Watcher's Test

by Sean Oswald

  Once everyone was seated, King Harold stood again and waved his hand to keep anyone else from standing before beginning in his most kingly voice. “I have reached a decision. A royal decree has been drafted and will soon be posted throughout the city and sent to every royal house. As of today, we are formally at war with the goblin race. Under the terms of the war, each noble will be levied troops and resources as set forth in the decree. Failure to follow the decree will be seen as the failure of a vassal to their liege and will be dealt with accordingly.”

  Gasps sounded as he spoke, and by the end, there was a loud buzz throughout the room. Harold turned his head, allowing his eyes to rest for a second on each of those he thought might be most offended. There was a clearly forming split in the room. The military officers began to applaud the king’s statement, while the nobles each schooled their rage from their faces with varying degrees of success. That is, except for Duke Tarstadt who was the first to stand and offer a bowed head to the king as he said, “I cannot speak for my fellow nobles, but as for me and the barons under me, we shall all pledge to meet or exceed the terms of your decree and give our all to the ending of the war.” Of course, this was a fairly easy pledge for Heinrich Tarstadt to make since almost certainly he and his barons were already at or near the amount that would be required of them.

  Across the room, Baron Vichie, the chosen representative of Duke Holstein boiled internally while at the same time keeping his expression flat. He knew enough about his Duke’s plans to know that this decree would be directly at odds with his plans. A decree of war was a bold step, as it would not require the King to ask the opinion of the congress of lords for anything. Harold would be able to act freely and boldly and making almost limitless demands of his vassals. Baron Vichie bided his time while he learned more details about the marshaling of troops and time tables for troops to be presented for service to the royal army’s generals, but internally he was already planning the message he would send via magical message to Duke Holstein.

  Duke Holstein was out hunting with his hounds. The tamed drey hounds chased the boar out from the brush and Edwin drew its attention, planting the butt of his spear into the ground. It takes a certain courage and coldness to stand still as a boar charges at you. Hundreds of powers of muscle and destructive power charging at you and you are aiming only a slender shaft of wood with a metal tip. The art of this wasn’t in killing the boar. That was no real test of a man of Edwin’s level. The true art came in aiming to kill the beast with the single point of the spear. Not by thrusting or throwing the spear but by holding it still to allow the boar to impale itself upon the weapon.

  In that moment, he felt alive and the feeling only blossomed as the tip of the spear entered the boar’s chest at just the right angle, hitting exactly the right spot and driving in as a critical blow to the beast’s heart. It might be difficult to kill creatures in a single blow in Eloria, but most anything will die with a foot-long enchanted spear blade buried in its heart. Feeling the rush of his kill, the Duke displayed his enhanced Strength stat and lifted the boar up completely off the ground held aloft on the blade of his spear. The serfs who handled the Duke’s hunting dogs could hardly hold back from trembling at the display of power on the part of their lord. It marked as clearly as his wealth compared to their rags the impossible chasm that lay between him and them. They might as well be ants to be trodden upon by a man of what seemed to 0 level serfs an almost impossible power.

