"I see once again how foolish I am to question you, my fierce one, I hope you will forgive my foolishness."
"General Krak'too, you serve me well, as you served my father well. Of course I will overlook the odd moment of foolishness from your lips. Now, you wished to discuss something else?"
"I did my fierce one. We killed most of the humans that came for us, but some got away. It is obvious, that because of the two foolish young scouts, these humans know about us. It was also obvious to me that they underesti-mated our number, as they sent less than half a company against us. Even still, they killed roughly two to one. I fear they won't underestimate us again. I ask you, my fierce one, to give me command of a company of worg riders, so that I might punish these humans for their actions."
"You lost only sixty grunts in a battle you were unprepared for. Grunts are easily replaced. You may take three grunt companies, one heavy axe company, one crossbow company and a squad of worg riders. This, General Krak'too, should be ample enough for an orc of your skills to punish the humans. But, general, kill only those you need to. I want as many prisoners as you can get me."
"You are indeed generous, my fierce one. May I ask where you intend on putting all these prisoners?"
"I have already sent word for construction of large prisoner com-pounds along the front lines in Qunik."
"Qunik? That's the most likely place to be attacked next from the Red Axe," said the general in disbelief.
"Exactly!" said Gilkan suddenly. "Now, general, take your new army and get me some prisoners, leave the rest of the planning here on Ki'arantha to me. Dismissed."
The general bowed his head and quickly left the room.
Chapter 5
Fort Lowmount
Vik and Trent were lying down on their beds in the apartment room when there was a knock at the door. Neither of them answered, but that didn't seem to bother the person who came through the door.
"Ah, boys, you're awake. Excellent, excellent indeed," began Master Pilk. "I have had words with the duke regarding the two of you and need to speak to you both about it." The boys both looked at each other with unsure expressions, then back at Master Pilk. "Still not up for talking much I see," started the wizard once again as he made his way over to a chair on the far side of the room. "That is okay for now. I will talk, you can listen, but sometime you will need to talk. The duke is quite upset about the, ah ... events of last night. He has a lot on his mind at the moment and this latest threat has made that burden even heavier. He had a great deal of respect for both your fathers, and as such, is quite concerned about the two of you. I know you have a grandmother in Kethlon Vik ..."
"No!" shouted Vik angrily, interrupting Master Pilk. "I will not go to my grandmother. I belong in Arthea."
"So you have found your voice again I see, Vik, now kindly save that voice until I finish what I have to say," said Master Pilk firmly. "Now where was I ... Ah yes, you have a grandmother in Kethlon and Trent has a grandfather in Ji'roh ... Wait!" shouted Master Pilk, holding his hand up at Trent who was about to interrupt him again. "Which, I assume, you also don't want to stay with," continued Master Pilk, looking at Trent.
"No, I don't, Master Pilk, he ... he is not a nice man," replied Trent.
"As I understand," said Master Pilk. "Your father told me something of him. This, I told the duke, is what I expected. I was a close friend to both your fathers and are indebted to them both, many times over. That is why I informed the duke that I would take you both in and look after you, at least until you are both old enough to enlist." The two boys once again looked at each other, this time with a small grin. Finally Vik spoke up, "No offence, Master Pilk, but you hardly seem the fatherly type. Why can't we just be enlisted now, then our accommodation would be taken care of."
"I'm sorry, boys, I did discuss that option with the duke, but the law clearly states that you must be sixteen years of age. Your options are either myself or your grandparents. I will give you some time to think on it."
"No!" blurted out Trent. "I think I speak for Vik as well here — we will stay with you." Vik nodded in agreement.
"Okay then. I'll have someone return to your houses and pick up your things. If there is anything specific you want picked up, write a list now. I'll be back in an hour to collect it and take you to my house." Master Pilk stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the boys to write their list.
