“Honored,” Harruq muttered. He looked about, seeing an angry man storming out of the warehouse, the priestess following him in mid-argument, and no sign of the cloaked one. “Odd mess of a family.”
“Well, we just added two half-orcs and an elf. It seems diversity is now our strong suit. By the way, do you three have names? It helps with the bonding process.”
“I’m Harruq Tun,” the half-orc said. “This here is my brother, Qurrah Tun.”
“And I am Aurelia Thyne,” the elf said, offering a tiny curtsey.
“Wonderful!” Tarlak said. “Follow me. I’ll show you your new home.” He followed Brug and Delysia out the warehouse, not stopping to see if the three followed.
“We really gonna do this?” Harruq asked.
“We have no home, and no lawful standing to be here,” Aurelia said. “Don’t forget, you two have elven blood as well. I see no reason not to give this a try.”
“I can think of plenty,” Qurrah said. He offered none when Aurelia gave him a look.
“Well, off we go then,” Harruq said with a shrug.
The road leading from the west gate of Neldaren forked north and south less than a hundred yards from the city. The southern road followed the banks of the Kinel river, leading to a multitude of farming villages beyond. While the southern road traveled for hundreds of miles, the north road was far shorter. The King’s forest surrounded all of northern Veldaren, and built against the southwest curve loomed an old sentry tower. Back when orc armies could still cross the bone ditch, the small stone structure housed a powerful scrying device permanently aimed west. Years ago, the magic of the scrying device had failed, the sentry tower was abandoned, and when an enterprising mage in curious yellow robes offered to purchase the structure, King Vaelor had been more than receptive.
“Welcome to your new home,” Tarlak said, gesturing grandly before the stone edifice.
“It’s, well, a little better than our last home,” Harruq said, staring at the tower in surprise. The building rose far above the tops of the trees, looking like a cylindrical piece of stone growing out of the earth. Twin doors barred entrance inside. Windows marked each floor, which Qurrah counted to be more than six.
Tarlak continued talking, clearly proud of his tower.
“It’s a little drafty come the winter months, but a brilliant man designed the heating, and an even more brilliant man, me, decorated the place and made it livable. By the way, can you all share a room?”
Aurelia’s frown was by far the biggest of the three.
“Excuse me, Tarlak, but if you haven’t noticed, I have some important differences from these fine gentlemen here.”
The wizard laughed. “Yes. Two stand out immediately.”
Aurelia glared. “Do you know any polymorph spells, Tarlak?”
“No, why?”
“Because I do. Another comment like that, and you will have to admire my figure through the eyes of a mudskipper.”
For a long moment, the wizard paused, mulling over the concept with a blank stare.
“Moving on!” he said when finished, marching toward the oak doors. Harruq shook his head.
“Odd guy.”
“He would most likely prefer eccentric,” Qurrah said.
“I’ll go with lecherous,” Aurelia chipped in. The doors creaked open with a rustic sound, and then the three followed the wizard in.
Beautiful, isn’t she?” Tarlak said, smiling as he led them through the large bottom floor. Filling nearly half of it was a giant wood fireplace, a myriad of pipes stretching out from the top, entering the higher levels of the tower through snug holes in the ceiling. Still in the early stages of summer, there was no need for a fire yet, but Harruq smiled at the thought of spending his first winter warm and cozy, instead of miserably shivering in some rundown home.
On their left, stone stairs wound upward. On the right, split logs were stacked neatly. Two old but sturdy couches faced the fireplace. Next to the couches, a long table stretched from wall to wall. The couches, the drapes over two windows, and the carpet were all a deep, luxurious red. The contrast with the dark stone was sharp, to say the least. Still, the place had an undeniable, simplistic charm. To Harruq and Qurrah, who had lived in total squalor, the place seemed a castle.
“What are all the pipes for?” Aurelia asked, gesturing to the fireplace.
“That is my wonderful brilliance put into action,” Tarlak said, beaming as if the furnace were his own son. “When I first moved in, one large pipe acted as a chimney for the smoke. Now, however, each of the pipes leads to the different levels, heating them all.”
