Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny Volume II) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (15 page)

Turning to address the crowd, Gnak pointed at the large
brute dead beside him before he began talking.

“Know Gnak. See Gnak power. No hear Gnak order, Gnak no let
you die easy.”

With that, he grasped the Orc’s essence and locked it back
in place as the Orc twitched slightly before it began to rise. Many in the
audience gasped, knowing that what they saw was not possible. Then, seeing he
had their full attention, he lashed out with his remaining blade and stabbed it
through the back of the Orc’s neck feeling the steel slide through the man’s
flesh, severing those most vital connections to the head. Then, pulling its
will from it once more, he let the man fall again to the sand.

“No die easy,” Gnak repeated and bending the power to his
will once more, locked the Orc’s will in place yet again, as the large Orc rose
yet again. This time, Gnak kicked its knee and stepping around it as it fell,
he grasped his blade still impaled through its chest, and yanked it free as he
once again summoned the man’s will and let it fall lifeless.

“Now who new chief?” Gnak asked the crowd, and listened as
they replied just as he hoped they would.

Within two hours Gnak watched as the last tents of the camp
were torn down. He had claimed three clans in that one fight. None of them were
large clans, but each added to his power. And better, two of them had shaman.
Asking questions of those he now ruled, to save him precious time, he gleaned
where the next two clans he would visit were located.

Having the thrice dead Orc bound and shackled, Gnak called
the body to life yet again as he left the campsite and continued on to the next
clan. Guiding it along with a length of rope, he hoped that by displaying it to
those within the other camps he planned to encounter that he could avoid having
to kill more and more Orcs each time he went to claim one of them for his own.

Over the next two days and a night, Gnak located and
collected nine more clans without killing a soul. Displaying his ability to
freeze a chief in their tracks, and kill and resurrect what the goblin king was
calling his pet, he managed to gather nearly another five thousand Orcs to his
cause. It wasn’t until he returned back to his own clan that he was forced to
again spill blood.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Climbing the dune just before his camp, Gnak could hear the
clamor beyond well before he could see it. Rushing to the top, he scrambled
across the surface of the windswept sand to find something he could not have
anticipated. Below, surrounding his camp, was a ring of soldiers nearly ten
thousand strong. A force comprised of both Orc and goblin, led by none other
than the big chief himself.

With moonlight reflecting off the man’s skin, Gnak spotted
the blessed Orc who towered thirty feet over those of his kind. Though it was
apparent he was just toying with them, Gnak looked on as his captains attempted
to battle the behemoth in his absence. It sickened Gnak to know that nearly
three quarters of his race stood down below watching this single event play out,
thinking that this was how things were supposed to be done. The biggest brute
beating the smaller and weaker into submission.

It had been their culture since the beginning of time, but
Gnak knew that just because it was their past, did not mean that it was meant
to usher them into the future. He saw a different future for his people, and he
wanted to bring it to reality, but one Orc stood between him and that
possibility, and it would not be easy to bring him down. No. This one would be
different. He could not simply rely on his magic, though he intended to display
it. The big chief would have to be put down, never to rise again. He would have
to fight the Orc. And he would have to win. There was no way around it.

Reaching inward to calm himself, Gnak brushed against the
will that was Jen and grinned oddly into the night. It was she that had altered
his course in life. Her words had changed him. He could see a future where Orcs
did not slaughter each other by the multitudes for pride. It was a future
desired by both he and the goddess he served.

Calmed, he shook the thoughts from his head and focused on
what lay ahead. Stretching his arms out before him, he flexed his fingers of
bone several times, grasping the air and testing their strength. Gnashing his
teeth, he gave the order to those who followed him to remain atop the dunes,
and turning, he alone bounded down the sandy slope.

It was only a minute or perhaps two, before sentries placed
by the big chief spied his approach and repeating the call, his presence was
alerted to all. Though much of the crowd silenced their jeering and cheers over
the ensuing fight, the big chief himself sought to strike fear into Gnak.

