“It doesn’t feel right, sir.”
The faces of several soldiers showed fear and concern; they cared for Princess Elanya. He calmed and did his best to smile. “Malik, we are all concerned about the princess. We can’t let this concern get in the way of rational thinking. I am going down to find out what kind of arrangement can be made, and you will wait here.” He turned and started to walk away.
“Rationally thinking, I can’t let you go alone, sir.”
“You can, and you will.”
“I am sworn to protect you, sir, which means I cannot allow you to go into the orc camp without an escort.”
“That same oath also says you must obey my every command. As the Dalth Shield is my witness, I am hereby commanding you to stay here and wait.” He walked without waiting to hear a reply. He knew Malik would say nothing, and he would pay a price for the command. The last time he had to give a command to Malik, they didn’t speak for a month. He hoped the result of this order ended similarly.
He passed the orc without pause, and the orc hurried to follow him. The orc had come from the main tent, which was where Eldric intended to go. If the note was the precursor to a trap, he was going to walk in with his head held high, and if need be, his sword. He would free his daughter before he died, then Malik could return her home and be able to brag about how right he was. Eldric couldn’t hold back a smile. How long would Malik sit on the hillside and wait?
The two guards, at the entrance to the tent glanced momentarily at the prince as he walked through the opening. Elanya stood beside a seated orc, her dress covered in blood. Anger coursed through his veins and he reached for his sword.
“Daddy, no!”
Malik wondered whether the prince was plain foolhardy. Every time he thought that the prince walked into disaster, he came out the other side with a souvenir. This time he hoped the memento would be the princess.
“Sir, the men have seen some movement in the trees behind us.”
Malik turned to his lieutenant. He was dark skinned and muscular, much like Malik, except he lacked the gray in his beard. “And what is the source of this movement?”
“Well, Sir, I don’t know.”
“Have you even bothered to investigate, or at the very least send one of our soldiers?”
“I thought it was important enough that you should know, Sir.”
“Movement in a forest filled with tree limbs and shrubbery blowing in the breeze. I suppose the next report will be to tell me one of the men broke wind?” Malik stepped into the young soldier and glared into his eyes. “The next time you come to me with half a story, it had better be because you are only half living. When you have found out the source of this so-called movement, then you will report to me. If I see your scrawny little hide a moment before, you will be cleaning the stables with a wooden shingle and a spoon. Dismissed.”
The soldier was already stepping backward at an increasing pace when he saluted Malik. The captain returned the salute to the soldiers back as he scampered off.
Elanya rushed to her father and held the hand that was pulling the sword free of its scabbard. “Don’t do this; he thinks he would be doing me a favor by killing you.”
“What have they done to you? Where are you injured?”
“What? Injured? They would do nothing to harm me. Why would you think I’m injured?” Elanya followed his eyes to her dress. “Oh, my. No, Daddy, this isn’t my blood.”
“Whose blood is it then? Qa’Veck’s?”
“Come on. And take your hand of that sword, you’re embarrassing me.” She pulled the prince to where Grunsch was seated. “Grunsch, this is my father, Prince Eldric Dalth the Fourth.”
“There are four of him?”
“Not exactly, I’ll explain it to you sometime.”
“Greetings Prince Eldric Dalth the Fourth. It is an honor to have you in my tent.”
“Greetings to you Grunsch.”
Grunsch gave Elanya a curious glance. “Can’t he speak my language?”
Elanya shrugged. “Daddy, this would be so much easier if you would speak the orcish tongue.”
An abashed grin appeared on Prince Eldric’s face. “I’m afraid I didn’t pay much attention to Qa’Veck’s lessons on this language. I can understand it well enough to get by, but I’m afraid we would be here for days if I were to try and speak it.”
Grunsch burst into deep laughter. Elanya turned to her father and back to the orc. “You have been hiding something from me, General.”
“Get your father a chair, Elanya.” Grunsch said with a big smile. “Please forgive me for not standing, Prince Eldric. Your daughter is a wonder with healing foolish mistakes, but I’m afraid my leg still hurts.”