* * *
Major Isak stood on top of the outer wall looking at the smoke on the eastern horizon. He knew that signalled the destruction of El Rasa, and that smoke had been sighted over an hour ago. Worse news had been delivered by the major's last scout to return. He reported a movement of around three thousand orcs coming from the Aleppo Ranges. If they join with the orcs of the Ki'harran Mountains, he will be facing a force of ten thousand orcs. As soon as the villagers of El Rasa had walked through his gates, he had ordered every male over eighteen years old to be armed, knowing full well that all sixteen and seventeen year olds would be training in Arthea. Even still, this only added another hundred men to his force. Six hundred against ten thousand was impossible odds.
Still looking to the east, Major Isak first noticed a large dust cloud and then moments later he could see the orcs marching in his direction. As they got closer and closer to the fort, the stream of orcs continued behind them. The reports were true. There was at least seven thousand orcs advancing. They had come prepared, too, as the major noticed the huge war machines bringing up the rear, being pushed along by ogres. All Major Isak could do was wait. He had already met with his captains and they all knew what needed to be done. However, he knew that very soon this fort would be overrun and every man, woman and child behind its walls would be killed. There was no escape from Fort Lowmount. The major just hoped the duke didn't wait too long to send him the three hundred reinforcements, but even with that aid, Major Isak doubted very much they could win the day.
* * *
Feygrus and Mok'ha caught sight of the rear of the army. War ma-chines were being pushed by ogres, although the ogres were scarcely larger than Feygrus, perhaps exceeding seven feet tall by the smallest of margins. They also noticed the size of the orcs. They were smaller than the humans they had fought. Also, their weapons and armour were crudely made. What they lacked in size, though, they apparently made up for in numbers. As they got closer, Feygrus could see that there were thousands of them.
Towering over these puny orcs, Feygrus and Mok'ha walked on confidently until they were noticed by one of the trailing orcs, which took decidedly longer than it should have, noted Feygrus. He could see the fear in this orc's eyes as he registered what was approaching. The small orc shouted an alarm, and quickly twenty orcs surrounded Feygrus and Mok'ha.
"I want to talk to the leader of this army," demanded Feygrus abruptly. The orc who had first noticed Feygrus looked at him with a confused look on his face.
"Which leader?" asked the orc. Now it was Feygrus with a confused look.
"The one who mobilised this force," replied Feygrus after a moment's silence.
"One?" asked the orc. "This army was mobilised by the Blood Council. Ten orcs sit that council, which do you seek?" Ten orcs in charge? What madness was this? Thought Feygrus. Still he replied.
"Then I wish to meet with the Blood Council."
"Surrender your weapons and I will lead you to them," replied the small orc. Feygrus didn't like the idea of giving up his weapon, but he decided he had little choice if he wanted to meet the orc leaders, and so he unstrapped his great axe and indicated that Mok'ha should do likewise, laid the weapon on the ground and took two steps back. A couple of orcs ran in and retrieved the weapons and Feygrus almost laughed aloud as they struggled to lift the axes and take them away. The small orc he had been speaking to indicated that they should follow him, and so the two orcs did.
They were led quite a distance and received awed looks from every orc they passed. Nearing the front of the army, Feygrus could now see what it was the army pl
anned on attacking; before him stood a large stone wall, with humans positioned along the top with large bows in their hands. There didn't appear to be all that many humans there, but Feygrus didn't doubt that they would put up a decent fight. He had witnessed first-hand what these humans were capable of, and these orcs looked a lot less fierce and able as the orcs from his world. Perhaps he could bargain with these orcs on behalf of the Black Skull tribe.
Finally they reached the frontline and already tents were being erected here and preparations made for a camp. It didn't take Feygrus long to work out that these orcs were not planning on attacking this day. This gave him something to work with. The orc leading them asked a few of the other orcs around where he could find a member of the Blood Council. Once the orcs had finished staring at the giant orcs standing beside him, they pointed him in the right direction. Finally Feygrus noticed an orc ahead of them that was an obvious leader.
