by Mark Dame
“Hey!” the orc shouted. “What going on here?”
The orc reached into the room and grabbed a club from next to the door.
“Intruders!” it yelled into the room, then ran to join the battle. A few seconds later, three more orcs burst from the room and ran after the other one.
His friends were outnumbered. Four more people were about to die.
Unless he did something.
“No more,” Flyn said under his breath. No more of his friends were going to die on his account. He was going to save them or die trying.
Flyn raised his sword and ran after the orcs. The first one had reached the battle and engaged Brenna, who was dancing around swings of its club. The one she had hit with the torch was screaming, running around, engulfed in flames.
Flyn raced as fast as he could. The last orc was almost within reach. He pulled his sword back with both hands and swung with all his might as he caught up with the orc. The blade slipped under the orc’s arm and into its side. The orc stumbled and fell to the ground, yelling in pain.
Flyn didn’t stop.
The next orc turned at the sound of its companion’s yell. What it saw was Flyn’s sword swinging down on its head.
The sword smashed into the orc’s face, cleaving its skull. The orc fell without uttering a word.
Ahead of him, the next orc had stopped and turned to face Flyn. The orc grinned and raised its club. Flyn kept running at full speed, determined not to stop until his sword was embedded in the orc’s chest. He might not be able to save Kel, but the orcs would pay for what they had done.
Flyn yelled and held his sword out ready to strike.
The orc’s grin faded as the point of a sword exited its chest. Flyn skidded to a stop. The orc dropped to its knees, eyes still on Flyn, then fell forward landing at Flyn’s feet. Behind the orc, Randell pulled his sword from the orc’s back.
The other orcs all lay dead, one still burning. The humans and dwarf looked around at each other and the bodies on the floor.
“Now that was a fight,” Sigrid said, leaning on her ax. She grimaced in pain.
“Harvig?” Brenna said. She ran up to the big man and gave him a hug. “I should have known you’d be here.”
“You don’t think Randell could make it here all by himself, do you?” Harvig said with a grin. Flyn couldn’t remember ever seeing the man smile before.
“And where did you find a dwarf?” she asked, smiling at Sigrid.
“The dwarf’s name is Sigrid, lass,” Sigrid said. “And you must be the Brenna I’ve been hearing about for the last few weeks.”
“Pleased to meet you Sigrid. And thank you for your help. Now would someone please tell me where Gudbrant is?”
Harvig and Randell looked at their feet. Flyn wasn’t sure what to say to her. He started to tell her, then stopped.
How did he tell her the person she loved was dead?
“Gudbrant loved you,” Sigrid said, her voice softer than Flyn had ever heard it before. “He died to save you from this place.”
Brenna didn’t say anything. Her jaw clenched and a tear rolled down her cheek. She closed her eyes and stood silently for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
“When we get out of here, I want to know exactly what happened to him,” she said quietly. “But right now, we need to go. All that noise was bound to attract someone.”
“What about Kel?” Flyn said. “I can’t leave without him.”
“He belongs to Jarot now,” Brenna said.
“Can’t we do something to break Jarot’s spell?” Flyn asked. “I have to save him. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even be here.”
“Once someone is under the control of a Yonarr, there is no saving them.” She looked at Flyn, her eyes full of sorrow and compassion.
Flyn was taken aback. In spite of her own loss, she was concerned about him. He vowed that one day he would make up for his actions and earn that kindness.
“I refuse to believe he’s gone,” Flyn said, determined to save his friend. “You leave if you must, but I’m not leaving until I rescue Kel. There has to be a way.”
“Aye, there’s a way, lad,” Sigrid said. “Kill Jarot.”
“Fine,” Flyn said. He turned to Brenna. “Where is he?”
“It’s not that simple,” Harvig said. “You can’t just kill a Yonarr. Not like a man or an orc. Swords and arrows can’t harm them.”
“They can’t be invincible,” Flyn insisted. “They aren’t gods, are they?”
“No,” Randell said. “But they might as well be.”
