The Orc's Consort: Book One

Chapter 26 - A Turn of Fate

Chief Bloodborne

I looked around for Sten, praying to the Gods for help. I saw him running toward me but crashed into the dirt as an arrow impaled him. I could feel my face turning purple, struggling to take a breath. The last thing I saw was a human approaching us before I lost consciousness.

***

While being drug by my feet by two humans, I felt myself drift in and out of consciousness. At one point, I saw Sten pushed along by another man wielding a crossbow. Was this it for us? Had we reached the end of the road? They had to be taking us to Blackwater. They would probably torture us and execute us in front of the public. What fate awaits my people?

My mind went to Brenna. I did not know why, but I found comfort in her image. I remembered the little time we had spent together; how blissful it was. She was my peace. I'd give anything to see her one more time. I yearned to tell her the truth. She might not believe me, but maybe I could make it right. My consciousness slipped into the void.

Again, the heat of the sun woke me. I wasn't sure how long I had been out this time around. My broken body screamed in pain. I looked down to see my feet were bound together and tied to a horse. At some point, while I was out, they must have grown tired of dragging my ass. I was still being pulled through the earth by my feet. I wished they would go ahead and kill me.

If it weren't for my armor, my back would probably be missing flesh by now. Visions of my dead brethren who had suffered a similar fate appeared to me. Some of them had been unlucky and were un-armored when caught. Once found, the friction of being drug had eaten away the skin and meat down to the bone. I could count their vertebrae and ribs among the tattered flesh. I took in a labored breath. I wondered if the force of the stone broke my rips. Maybe my lungs were damaged as a result. I found it very difficult to take in the air.

Suddenly, we stopped. I was too lost in my pain and thought to know their reason for ceasing. The Blackwater soldiers looked around as if something was coming. They drew out their weapons. Then I could hear it. Something was rustling in the underbrush nearby. By some miracle, had our brethren come to save us? Had they found us? Was it something much worse? Just then, a massive animal burst through the trees. A grey blur darted through the field that separated us from it. I could recognize that grey flea bag anywhere. "Amity?" my voice gritted in pain.

She lowered her head and bared her teeth as a warning. Her deep snarls interrupted the silence. I looked at her with a pleading eye. I was too out of breath to command her to run. I did not want to see her come to harm, but it was no use. She lunged at one of the two men. She took him down and pinned him with her weight. She sank her teeth into his face. The sound of his flesh peeling from his face and screams echoed in the surrounding forest. The second man yelled to the soldier with the crossbow. "Shoot it. Damn You!" He had no choice but to turn his attention away from Sten to Amity.

Wargs are not ignorant beasts by any means. Amity knew her actions would be fatal, but she did it to save me. She was sacrificing herself to give us a chance to run. She created enough of a distraction for Sten to get over to me. He fumbled with the ropes around my feet, trying to free me. All the while, the horse began to become spooked and nearly kicked him.

He pulled me from the dirt despite both our injuries. He propped me against his shoulder and carried me as fast as he could in the opposite direction. My legs refused to work. They went out from under me several times as Sten dragged me forward. I had never felt so weak. "Leave me," I croaked.

I fell to my knees, unable to ignore the pain. Sten hooked his arms underneath mine and walked backward, pulling me across the forest floor. I saw the scene in front of me. "Shut- Your fucking mouth, Jasper. We are not going to die at the hands of this cunt."

I watched in horror as an arrow flew from the crossbow. I could hear Amity yelp and cry in pain as it sunk into her shoulder. She and I locked eyes as Sten continued pulling me along. I had not cried since I was a young orcling, not since the funeral of my father. I teared up as I watched Amity, my companion, be slaughtered before my eyes.

Memories of Amity flashed in my mind. Orcs are matched with a warg pup when they are about fifteen and raise the pup by hand. I had done the same with Amity, and now she was gone. I began sobbing like a baby as I lost sight of her. One after another, I heard the fire of the crossbow. With each shot, Amity cried out in pain. Finally, her cries fell silent. "Amity!" I tried to call out, but my voice was gruff.

"She's lost to us, Jasper. There is nothing we can do. We have to get out of here," Sten's voice was just as bad as mine.

I gritted my teeth, trying to regain control of myself. "I will slaughter every last one of them, even if it costs my life." Sten kept going for a few more minutes, but his wound caught up with him. He collapsed to the ground and clutched his chest as he huffed, trying to catch his breath. He attempted to drag me further but was too weak from blood loss and exhaustion. They would catch up to us in no time. Sten and I looked at each other. We did not need to say anything; we knew the same thing. It was the end for us. Amity had died for nothing.

"At least we'll die together, brother," Sten said with defeat in his eyes. He used his last bit of strength to pull us both over to a worn stump to lean against as we waited for death. We heard something rustling in the distance heading our way; it must have been the humans coming for us. My head hung between my knees in defeat. I had let my people down. Would they survive without me? The Orcs were nearly hunted to extinction the last time a Chief died without someone to take his place.

My mind went to Brenna again; it was comforting to think of her. I thought of those days laying the sun by the waterfall. I remembered making excuses to be close to her and sneaking away from my duties to see her, even for a second. I would die out here without a clean conscience. I hope you forgive me, little warrior. Whatever headed toward us was now much closer. That was it. We are going to die. Amity died for nothing, and my people will be without a leader.

Something bursts through the trees. By some miracle, it was Angus, Stens Warg. The two were a perfect match because Angus was just as bullheaded as Sten. Angus nearly trampled Sten as he ran to us, sniffing and whining. It was almost like Angus was begging Sten to get up. He knew how much shit we were in. Sten forced himself up and lifted me from under my shoulders. My legs weren't injured; I could tell I was hurt internally, and my body was weak and resisting me.

I bore as much weight on my legs as I could. We managed to mount Angus. Angus was slower because he was carrying the two of us, but he got far enough away that we were safe for the time being. "Get us home, boy," Sten said.

I could not tell where we were, but wargs have an excellent sense of smell. That is likely how Amity and Angus found us in the first place. It also helped that Sten is a gifted cartographer. I took in a sharp breath. It was no use going back to the main post. My injuries were too severe for the healers at the orc posts to mend. They wouldn't have the supplies to help me. I just hoped we could get back to the mountains quickly.