Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny Volume II) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (9 page)

“Yes, Gnak. This all be good, buts me know this already.
Tells me about your dreams. Does Gnak have dreams?”

Gnak nodded slowly, recalling the very dream he had just had
the previous day. Thinking it a vision, he was at first cautious about telling
the goblin what he had saw, but then he recalled the song of the goblins and
knew that the goblin king had had a vision of his own. It was obvious the
smaller man wanted to compare what they had seen.

“Yes, Gnak have vision. Gnak big chief. Big ruler. Big king.
Have many clans. Many race. Goblin, troll, giant, more. Gnak stand top big city
in mountains. Watch city built. Bad storm, still all work. Gnak make all safe.
Make all better. No more fight.”

The goblin nodded distractedly, his own thoughts playing out
in his head. Gnak simply stopped and watched the small king, waiting for him to
speak in return.

“I too have had a vision, Gnak. In my vision I sees many
Orcsies, and goblins, and trollsies, and more. Each race is led by a king, and
the kings are sworn to you. In my vision, I is the one who is king of alls the
goblins, not justs my city. Alls of them. So I says to Gnak this… Why wait? I
knows you haves ambitions. I knows that yous plans to rule. So I comes and I
brings me peoples to joins you now, and to helps you sees it done.”

Gnak said nothing in reply. Instead he nodded his acceptance
and understanding slowly, still absently toiling with Jen’s energy inside him.
Things seemed to be moving so fast now, it was hard for him to keep up. Even
so, with the new alliance of the goblin and his people, Gnak had another big
issue to deal with. With so many eyes and ears in camp now, it would be hard to
discuss things with Jen without others knowing. He would have to decide as best
he was able without her, consulting those around him instead. He just had to
keep in mind when taking their counsel, what forces it was that drove those
around him.

Most of the Orcs were still driven by pride and honor. It
was not a bad thing, they just needed to be taught about other things that were
important as well. That would take time. But knowing this made them
predictable, and that was something Gnak could rely upon and use to his
advantage. His newest ally, though stating he would serve Gnak to help him see
his plans through, was a goblin. Goblins desired wealth, and greed was their
driving factor. If the goblin was wealthy among his kind now, the king of just
one city, Gnak could only imagine what the little goblin dreamed of as ruler of
all goblins. Gnak would have to factor in the goblin’s greed when asking him
about matters.

Now, however, Gnak needed to see to the prisoners that were
captured spying upon his clan. He knew who they belonged to. He just needed to
decide what he could glean from them and furthermore what he was going to do
with them.

Rising from the floor of his tent, he invited the goblin
king to do as he wished, whether it be stay and rest or join him to see to the
prisoners. Naturally the goblin was curious, and as such he decided to
accompany Gnak.

Striding out of his tent and across the camp, he was
surprised to find that much had already changed. The camp was now much, much
larger than it had been before, and still odd goblin tents were being erected
at the direction of his Orcs. The layout of the camp remained the same, and
from the avenue created between any two tents, Gnak could see out beyond the
camp. It was simply a much longer walk.

Finally reaching the edge of camp he was presented with an
odd sight. Here, half a dozen Orcs stood, each bound to a pole. Around them
stood both Orc and goblin guards, the curiosity obviously having gotten the
better of them. Gnak was surprised to find the guards of both races talking
freely as he approached, though their mouths snapped shut as soon as he was
noticed. Even so, he saw it as a good sign.

Looking over the prisoners, it was evident that they were
not all of the same clan, though he recognized two of the Orcs, having already
dealt with them before. These he knew belonged to the big chief. It was a fine
line he needed to walk. He needed to send a message to all the other Orc
tribes, without upsetting the big chief. It would almost be easier if he were
to just simply kill the big chief, but he couldn’t. Such an act would create a
power struggle as hundreds fought to take his place. Then clans would find
themselves leaderless and more power struggles would ensue. No. He needed to win
the clans one at a time until he remained as the only Orc viable for the
position.