  Having killed the boar and felt the rush, the joy of the experience quickly fled from Duke Holstein’s heart. The problem with greedy men is that they are never satisfied. As he walked back a footman brought him warm, wet hand towels to clean any stray splatters from his hands and he stepped into his tent. It was a testament to Edwin’s need for comfort even while on the hunt. Held up by four large corner posts and measuring twenty feet on a side with the front flaps pulled back by one of his arms men. Inside there were all the comforts of home, soft satin-lined chairs and couches, and specially prepared delicacies. Edwin Holstein might enjoy the thrill of the hunt but that didn’t mean that he was willing to forgo his creature comforts. Thinking of creatures, his eyes drifted to the figure cloaked in a dark gray robe sitting upon one of the couches in his tent. The cowl of the robe was perpetually pulled up and didn’t allow even the slightest glimpse of the face of the man within the robe. In the same way, the sleeves of the robe were long and wide and completely hid the wearer’s hands. This strange figure had appeared two months ago and, while not present every day, was present more than he was absent. He had promised the duke things could change and that there were ways for him to expand his holdings, to gain lands in the south and perhaps even into the elven woods to the north. Edwin told himself that he was loyal to his country and king and that he was only using the information provided by his strange guest to maximize his wealth and power, but each step that he was led down by the information provided by this stranger always put Duke Holstein first before any interest of his king, country, or people. Yet, how could he refuse to use the knowledge he was given? Not a single prediction of the gray-robed figure had proven to be wrong, and while his manner scared the Duke’s wife, that was the way of women to see evil in things that they didn’t understand. What Edwin understood was that he had never been richer or had more arms men at his disposal. His wealth allowed him to hire a large contingent of mercenaries who bolstered his forces and gave him a clear advantage over Dukes Oppenheim and Tarstadt. His guest had even hinted at using the mercenaries to create a personal guard for himself much like the king had his Purple and Gold. The only strange thing was that Seimion had yet to ask for anything for all the valuable information he had provided to Duke Holstein, and Edwin knew there had to be some sort of catch. He just thought he was better able to play the game.

  Krinnk had more strange thoughts going through his little goblin brain. Something about that amber-colored amulet and the strange little elfling that wore it was imprinted upon his mind. He had witnessed the power of this human and the two she-elves with him. It was not at all like other humans he had seen before. They scared him and a part of him knew that he needed to report back about these people to the shaman and bone man, but another part of him, something different inside him, was saying that he needed to get the little elfling for himself. She had the shiny he wanted, and she would be so tasty. Goblins were inherently selfish creatures, but the scouts also had it hammered into them that the highest self-interest for them was to fulfill their duties to the tribe.

  It seemed that they were going to stay by the tree, and he couldn’t risk trying to grab the little one while the bigger, scary ones were around. So, he found a place to hide in a cubbyhole under a spot where some boars had dug a burrow under some roots of a nearby tree. The den seemed to be abandoned, in all probability because the human had killed them. Either way, he needed a place to rest until the night eye came out. Once the second sun had set, Krinnk began looking for a way to climb the ironwood tree they were sleeping on. As he scouted around the tree, though he quickly realized that there were pests nesting in tree. A quick investigation revealed that they were tree sappers. The irony was goblins were considered the most annoying of pests by the other races, but even a goblin knew a true pest when he saw it. Tree sappers destroyed everything they touched. Even the ironwood tree would not be safe from the burrowing of the tree sappers. Krinnk wanted the shiny and he wanted the little elfling, but he no wanted to die so Krinnk thinking it not be safe to climb the tree. Perhaps Krinnk have to wait until tree come down. Perhaps big scary ones die when tree come down and Krinnk can get lots of shinies.

  Shortly after the first sun had risen, Krinnk heard humming buzz as tree sappers were very busy. His hearing was quite sharp, one of the reasons he had been chosen as a scout. He heard the fibers of the ironwood tree starting to split. Krinnk knew that it would not be long now. He only had to wait. Krinnk was good at waiting. Krinnk not have long to wait before tree split. So many things happening
all at once. One she-elf was flying like bird in air and carrying little elfling down. Krinnk saw little elfling by herself, but he was afraid to try to snatch her now. Parts of tree coming down, packs being thrown down, other she-elf climbing downside of tree doing better climbing than goblin. Krinnk kept watching as human fell from tree and hit ground. Krinnk thinking maybe human dead now.

  Then swarms of tree sappers be running in every direction. Krinnk scrambled up a tree to escape the sappers that headed in his direction. Most of them going deep into forest, scary places where bigger things be living. He see lots of sappers running at human and elf things on the ground, but one of scary she-elves put out hand and flames shoot out from her hands burning the sappers. Krinnk so scared he hiding his head.