Elanya took two chairs from the table where the orcs played their game and placed them facing the general. Her father waited until she was seated before he took his.
“So this is why you kidnapped my daughter?”
“Again, you must forgive me. I sent two of my men to ask her to come. I’m afraid they were a little, um, over excited about my leg. Elanya tells me they didn’t give her much of a choice.”
“Where is my elf?”
The smile disappeared from the general’s face and he turned his gaze to the corner of the tent. “Your elf is an old enemy. I will keep him, so we can get caught up.”
“I hope this isn’t the arrangement you are wanting. The elf is my property; he has been in the family for forty years. I can’t let you keep him.”
“I understand your people are having problems with these animals you call barbcats. I would like to help.”
“Help?”
“Don’t look so surprised, Prince. I hear these cats taste very much like mountain lion, which is a, um, treat with my tribe. Mountain lions are becoming hard to find, and you seem to have more than enough of these barbcats. We can hunt them for you.”
Elanya read the answer in her father’s eyes. It was the same look he gave her whenever she asked to skip a royal function. “Grunsch is very trustworthy. He would only be on our lands to hunt the cats. His men are disciplined and will not do anything he forbids.”
“Like kidnapping a princess?”
“That’s not fair. They were worried for their leader, and didn’t understand the consequences of their actions.”
“I am sorry, General, but I can’t have orcs roaming the countryside. The people would not understand. Farmers would attack you thinking they are protecting themselves, and likely die in the process.”
“I understand the concern, but we would not be hunting on farmer’s land. We would be hunting in the forests. We can be quite, um, not seen when we choose. We have been here for thirty sunrises already. And I believe you did not know we were here.”
General Grunsch had found a way. Her father was almost convinced. Almost.
“General, this arrangement wouldn’t work. I could never go to my people and tell them we have reached an agreement with the orcs. There is too much distrust between our races to overcome.”
“So don’t tell them. I am sure you make many decisions without the knowledge of your tribe.”
“I do. This is quite different, though. If they didn’t know of the arrangement, then we are back to the fact that if you are seen, my people will attack you.”
“Let them attack. We simply swat them away. One farmer against a group of orcs is hardly a concern. We won’t kill them; just disable them until we can move away.”
Prince Eldric glanced at Elanya and sighed. He was giving in.
“Even so, they would come to my soldiers and request we hunt you down and kill you. I couldn’t very well tell them no, without giving away we have a treaty.”
“Hunt me down. Then we can gather around a campfire and trade stories. The farmer never has to know you didn’t kill us.”
“And what if the orcs we are hunting turn out to be from another tribe? There are too many
questions to this arrangement.”
“Of course there are. We can work through these details around the campfire. My tribe is the only one in this area. My soldiers are the only orcs allowed to wear what we wear. If you see an orc wearing something different, kill them.” Grunsch leaned forward. One side of his mouth turned up in a menacing grin. “You would be saving me the time.”
Elanya watched her father. He rubbed the scar on his forehead. He looked for holes in the deal, but Grunsch had covered most possibilities.
“Very well, General. Only under some conditions.”
Grunsch smiled.
“First of all, understand no matter how peaceful you are, I will be hearing reports of you attacking my people. I know that these reports will be false exaggerations, for the most part. However, if they become too numerous I will have to look into them. If any are found true, you will not be returning home.”
“Father, wouldn’t it be best to get both sides of the story. It would make no sense to bring death about from a rumor, or half-truth.”
“The girl is right, Prince. I would hate to kill you over something that didn’t happen.”
Eldric sighed. “Very well. We will meet first. Agreed?”
“Yes.”
“Second, the barbcats, although they are a nuisance, they serve other purposes. They feed on rats, snakes, and other vermin. If I were to allow you to clear the population, then we would have another problem on our hands. So could you keep the harvest down to say, one cat for each orc you bring for the hunt?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“The most important thing you must remember is if you are seen, my people will attack you. For reasons I have already discussed, I can trust only a few people with the knowledge of our treaty. If you stay hidden, there shouldn’t be any problems. You must not be seen.”