Though he knew it went against what was natural, and
bordered on evil, he needed to send a message to those who spied upon him.
Because pride would make them tell him, Gnak simply asked and discovered what
clans the Orcs belonged to. Two belonged to the big chief, as he already knew.
The others belonged to various tribes of lesser stature, those laying between
the big chief’s clan and his own. He knew he needed to challenge the lesser
chiefs, and could do so easily by simply insulting them now, before their
spies, and claiming that their ruling of their clans was false. Then he could
simply release and send their men back. Likely that would be enough to bring
the other clans to him, but first he wanted information.

“Why watch Gathos clan? No honor, hide… watch.” Gnak said,
not actually stating an insult.

He watched as many formed responses, yet only one of them
broke the silence.

“Potho clan go with big chief. All clan go war. No watch
Gathos clan. Come tell Gathos march,” one of the Orcs stated.

Though the news brought him nothing but frustration, Gnak
knew his words to be true, at least partially. A direct lie would not be
honorable. Though they were all obviously not sent to tell the Gathos clan of
the big chief’s intention to march, it was still good information. Now Gnak
knew that the big chief was on the move, which meant all the clans would be
moving with him. The only way Gnak could get close enough to challenge any would
be to join them. Then, perhaps, he could learn what he wanted and find the
opportunity he needed to begin uniting the clans. But that would have to wait.
Now he needed to decide what to do with the prisoners. If he simply let them go
it could be seen as a sign of weakness. Yet he could not challenge their
masters, either. At least not now. He wished Jen were able to help him, but the
option was simply not possible at the moment.

Looking to the goblin king, it was he, not Gnak, that had
the answer he sought.

“If big Orcsie moves, then we shoulds be taking his men
backs to him.”

It was simple and clever. Take the Orcs back to the masters
they served. Such an action would tell them that Gnak and Gathos were not
afraid of them, and tell them that Gnak was aware of their spying. Gnak was
liking his alliance with the goblin king already.

Turning to the captains that were always his shadow, Gnak
gave a simple order.

“Make all ready. Leave next night.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

It had only taken the better part of a single night of
traveling when the goblin king’s riders found the trail of the army they
intended to follow. Turning north, Gnak led his Orc and goblin force in pursuit
of the trail to find that several miles later, when nearing the mountains, it
again turned west… back the way they had been traveling for days. There was
only one reason to follow the mountain range back to the west. The big chief
was taking his army north through the pass in the mountains. Only two things
were beyond the pass, to Gnak’s knowledge. Trolls and humans. It was unlikely
that the big chief would attack the trolls.

Again, Gnak found him himself in a dilemma. Though he owed
no allegiance to the humans, he was no longer ignorant to their ways. He did
not want to kill them if he didn’t have to, but led by the big chief he would
be forced to, lest he and his clan appear weak. Orc logic was making him
frustrated beyond measure. It seemed that no matter what he did, he was always
struggling with the nature of Orc society.

As much as he wanted to turn his clan and the goblins around
and go home, he simply could not do it. There was a chance that he could spare
lives at this battle. There was also a chance he would find the opportunity to
claim other clans for his own. Perhaps the big chief would even get himself
killed, and those waiting to take his place with him. One could only hope.

Before long the signs of the army ahead where everywhere.
All the scrubby grasses and shrubs had been pounded to dust beneath the feet of
the army, and the ground was packed hard beneath Gnak’s feet. Discarded items
lay strewn about, trampled into the ground, and looking about as they marched
he was surprised to find a goblin blade amongst the discarded items he could
identify. Did the big chief bring goblins with him too?

For the whole of the night and following day, Gnak led his
people, including the goblins, in pursuit of the main force. When nightfall
came once again they met the tail end of the Orcish army ahead. It was only due
to the natural choke point of the mountain pass that the main army had been
slowed, and trailing them, he led his troops through the pass at a slow and
agonizing pace.

