“Every one of them,” he said, his hand clutching his bow so tight his knuckles were whiter than the moon. “They slaughtered even those that fled. Yet there are no corpses.”
The corpses had been taken. Or made to walk again.
“The man with infinite faces,” Dieredon concluded. Another thought came to him. “Or was it you, Qurrah Tun?”
He raced back to Woodhaven, his mind decided. It was time he had a talk with one of the brothers Tun.
* * *
Harruq arrived at the sparring point in the forest less disheveled than the previous day, and he seemed in better spirits.
“So what is your surprise for me?” he asked.
Aurelia smiled from her seat against a tree. She patted the grass beside her.
“Have a seat. How’s your head?”
Harruq grumbled as he plopped down. “My head is fine.”
From behind her back, Aurelia pulled out a small blue object.
“Ever seen one of these before?” she asked. The half-orc stared at it, thinking. Suddenly he knew, and he looked at Aurelia in total disbelief.
“Is that a book?”
The elf nodded. “Is it a safe assumption that you don’t know how to read?”
Harruq frowned at the book. “You’re not going to teach me elvish, are you?”
Aurelia gave him a playful jab to the side.
“No, it is in the gods’ language, your gods anyway. Karak and Ashhur got something right having humans speak and write the same language.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you not know the story of Karak and Ashhur?” The half-orc shook his head. “I will tell you it, if you care to hear. Mankind, as well as orcs, wolf-men, hyena-men, and all the other odd races scattered about Dezrel, are less than five hundred years old. Many elves remember the arrival of the brother gods and the creation of man.”
“Huh,” Harruq said. “You may have to tell me the story sometime. Are you one of the elves that were there way back then?”
She gave him a wink.
“No, but my father was. I’m not that old, Harruq. In elven terms, I am but a child.”
“How old a child?” he prodded.
“Seventy.”
“Seventy?”
The elf laughed.
“Don’t be too shocked. You have elven blood in you as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if you lasted a couple hundred years yourself. This is assuming someone doesn’t kill you, which I find rather unlikely.”
Harruq gasped at the thought. He had always felt akin to man and orcs, whose lives burnt out so quickly. The idea of living two hundred years was…well, more than he could handle.
“Strange,” he said. “Guess I have plenty of time to learn to read, don’t I?”
Aurelia laughed. “You do, but I would prefer we not take too many years. Spending that much time around you is bound to give me bad habits.”
She handed over the book. Harruq opened it and flipped through the pages. Each one depicted various symbols, lines, and curls. Aurelia winced at the rough way he handled the paper.
“What are these?” he asked.
“The human alphabet. And you’re going to learn it.”
He protested, but it was a weak protest. They went over the alphabet several times until Harruq could repeat most without thinking too hard.
“I want you to take it home with you,” she said when they were done. To her annoyance, Harruq refused to accept the book.
“I really don’t want to take it,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Well I, just…” His face turned a mixture of gray and red. “Qurrah doesn’t know I’m doing this.”
Aurelia sighed and set the book down beside her.
“Why don’t you tell him about me? Well? Why not?”
“I’m just embarrassed, all right,” he finally muttered.
“Embarrassed? Why?”
“Qurrah’s smart, can read and everything. He’d want to know why I never asked him. That and, well, you’re a…you know…”
“What?”
Harruq grew redder. “An elf!”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Harruq viciously plucked blades of grass. “I don’t know.”
Aurelia stared at Harruq for a while, her eyes probing. The half-orc endured the gaze, concentrating fully on his grass-removing project.
“I would feel better having met your brother,” she said at last. “But you may take as long as you wish.”
“Good. Can we spar now?”
“Of course,” Aurelia said, picking up her staff.
* * *
Hours later, they finished and said their goodbyes.
“See you tomorrow,” Harruq called, sheathing his blades. The elf did not reply as she vanished behind the trees. He stared after her for a bit, then turned toward home. Before he could take two steps, a sudden weight crashed into his side. He tumbled best he could, his shoulder absorbing much of the impact. His legs tucked underneath him and pushed, shooting him back to his feet. Out came his swords.
Standing before him was Dieredon, his bow held in both hands like a staff. Long blades stretched out from either end, tiny razor teeth lining the front. The elf twirled the bow in his hands and then charged. Two quick hits batted one of Harruq’s swords out and away. A feint, so quick Harruq blocked on instinct, took care of the other. His weapons gone, the half-orc was exposed. Dieredon wasted no time smashing the half-orc’s groin. As he doubled over in pain, a snap kick smacked his chin, splattering blood and forcing him to drop.
The sharp tip of a blade pressed against Harruq’s throat before he knew what was happening.
“Move,” Dieredon said. “Please, move. Give me an excuse to kill you.”
Harruq was too stunned and disoriented to give him what he wanted. Instead he lied there, his nose throbbing and his swords limp in his hands.
“What do you want?” he asked, ignoring the sharp pain in his throat as a tiny drop of blood trickled down his neck.
“The entire village of Cornrows is missing,” Dieredon said. “Most likely dead.”
Harruq’s breathing quickened. His hands tightened around the hilts of his weapons.
