by Megg Jensen
Ademar licked the fish juice from his fingers. "Why can't we go there?"
"It's the land of the dead," Tace said.
"I've never heard of this place," Ademar said.
"Because it's not for human ears. Not even clever ones who live among orcs in Agitar. We don't speak of it." Tace glared at Nemia. "How could you suggest it? You know to go there is death. No one returns."
"We will return," Nemia said. "I've seen it."
"What else have you seen?" Tace asked. "What else are you withholding?"
Nemia looked down at her hands, trembling. "I've seen death and destruction. Horrors beyond your wildest nightmares." She looked up at Tace. "The only bright spot in my visions involves the two of you. If you do as I have seen, there is hope we will avoid the utter destruction of orckind."
Chapter 31
Smoke swirled around Hacun's head, gauzy tendrils sweeping gently over her face. She breathed in the spicy scent, letting it fill every nook of her spirit until she no longer felt she was of this world.
She cast out her mind beyond the orc village where she'd lived all her life. Not far in the distance, she found an encampment of humans.
She counted their numbers, slowly, carefully, floating over them, appearing as no more than the night fog to their untrained eyes. Thousands. More souls than lived in her small village of Gunder. Yet there was something advancing between her village and the humans. Something very peculiar.
"Well?" The angry voice jerked her out of her travels, snapping her soul back so hard Hacun took a deep, rasping breath as she reclaimed her body.
"There are a few thousand." Hacun's eyes wrenched open. The huge orc sat in front of her, his impatient fingers tapping on his knees. "Next time, allow me to return on my own. It's painful like that."
"We don't have time to worry about your comfort." Crotus stood and began pacing around the small meeting hall. Though it could fit up to fifty, only the two of them sat there in the dark of the night.
Hacun wanted to argue with her husband, but he was right. They didn't have time.
"What should we do?" Hacun was a scout, a messenger. She had no interest in planning battles or takeovers, and lately, that was all her husband seemed to do. Once it was announced the throne was available for the taking, Crotus insisted he be the one to take it.
At his age, Hacun found that idea completely ridiculous, but her husband was a grown orc. If he wanted to fight for the throne, she wouldn't stand in his way.
Now they had the added threat of these humans. Hacun wished she knew how they'd made it past the pass. All they had was a note from the tower, delivered by crows, telling them the humans were on the way. No elaboration.
Hacun could barely wrap her mind around it.
She gathered a handful of sand and tossed it onto the fire, dousing the sacred flames that allowed her to travel outside her body.
"We have two choices." Crotus held up two of his three fingers. He'd lost the pinky finger in battle as a young orc. "One, we fight. Two, we make for Agitar now."
"And once we arrive at Agitar?" Hacun raised an eyebrow, curious what her husband would answer.
"We will ask for sanctuary." Crotus balled his left hand into a fist, then slammed it into the wall. He spun around, facing his wife. "I don't know what else to do. We are under attack from humans—HUMANS—at our doorstep. Our village isn’t known for its might. We are an old community. We don't have the numbers to succeed, and I refuse to spill blood for no reason."
"Drothu would say the reason is clear. We are to die fighting as orcs. Death is not something to fear." Hacun waited for Crotus’s wrath to descend upon her. It was always in his words, never with his fists. He wouldn't dare raise a hand to his wife. Hacun folded her hands in her lap, waiting for his tirade.
Instead, Crotus’s shoulders dipped. He blinked twice, his eyes sad. "I am too old for this, my wife." Crotus fell at Hacun's feet. "I know I spoke of taking the orc throne. It was the young orc in me, excited for a chance at ruling. But I have had a good life here, in Gunder, with you and our orcs. I cannot want for anything more. I let my pride overtake me."
Surprised, Hacun reached out, running her hand over Crotus’s gray hair. She hadn't noticed until that moment how much he'd aged in the last few years. Neither of them was young anymore. "Then I think you've made your decision. We head to Agitar. We ask to fight with them."
