Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny Volume I) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (10 page)

But still he had questions. So they ate a meal together and,
deciding it was safe, Jen stood up and scouted the surrounding hills to see if
anything sought them out. When she gave him the all clear Gnak rose, and
shouldering their supplies they walked side by side through the tall grass,
watching its golden stalks bend and sway in the breeze.

It was some time before Gnak worked up the desire to ask the
question and hear her reply but when he did, he paused in their trek and turned
to face her as an equal.

“Your god say all life precious, yes?”

“Exactly, Gnak, why do you ask?” she asked with a knowing
smirk.

“If
all
life precious, how you kill animal for eat?”

“I’ve never had it explained to me, but this is how I
understand it. Killing to eat, is killing to survive. If nothing killed,
everything would die. So killing to eat is OK, but killing just to end a life
is not.”

Gnak nodded his understanding, and they began walking again.
Apparently the child had already questioned all this herself at one point or
another. They spent most of the day with simple conversation, each asking the
other a question and listening patiently for the answer.

It was late in the evening when they crested the plateau
that looked down upon the valley that blocked their way to the pass in the
mountains they sought.

Closer to the eastern edge of the valley this time, Gnak
guided them around the steep drop-off and further still into the night. Reaching
the eastern edge of the valley he could tell the girl grew tired from all the
walking, so they stopped and rested a while, eating once again before carrying
on.

Nearing morning they finally made their way around the
remainder of the valley and, turning once again to the south, Gnak aimed them
towards the pass in the near distance. With daylight coming, the giants would
be more active and he dared not risk taking Jen into the pass with the giants
during the day. Instead they would find a place to hide until night and enter
the pass then. Turning off course, he aimed them towards the tree line at the
base of the mountains.

It took less than an hour, once they reached the trees, to
locate a suitable spot to wait out the day. Here a great pine tree had fallen
and been caught near the ground by a neighboring tree. Nearly parallel to the
ground, its great boughs swept out in all directions, including down to the soil,
creating a great place to hide beneath its thickly needled branches. Under the
tree were various openings hidden within its boughs, and together they selected
one big enough for the both of them. Then, gathering up branches that had
broken free when the tree fell, they carried them into their makeshift room to
create for themselves a comfortable place to lay, and better walls to keep
predators at bay. Two hours later, both lay sprawled out atop beds of soft pine
needles, lost in their own thoughts, drifting into and out of consciousness as
the day passed them by.

Gnak used the day to ponder his future. He had never really
looked too far ahead before, but now he knew that it was a fault of his people.
He was proud of his clan, proud of his people too, but their short-sightedness
had created a weakness among them. It was a weakness he could help them change
into a strength. All he needed to do was make the clan proud. Make them see his
strength. Then become a captain. In time, if he worked hard and planned ahead,
perhaps he could help his people find a better path. A more understanding path.
After all, if what Jen had told him was true, and now it seemed obviously so,
then his people were not loved by the gods as they should be. More could get
power if they changed their ways. Their clans would grow bigger and stronger. Their
race would become more powerful. He had to find a way to show them.

Night fell upon the forest at the base of the Rancor mountains,
and with it a cold breeze from the north sent shivers down their backs as Gnak
led Jen towards the pass. The ground grew more steep now, and with the rocky
surfaces and loose rubble, Gnak knew that it was unsafe conditions for such a
small human. She slipped multiple times, tripping altogether on more than one
occasion. Even so, he told himself that it was because she was slowing him down
that he came to the decision.

Stopping upon a particularly treacherous slope, he turned
and without warning he snatched her off her feet, lifting her high into the
air. Spinning her within his hands he placed her upon his shoulders behind his
head, her legs running down each side of his chest. Holding her feet, he again
turned and began the climb up the mountainous slope.

“No piss?” Gnak grunted.

“No piss. I promise,” she giggled in reply.