  The Ironclaw Orc clan was in disarray. They had made it further into the mountain strongholds of the dwarves than any other orcish clan ever had. They had successfully raided and gotten more spoils than at any time in the past. Dwarven weapons, refined metals, even some dwarven rune work had been taken as loot from their various raids. Thanks to the magic provided to them by Seimion, they had evaded many protective rune wardings and stayed one step ahead of retaliation by any of the dwarves since their raiding had started. Naaranbatar was pleased but yet the First of the clan was not without worries. The Taraan’lak or trial which had been conducted against the accused priest of Bal Zar had concluded, as Naaran had known ahead of time that it would. The priest was guilty of sharing secrets of the magical tattoos which each orcish clan so zealously guarded.

  It was from those tattoos that the Ironclaw clan drew its power and name. Their tattoos could make the weakest of their warriors to have skin like iron. Yet for some reason, the now-dead priest of Bal Zar had passed on those secrets to a goblin. A goblin, for the sake of stone and sky, why would any orc pass on secrets to a goblin, least of all a member of the dread priesthood, who were known for the zealotry.

  Naaran knew that Seimion had something to do with it, but there was simply no evidence. His Third, Jalaqai, had been tasked to use whatever secret means were necessary to find even a hint that this betrayal was somehow connected to the mysterious mage. To find anything which would allow Naaran to void his compact with Seimion, but despite her many skills, she found nothing. While that bothered him, what bothered him even more was the fear that the priest had been acting upon the orders of the orcish god, Bal Zar. Something he claimed even up to the second before his head left his shoulders upon the blade of the clan’s Second, Khunbish. Bal Zar was not a silent wooden totem as the goblins worshipped. Bal Zar was not squeamish about making his will known. The First was no priest to know exactly the ways in which a god would comport himself, but orcs valued loyalty almost above all else. Loyalty to clan, loyalty to family, loyalty to First, loyalty to their god, but if the priest was only being loyal, then why did Bal Zar not intervene? Why did none of the other priests who were with the clan speak on his behalf?

  These questions and many more left Naaran unsettled even as he exulted in the greatest victories ever won by the Ironclaw clan. With the spoils they were collecting, they would easily assume a place of ascendancy among the clans, and he might even be able to form the orcs back into a nation rather than independent clans. So, while most of the clan was not happy with his decision, he had already made it clear that they would be turning back sooner than expected. Another raid or two and then the clan would leave the dwarven lands and consolidate their gains. No later than he had made this decision, the First couldn’t help but feel as though he had one foot in a bear pit.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Amidst the conflict which is inherent in Eloria, we often forget the value of neighbors and allies. Let tonight be a reminder of our value to one another.” —A toast offered by King Melric of Prusia upon the eve of civil war.

  Morning came, and for the first time since arriving in Eloria, Dave woke up without an immediate sense of worry about where he and the family were or what might be threatening them. It is hard for an individual growing up in middle-class America to understand what true insecurity feels like. Few could imagine what it is to not only worry about where your food is coming from but also about shelter and, even more urgently, about being attacked by wild animals. Modern civilizations just haven’t had to worry about things like that for centuries. It wasn’t surprising then that the Nelsons had been very poorly prepared to experience exactly those types of worries practically every minute since arriving in Eloria. Maybe it had only been three days now, but it had felt like a lifetime.

  So it was no wonder that Dave felt an incredible sense of relief to wake up without that worry nagging in the back of his head. This wasn’t to say that he didn’t have any worries. This was still a strange place, but it seemed like a fairly quaint town filled with normal if somewhat primitive people, at least by the standards of modern America. When he woke up, he stretched, looked around, and took in his surroundings. It appeared that all of the kids and Emily were still sleeping. Emily, in fact, had rolled off of his chest and was curled up with her back to him. Seeing that everyone appeared to be safe, Dave stood up and continued to stretch. Eww, that was a mistake. As he lifted his arm, he realized how much he stank.