While still nowhere near the height of Feygrus, he was bigger than the surrounding orcs. He wore dirty brown leather armour, with a blood red sash hanging diagonally across his chest. He wore no helmet, and had no hair upon his wrinkly head, but his face was almost entirely covered with dark brown hair. He was directing some orcs who were constructing a large tent off to the side, protected by a right angled, small, rocky cliff face. The orc noticed Feygrus as they came closer and visibly stiffened for an instant before relaxing his pose once more. The orc who was leading them walked up to the orc leader, bowed his head slightly and said, "This orc wishes a word with the Blood Council, Chief Narva." The orc leader looked briefly at the little orc then back to Feygrus.
"I am Chief Narva of the mighty Bloodrock clan. Who are you to re-quest an audience with the Blood Council?"
"I am Feygrus, scout master of the Black Skull clan. I believe we can perhaps help your cause," replied Feygrus.
"Black Skull clan? I have never heard of them. Do they breed with ogres to achieve their height and build?" A few nearby orcs listening nearby chuckled.
"Our clan comes from far away, but is very large in number. Our height is normal and is not gained by any interbreeding. We have no love of these humans and simply seek to aid you in your cause."
"As you can no doubt see for yourself, overgrown orc, we have this situation well under control and are in no need of aid."
"With our aid, I believe conquest here could be achieved a lot quicker and future conquests be achieved a lot easier. Allow me to meet with your Blood Council and at least tell them of what we can offer."
The orc chief thought on this for a moment and eventually said, "Very well, I will assemble the council to hear your words. Allies are always welcome, if this is what you are, but understand this, the council rules here and no further positions exist amongst the Blood Council. If we decide to let you join us, you will abide by the orders of the council."
"I understand," replied Feygrus, "But also know this, our numbers are great and the least of our fighters could best the greatest of yours, I do not doubt. We could bring incredible strength to your cause. My general will not be ordered around lightly."
"Grand words, scout leader, but threats will not sit well with the council," said Chief Narva forcefully. "Akeeva, sound the council horn." Immediately the orc next to him pulled out a small horn and blew into it; two medium length tones sounded from the horn. "The rest of the council will be here shortly," said Chief Narva.
* * *
Major Isak continued to watch the orcs as they erected their tents. The orcs had stopped their march well out of archer range. "They do not intend on attacking this day," said a voice from behind the major.
"It seems not, Captain Riyad," replied the major as he turned to face the captain. "Unusual patience from the orcs, as is the banner they march under."
"A single banner for such a large army. I noticed it as well, and it is no banner I have seen before. What do you think it means, major?" asked Captain Riyad.
"I'd only be guessing, but I'd say it means a number of orc tribes have united under one banner for a single cause. The cause seems obvious."
Captain Riyad just nodded his understanding as both men stood side by side, looking out at the gathering orcs. It was still early in the afternoon, and the major knew that if they attacked this day, they would be facing into the bright sun and be blinded by it. It seemed even more unlikely that the orcs would attack this day. "Rest the men, double watch throughout the afternoon and night, but order as many as may to rest as much as they can."
"Yes, major. I will see to it at once," replied the captain. But as he started to turn, he noticed something among the orcs frontline and stopped. "What is that?" asked the captain, pointing. The major looked to where he was pointing, and his face visibly sagged as he saw what the captain had noticed.
"That has got to be one of the orcs Quinby was telling us about," said the major.
"I thought their size had been exaggerated as the word spread about them, but now I see it certainly wasn't. What are they doing here, though? Do you think the Ki'harran orcs have summoned them?" asked Captain Riyad.
"I doubt it. Quinby said they were discovered in Bilwarks Grove, and that Gerard and Jeff had killed some near to their farms. They only appeared yesterday and many miles away from the Ki'harra Mountains. My guess is, those two giant orcs are the first this army has seen of them. Let us hope they don't decide to let these giant orcs join up with them."
