The Eighth God

by Paul S. Lavender

  Turning to look out over the pass he could see the dust cloud rising at the orcish end of the pass. There was a lot of dust certainly more than a war band would make.

  His half-brother sat at the base of the knight statue, feeding some tid bit to the raven, Caw. Time to get this over with, he thought and started to head towards him.

  Melress looked up as Saethryth approached, ‘Hello…Saethryth, isn’t it?’

  Saethryth sighed, this was not going to be easy, and he knew he was going to do a bad job of it, so he decided to get straight to it.

  ‘You could call me, brother.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘I said, you could just call me brother, look Melress, my name is Saethryth Melbrugess, I’m guessing our father never spoke about me, and I can understand that. We had a major falling out many years ago, and I have been away. I came back to Ashen Falls to make my peace with father, but I was too late.’

  Melress sat in shock, he had a brother; well a half -brother, as Saethryth was clearly a full elf, but he had a brother, and he wasn’t being a condescending shit, like most elves. Of course, he had seen the photo of the elf woman and the girl, but his father had said they were dead. He had never mentioned having a son.

  He stood up and the two brothers embraced as tears of joy ran down Melress’s face.

  ‘Brother,’ he said and began to laugh and cry at the same time.

  Then he remembered what Saethryth had also just said, elation turned to confusion, ‘What do you mean by too late?’

  Saethryth looked at Melress, ‘Father is dead, Melress.’

  ‘What…How?’

  Saethryth told Melress about the Orcslayer room and about the armour and weapons, he told him everything he thought Melress needed to know about his father and how he knew he was dead.

  Melress looked at Saethryth through the tears, ‘I want to be an Orcslayer, I want to kill every fucking one of the bastards that killed my father!’

  ‘Normally I would have accepted you straight away, however with you I have a problem.’

  ‘Don’t deny me brother, not now, I want vengeance!’

  ‘And you will have it, but I cannot make you an Orcslayer!’

  ‘Why not? I loved my father even if he was hardly ever around, not even when my mother died.’

  ‘Because Melress, I think you might already be one.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The last time I heard, mages didn’t heal people or bring them back from the dead!’

  ‘Oh…’

  ‘Yes, oh, It’s the talk of the new recruits. How they found you and how you did miracles. You’re not very discreet but you are young, and you’ll learn. Those men and women you brought in earlier will do anything for you now. But I think you are the avatar of the eighth god.’

  ‘Who? I've never heard of him or her. This doesn’t make sense, but then I do keep doing things, like I’m being compelled, like Lucy…’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Just a farm girl, she’d been killed, I brought her back to life.’

  ‘Why, why would you bring a girl back to life? How old was she? Was she with child?’

  ‘I don’t know why it just kind of happened, but she could be pregnant, she was old enough.’

  ‘Fuck.’

  ‘What? What is it?’

  ‘The previous Avatar told Tierra and myself that the eighth god would be reborn, I wonder if this Lucy you raised from the dead might be carrying the eighth god. You see, unlike the elven gods I think he or she manifests himself on earth and as it dies is reborn anew, but we really need more information about the eighth god to know that for sure.’

  ‘What do you mean by, ‘Unlike the elven gods’?’

  ‘I think the eighth god is half-elven. I’m not altogether sure, though.’

  ‘Well don’t look at me, I didn’t even know I was his Avatar.’

  ‘No, it’ll have to wait for now anyway, but we could really use your help with the statue. You need to find a way to activate it before we find ourselves in the shit.’

  ‘No pressure then.’

  ‘I suggest you go to the old priests rooms and see if you can find anything there, hopefully, he wrote something down.’

  ‘What about that lot?’, said Melress pointing at the gathering dust cloud.

  ‘Don’t worry about them, we know exactly where they’ll be in about an hour. Knocking on the door all polite like!’

  Despite the situation ahead of them, Melress laughed, as he walked away he was still shaking his head.

  As Melress walked away the count came up the steps and approached Saethryth, his mouth was a thin line, and his face was already starting to show worry lines.

  ‘What is it, Count?’

  ‘Humphrey has reported back to me about the other keeps, Maidens Watch and Soldiers View report no sign of orcs in their vicinity, but they have the narrowest passes, and the going would probably be too slow anyway. The priest at Warriors Stance has just killed the creature that has tried to take his place. Apparently, the man used to be a soldier before giving up the blade, something the creature was unprepared for; however, they have a small dust cloud making for the pass. We have been unable to contact Blades Edge, which I am sure you know is the furthest keep from us. I have to assume that Blades Edge has fallen and that orcs are currently moving forces into the countryside near the Kingdom of Hamerband.’

  ‘And? What else?’

  ‘We have been unable to contact King Eol or any of his court and we think, Humphrey and I, that the borderlands may be without a King.’

  ‘Shit. This is worse than I feared, but all we can do count is take one thing at a time, and that means clearing that orc army out of the way first!’

  54: The Army at the Gates

  There was an air of awkward expectation in the air as the garrison of Knight’s Perch took it in turns to look over the battlements at the approaching orcs. The dust cloud obscured most the force as it approached, the only clear figure was that of the Kul chief, Grash-Kul.