They continued on for several hours in silence, making the
difficult climb up to the pass entrance. It was near midnight, judging by the
stars, when Gnak stopped suddenly, leaning down to the ground. Before him lay
the track of an Orc, which might have been one of his own from days before,
except that it faced the wrong direction. This Orc was moving in the same
direction as they were. Another hundred yards further up the trail Gnak
followed the prints and realized that the Orc was two Orcs, and they did not
travel alone. With them a small, adult human-sized print and a thick, almost
round print traveled as well. All four sets of tracks moved in the same
direction and all were fairly fresh, likely passing earlier this same day.

“What is it, Gnak?” Jen asked.

“More Orcs go here. Have prisoners.”

“Will I get to meet them?” she asked excitedly.

“No. You meet, I have kill you.”

“Oh.” Her body sagged on his shoulders.

“We no talk. We hear.”

Jen did not answer his last words, and Gnak knew she
understood his meaning. Quietly, they crept ahead the remaining mile to the
mouth of the mountain pass. Gnak strained his ears listening, but could hear no
sounds ahead. Peering ahead into the gorge through the mountain, he could see
no movement either. Assured that his kin had passed hours before, he carried
Jen into the pass, carefully avoiding stones, discarded implements, and bones
alike.

Little more than a hundred yards into the pass, Gnak stood
with Jen upon his shoulders, her tiny, still body, barely noticeable as far as
weight was concerned. Together they listened and Gnak peered into the darkest
places, searching for what could be hidden beneath them. Naught but a pair of
rats scurried about the piles of dead mounded along the sides of the pass.

Lifting the girl off of his shoulders, he lowered her to the
ground and led her to the nearest pile of bones. Shock showed plainly in her
face at the discovery, her own vision not nearly as keen as his in the
darkness. But he then carefully picked through the pile, removing a small
leather belt with a pouch attached to it. Opening the pouch he poured its
contents into her small hand. He watched as the small metal disks poured into
her hand, her eyes widening in excitement. Then the unthinkable happened.

Along with the valued disks that poured from the small pouch
into her waiting palm were a collection of small cockroaches, one of which
scurried up Jen’s arm, causing her to scream suddenly. From miles away, after
nearly a minute, a giant roar echoed back at them. In the still silence of the
night Gnak could already detect the faint vibration of the stone around him. Jen
had awoken the giants, and they were coming to find the intruder.

Knowing time was limited, Gnak locked his eyes on the girl.

“Work fast, get many. We hurry, we go.”

“You got it,” she replied, her hands already digging through
the pile, her face just inches from it, trying to see in the darkness what lay
before her.

Gnak turned to the next pile of bones and discarded items
with a collection of purposes. First he sought a large bag or pack to collect
all the disks and stones they found. Next he sought the small pouches used to
hold the human and goblin wealth. But so too did he seek for himself. Digging
through the piles, he sought armor and weapons that would fit, or could be
altered to fit.

Tossing small pouch after small pouch in Jen’s direction, he
dug through the pile quickly before moving on to the next. Various weapons and
armor he pulled free from the piles, discarding the vast majority of them. It
was several minutes before he found a large leather pack that, although stiff
and old, was sturdily made. Inspecting it for holes, he quickly took it to his
companion and, scooping up the growing collection of small pouches, he dumped
them all in as Jen moved on to yet another mound.

The vibrations grew stronger and stronger as Gnak selected a
large mound, nearly as tall as he, to begin digging through. With no further
need for silence he thrashed through the pile, spreading it out and looking it
over, pulling from it every pouch he saw, but so common were the pouches that
they were not what caught his eye. Instead, near the bottom of the pile were
the remains of a being clad from head to toe in armor. Though the pieces were
all in a jumbled pile, the suit appeared to be complete. It was only blackened
iron, and most was coated entirely in rust, but Gnak knew he could clean the
armor with animal fat. The man who had worn it was large, but obviously not an Orc.
A discovery he made when dumping the skull out of the horned helmet. Nonetheless,
trying it on, every single piece fit him. Some pieces of the armor were not
tightly securable enough to make them practical, the straps having mostly
rotted away, or been eaten by rodents, but he knew he could repair them.