"Yes." Crotus lifted his head. "We will fight with them, offer our numbers to bolster their strength. We aren't running from our fate. We are building the greatest army ever to roam the land."
Hacun smiled at her husband. "Ring the bell. Gather the villagers. Begin your march now. The sun will rise in a few hours."
"You must pack for the journey," Crotus said as he stood and resumed his pacing.
"I'm not leaving," Hacun told him.
Crotus halted. "Of course you are. I won't leave without you."
"You will leave. You will lead our people to Agitar. I will stay." Hacun kept her voice from trembling. He couldn't know her fear, only her strength.
"This doesn't make sense," Crotus said. "You are my wife. You will come with me."
Hacun squared her shoulders. "I am a shaman. I will protect the rest of you while you escape. I will hold the humans back as long as I can."
Crotus’s mouth dropped, but the words stayed buried in his throat. He knew, as well as Hacun did, that she was the best chance they had at getting a head start.
"Go, husband. I will wait for you in The Nether." Hacun knew it was a promise. If she stayed, the humans would kill her.
"I will seek you there." Crotus kissed his wife's hand for the last time and shuffled out of the meeting hall before he could change his mind.
Hacun let out a sigh of relief. She had feared he would argue and waste precious time. The lives of her orcs were more important. Their village was filled with children who didn't deserve to die yet. She would give them a chance at a life of proud battles and honorable deaths.
This would be her final battle. Hacun couldn't have asked for a better ending.
She sat still, listening to the bustle outside as the villagers packed up their essentials. No one came in to say goodbye. It was for the best. They needed the time.
In the darkest moment of the night, her orcs departed. The last audible footfall faded into the darkness.
Hacun sat.
She waited.
She wondered if the peculiar thing she'd seen while she reached out with her magic was, in fact, real.
Before the sun rose, she learned the truth.
The door to the meeting hall flung open. A tall, strapping orc stepped in, holding a limp faun in his arms. A unicorn trailed them, a human child atop its back.
So her vision was true.
Hacun rose. "Are you aware there is an army of humans on your heels?"
"Yes, we are. I'm Vron. This is Alyna." He nodded to the faun in his arms. "Also, Sally and Syra."
"I am Hacun, and it is my pleasure to meet you, but you should journey on. My husband and our villagers aren't far ahead." Hacun motioned toward the door.
"No." Vron set Alyna down on the table.
The faun stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She was a beautiful creature with flowing red hair and green blue eyes. Hacun had never met a faun before. She'd spent the majority of her life sheltered in Gunder.
"We are staying here and fighting with you. Alyna is nearly healed." Vron motioned for Syra.
The unicorn trotted over to the faun. It bent at the knee, allowing the child to slip off its back. Then Syra touched its glowing, silver horn to Alyna's heart.
"What is it doing?" Hacun asked Vron, intrigued.
"Syra is a healer. She's giving Alyna the strength she needs to fight Damor." The human child skipped around the room as if it were playtime.
"Damor?" Hacun asked Vron.
Vron's eyes narrowed and went dark. "Damor is a human mage. He already tried to kill Alyna once. She wants to stop him before
he hurts anyone else."
Hacun cocked her head to the side. "She doesn't appear to be strong enough to fight." The faun's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow.
"She will be. Give her a moment." Vron took Alyna's hand, holding it firmly within his grasp.
"Perhaps we can work together, then?" Hacun asked. "I stayed behind to use my magic against the humans. I don't have any illusions as to defeating them, but I can slow them down, giving my orcs a chance to get away."
Alyna's eyes snapped open. Syra retreated, her horn returning to its normal white. Alyna sat up and looked around frantically. "Where are we?"
"We're in the orc village, Gunder. We're safe." Vron continued to clutch her hand.
"How far away is Damor?" Alyna leaped off the table, stomping around the room on her hooves. "I'm going to kill him." She turned around, noticing Hacun for the first time. "I'm sorry. You don't know me, but let me assure you Damor is of the vilest sort of mage."
"I believe you," Hacun said. "We must work together to stop them. My villagers are headed to Agitar to offer their steel to fight against the humans. We could not have stood against them alone."