“Where does the smoke go?” asked Harruq.
“Gotta use this,” Tarlak said, tapping his forehead. “I have a few magic spells in me. The heat goes through all the pipes except that big one in the center, which funnels cold air in and smoke out. Trust me, come winter, you’ll be ready to worship me for how toasty my home stays.”
“Your home?” asked Delysia as she came down the stairs. “I do believe it was my money you purchased this place with, dear brother.”
“Our home,” Tarlak said, duly corrected. “After the nasty business with the Citadel, I needed a new place to start. My dear sister here was kind enough to lend a hand.”
Qurrah’s eyes narrowed at mention of the Citadel, but he kept his questions to himself.
“Giving the grand tour?” Delysia asked.
“Of course. I need to show them where they’ll be living. Speaking of, do you think you can share a room with lovely Aurelia here?”
Delysia glanced around Tarlak to look at Aurelia.
“Is that fine with you?” she asked.
The elf shrugged. “Better than rooming with these two lugs.”
“Excellent,” she said, still smiling. “Follow me upstairs. We’ll make room for you while Tarlak gives the boys the rest of the tour.”
“You’re gonna leave us?” Harruq asked as Aurelia stepped around a frowning Tarlak.
“I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” she replied.
“I would prefer she stay with me, sis,” Tarlak said. A tiny pout crossed his face.
“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother,” Aurelia said, locking her arm in Delysia’s, a huge grin on her face. The priestess laughed and batted her eyelashes at her brother.
“Bye-bye, Oh Great and Wise Eschaton!”
The two dashed up the stairs, leaving an unhappy Tarlak and Harruq watching after them. Qurrah, amused by the whole ordeal, could not keep silent.
“So who exactly is in charge here, the women or the men?”
“The women, just like everywhere else in the civilized world,” Tarlak sighed. “Oh well. Let’s get on with it.”
They followed him up the stairs, which slowly curled about the wall. Tarlak stopped on the first floor, which appeared to be nothing more than a wall and a door less than two feet from the stairs.
“I added walls and doors to give every room some privacy,” he explained. “This is my sister’s, and now your elf girl’s, room. Don’t expect to be inside there much.”
“Same goes for you, I would say,” Qurrah said.
“Quiet you!” Tarlak said, although his voice hardly carried any conviction. “Let’s go to a more interesting floor, shall we?”
The second floor’s door was wide open. When they peered inside, they saw a mess of a place, with pieces of armor littering the floor. Buried underneath a particular deep pile was what appeared to be a bed. Various weapons, axes, swords, and daggers lined the walls. In front of a large grinding wheel in the corner, grumbling to himself, sat Brug.
“Afternoon Brug,” Tarlak shouted. Brug, in the middle of sharpening one of his daggers, startled so badly he fell off his chair and onto his rump.
“Dadgum idjit wizard! I told you not to do that!”
“Precisely why I do,” the wizard beamed. “I want you to meet the newest members of the Eschaton.”
Brug glared over before returning to his stool.
“I already met ‘em.”
“Yes, but I would prefer you meet them without trying to kill them.”
“Don’t care to.”
“You’ll win him over,” Tarlak semi-whispered to the other two. “He’s always cranky after he gets his ass handed to him in a fight.”
“What did you say?” Brug roared, spinning in his seat so fast it sent him toppling, this time on his head.
“Next floor!” Tarlak said, slamming the door shut and dashing up the stairs.
The next door was shut tight.
“This is my room,” the wizard said. “Nothing exciting here. Next floor!”
When Tarlak stopped at the fifth floor, he turned to the other two, his face serious.
“This is Haern’s floor,” he said. “As a bit of warning, do not enter unless you want an attempt on your life.”
“Say again?” Harruq asked.
“That guy is an assassin, through and through. He likes to sneak up on anyone entering his room. I’ve tried catching him sleeping, eating, practicing. No luck. Had plenty of sabers poked into my back and neck, though.”