  Beyond him, a hazy rank of green-grey skinned orcs brandishing every weapon imaginable and wearing a hodgepodge of armour followed, and following them was the ominous dust cloud.

  Even Tierra circling above couldn’t see much of anything as she flew in lazy circles. Eventually, she gave it up as a bad job and flew back to Knight’s Perch. The Garrison had taken to calling her the War Hawk.

  Saethryth was waiting with a glass of chilled water as she landed on the cobbles in front of the keep.

  ‘I take it there’s not much to see?’

  ‘No, too much dust, I keep thinking I see glimpses of something, but when I turn to focus on it, it’s gone.’

  ‘Hmm, well I guess we just wait until they stop and the cloud disperses.’

  ‘Nothing else we can do, sorry.’

  ‘Don’t worry, all that dust is fucking things right up. I’m beginning to wonder if you were right, you know?’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Keeping the half-orc alive. Might be we could have used him as a bargaining tool, although I doubt it not with his father’s reputation for making brats.’

  ‘You don’t like kids then?’

  ‘Oh, I hope to have some one day with the woman I love, but not now. Too much is happening in the world.’

  ‘You’ll never have kids with that attitude because there will always be something happening, something you believe only you can stop.’

  ‘You’re probably right.’

  ‘Of course, I am, I’m a woman.’

  The orc army was closer now, the rattle of weapons and armour starting to be heard as they walked and as they neared the keep their chief started to wave his sword and point at the defenders on the walls of the keep, whipping the orcs up to a frenzy.

  He was shouting at his war band, but the defenders couldn’t work out what he was saying, the rows of orcs parted as a woman was brought kicking and screaming out of the dust that was starting to disperse. Two orcs held her arms
and forced her to kneel as the chief carried on shouting and gesturing.

  Then silence except for the woman pleading, begging.

  The chief swung down on the exposed neck of the woman sending her head spinning, blood suddenly spraying out of the stump where the head has been severed. Raising his hands the chief cupped them together and started to drink the metallic liquid, and the army behind him cheered and cheered.

  More than one of the defenders watching the spectacle is sick, and yet they cannot take their eyes off the display.

  Tierra watches with a hard look in her eyes, and Saethryth realises that he has seen that look before, usually when he looks in a mirror.

  She has just learned what it means to be an Orcslayer. Grash-Kul has just sealed his fate, and Saethryth was glad he wasn’t the one Tierra would be coming for.

  He feels it is time to say words of encouragement, even if it is not his place to do so, he is just about to speak when Tierra starts too

  ‘Before you, men and women of the middle kingdoms, you have seen why we are here, why we will fight and why some of us will die. If those orcs win here they will be upon your families in hours, your children and parents, wives and lovers will all be at the mercy of bastards like him. We are, in their eyes here for their pleasure, be that sexual or for their amusement. I for one will not stand by as they destroy all I hold dear, I will fight alone if necessary, but I am not alone for I have this elf at my side, and there are others like him. We will fight, and we will win, or we will die!’

  The defenders cheered as Tierra finished. Saethryth stood with a slight smile on his face.

  Tierra turns to look at him.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful when you're angry.’

  ‘Bastard.’ Tierra slapped Saethryth on the arm as she turned and left the battlements.

  Count Kepler stroked his chin, his hand scratching on the bristles that are already starting to appear and let out a long sigh, suddenly his eyes widened as a groan escaped from the lips of everyone who can see the army arranged before them.

  Saethryth turned to look at what everyone else has seen.

  This is not just an army of orcs. He can see a dozen ogres and beyond them two humanoid figures standing over thirty feet tall, wearing furs to cover their genitalia and wielding tree trunks with their branches removed. Practically mountains they are covered in a carpet of thick hair and have dirty, greasy spiked black hair and unkempt beards.

  What the fuck were two Helekosian giants doing here? They normally stayed in their mountains well away from everyone else tangling with the odd adventurous band who were too stupid to stay well clear.

  Who was pulling the strings here? Who was so desperate to take the middle kingdoms that they could form an alliance with Helekose?

  55: The Golem’s Secret

  Melress had entered the old priests room and for a moment had just stood looking at the objects in the room. On his shoulder, Caw lifted a wing and started to preen under it.

  ‘Have you got fleas again?’

  ‘No. Just looking for a little snack.’

  ‘Well sit still then, I need to concentrate.’

  ‘Sorry, boss.’

  Caw stopped moving and started to look about the room his eyes roaming where Melress’s didn’t. This way they both looked at all within the room at separate times. Hoping one would pick up on something the other wouldn’t.

  There wasn’t a lot in the room to see, though. A bed with a side table, a tall candlestick with four candles in, a chest of drawers, a chest and on one wall a picture depicting the statue outside with a priest touching the feet.

  ‘Where to start?’

  ‘Try the chest first, you people like to keep the best stuff in chests.’

  ‘Aye, that we do.’ Melress moved to the chest, and carefully tried the lid. It opened on well-oiled hinges.