“Even during the Revolution, the only thing that could kill a Yonarr was their own magic,” Harvig said. “And that was lost at the end of the war.”
“Flyn,” Brenna said. “You helped rescue me. I’ll never forget that. I’ll do everything I can to help you save your friend, but now is not the time. The best way to help your friend now is to live to fight another day.”
Flyn looked into Brenna’s eyes. He knew she was right. He couldn’t help Kel if he was captured too. Or worse, killed.
He sighed and nodded his head.
Brenna smiled at him, then turned to the others.
“Come on,” Brenna said. “We have to hurry. I just got out of those shackles and I don’t want to be put back in them.”
The party hurried back to the stairwell, with swords drawn. They waited as Harvig opened the door and listened.
All was quiet.
Harvig led the way and had just started down the steps when the door below them opened and someone came through.
Harvig turned from the steps leading down and ran up instead. The others followed him up to the next landing where they stopped and listened.
Two orcs were talking, coming up the stairs. Flyn peeked around the corner.
“If those boneheads wake up the Master, he’ll burn them alive.”
“They quiet now.”
“They better stay that way.”
“Maybe servant girl getting cheeky again.”
“Master will burn her alive too. He’s done with her games.”
The second-floor door opened.
“What’s going on here?” the first one yelled.
The two orcs ran through the door. It slammed shut behind them.
“Quick,” Harvig said. “Before they come back.”
They raced down the stairs, past the second and first-floor landings, taking the awkward-sized steps as fast as they could. Above them, they heard doors opening and voices shouting and feet running. When they reached the opening to the great hall under the citadel, they paused for a moment, looking for guards.
Only one guard stood below them. The same orc they had seen before. It stood next to the opening leading to the tunnels, looking around nervously.
“There’s no way we’ll get down these stairs without him seeing us,” Randell whispered. “As soon as he sees us, he’ll start yelling for help.”
“What if just one of us goes down,” Flyn said. “Maybe he’ll think he can manage on his own and won’t call for help.”
“That might work,” Harvig said. “But then it might not. And even if it does, one on one with an orc that’s waiting for you would be a tough fight.”
“I’ll go,” Brenna said.
The others looked at her.
“I’ll go down with no weapons. He won’t call for help. He’ll come after me and try to catch me on his own. I’ll lead him off to the side behind the pillars and while he’s focused on me, the rest of you can sneak down and catch him off guard.”
“That could work,” Sigrid said.
“No,” Randell said. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too risky. I swore to Gudbrant I would get you home safe, and that’s what I’m going to do. Using you as bait to lure an orc away from its post isn’t part of that goal.”
Brenna frowned at Randell. “You aren’t letting me do anything. I’m going. You don’t have a say in it.”
Before a
nyone could protest, she leapt down the first two steps and was gone.
“Fiery lass.” Sigrid chuckled.
“You know better than to tell Brenna what she can’t do,” Harvig said to Randell.
Brenna made her way down the stairs without making a sound. The dim light on the upper half of the stairs must have helped as well. She was more than halfway down before the guard noticed her.
“Think you can sneak up on me?” The orc laughed. “Come on, little girl. Vorggak will take you back to bed.”
Brenna raced the rest of the way down the stairs as the guard walked toward her.
“You don’t need to run,” Vorggak said. “I won’t hurt you. Much.”
“We have to help her,” Flyn said. “He’ll reach the stairs before she gets to the bottom.”
Flyn stood up to start down the steps. Harvig grabbed his arm.
“Wait,” he said.
As Vorggak reached the staircase, Brenna vaulted over the railing, jumping the last ten feet. She hit the ground and tucked into a roll. Vorggak cursed and raced after her.
“Now,” Harvig said.
They rushed down the steps as quickly as they could. Flyn looked down anxiously each time he came around to the side where the guard was chasing Brenna. She was using the columns to keep him from reaching her. Whenever Vorggak lunged around one column, she would race back behind another. Flyn could see that she would run out of columns soon if they didn’t hurry. He raced past Randell and Harvig, determined to get to the orc before it could catch Brenna.