“I had nothing to do with it,” he said. “Why would I?”
“Children have been dying since you arrived here in Woodhaven,” Dieredon replied. “Butchered, intestines removed, strange carvings on the bodies, and pieces of them missing. We thought a sick mind, but now I understand better. Necromancy requires many interesting artifacts for spells. Your brother is a necromancer, isn’t he?”
Harruq said nothing. He fought back his swelling anger and panic.
“I don’t understand what Aurelia sees in you,” Dieredon continued. “You murdered the children and gave them to your brother. You’re the Forest Butcher. Admit it so I may kill you.”
“I will admit no such thing,” Harruq said, his jaw trembling. “You’re guessing.”
“I have also seen your brother meeting the strange man in black of the ever-changing face. What is his name, Harruq? What is it he offers you?”
“You’re out of your mind.”
The tip buried in deeper. The elf lowered his face so the fury in his eyes was all Harruq could see.
“Yes, I am out of my mind. I will let you live. Until Aurelia sees you for what you are, I will spare your life. But know I will be watching you, and I will be watching your brother. One false move and I’ll kill you both. Is that clear?”
Harruq nodded, shivering as he felt the tip of the blade rubbing against the tender skin of his throat.
“Good. Pleasant days, half-orc. May Celestia watch over you…and condemn your actions to death.”
The biting tip left his throat, the blades in the bow retracted, and then the elf vanished. Harruq struggled to his feet, clutching his neck as he gasped for air.
“Damn elf,” he cursed. “How dare you threaten us.”
His hands shook violently as his ad
renaline faded. He had been terrified, convinced the elf would kill him, yet he didn’t.
“Big mistake, elfie,” he said. He snatched his swords and sheathed them. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
After a bit of debate, he decided not to tell Qurrah. Velixar had already made it clear they needed to be careful. Now he understood why. He wouldn’t tell Aurelia, either. That would be stupid, and stupid he was not…most of the time.
“I need a drink,” he said, turning toward the town and trudging back. All he could think about was getting a good, stiff drink. If he was lucky, he might get in a good bar fight. Nothing helped him forget his worries better than walloping a fellow drunken idiot.
10
She felt guilty for spying on him, but Aurelia was convinced she had no other choice. Over the past month, she had grown close to the half-orc Harruq Tun, and with that closeness was danger. She saw only a goofy young man while Dieredon swore she met with a killer. Only one of them could be right, but who?
Perhaps not, she wondered. Perhaps she saw the elf in Harruq while Dieredon saw the orc. The kindest man might become a brute when surrounded by other brutes. When Harruq was with his brother, or the strange man in black, how then did he behave? Could he kill? Could he murder?
She had to know. It took a simple invisibility spell to approach their rundown home unnoticed, her feet moving silently because of her natural elven grace. It was midday and the sun was high in the sky. Most of the murders occurred once darkness fell, and always when the child wandered into the forest to play. Lately no murders had been found, and Aurelia couldn’t decide if she should be worried or hopeful that they had stopped at the same time she had begun training with Harruq.
Aurelia peered through a gap in the boards. She and Harruq had finished their sparring an hour before, and she expected him to be resting. She was right. What surprised her was how Qurrah remained asleep as well. Dieredon had mentioned nocturnal visits between the other brother and the man in black, but she had no idea how long they lasted. For Qurrah to still slumber they must last for several hours, if not the entire night.
She looked at him, sprawled out on a thick pile of straw, and wondered how he managed to walk, let alone cast spells as Harruq implied. His skin was pale and had a stretched look across his bones. He looked like a drained, emaciated version of his larger brother.
A good set of meals would do him wonders, Aurelia thought.
Boring as it was, Aurelia sat down and prepared to wait. She glanced around, making sure there was no chance a wandering passerby could accidentally bump into her invisible form. The sun moved along its path in the sky, and the brothers finally awoke. Qurrah vanished, returning later with meager portions of bread and tough meat. Aurelia watched, oddly amused by their silent noshing. Harruq continuously glanced over at Qurrah, and when the frailer half-orc was overtaken by a coughing fit, Harruq was there, pounding his brother’s back and looking like his world was about to end. Qurrah merely looked embarrassed and pushed him away.
They clearly love each other, thought Aurelia. Maybe Harruq more than Qurrah.
The day passed, and it was thankfully uneventful. She was almost ready to leave when Qurrah pulled Harruq closer and began whispering. Aurelia cast a spell over her ears, heightening her already sharp hearing. A pall settled over her as she listened.
“…must resume,” Qurrah was saying as her spell enacted.
“It’s dangerous,” Harruq said. “I thought you were learning enough from Velixar.”
“Exactly,” said Qurrah. “But I must practice what I learn. These nights are not enough, will never be enough. What point is sharpening your sword if you never wield it?”
Harruq had no reply. Eyes low, he stepped out into the night, Aurelia trailing not far behind. They travelled deeper into the town. A knot grew in her stomach as she noticed he had both his swords, and as they approached the poorer parts of the town, the knot only tightened. She watched the half-orc glance in through the windows of the buildings he passed. She found herself praying he only meant to steal possessions…just possessions, nothing more. Keep the swords sheathed, she prayed. Sheathed and bloodless.