Watching the behemoth turn towards him, Gnak ignored the
multitude of Orcs who parted before him, his eyes locked on the battle ahead.
Bounding this way and that, the big chief lashed out with his immense fists and
feet, clobbering those captains sworn to Gnak, bashing them away before
snatching them up and hefting them into the air like so many scraps of cloth.
Over and over the blessed giant grasped a screaming Orc in his immense hand,
crushing bones between his fingers before tossing them straight up into the air
to tumble from the sky.

One after another his captains began raining down, some even
falling amongst the crowd of the big chief’s clan, to be kicked and spat upon
by them. Still Gnak strode forward.

His show finished, the big chief turned to face Gnak as he
approached and, leaning low in his direction, the huge beast released a
thunderous roar of rage before he spoke, his enhanced voice carrying out across
the sand.

“Big chief strong. Big chief no be killed. You no big chief.
You no pray Orc gods. Big chief think you no Orc!”

Nearing yet further before he responded, Gnak could see
ahead the severed heads of several Orcs impaled upon spears stuck in the sand.
Each of them had different markings. Each of them was a chief. It seemed the
big chief had much the same plan as he did.

Gnak knew he didn’t stand a chance of fighting the blessed
warrior. One blow from the big chief would kill him. Brawn would not win him
this battle. He would have to take a different route. Looking up to the big
chief, Gnak grinned as he grew yet nearer, snapping his tusks twice before he
spoke.

“Yes big chief powerful. So powerful must use god power,
fight Orcs with no power. Big chief so strong, why no fight honor?” Gnak
shouted.

Immediately those Orcs parting for him rushed to be as far
from him as they were able, all of them obviously expecting the big chief to
end his life right where he stood. But instead the big chief roared, shaking
the ground as he stamped his feet.

“Big chief hear Gnak have god power. No trick big chief. No
stop god power fight Gnak. Is fair. Is honor!”

Gnak grew nearer still, passing the last of the Orcs
surrounding the large clearing around the big chief. Though there were
thousands surrounding them, the night was suddenly filled with an odd silence
as Gnak stepped onto the makeshift battleground. The behemoth of a man stood
towering before him. Gnak was within his reach, yet stopping, the big chief did
not react immediately. Gnak had a plan, though he had no idea if it would work.
He had never tried such a thing before, and knew if he was wrong, then he would
lose the battle. But without any other choice, he looked up to peer into the
massive orbs of the big chief’s eyes, and issued his challenge.

“Big chief, many clans, Gnak say you weak. Gnak kill, take
clan. Gnak new big chief.”

Without a moment of hesitation two things happened
simultaneously, as Gnak dove directly ahead as the big chief surged forward.
Rolling beneath the big chief’s legs, the Gathos chief drew his blades,
plunging one into the massive ankle of the big chief before rising to sprint
further behind the giant. Though the huge man roared in anger as he spun, the
blade had no noticeable effect on a man so large.

“One Orc, no matter, big or no, is one Orc!” Gnak shouted,
diving aside as the big chief moved to smash him with his fist. Rising again,
he kept moving, and continued with his words that he hoped the clans under the
big chief’s control would hear and understand.

“Many Orc more strong, one Orc.”

Reaching out he felt those orbs of his fallen captains, each
of them now dead, strewn about the crowd and the clearing he now inhabited with
the big chief. Summoning them to him he dove again, and slashed with his
remaining blade as he again passed the big chief’s leg. His luck wouldn’t hold
long.

“Gnak mighty. Gnak god give big power. Gods no happy with
Orcs. Give Gnak power teach big chief lesson!”

Sending the orbs of will back into those who had recently
fallen on his behalf, he saw as several in the clearing with them began to jerk
and press up from the sand to resume the fight.

Rising, the recently dead gathered up their weapons and
converged upon the big chief. They were broken things, each moving with limp
arms or legs that made them less than ideal warriors, but the gasps from the
crowd assured Gnak that they were getting the message. The big chief, unafraid
of the smaller beings, began stomping upon them, crushing them to shattered
bits beneath him. But it was the delay, the valuable purchased time, that Gnak
needed.

“Look Orcs. See big chief. See big chief’s way. Him big.
Crush those small. But gods no happy. Gods say Gnak take big chief power. Show
Orcs new way!”