He pushed the door open a crack and gestured for them to enter.
“Guests first,” he said.
“How kind,” Qurrah said, shoving the door the rest of the way open. Harruq followed, his eyes searching the corners for the cloaked man. The entire room was barren but for a small chest and a simple bed at one side. There was no sign of Haern.
“Let me know how it goes,” Tarlak said before banging the door shut. Harruq turned and shoved, but could not make it budge.
“I hate this place,” he said. He joined his brother’s side. Other than the bed and the thick curtains over the window, there appeared no place for the man to hide.
“You sure he’s here?” Harruq yelled.
“I’m sure,” came Tarlak’s muffled reply.
“He hones his skills at all times to remain ready,” Qurrah said, methodically searching the room with his eyes. “This is a test. Draw your blades, brother. If he does not obtain the kill with his first strike, he will have failed.”
“You certain?” the half-orc asked as he drew Condemnation and Salvation.
“Very.”
They slowly left the door. Shadows blanketed the walls, but none looked deep enough to hide a man. Harruq knelt and checked under the bed. Nothing.
“Hate to have to let this guy know breakfast is ready,” he grumbled. He looked back to his brother, and then paused. Something was wrong. He could see the door closed behind Qurrah, could see the blank walls, but his gut knew different.
“Brother,” he said, and that was all it took. Qurrah spun as Haern charged. A few words dashed off his tongue as he completed the turn. A saber lashed out, resting on his throat in the blink of an eye.
“You could be dead,” Haern whispered, all but his mouth and chin hidden behind the low cowl of his cloak.
“As could you,” Qurrah said, drawing the man’s attention to a piece of bone hovering in the air an inch from his chest. “Stalemate.”
The saber slipped beneath the multitude of cloaks as the bone dropped into Qurrah’s hand. Haern abandoned his battle posture and stood erect. The cowl remained low, but his eyes shone through its shadow, a piercing blue color that reminded Qurrah of deep waters.
“I welcome you to the Eschaton,” Haern said, his voice never above a whisper. His gaze shifted to Harruq. “I have fought you in battle, and I find you lacking.”
The half-orc’s eyes bulged.
“My life may one day depend upon your skill. Meet me behind the tower at sunrise. Bring your blades and armor.”
Harruq was so flustered and angry he didn’t know what to say. So he said a whole bunch at once. “How dare you…I could…you never beat me!”
Haern pointed to the many cuts lining Harruq’s face and arms. “Every one of those could have been lethal.”
“Stop lying, you never…!”
“My brother agrees,” Qurrah interrupted, stepping between the two. “I thank you for the offer to train him.”
“Qurrah!” Harruq gasped. Qurrah whirled on him.
“Shut up you fool. Now let’s go.”
When they tried to open the door, it swung in easily. Tarlak grinned at them as he leaned against the back wall.
“So how’d you do?” he asked as a furious Harruq followed his brother out, slamming the door shut behind him.
“A draw,” Qurrah said. “To the final floor?”
“To the final floor!”
The final floor was a bit different from the others. There were no beds, no chests, no drawers, and no current occupants. Instead, piles upon piles of boxes and crates were stacked everywhere.
“Yeah, this is where we store most of our potions, armor, stuff like that,” Tarlak explained.
“Where will we sleep?” Harruq asked.
“Will the floor do for now? I can purchase some beds tomorrow. I’ll just loan it out from your next cut.”
“Next cut?” Qurrah asked.
“Of your payment, of course. We are mercenaries.”
Harruq rubbed his lower lip, a few things connecting correctly into place. “So we’re going to make some gold here?”
“Not enough to be rich, but we carry a decent reputation here in Veldaren,” Tarlak explained. “We have little competition, we’re dependable, and now more than ever, we’re incredibly versatile. A tenth of all our contracts go to fund the organization, and the rest we split evenly. Sound fair?”
“More than fair,” Qurrah said. “I thank you for taking us in. It is more than we had hoped for.”