Flyn was almost to the bottom when Vorggak caught her. Her back was against the wall, the orc standing in front of her.
“Nowhere to run now, little girl,” Vorggak said, laughing.
The orc lunged at her. Brenna was ready. She ducked under his grasp and ran, but she was just a little too slow. Vorggak grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her back. Her legs flew out from under her and she fell with a hard thud onto the marble tile.
Flyn jumped over the last few steps and charged toward the guard.
A low laugh echoed through the hall from behind him. Flyn stopped and turned.
“Flynygyn of the Andors,” a familiar voice said from the shadows. “How nice of you to save me the trouble of tracking you down. Had you told me you wanted to visit the Master’s palace, I would have brought you myself.”
Out of the shadows appeared a large orc with dark red skin and large tusks protruding from his lower jaw.
“Ugglar,” Flyn said.
Chapter 15
The orc commander turned toward the rest of the party as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Sigrid,” Ugglar said. “So good to see you. But where is Gudbrant? I was so looking forward to speaking with him. We didn’t get a chance to talk before you left.”
“What do you want?” Flyn said. His face flushed with anger.
Ugglar laughed again, a deep rumbling sound that made Flyn’s flesh crawl.
“I’ve come for you, Andor. And I’ve brought someone who wants to see you.”
A smaller figure stepped out of the shadows.
“Kel!” Flyn said. He started toward his friend, then stopped. Something was wrong. The man standing before him looked like Kel, but the expression on his face did not.
“Hello, Flyn,” Kel said. “I’m glad to see you.”
“Are you okay?” Flyn remembered what Brenna had said.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“The orcs captured you. They tortured you, Kel.”
“An unfortunate misunderstanding,” Ugglar said. “You see, we didn’t know who he was. We thought he was one of those traitorous Ilfin. After all, we did find him near Garthset.”
“Yes. A misunderstanding,” Kel said.
“A misunderstanding?” Flyn shouted. “They almost killed you! And now you’re their prisoner!”
“He’s no prisoner,” Ugglar said. “Are you, Kel?”
“No,” Kel said. “I can leave anytime I want. But I like it here. You would like it here too, Flyn.”
“Kel, what’s wrong with you?”
“Don’t listen to him, Flyn,” Brenna yelled. “He’s not the man you knew.”
“Shut your mouth, girl,” Vorggak said.
Brenna cried out as Vorggak smacked her.
“Come with me, Kel. Look. I brought your hat.” Flyn pulled the battered hat from his belt pouch. “We’ll go back home. You want that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. But you can’t get me home. Lord Jarot is building a big ship, with a whole crew to take me home. You should come with me, Flyn. When I get home, everybody will be so happy with the new world I discovered that they’ll make me Thane of Trygsted, Yarl of the Andors. You can be my commander, Flyn.”
“What are you talking about? No one is going to make you Thane of Trygsted. Jarot is lying to you.”
Ugglar laughed again.
“Bow before Thane Kel,” Ugglar said. “Ruler of the Andors of Trygsted.”
Flyn’s eyes burned as sweat dripped into them. He tried to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand. The stinging persisted.
“Kel! How can you trust these orcs? They kidnap people, turn them into slaves.”
“You have it all wrong, Flyn. Lord Jarot is the rightful ruler of Tirmar. The Ilfin are traitors. There was peace before they tried to overthrow Lord Jarot. The orcs capture the traitors, but instead of keeping them in prison cells, they let them atone for their treachery by working for Lord Jarot.”
His head was spinning. That couldn’t be true, could it? No, Jarot was the real evil.
“Kel, this is crazy. They’ve convinced you that they’re the good guys.”
“Flyn,” Kel said softly. “I think it’s you who has been deceived. Lord Jarot just wants his people to be happy and live long, healthy lives. Like any good ruler.”
“Listen to your friend,” Ugglar said. “He has seen the truth.”