  Inside the chest was a collection of herbs, powders and bits of bark all in a wooden storage unit. This unit had handles, and when lifted there were two dozen phials of which the majority were empty, but there were about six that contained liquids. There was a book about making various potions to aid in the healing process and a small leather pouch with money in. Melress replaced everything back how it had been.

  ‘Nothing useful there.’

  ‘Looks useful to me!’

  ‘Okay then, not what we need at this moment in time.’

  Caw flapped off Melress’s shoulder and looked about the room, as he did so Melress moved to the bed. He pulled back the sheets and checked in the pillow. Then he pulled the mattress off the bed. Nothing. Again, he put everything back as it was. He was starting to think there was nothing here of any use. He opened one of the draws in the chest of drawers, inside there were clothes, he took each item out checked them for anything odd and then put them back.

  Nothing.

  He looked around the room again, he had searched everywhere, there was nothing here, and they were all fucked.

  He went and looked at the picture on the wall, he lifted it and looked at the wall behind, it was solid. He took the painting and turned it around. There were words written on the back.

  Faith can move mountains.

  What the fuck did that mean? He looked at the front of the picture again, the priest looked familiar, in fact, it looked like the Priest who had died. He touched the picture, touched the face of the priest, there was a little jolt of electricity, and when he moved his finger away, a different face looked out of the picture. His face.

  Was that it? Was he now in control of the golem?

  He started to leave the room. Only one way to find out.

  56: An Unexpected Revelation

  Orcs rushed towards the walls of Knights Perch, screaming as they did so. There were several groups of orcs that were carrying ladders, and these were lagging the rest of the orcs. From the camp, the ogres and the giants looked on as Grash-Kul shouted at his warriors to attack, to kill every defender they could find.

  Saethryth unfolded his bow and took aim at one of the foremost orcs, he let fly and watched as the arrow sped towards its target punching the orc through the eyeball. He started taking aim at another orc as the Squad Sergeants around him started giving the order for the regular soldiers to fire.

  Five hundred arrows flew into the air. A black cloud of death that started to fly down into the thousands of orcs that were running towards the keep. The arrows pierced skulls, arms, legs and feet. orcs went down everywhere, and the second flight of arrows punched into the massed ranks causing more devastation.

  The orcs started to falter, and Grash-Kul waved them back towards their encampment.

  Count Kepler walked up to stand beside Saethryth, ‘Why didn’t they use the giants and ogres?’

  ‘I don’t know, Count. Those giants are hard to take down, and I think they could breach the walls of the keep before we could kill just one of them. Perhaps they are waiting for something or someone to arrive. I mean they just seem to be standing there watching.’

  Tierra, who had been sitting on a nearby barrel of oil suddenly jumped off. ‘Here they come again.’

  The count, and Saethryth, looked in front of them and sure enough here came the orcs. Saethryth raised his bow and loosed another arrow as five hundred more bows loosed. Again, scores of orcs went down as the arrows punched into them, a second flight of arrows and the orcs were in full retreat.

  The ground in front of the keep was littered with dead and wounded orcs, a forest of arrow shafts lay everywhere. Saethryth looked towards Grash-Kul, the orc chieftain didn’t look annoyed or angry, he was just looking at the Keep. As Saethryth watched, Grash-Kul rubbed at his chin as if in thought.

  The night was starting to draw in, the sun starting to sink below the mountain range beyond.

  Saethryth turned to the count, ‘They might attack again before nightfall, but I think it would be wise to send half of the men to barracks. We should be alright unless the giants start
to move.’

  The count gave the orders to his Captains, and they then went off to issue the orders to the Squad Sergeants.

  ‘Have we heard anything from Blades Edge yet, Count?’

  ‘Nothing. Like I said earlier, we must assume that it’s fallen and that the enemy is making for Hamerband.’

  Melress came running up the stairs and caught the end of the conversation, puffing he managed to wheeze out ‘What’s…that…about…Hamerband?’

  Saethryth filled in Melress about all that he had missed, while he had been looking at how to activate the golem.

  ‘Oh no, no, no!’

  ‘What’s wrong, Melress?’

  ‘I have to get to Hamerband. I have to go.’

  ‘I think the orcs outside might disagree with you. What’s the urgency?’

  ‘Don’t you see? She lives in Hamerband?’

  ‘Who? Melress, you’re not making sense. Who lives in Hamerband?’

  Melress looked like a trapped fox waiting for the hounds to move in for the kill.

  ‘My wife, my wife lives in Hamerband!’

  ‘You’re married?’

  ‘I just said so didn’t I. Last yea,r as soon as we turned old enough. I had her father’s permission, and we were wed later the same day.’

  ‘Well I am sure your wife will be fine, but as I have said, there is nothing you can do about it now. You need to concentrate on the task at hand and then we will see what we do next.’

  57: The Second Spy

  The orcs attacked early in the morning, probably hoping to catch the garrison unawares, but the half garrison that was on guard duty were ready. A few volleys of arrows saw the orcs retreat to the encampment.

  An hour later and the defenders in the keep saw a new dust cloud moving through the pass. Captain Kepler could have sent a ranker to his father, but he decided to go himself, after all, Quinn could take care of the men. It wasn’t like they could go anywhere to make a nuisance of themselves.