Alyna nodded, her eyes immediately sad. "I feared all of this when I heard the southern army was rallying. We shouldn't be fighting. We should live in harmony."
Vron laughed. "A faun's greatest dream. Peace and love. Maybe we can convince the humans to join hands with us and sing songs?"
Alyna glared at Vron. "I would prefer that, but I'm not foolish enough to think it will happen. We must fight back. We must protect our land." She turned to Hacun. "If you'd like, you can catch up with your villagers. We will give the humans enough trouble on our own."
Hacun recalled Crotus’s declaration that he would take the orc throne. It was the young orc inside speaking, he had said. Hacun smiled, knowing the young orc inside her was excited at whatever was about to come to her. “I think I should like to stay and assist you.”
Chapter 32
Alyna paced a well-worn path on the floor in the meeting hall. Hacun said it had been her husband's favorite place to walk, too. Alyna couldn't help but feel guilty for letting Hacun stay after all the orcs she loved had gone. But this was Hacun's home, and Alyna respected her insistence in remaining.
"The humans will march when the sun rises, if not before," Vron said. "I think we should seriously consider leaving and following Hacun's orcs."
"No. I will stand and fight here. If you want to leave, you are free to do so." Alyna wanted Vron to leave. He'd saved her from the forest, but he didn't fully understand what they were facing in Damor. When Sally touched Alyna, the faun had a glimpse of Damor's power. It was the blackest, more frightening thing Alyna had ever encountered. She wanted Vron to be safe. Sally, too.
"I won't leave you again, Alyna. Get used to it. I left my own troops to save you. And if the humans made it through the pass, it's likely all of the orcs are dead." Vron stepped in front of Alyna, grabbing her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I don't take that lightly."
"Neither do I." Alyna jerked her head away from his grasp. "If I had known that would be the outcome..."
"What?" Vron asked. "You wouldn't have sent Sally to find me? You would have died in the forest?"
"One life for all of theirs? Maybe it would have been for the best." Guilt gnawed at Alyna's heart. If she'd only known the lengths Vron would take to save her.
"Then prove to yourself why you're still alive," Vron said. "Fight back today. Show that human mage what he's up against. Don't send me away."
Alyna tried to hold back her smile, but she couldn't. She reached up, grabbing Vron's face with both hands and pulled his lips down to hers. One of his tusks cut her lip. She didn't care. She kissed him hungrily. Vron returned the kiss with a fervor that almost scared Alyna. His feelings for her had always been stronger than hers for him. But today, he proved with his words that he understood her. She wasn't just a pretty creature to him. He believed in her magic. He believed in the power she had to share with the world.
Vron was strong. He was capable. Yet he let himself be vulnerable around Alyna.
Alyna bit his lip, giving him a cut to match the one he'd accidentally given her, then pulled back.
Vron stood before her, a stupid grin on his face.
"Now that you two are done, can we make a plan?" Hacun, the old orc, sat in a chair watching the whole spectacle with a smile on her face.
Alyna took a deep breath. "Yes. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, sweetie." Hacun stood, toddling over to Alyna on unsteady feet. "We all need love, even big, scary orcs." Then she winked at Vron.
Alyna wanted to drop into a hole in the ground from embarrassment. Instead, she forced herself to regain her composure. "Let's talk about Damor for a moment. I think everyone should understand what we're about to face." She motioned for Sally to sit, switching from the orc tongue to the human language. "What can you tell us?"
Sally grimaced. "He's mean. No one likes him."
"No one?" Vron asked as Alyna translated for them between the human and orc tongues.
"We all hate him. Except for the queen. She likes him. My momma says that's why we had to be nice and never say anything bad about him. He made me go into his little tent. He made me hurt Alyna." Tears sprang from Sally's eyes. "I didn't want to."
Alyna wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders while she translated for Hacun and Vron.
The old orc shook her head. "We would never use our children in such a way. It's deplorable." She reached out, resting a gentle hand on Sally's arm. The girl looked up at Hacun, no fear in her eyes.