  They were definitely going to need to find a way to get real baths, but he didn’t even know what sort of facilities this world would have. The more he thought about it, the less sure he was what to expect. It could be that the people here wouldn’t even understand the basics of hygiene. The village had seemed pretty clean, and he couldn’t say that he had smelled anything really bad coming from the people in town, but then given the extent to which he reeked, there was no telling if anyone else smelled. As with most things in life, the more he thought about it, the more it became an issue for him. He felt grimy and covered in dirt and could only hope for a shower. With that in mind, he went in search of Talvenicus or his daughter Aloysia, if he remembered correctly.

  Down a short hallway, he found what appeared to be a kitchen, and in it, Talvenicus was sitting at a table, eating something that looked like thick oatmeal. At least it had that sort of scent to it. Upon seeing Dave walk in, Talvenicus welcomed him and the two men sat down to share a rather bland bowl of boiled oats. It didn’t seem to have any butter or sugar or any other spice added to it. Dave brought up some needs like bathing and was pleased to find out that they had a large tub and that his host had already thought about that need, even going so far as to apologize for not having offered the night before but pleading off shock and exhaustion on his part. Dave assured him that it was no big deal and that a warm bath for each of them would go a long way to making them feel better. He inquired about being able to buy clothing that would help them fit in around town and various supplies as well as if they would be able to buy some land in the town to build a home on.

  As they talked, Dave found that Talvenicus readily fell into the role of teacher, explaining things and even seemed to enjoy explaining various aspects of the town or local life to him. The mayor often tried to ask questions of Dave, probing at why he didn’t know basic things anyone living in Eloria should know. Dave just stuck with the story that he and Emily had decided on in a brief conversation before she had fallen asleep. Dave had wanted to keep things ambiguous and not tell any of the townspeople too much, but Emily had insisted that it was a requirement of her class that she not tell any lies. Unspoken in what she had said was that while she was still trying to reconcile her faith from back home and her understanding of God with what she was experiencing now, that she intended to take her role as a priestess seriously.

  So after some reflexive question dodging which just came naturally to Dave, he finally broke down and explained to Talvenicus about coming from Earth and their last few days in Eloria. In the end, the mayor wasn’t sure what to make of the story but said that given what Emily had done the day before and what Malcolm had told them, it sorta made sense. Dave could tell that he wasn’t fully sold but was willing to give them a chance. The real benefit t
o telling the truth, of course, was that he could now ask questions of the mayor about things he would need to know but might not have otherwise been able to explain not knowing. Best of all, because Talvenicus thought the true story of their origin might be too much for the villagers, he asked that they just stick with the idea that Emily and her family were sent here as messengers of Shanelle.

  Shortly after Dave and Talvenicus had worked out their agreement, Emily and the three children walked into the kitchen looking for Dave. He helped them get portions of oatmeal and fortunately, all of the kids were hungry enough to not complain about the bland nature of breakfast. Once Emily learned about the bathroom, she couldn’t be dissuaded from heading there straight away. It turned out to be a rather simple room, but the round stone bathtub was full of clear water and had what appeared to be a bar of some type of soap on the side of it. Dave said that he and Jackson would go out with Talvenicus and arrange to buy some spare clothes for all of them while the girls bathed in privacy. Mira was a bit shocked at the idea of all three of them bathing together, but didn’t say too much in front of Talvenicus.

  Meanwhile, Sara had climbed up onto the side of the stone tub and dipped her bare feet into the water. She quickly pronounced it to be cold with an audible, “Brrr.” Taking that as his cue, Talvenicus asked all of them to step back from the tub for a moment before he began casting a spell which ended with a flame in his hand and waves of heat pouring into the water at a steady pace. After only twenty seconds or so, their host announced that the water should be warm enough now. Sure enough, Sara jumped back up onto the stone tub purring in pleasure at the warmth of the stone, which had Emily quickly shooing the men out of the room with some last-minute instructions for Dave about what he needed to buy.