"I think that even without the help of the giant orcs, we are in serious trouble here."
"Don't let the men hear you talking like that, captain. We need to keep their morale up as much as possible. For now, though, see that they get some rest."
"Yes, major," said Captain Riyad as he turned and left the major alone once more.
* * *
"Speak then, Feygrus of the Black Skull," demanded Chief Narva. The other nine members of the Blood Council had arrived and after finding a secluded location under a small rocky overhang at the foot of a nearby hill, Chief Narva introduced Feygrus to the council.
"I am simply a scout leader of my tribe, and my general has no knowledge that I am talking to you. In fact, he has no knowledge of this army at all. The Black Skull has recently arrived in a location north of here from another world," started out Feygrus. "All orcs from this world are as large as I am, some even larger, and are fierce fighters. We have already suffered some losses at the hands of these humans and are eager to take revenge on them, and so I am confident my general would have no problem with me coming to an arrangement with you. As to exact numbers that we can aid your cause with, I am unsure. The general would be able to discuss that with you further, but I am certain that it would be substantial. Would you be willing to meet with him?"
The ten orcs looked at each other until finally one of them burst out laughing. That set the others off, and very soon they were all laughing. Feygrus looked from one to the other of these orc leaders trying to keep his calm. As the laughter died down, one of the orc leaders, Chief Fa'rasha if Feygrus remembered correctly, said, "You seriously expect us to believe this story, Feygrus? Orcs from another world. You two are large indeed and are obvious warriors, but my bet is that you are the only two of your kind."
"Then what do you have to lose by agreeing to a meeting with my general? I am sure he will bring a number with him to convince you of our contribution."
"Sure. We will meet with your general when we have taken this puny human fort," spat Chief Fa'rasha.
"My general is an expert at attacking high walls. I ask that you hold off your attack until you have spoken with him."
"Who do you think you are coming here asking us to hold off our attack? For all we know, you are an orc traitor and seek only to hold us up until a human army attacks from the rear. We attack this fort at sunrise. If your general makes an appearance before then, we may meet with him if we have the time for it. Is the council in agreeance?" asked Chief Fa'rasha. All the other orcs stated formally that they agreed. "That is the council's ruling, Fe
ygrus. Now be on your way." Feygrus nodded slightly, remaining as calm as he could, then he turned and walked off, with Mok'ha in tow.
"We must get back to camp as quickly as we can, Mok'ha. I sense a huge opportunity here."
* * *
General Krak'too stepped through the gate ahead of over five hundred battle-ready orcs. He now had some real warriors to lead in this expedition. Not as many worg riders as he would have liked, but a larger army than he expected. Now all he had to do was work out where to take them. Hopefully the scouts had some good news for him.
It was the middle of the afternoon on this new world. The bright yellow sunlight filtered through the surrounding trees, shedding plenty of light on the work going on in the camp. General Krak'too noticed it was progressing well as he stood there and gazed around, barking the odd command to his new captains. Many tents had been erected, trees felled and some basic walls constructed. Ditches had been dug and traps set. They would be ready for the next attack, he was sure. General Krak'too had been back for no more than an hour before one group of scouts returned. It was the group that scouted out the east.
"What did you find, Bigroth?" asked the general as the scout ap-proached.
"We came across the house where Feygrus killed the humans. A number of other houses lay about the countryside near there, all farm houses; some grow strange crops, others farm various animals. We saw more humans but were seen by none. Further to the east is a road travelling north to south. Beyond the road we could see some small hills and many trees—a large forest, no doubt. The road was well travelled so we dared not follow it in either direction. Beyond that, general, we have very little to report. Likely the road connects human cities, but which way to the closest city, we could not determine."
"Well, we can only hope the other group have done a little better. Dismissed, scout," barked General Krak'too. The general didn't have to wait very long before a lone scout returned.
The Gate - A New Breed of Orc (The Gate Series Book 1) Page 10