“Well, you might have hoped for beds,” Tarlak said, gesturing to the crates. “But we’ll see what we can do.”
Harruq waved an arm at all the miscellaneous things. “Where’s this going to go?”
“Good question. Ever seen a portable hole?”
Both shook their heads.
“Well, neither have I, but I plan on buying one tomorrow. I’ll consider it a one-time cost to hire you into our fold. For now, just shove aside all our crap and make yourselves at home.”
“I doubt this place will ever feel like home,” Harruq said.
“Yes, the roof doesn’t leak,” Qurrah muttered.
“Give it a shot,” Tarlak said. “We might surprise you. Probably already have.”
“Given our past few days, it’s just one surprise of many,” Harruq said, surveying the junk that filled his room. His room. Of his home. Surprising didn’t begin to describe it all.
Tarlak sat on one of the couches before the fireplace, a much-needed drink in hand. His hat lay next to him, his shoes kicked off.
“About time you poked your head out,” he said when his sister appeared, her priestess robes switched out for a more simple and comfortable tunic. “So many lonely hours down here eagerly awaiting feminine company.”
“I doubt it is my company you were hoping for,” Delysia teased. She scooted his hat over and sat down next to him.
“Is that necessary?” she asked, nodding at the drink.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I just invited a whole collection of freaks into my little home, and on what grounds?”
“You know why,” Delysia said.
“Do I?” Tarlak asked before draining the rest of the glass. “Are you sure that’s them? Maybe Ashhur wanted some other group.”
“I’m sure,” Delysia said. “I don’t know about the elf, but the two men are damaged. We do them much good by giving them a home.”
“Yeah,” Tarlak said, still not convinced. “You’re probably right, at least about the damaged part, mentally and physically. But we’re acting on a dream.”
Delysia frowned, and her small face curled up in a clear expression of hurt.
“No dream,” she said. “And no hallucination. Prayer, quiet and certain. They’re the ones we were to help, and help them we will. It is not my fault Ashhur is more comfortable talking to me than you.”
Ta
rlak laughed.
“Ashhur’s just scared that if he says hello to me, he’ll find himself missing a few lovely angels.”
“Speaking of lovely angels,” Delysia said. “You should go check on your new friends.”
“As you wish, milady,” Tarlak said.
When Tarlak returned to the upstairs room, he was pleasantly surprised by the half-orcs’ progress. Qurrah had supervised while Harruq did the grunt work, as was common between them. Crates originally stacked against the wall they piled twice as high, and any empty crack did not remain empty. After about an hour of pushing and stacking, they had cleared a small space in the heart of the tangled jungle.
“I’d say it’s about suppertime, wouldn’t you?” Tarlak said, whistling at the sight. “By the way, remind me to have you two do my heavy lifting from now on.”
“What’s to eat?” Harruq asked.
“Come and see,” the wizard said with a mischievous look. The two were more than willing to comply.
Supper was a feast that put many feasts before it to shame. Evidently Aurelia and Delysia, both skilled in forms of magic, had spent a good half hour conjuring up the most exotic, rare, and mouthwatering cakes, meats, crumpets, pastries, bread, and fruits, most of which the half-orcs had never seen before.
“Great leapfrogging Karak,” Harruq said when seeing the food splayed out on the table.
“We eat well here in my tower,” Tarlak said with a huge grin on his face. “Impressed?”
Harruq did not have chance to answer. His mouth was already full.
Aurelia joined the half-orcs as they were preparing to bunk for the night.
“You two busy?” she asked, poking her head through their door.
“Come on in,” Harruq said. “Here to see our lovely living conditions?”
“Whiners. I’ll be sleeping on the floor as well.”
“Don’t you mean hovering above it?” Qurrah asked. The elf shrugged.
“Same thing. I just wanted to make sure this was fine with you two.”
Qurrah tilted his head and gave her a funny look. “We would not have joined if we did not so wish.”
The elf shook her head and poked Harruq.
The Half-Orcs: Books 1-5 Page 23
