Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) (58 page)

“It’s the right thing to do.” Kile replied. “When Zaheeg calls for it… I will deliver it,” she added. Hopefully, he won’t be calling for it any time soon. She turned back to the priest. “Can you tell us how to get back to the surface?”

“Yes, but not now. It is too dangerous. We must wait,” he said, taking a seat on one of the grass mats beside the fire. He directed her to take the other one.

Kile shrugged and sat down. It wasn’t as if they were going to find their way to the surface without his help. “What are we waiting for?” she asked as she tried to get comfortable.

“For Zaheeg to tell us when it is time,” Sugorim replied.

That could take a while, she thought.

When Daniel started to sit down, Sugorim jumped to his feet. “No, vir no longer needed. They must wait back at the kali,” he shouted.

“Now hold on just a minute, if you think…”

“Sandson, please,” Kile said, stopping the soldier before he made matters worse. “I’ll be fine. Just go.”

“I don’t like it,” Sandson grumbled, but followed Daniel out of the cave.

When they were alone, Sugorim removed a water skin, from its place on the wall, and filled two small clay bowls with a clear liquid. He picked up one of the bowls with both hands and presented it to her. He wouldn’t move until she took it from him, and even waited until she sampled it. The liquid was cold and had a sweet lemony taste. When he was sure she had taken a sip, he retrieved the second bowl and sat across from her.

“Now we talk,” he said, taking a sip from his own bowl. “Long has it been since the Orceen have been here.”

“I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with the Orceen, or the Ogre, for that matter,” she confessed.

The priest didn’t seem at all surprised, and took another long sip from his clay bowl before setting it aside.

“Long have the Ogre lived in these lands. Long before the coming of the vir, long before the coming of the Uhyre, long before it was destroyed by the Alva, but not before the Orceen.”

“The Orceen were here before the Ogre?” she asked.

“The Orceen were here before any of us. Long did they nurture the lands, long did they tend to the wild. They were one with nature. They led us out of our darkness, they taught us about the light. They helped us build our cities, farm our lands, and heal our sick. They taught our children, so our children would know.”

“Know what?”

“Life, Kile. They opened our eyes and showed us the world. They showed us how to live, not against the wild, but
with
the wild. That was before the coming of the Alva. The Orceen taught them, and showed them the world, taught them how to live, but they wanted more. Always they wanted more. The Alva tried to drive us from our cities, from our world, but we fought back. We reclaimed what was ours. Then the vir came, and they joined the Alva, and soon we lost all that we loved. The Orceen tried to help us, but they did not believe in war, they did not believe in violence, and soon they were defeated. We were driving from our cities, from the light, back into the darkness, and here we sit, waiting for the day we can reclaim our cities, our world.”

Kile sat in silence, letting the words sink in. It wasn’t quite the history she learned. The Academy went out of their way to teach them about the Mudd Wars, and the role the Hunters played, but nowhere did they say anything about the Ogre, defending their way of life. The way Master Voreing taught it, it was the Ogre who were the invaders. They stole the land from the Alva, and only with the aid of the Aruvians, the vir, did the Alva reclaim what was theirs. Was it possible, Kile wondered, that the Alva deceived the Aruvians, and led them to believe the Ogres were the aggressors. It was naive to think so, but the alternative was that the Aruvians knew what they were doing all along. And what of the Orceen? What really happened to them? If what Sugorim said was true, then the Orceen were the real victims in all this. They only tried to bring peace and understanding to the world, and in return, they got annihilated, and history paints a pretty bleak picture of them.

But, they weren’t all annihilated. They couldn’t have been. The Toreen, out of Balaa, claimed to have traveled with the Orceen, which meant the Orceen were everywhere at one time. Could she really be Orceen? It would explain her connection with nature. Now that she heard Sugorim’s story, the notion that she possessed Orceen blood, was not as shameful as it once was. In fact, it was the one thing which made sense in her life. Although, how it came to be, she had no idea.

“What happened to the Orceen, Sugorim? Who were they?” she asked.

“None know, not now, not today, not yesterday. The Orceen were here before we were, and now they are gone, or almost gone. You are Orceen. Their blood runs in you.”