With no means to carry the armor, he simply put it all on. Using
discarded belts and thongs of leather, he tied the pieces in place the best he
was able. The giants grew nearer and nearer still, roaring again as they came. The
ground began to shake as the piles of bones clattered and small flakes of stone
rained down from the chasm’s walls.

Selecting yet another pile, he watched as the tiny healer
dragged the pack she filled onto a new pile of her own choosing. It was already
too heavy for her to handle. He grinned. Digging, he tossed pouch after pouch
in her direction, the feel of his newly acquired armor alien and yet
comforting. He supposed he looked quite the warrior in it, but now was not the
time for Orcish pride. On and on the giants came, but together he and Jen
continued to collect, with time growing ever shorter. He would wait another few
minutes before collecting the girl and her wealth and fleeing back towards her
home.

Knowing his sword alone was insufficient to fight or hunt
with, Gnak rummaged through the discarded items left by the dead, hoping to
find a spear, but was having no luck. It was not until those final moments that
he made an unusual discovery. Uncovering the edge of a blade, he grasped it and
pulled it free of a pile. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, and another
of its kind slid down the pile as he inspected the first. It was peculiar
because it was longer than a sword, but was nearly all blade. Both ends were
tapered to points, the handle intersecting the blade at the middle, where a
long section was not honed sharp.

Holding the blade this way and that, he established that it
was meant to be held along the outside of the arm, turning the forearm into a
weapon, as well as the blade that extended away from him. He could slash or jab
an enemy from the front, slash with his forearm and elbow, or even jab to the
rear with the blade that ran back along his forearm. It was a smart design, and
Gnak could see the advantages it held over his sword.

Removing his crude Orc blade from his belt, he discarded it
among the piles of bones. Picking up the pair of odd blades he shoved them into
his belt, one on each hip. If he had not been wearing his newly acquired armor,
it would not have been possible to carry them in such a manner, as even in his
belt one blade from each weapon faced up and impeded movement of his arms. There
was no help for it, and with the new weapons in his possession and the giants
growing nearer by the second, he decided it was time for them to leave. Except
his decision came too late.

Around the bend in the pass ahead ran a pair of Orcs,
leading their prisoners, directly towards him. Immediately Gnak recognized
Korx, and was not surprised the Orc had come this far to find a sacrifice. The Orc
with him was the other twin, either Kunk or Burl, whichever one he hadn’t kill
just little more than a week ago. The pair led one of the armor-clad human
warriors and a Troll, each upon a leash. Both parties spotted each other at the
same time, and in his armor his fellow Orcs did not recognize him. He watched
as Korx raised his spear, still running towards him to evade the giants that
followed. Stepping between Korx and Jen, Gnak did the only thing he could.

“Gathos!” he grunted loudly, raising a hand to his chest,
announcing them as members of the same tribe.

Watching as Korx lowered his spear, growing nearer with each
step, he could not look back to Jen lest he betray his secret. He could not back
up to her side, lest he be seen as backing down from Korx, pride demanded he
hold his ground. The approaching Orcs and their prisoners slowed.

“Is you, Gnak?” Korx grunted, his head cocking to one side.

“Is me,” Gnak replied.

“Good. Now we three. We kill giant,” Korx said.

Gnak’s heart sank. Once the words were spoken, the decision
was made. To offer another option would be seen as cowardly.

“Giant?” Gnak asked. “Was more.”

“Korx kill big female. While sleep,” Korx grunted proudly,
banging his fist on his chest.

“Kank kill youngling giant,” the other Orc replied.

Gnak was somewhat relieved that the young giant and its
creepy songs were silenced. It answered his question, two actually, now that he
knew which of the twins he had killed. But now there was no more time to
discuss the matter as a great sucking sound issued from ahead and the giant
rounded the corner, eyeing the trespassers.