Alyna knew Sally was a very brave, rare child.
"But I don't want you to hurt my momma and poppa." Sally looked Alyna in the eyes. "You won't hurt them, right?"
Alyna had already thought about this. She had considered sending Sally back as a peace offering before beginning her assault on Damor, but then he would know Alyna was still alive. She would lose her advantage.
In the end, she opted for a more conservative approach. One that might not slow down the army, but would definitely put a dent in Damor's maleficent magic.
"We will only target Damor. I'll create a distraction that will slow down the army. I promise I won't hurt your parents." Alyna hugged Sally, then stood. "Now, Hacun, tell me about your magic. I'd like to learn how we can work together."
Alyna guided Hacun to another corner of the room, leaving Vron to care for Sally. As Hacun was explaining how she harnessed magic, Alyna couldn't help but watch Vron awkwardly attempt to interact with Sally. It was almost cute the way he tossed a ball of yarn with her.
"Faun?" Hacun said.
"Yes?" Alyna snapped her attention back to Hacun sheepishly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. There is a time for love, and there is a time for war. Now is the latter. We must focus."
"I know." Alyna rubbed her eyes. Perhaps she was still recovering from her near-death experience. Syra's healing magic had no equal in power. It overwhelmed Alyna's senses. "I am focused. I promise you. I want nothing more than to destroy Damor."
"I know you do. I can see that. You must forget about the warrior and the child when it is time to reach out with our magic. I can amplify your reach and power, but I cannot attack another. It is against my beliefs."
"I understand, and I honor you." Alyna touched the orc's cheek. "Thank you for being honest with me about your abilities. Tell me, how did you plan to slow the humans by yourself?"
Hacun looked down at the floor. "I don't know. I only wanted to give my husband hope he could escape their army. Crotus is a good orc, but he is old. He is beyond his prime, as am I."
"You are so brave," Alyna said with a small bow of her head. "Shall we begin?"
Hacun snapped her fingers and a great pyre burst to life on the floor. Alyna and Hacun sat in front of it, holding hands.
"Don't come near us," Alyna told Vron. "Whatever happens, protect Sally."
Vron reached up, to
uching the spot on his lip where she'd bit him.
Alyna knew he'd do as she asked. Vron could be trusted in all things.
"Ready?" Hacun asked.
Alyna closed her eyes. Together, they reached out with their minds toward the human army, looking for the palanquin Sally had described. They quickly found the red curtains flapping in the breeze next to a large, white tent with a peak. A white horse emblazoned the purple flag perched atop it.
Hacun led Alyna to Damor's doorstep. The faun shuddered with anger when she saw the two female orcs sleeping on the ground, chained to his palanquin.
Damor would suffer for what he'd done to her and Sally and these orcs and countless others.
Alyna called on the magic deep inside herself, a place she rarely touched. Her magic was powerful, but it required the cooperation of nature, a burden she didn't take lightly. She whispered to the wind. Clouds formed in the sky, and a thunderstorm overtook the quiet morning. Rain beat down. Lightning struck the palanquin, setting the fabric on fire. The mage's shrieks flooded the plain as he burned.
She heard his screams, his cries for help. She watched, boosted by Hacun, as only a few humans ran to his rescue. The orc slaves stood as far back as they could from his palanquin, refusing to aid the mage.
Alyna gave the area one last look before preparing to pull back. Just then, a malevolent red eye appeared in her vision. It was all she could see.
"I will kill you."
Alyna knew the voice. She'd heard it once before.
Damor.
He had found her again.
Alyna and Hacun snapped their eyes open. Alyna scrambled to her feet. "We have to go now. They'll douse the flames, and they'll come for us. We have given ourselves more time. But we must not waste it."
Sally trembled next to Vron. One of his large hands rested awkwardly on her shoulder.
Alyna knelt in front of the child. "You are welcome to come with us, Sally, or you can stay here and wait for your parents. It's your choice."
Sally's eyes darted around the room, resting on Syra. "I want to come with you. I'm afraid to go back."