And with his words he knew that it was time to cast the
dice. His gamble, two-fold, had reached the point of no return. With the hope
that the big chief relied on his size alone, and had lost the real skills of
fighting long ago, Gnak prayed that his assumption was right as he reached out
his hand and summoned the ball of glowing light from the big chief. In that
moment the big chief did two things, as Gnak watched as sure defeat was
replaced by a chance at victory.

Freezing as the big chief turned to seek out Gnak once
again, now that all the revived captains were dead again, he shimmered with a
pop and shrank back to normal size. Gnak had been right. Without will, the god
giving the big chief power cut off its supply and the giant was reduced to just
another average Orc. But Gnak could not kill him this way. Not frozen. There
was no pride in it. As soon as the Orc shrank, Gnak returned its essence and
watched as the Orc showed both confusion and pain upon his face. Tripping as he
came, the former big chief went down in a heap, a howl of pain escaping him.

Looking to its cause, Gnak saw that his blade in the man’s
ankle, that previously had shown no effect, now caused devastating damage.
Sticking out both sides of the joint, the thick blade twisted as the Orc fell,
catching in the sand and slicing the Orc’s opposite ankle as well. Rolling
quickly, the big chief yanked the blade free from his joint with a roar and
rose to his feet chanting.

Gnak recognized the prayer for what it was, and rushed the
big chief. Colliding, both men crashed to the ground in a heap, their limbs
entangled, as Gnak found himself beneath the brute who suddenly got much
heavier. Then, as if struck by a boulder, Gnak’s head was bashed aside as both
ears rang, his head bouncing off both sides of his helm. Down rained another
blow, smashing his body down into the sand, his armor the only thing preventing
his bones and guts from being crushed. The big chief was big again.

Crushing blow after crushing blow fell upon Gnak, rattling
his bones as all thought but panic escaped him. Trying to escape, he was
pounded over and over relentlessly, his body bouncing off the ground, as his
armor began to give under the assault. Denting here and folding there, his armor
began to dig into his flesh, as his head smashed again and again against the
sides of his helm. His sight went black, only to return as his hearing seemed
to change in volume with each blow.

Taking another hit, Gnak spat blood from his mouth, trying
to clear his airway to breathe, and still the blows came. Then, it was as if it
stopped suddenly as Gnak no longer strained to breathe, the pressure and pain
of his body relenting as both darkness and light enveloped him.

“Don’t you do it, Gnak!” Jen’s voice shouted at him.

“No do what?” Gnak asked, his mind filled with a numbing
fog.

“Don’t you give up. You’re so close.”

“Close what? Give what?” Gnak asked confused.

“He is nearly defeated. Don’t just lay there and die. Fight
back!” Jen demanded.

“How defeated? Is big. Too big.”

“So make him small. All the Orcs need is to see him
defeated. As long as his body dies, you win, Gnak.”

 Again Gnak’s head bashed the side of his helm with a sickly
thud, as Jen was torn away from him again. Blood ran freely from both his ears
and mouth, and his left arm refused to move no matter how hard he tried.
Another blow smashed against his chest, driving out what little air he had
managed to suck into his lungs. But Gnak clung to life, even if only because
Jen told him to. He wondered, if when he died, if the various orbs he had
collected would leave his body like his own would? And then it hit him. Stupid
Orc brain.

Gathering his thoughts, Gnak lifted his right arm, uncurling
his broken fingers, and summoned to him the orb of the big chief once more.
With an audible pop the weight atop him lessened, as Gnak selected another orb
from amongst those he had collected. Pitting his will against the orb, he
pressed it into place as the now average sized Orc began to spasm and jerk, falling
from atop Gnak to land in the sand.

Rolling to his side as pain lanced throughout his body, Gnak
pressed himself up to his knees and remained there, wobbling uneasily. Tilting
his head forward, he used what fingers he could muster to pry the helm from his
head and, letting it fall into the sand, he looked out amongst the Orcs
gathered there. Coughing and sputtering, he vomited up the blood blocking his
airways as the convulsing Orc beside him grew still, its eyes popping open.
Taking a deep breath despite the pain it caused, Gnak looked upon those who
watched intently with his one eye.