“I’ve been told that before,” Kile replied. “I didn’t believe it.”

“There is nothing to believe. Do you believe the sky is up and the ground is down? It does not matter if you do or not. It is truth, just like you are Orceen. Zaheeg speak to you, only to the Orceen can he speak.”

“But he speaks to you.”

The old priest shook his head. “I wish he could, but only small bits of his wisdom, am I granted.”

Kile took another sip from her bowl and set it aside. “I’m afraid we really have to leave, Sugorim,” she said, getting to her feet. “I wish I could stay longer and learn more about the Orceen, but my friends may be in danger. I can’t wait for Zaheeg to call me.”

“I understand,” the old priest replied. He slowly got to his feet. “Yes, you should go. Zaheeg will call to you, when the time is right, but before you go, will you grant me one wish?”

“Anything, if I can.”

“Promise me, you will return one day. Return to Cabargbu, to the Ogre and speak with us once more.”

Kile smiled. “You have my word on it,” she replied.

“Then I will have Taugh show you and your friends the way to the surface.”

Sugorim was true to his word.

Not only did he send Taugh to show them the way out of Cabargbu, but he sent two more Ogre to protect Kile while she remained in the wastelands. Their names were Margog and Ertgoth. They were just as big and just as broad as Taugh, and she felt very small next to them. Ertgoth looked a lot like Taugh, only older and in a darker shade of green. He also had a nasty scar across his left cheek, and swirls of white hair, which he kept tied in a long tail that hung down his back. When he spoke, which was seldom, it was in the same harsh language which Taugh used to scold Sandson. Margog, on the other hand, was much younger. His skin was shaded more like stone rather than grass, and he sported a long thin black beard which was braided into three strands. It reminded her of Master Folkstaff’s. He seemed more sociable and spoke at length with Kile.

In spite of the language barrier, Kile did learn a few things about the Ogre from Margog, and some of it changed her ideas about what was myth and what was fact. For starters, Taugh, Ertgoth and Margog were all orc, while Sugorim was a goblin, which explained the difference in size. She also learned they were unrelated to the Uhyre and had no idea where the Uhyre came from. The Ogre lived in the stone city for many generations, but they didn’t build it. They were led there by the Orceen, when they first came to this land, or at least, that’s what the tale-talkers told Margog when he was young. There is no evidence the Orceen built the city either, so its origin remained a mystery.

After navigating a network of tunnels, they finally reached the surface. There was no way she, or any of them, would have been able to find their own way out without the Ogre’s help.

Once outside, they had a better idea of where they were and how far they traveled. The sun was already setting, but how much time they lost underground was anyone’s guess. They wound up west of the stone city. Farther west than the openings of the aqueduct, so finding their way back to Alex, and the horses, was simple. Hopefully, they would meet up with Tullner and the others, that is, if they managed to get out of the city.

It was Lore who spotted them first. The old dog was waiting for them on the rise and watching for their approach. He came down to greet them, but would not get too close.

“What is it, Lore, what’s the matter?” Kile asked him, when he kept his distance.

-Don’t like the smell.-

Lore replied.

She knew it wasn’t a hygiene issue and looked to her new companions. The Ogre may, in some ways, look like the Uhyre, but they certainly didn’t smell like them. Still, Lore wouldn’t approach.

He’ll have to get used to them, Kile thought as she waved the others on.

“Is there a problem?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t think the dogs like the Ogres much.” she whispered.

“Well, you have to admit, they are rather intimidating.”

“Without their help, we’d probably be dead by now.”

“Sandson and I would be dead. They wanted you alive, for some reason.” Daniel reminded her.

It was true. She had forgotten what Eric said. Ravenshadow wanted her alive. Was that why he captured her last year? Was it more than just trying to pin a few crimes on her? She originally thought it was to discredit Master Latherby, but now, she wasn’t so sure.

When they finally reached the valley, where they had set up camp, they found it completely empty. There was no trace of man or horse.

“Where did they go?” Sandson asked, running ahead.

Kile grinned. “Actually, they’re still here,” she replied. She looked over at Daniel, and wasn’t surprised to see him smiling. He knew what was going on, even if he couldn’t rely on his eyes.