The truth? What was the truth? Gudbrant hadn’t been a traitor. He had been a good man and a good friend.
“You’ve twisted everything around.” Flyn’s pulse pounded in his ears. He was having trouble breathing. “Jarot is the evil one. The only use he has for humans is as his slaves.”
“Lord Jarot is kind and benevolent,” Kel said. “These Ilfin want you to think he’s evil so you will help them in their traitorous war against him. But you aren’t one of them, Flyn. You’re an Andor, like me. Join me and Lord Jarot will forgive you for your sins against him.”
He was an Andor. He wasn’t part of the Ilfin’s fight.
Flyn’s body was numb, floating in the flickering torchlight.
Kel stepped up to Flyn and grabbed his hands.
“Please, Flyn. I miss you. The only other humans here are the traitors. The orcs are okay, but they’re pretty dull. Except for Lord Jarot and Commander Ugglar, there’s no one here I can talk to about anything interesting.”
“But…” Flyn couldn’t think straight. The walls and pillars of the hall faded away, leaving only Kel’s face. “They said Jarot can control people’s minds. That he controls you.”
Kel smiled at Flyn. “Listen to how silly you sound. Mind control. Lord Jarot isn’t even here. What’s more likely? That Lord Jarot is an evil magician controlling my mind? Or that the traitors lied to you to turn you against your best friend?”
Flyn turned to look at Randell and Harvig. Two more orcs had come down the stairs and were holding them. They had their hands over the militiamen’s mouths. The two men struggled in vain in their captors’ grasp. Vorggak had brought Brenna next to the staircase with the others. He had one arm around her waist, pinning her to his body. His other hand covered her mouth. The three Ilfin traitors were captured.
Flyn turned back to Kel.
“I was worried about you, Kel. I was afraid of what had happened to you. It’s my fault we’re here. If I had never built that boat, we would be home right now, safe. We would never have heard of Ilfins or orcs or
Lord Jarot. I’m sorry.”
Kel put his arms around Flyn. Flyn wept on his friend’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Flyn. None of that matters anymore. We’re both safe now. Lord Jarot will take care of you. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”
“Lord Jarot,” Flyn said. “What’s he like?”
“He’s like a father. He’s kind and caring and he’ll help us both get back home.”
“I’d like that. Will we be home in time for Matching Day?”
“When I’m Thane, I’ll get rid of Matching Day. Why should we only get one chance to find a wife?”
“Good.”
Flyn suddenly realized how tired he was. Weeks of climbing through the mountains and walking across open plains, fighting orcs and trolls and a vargolf. He was ready to rest. He sank to his knees.
“I’ve killed people, Kel. I’ve killed orcs and trolls. Will Lord Jarot forgive me?”
“It’s okay.” Kel put a hand on Flyn’s shoulder. “Lord Jarot is kind and forgiving.”
Flyn looked up at Kel and smiled.
“Take the prisoners to the stockade,” Ugglar said. “I’ll take the Andors to Lord Jarot.” The orc commander laughed again.
“Over my dead body!” Sigrid leapt from the shadows, swinging her ax at the large orc, striking him in the arm.
Ugglar yelled in pain and anger. He swung his arm at the dwarf, knocking her back and sending her ax skittering across the floor.
“Kill that filthy mole!” Ugglar yelled.
The orcs holding the prisoners looked at each other. Finally, Vorggak shoved Brenna at the other two and ran toward Sigrid.
Kel stepped back, cowering behind Ugglar.
Flyn blinked. What was happening? He felt like his head was in a fog.
Vorggak reached Sigrid as she recovered her ax. She ducked as the orc swung his club at her head, then countered with her ax, striking at his legs, but her off-balance attack bounced off the leather armor covering his thigh.
A yell from the staircase distracted Flyn from Sigrid. Brenna had broken free from the orcs and picked up a dropped sword. She swung it in a wide arc at the head of the nearest orc, the one holding Harvig. The orc raised his arms to protect his face, releasing Harvig.