It was morning again when he finally stepped out of the
pass. Peering around, he realized quickly that nothing was the same as it had
been little over a month ago. Where trees and shrubs had grown along the mouth
of the pass, now the broken remnants of stumps remained. All around and to
either side, the path had been cleared and all trees stripped away. Though it
was day, ahead, on the slopes of the valley that stretched out before them,
great fires blazed. Gnak knew where the trees had went.

Guiding those that followed him out and away from the pass,
he looked over the scene below with mixed emotions. The big chief had managed
to rally an impressive force. At least thirty thousand Orcs had come at his
call, but Gnak supposed that it was to be expected. What he had guessed at, but
not known, was the fact that other goblins had come too. Likely to raid and
pick clean the dead. What surprised him more, however, was the contingent of
trolls he could see ahead. What purpose had they seen to side with the big
chief, Gnak might never know.

All across their side of the valley lay scorched earth where
everything had been cleared away and nothing but ash, mud, and charcoal
remained. Several tents in Orc fashions stood in the distance, appearing to
have been present for weeks as all the furs that comprised them were stained
gray from soot, ash, and smoke. The fact that none of the slope smoldered was
yet more proof that this plan had been weeks in the making. Across the valley,
Gnak could see a small contingent of the steel-clad human warriors atop their
great white beasts. Though after several moments they turned and sped away.
Gnak knew where they were going. He had been to the giant black castle to the
north. He wondered what kind of army the humans could muster.

Finding a suitable location, if it could be called that, he
ordered camp set and stood overlooking the valley as both the Orcs and goblins
at his command worked together in erecting their camp. It took several hours,
fighting against the hard-packed ground, to raise the tents and stake the many
boars the goblins had brought, but all the while Gnak watched and pondered.

He realized that the big chief did not intend to attack the
castle. If he had, then why prepare the southern slope of the valley for a
large force to camp? They could have just as easily crossed the valley and
camped in the hilly fields beyond. No. The big chief intended to fight here.
But who? There was no other army on the field. If they had to come through the
pass only to find no enemy, then what wrong had been done to the big chief that
he needed to retaliate against? None of it made sense. Or did it?

The big chief had not had a war in many years. There were
battles against other races that thrived near the Orcs. The goblins had more
than their share of run-ins with Orcs, but these were minor skirmishes. Perhaps
the big chief was failing, growing old and feared a rival rising to challenge
him. Perhaps he wanted to expand the Orc territory. Or maybe someone had simply
told the big chief he was not strong enough to fight the humans or whatever
other force they intended to encounter. Damned Orc pride. Gnak doubted it was
about territory. If the big chief had wanted more land he would have taken it
from the goblins. No. There was no good reason for this war. Many would die,
from both sides, no matter who they faced. All Gnak could do was wait until
their opposition arrived and try and save as many of his people as possible.

Thirteen days and nights came and went as more goblins and
Orcs bolstered their numbers, but no enemy arrived. Yet still, all along the
side of the valley the camps remained of the Orcs, goblins, and trolls.
Scouting parties had gone out and returned. Raids were underway. Yet here they
remained, awaiting an enemy that did not come out to meet them. Gnak was both
annoyed and elated. Bored, he had gone so far as to return his prisoners to
their clans, but so engrossed in a war that was as of yet not happening, the
various chiefs all but ignored the act.

Without anyone to fight, he was wasting time on unifying the
clans, yet no one was dying either. He needed to start claiming clans while
they waited. Seeking a plan, it was not until he heard that food was running
short that a plan began to form in his head.

It seemed the supply lines had hit a snag, with the beasts
that pulled the carts getting set loose and several fights breaking out among
the guards who guided the supplies along, and as such many were growing hungry.
With so many men on the slopes, all the game had seemingly gone missing from
the mountain forests behind them. There was nothing to hunt, nothing to eat,
and no supplies replenishing that which was needed.