“I understand, Prince Eldric.”
“Captain, the movement was orcs. We are surrounded, sir.”
Malik turned to his lieutenant. Sweat dripped off the tip of his nose and concerned filled his eyes. “How many orcs, Lieutenant?”
“Thirty or forty, sir.”
“Which is it, Lieutenant? Thirty or forty?”
“Probably closer to forty, sir.”
“Probably? You expect me to make a decision based on a guess?”
“No sir.”
“What are these orcs doing? Do they look as though they are going to attack?”
“The ones I saw were sitting on the ground, playing a dice game.”
“So was it the game of chance that frightens you so much that you are sweating?”
“Sir?”
“They are waiting for a signal before they attack us, so we wait for that signal. Tell the men to be ready at any moment.”
“But sir. What if they are communicating by some other means? What if they--”
“What if they were what, soldier? We can see the camp clearly. This means if any orc leaves or enters the camp, we will know about it. If one leaves, well then there is our signal. Unless you are suggesting they are communicating through some other mystical means. If so, then we are dealing with the most highly educated orcs in the known world.” His anger intensified when he realized he repeated Prince Eldric’s words. Malik stepped in closer to the soldier and raised his booming voice. “When you come to me for a decision, do not question my judgment, unless you are prepared with something better than what ifs. Dismissed soldier.”
The lieutenant was rattled and did not bother to salute. He turned, barked orders to the rest of the guard and returned to his mount.
Malik looked down at the orc camp and sighed. The prince and his daughter stood outside the main tent, apparently in conversation with an orc.
Eldric held his daughter’s hand and waited for General Grunsch to limp out of the tent. The orc, called Loch, tossed Qa’Veck over the saddle of Elanya’s horse like a sack of grain and tied him, a little too tightly, so he wouldn’t slip off.
“I can’t convince you to let me keep the elf?”
Eldric looked at the General who stood a foot taller than himself, even stooped over favoring his injured leg. “The elf is important to me. Maybe I can bring you one, a different one, the next time we see each other.”
“Just wouldn’t be the same. The boys would enjoy one though. For a day or two. Farewell Prince Eldric Dalth the Fourth.” Grunsch gave a slight bow.
“Good day to you, General Grunsch.” Eldric turned and began the walk up the hill. His daughter was leading the horse, carrying Qa’Veck, at his side. He could see his soldiers at the top of the hill. He grinned. Malik hadn’t moved.
“Don’t you dare give that orc an elf.”
“How long have you known General Grunsch? You seem to be friends.”
“We are. I saved his two sons from a bear attack when I was fourteen.”
“A bear attack? Three years? You have grown into an amazing woman, my dear Elanya. Your mother would be proud, if not a bit frightened.”
They reached the top of the hill. Malik jumped off his horse and ran up to Elanya. “My Princess, are you hurt? Your dress is covered with blood.”
“I am fine Malik, it’s not my blood.”
“Ah, the blood of a few unlucky orcs then, is it?”
“Stop it Malik. We don’t need any more stories.”
“So this is where the stories begin?” Eldric said. “Dear, sweet, Uncle Malik is the author of the Princess Elanya Legend?”
“When do we launch our attack, my Prince?”
“Attack? No, no attack. It’s time we went home.”
“We are going to leave these orcs to roam the countryside?”
“I will tell it all to you later, Malik. For now, just be comfortable in the knowledge that I have met the most highly educated orc in the known world.”
###
A Note From the Author
Thank you for taking the time out your day to read this little story. The characters involved appear in the Drums of Rallinwar series. Blood of Two is the first book in the series and is available from the same retailers you acquired this story.
I am currently hard at work on book number two in the series and hope to have it released by fall of 2013.
If you are interested in hunting me down on the internet, you can find me on Twitter @chollisgunter, and the Facebook page is WorldofNilrus. I hope to see you there.
The Most Intelligent Orc in the World Page 2