He continued wandering, and she found herself circling several streets multiple times. Stalling, she thought, but it was little comfort. The day was almost done, the town covered with long shadows and darkened spaces. The older boys and girls would still be out to play, but the younger ones…
Harruq stopped. Aurelia positioned herself to the side, struggling to keep her breathing calm lest she alert him to her presence. They were beside an old house made of slanted boards shoddily nailed together. There was no glass for the window, nor a covering. She wondered what the occupants did during the winter months, preferring her mind dwell on that than the terrible look marring Harruq’s face. His skin had turned ashen. His right hand stroked the hilt of his sword like an itch he couldn’t ignore. He put a hand on the wood. Aurelia could only imagine what he saw: a small child slumbering in bed, positioned by the window to keep him cool. Just a child like any other the Forest Butcher had claimed.
When Dieredon had first come to her, she had expected little difficulty in the task.
“They are new to the town, and when they came so did the murders,” he had said. “Meet with one of them, discover who they are. If they are the vagrant scum they appear to be, it will be easy enough to catch them in their crime. The humans can then deal their judgment with a rope.”
It seemed perverse that she had met Harruq by saving him from the fate she was supposed to doom him to. Still, Aurelia was not one to judge by appearances, and what she had seen that night had seared her heart. Two soldiers beating Harruq bloody without cause or reason, Harruq who was so kind to her when they sparred, who brought her flowers and told her stories, who looked upon her like she was a goddess of light in his dreary world…
Harruq drew his sword. It shook in his hand. Aurelia watched as if in a dream. She felt magic spark on her fingertips. Under no circumstances could she watch him. She couldn’t. Nor could she believe it. He was so kind to her, so kind.
“Why,” she whispered.
He put a hand inside the window. The other pressed his sword against the side of the house. No longer a dream. A nightmare. She would kill him, burn his whole body to ash so she never had to look upon his dead face. Hatred burned in her breast. Qurrah, she thought. You make him do this. Put the blood on your own hands, you coward.
She knew the moment she struck with a spell her invisibility would end. She wondered how he would look at her when she killed him. Surprise? Anger? Shame? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. Magic sparked on her fingertips. Harruq might have seen if he had looked over, but his eyes stared through the window. He pulled back the sword. His hand reached in. Aurelia prepared to kill him.
“Damn it,” she heard him say. “I’m sorry, Qurrah. I can’t.”
He sheathed the blade.
Aurelia felt her world slow and the nightmare relent. He did no harm, she thought. No killing. He may not be the Forest Butcher, and even if he meant to do what she feared, it didn’t mean the others were him. The hope felt juvenile and ignorant but she clung to it tightly. The magic left her fingertips, and doing her best to calm her heart, she followed Harruq back home.
“Nothing?” Qurrah asked when Harruq stepped inside.
“Nothing.”
It seemed Qurrah would leave it at that, but he clearly saw the apprehension on his brother’s face.
“Tell me the truth,” he said. “What happened?”
Harruq sighed, and he removed his swords and flung them to the ground.
“I can’t do it,” he said. “We don’t need it. You don’t need it. Our war is coming, Qurrah. Let us fight it when it comes, but not sooner, not now, not while they sleep…”
He looked away as if expecting to be berated for the outburst. Instead, Qurrah walked over and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Be careful,” he said in his r
aspy voice. “Your power was given at a cost. Any hesitation or doubt risks the permanency of your gift. I understand, please know that. In time, you will learn, and you will see things as I do. Until then, rest. Velixar will come for us soon. I do not want to fail him. That is all that matters. We must not fail.”
Aurelia had heard enough. She knew their roles, the balance and position of their hearts. It was absurd, poor souls without a home, family, or position to be speaking of power and obligation. Her hatred of their unknown master grew. He was a puppet-master, and her dear friend was one of his puppets. If they still doubted, even for a moment, perhaps she could save them. Perhaps there was still time to pull them from the necromancer’s cold fingers.
Aurelia turned and ran for the forest. Dieredon had not known of her spying, but she would tell him everything. If there was any hope, it was in his skill with blade and bow. To free the puppets, one must cut the strings.
It was time for Dieredon to slay the man in black.
* * *
That night, Velixar gave them their orders, putting in motion his plan to blanket the east in war.
“In Celed there is a male elf by the name of Ahrqur Tun’del,” he told the two under the cover of stars. “He has visited King Vaelor before, and was quite vocal when the elves were expelled from his capital city. He is well known in Woodhaven, at least to those of elven blood. I need him killed and his body brought before me.”
“How will we hide the body?” asked Harruq.
“Wrap it in cloth and make sure you are not seen,” Velixar said. “And make no mistakes.”
“We will not,” Qurrah said. “How will I know where this Ahrqur lives?”
“I will show you, my disciple, but first I have a gift for my dearest bone general.”
Velixar drew out his magical chest. He set it beside him and let it grow out to normal size. From within he pulled out a suit of armor stained a deep shade of black. He threw it to Harruq, who managed to catch it even though his mouth hung wide open.
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