Walking past a confused Sandson, she approached one of the rocks.

“Okay Alex, you can drop it now,” she told it.

“Aw, come on, how did you know?” the rock asked.

“Let’s just say, illusions don’t work on everyone,” she replied.

The rock shimmered and faded from existence, like a rippling reflection on the water. Alex stared up at her.

“Can you really see through my illusions?” he asked.

“I can make out the shapes behind them,” she confessed.

It was true. Although the illusion was complete, and appeared solid enough, she could make out the faint silhouettes behind them, like long forgotten ghosts. She looked around as the rest of the camp came into focus. The horses were still in the makeshift paddock, the tents were still erected, and Anurr and Browne were playing a game of chance beside the cooking fire.

“I told you it wouldn’t fool the Commander,” Anurr said, laying down one of his cards. It must have been a good play since Browne cursed and tossed his hand as Anurr. The cards scattered everywhere.

“Hardly your commander anymore,” Kile replied.

“Once a member of Perha Squad, always a member,” Anurr added, retrieving the cards.

Browne took one look at the three Ogres, grabbed his sword and shouted “brunrik.”

Kile quickly jumped in front of him before he could cause any trouble.

“They’re not brunrik,” she told him. “They’re Ogre.”

“And there’s a difference?” he asked.

“They helped us escape the stone city. They’re on our side.”

Browne reluctantly lowered his sword, but she could tell he wasn’t convinced. They had spent the last year fighting the Uhyre, now it was like she wanted him to trust them.

“Where are the others?” Browne asked.

“They haven’t returned?”

“No, we haven’t seen anyone since last night.”

“We split up in the city. I was hoping they found their own way out.”

“Do you think they’ve been captured?” Alex asked.

“With Carter’s Edge, I don’t see how,” Daniel replied. “Maybe they’re trapped in one of the buildings. It’s possible they’re waiting for nightfall to sneak out. They might even try to get back to the aqueduct.”

“It’s possible,” Kile replied, but she didn’t really believe it. Daniel was right about one thing-- with Carter’s Edge, he could easily elude capture. But even he wouldn’t leave the others behind. Marcus, on the other hand, could talk his way out of anything. With his Edge, he could persuade the valrik to look the other way, that is, if his Edge worked on valrik. But it was Tullner she was concerned for. He may have taken over as Sergeant of Perha Squad, but he wasn’t a seasoned soldier, even if he tries to act the part.

Closing her eyes, she fell into her edge and reached out to Bakara. The old raven wasn’t far away. Within moments, a small flock of the black birds descended on the camp.

Bakara landed on the rock beside her and fluffed out his wings.

-What need do you have of me?-

“Tullner, Marcus and Carter are missing. I need you to find them,” she explained. “They may be in the city, or they may have been captured, we have to know.”

-We will find them for you.-

The old raven said as he spread out his wings and took flight. The rest of his kin silently followed. Now it was only a matter of waiting for their return.

Sandson stood beside her and watched as the last of the birds disappeared into the evening sky. “They’ll be fine,” he said, trying to reassure her, but she knew he was just as worried.

“So, what now?” Browne asked. “Did you find the secret weapon, or whatever it was?”

“It’s definitely a whatever.” Sandson remarked.

“What was it?” he asked.

Sandson shrugged. “It was a rock,” he replied “An ordinary rock, although, if you ask the Ogre, they say it’s a sacred artifact to some Zebo god thing.”

“Zaheeg,” Kile corrected him.

“Whatever.” Sandson replied before disappearing into the tent.

Kile wasn’t really surprised by Sandson’s lack of respect for the Ogre and their culture. He couldn’t see past their resemblance to the Uhyre, who had caused so much trouble over the past year. She wondered how far his prejudice extended. Was it just the Ogre and the Uhyre he distrusted, or was it anyone who wasn’t a vir. The sad part is, he wasn’t alone in his opinion, Browne and Anurr seemed to share his dislike of their new companions. Even Daniel, who she always considered to be open-minded, viewed the Ogre with suspicion.

It wasn’t even the Ogre’s fault. They had nothing to do with the war, or with Ravenshadow. They were the last of a dying race, which was no longer wanted in the world. In many ways, she could relate to them.