commensurate with the losses I will incur over their working lives...or we kill you.’

  ‘And how much do you think your people are worth? What do I call you anyway, might as well be civil? My name is Saethryth.’

  ‘Ha, Knight. Aye I know what you are, you will not get my name, it has not been heard for over five thousand years, but you can call me the Black Empress.’

  ‘Hmm, I’ve heard of you. It’s a surprise we haven’t met before, but then I have been out of town. So again, I ask, how much are your people worth, Black Empress?’

  ‘Twenty gold heads each, Knight, that is my blood price.’

  ‘I hardly think that your men would have made that much in a lifetime of stealing copper heads, I’ll give you twenty for the lot and an extra five gold heads for the Snuffer’s family.’

  ‘They all had family, Knight.’

  ‘Then twenty for yourself, and twenty for the four families.’

  The girl seemed to think about for a moment, ‘No, Knight, not enough.’

  ‘Very well, last offer thirty for you and twenty for the families’, he smiled, ’Come on Black Empress, it’s a good offer, and you know it.’

  His smile faded as the girl before him began to grow and change before his eyes, skin turned paler, yellower, like a week-old bruise. Fingers stretched and became double jointed and clawed, the head became elongated, and mouth became stretched showing needle sharp teeth. A long black forked tongue probed the air, like a snake ready to strike. Small beads of saliva dripped to spit onto the ground, clouds of smoke rising as the liquid ate at the cobbles.

  ‘I know many things Orcslayer because I have lived a very, very long time. I have even killed the likes of you before, once or twice! Shall we see who will best whom? Shall we fight to the death, Knight? I AM THE BLACK EMPRESS, not a fucking fishwife or mercenary, the price is 20 gold heads each and a further 20 silver heads for the families because you’ve managed to piss me off, now pay or die!’

  Saethryth cocked his head to one side and crossed his arms, looking hard at the Black Empress he let out a sigh

  ‘If it wasn’t for the fact I have somewhere else to be I’d take you up on your offer, however, I do, so here is your money. But I’ll be back after my work is done, if you care to resume this conversation.’

  Saethryth took a leather bag from under his cloak and threw it at the creature’s feet, the bag split open as it hit the ground and coins went tumbling in all directions. He turned and barged his way through the wall of thieves before him. As he got near the end of the alley a voice from behind yelled, ‘Wait, you’ve forgotten your change!’

  Saethryth kept walking as rough laughter broke out behind him.

  31: The Farmer’s Daughter

  Bazak-Kul had been walking for hours, his feet were sore and blistered, his stomach was rumbling, as he hadn’t eaten since he had left the inn with Ashalone, he was tired and miserable, and he needed to eat. All he had seen for the last hour was the long grass of the plains, with the odd tree-dotted here and there.

  Shatak spare me a moment of your time and help me out, he thought.

  His stomach gave another loud grumble, and as he looked about him, he saw a thin column of smoke coming from behind a nea
rby hill. He didn’t care if it was bandits, soldiers whatever, smoke meant people and people meant food. He could talk anyone around to giving him a crust and a cup of water if that was all that was on offer. He started to cut across the grass towards the smoke.

  He proceeded more cautiously as he neared the top of the hill, advancing at a stoop and as he got to the top lying down flat, so as not to show on the horizon. Looking down he saw a small farmstead; the smoke was rising from the chimney. As he looked closer, he saw that the fences around the pens were broken, and the door of the house looked to be leaning off its hinges. Then he spotted a body and then another. There was no sign of movement at all, not even crows circling above waiting to feed.

  After ten minutes of not moving, Bazak rose and stealthily moved towards the farmstead.

  Arriving at the side of the house he moved cautiously to the edge and peered around. To his surprise a young woman was sitting on the step to the house, her head in her hands, her body gently wracked with sobs. As he came out of hiding, his feet scuffed on the dirt and the woman looked up like a frightened rabbit, she pulled out a kitchen knife as she rose.

  ‘Bastards, bastards you’ve killed my parents, but I’ll take one of you before you can get any pleasure out of me.’

  ‘Wait, Lady, I have just come off the road, where I saw your smoke. Let me help. Who did this?’

  The woman’s face framed by a cascade of chestnut brown hair was red and blotchy from crying, and her clothes were dirty and worn. Bazak thought she looked pretty in a homely sort of way. Her clothes were well fitting and showed the curves of her breasts. If he played his cards right he should be banging her by dark, he thought.

  ‘Tell me my Lady, who did this? Tell me, then we can set to burying your parents, they cannot lie there forever, for it is sunny and the crows will soon come.’

  ‘Not who Sir, what, orcs I’d say, although I’ve never seen one before for we’re supposed to be at peace.’