Part Fifty-Seven
Gwindor merely kept the other Orcs from interfering while Marduk and Dale fought. When Duma approached, he said he would stay with Dale, if Gwindor would go after the others to protect them. Gwindor trusted them to handle the Orcs and moved at a brisk walk from the camp, making a few slashes across Orc flesh to insure passage.
Duma took a broken arrow from his belt, one made with eagle feathers. He crouched then, near the dueling Chieftains and said, "Ugarit will be sad if you continue fighting. If either of you wins, you will be stuck leading the other's Orcs." Marduk would probably not mind taking over Dale's Clan, such as it was, but the message had really been intended for Dale, to make him stop trying to hurt Marduk.
When Dale drew his sword up in a defensive stance Marduk said, "Ugarit? You cause trouble, Elf-scream. You are always causing trouble." He bowed only to be closer to Duma when he roared at him and then straightened, not worried that Death-shadow would attack.
Duma offered the arrow-half and Marduk snatched it quickly from his hand. "The females went free, so I will make payment as promised, even if you did not do much to free them. You should be compensated."
Dale huffed.
"Tell him," Duma suggested.
"That arrow came from your pet, Marduk-Chieftain. We found Dog and one of our Elven companions both shot full of them."
"Eagle?" Marduk laughed at the idea of eagles being pestered for their feathers. Orcs were not known to be friendly with eagles. "Do you know who makes such arrows?"
"No," Dale admitted, not really caring if Marduk thought it weakness. "I know the heads were metal, but we left to track you while Tsuki was still preparing to dig the arrows from their bodies, so I do not know anything more about their make."
"Dog is not dead?"
"Alive when we last saw him, but seriously injured. Our Wizard will save him if he is able. It was not our intention to watch Dog die, even if he was attacking our companions when someone else attacked each side."
"Maybe just some Men. Maybe some from east or south that do not love Elves."
"I am not certain; they attacked from concealment, it would seem."
"Cowardly."
"Stealth has its use, but I would tend to agree it a coward's attack."
Marduk studied the arrow and then also looked on his sword, the one Dog had helped him acquire from the Leader of Horse-boys. "Dog will not serve the Wizard, even if he heals him. Orcs have no Masters."
"My Wizard desires no Orc slaves," Dale assured Marduk, "and I make no claim on your lost Orcs in my camp."
Marduk made a slight hiss and then looked down where Duma was nearby crouched. "Ugarit was with you all this time?"
"No, not all the time..." Duma explained briefly, and without incriminating detail, how Ugarit had been injured and then hidden and sheltered by him and a companion. He told Marduk how they had found Damkina and disposed of her body to keep the females secret, and that Tashmetum and all of Damkina's gear now belonged to Ugarit. "We parted and, while I rode with Death-shadow, Ugarit used a raft to come to the river just as quickly. It was she who saved me from the river, after I was shot, poisoned, and fell from the boat."
"She is in our camp now, with the little one," Dale said, "She is free to leave, but stays now to insure fair treatment of Dog."
"My Chieftain is not an enemy of all Orcs," Duma said, "he ordered his companions not to return fire when I was shot and poisoned. It was the corsairs, who fired upon the Wizard ship. Death-shadow knew a rogue had fired at him and without orders. If you had meant to kill him, you would have done it facing him with a sword."
"You are both mine to kill, if you prove more enemies than you already are. That rogue is punished and gone."
"Would do no good to kill your own spy," Dale said and yawned purposefully.
"He is no spy if you know it," Marduk said, "Lately he is your errand-runner. I will have my three Orcs back."
"I told you, I do not claim them. They will return to you when they are able. Until they leave on their own, I will allow them to remain in my camp and treat them fairly. We go into the wood soon, if you wish to know. I know you are without your best trackers, so I thought I would help you a bit."
Marduk growled at Dale's patronizing. "We will follow."
"I suppose you will. I thought you would not dare follow us into horse country, and here we are east of the Great River. Perhaps in your place, suspecting some terrible conspiracy against my people, I would take it upon myself to seek the truth of it and defeat my enemies."
"You say you are an Orc, carry a whip, act as Chieftain, speak like an Orc...you are in my place."
Dale shrugged. "I am also in my place, but just for argument, do you know that I do not seek the enemies of the Orcs to defeat them?"
The way Dale phrased his words confused Marduk and he narrowed his eyes at the Elf.
"Maybe if you do not stray from the road, do not hunt, kill, or fell trees, they will let you survive the wood. They may, if you are careful not to stray, though I cannot promise it. Elves are notoriously defensive of their woods, yet this one is only lately claimed and already contains a major trade road. They must allow Men to use the road, and so perhaps you may."
Marduk grinned, baring fangs. Elves in numbers, on familiar territory were dangerous foes, but if he led his Orcs into the wood and came out again, he would be famous among Orcs. "How did Damkina die?" he asked then.
"Spear in the back, she had been hiding Tashmetum, it seems."
"Protecting a precious little one is a good way for an Orcs to die. One female is enough." Marduk's expression hardened. It would likely not have been apparent to anyone who had not lived among Orcs, but his face had seemed almost to express longing, or sadness, and then suddenly, anger. "If you harm...or spoil on of my Orcs I will kill you."
"I should spoil one just to take vengeance for Lena," Dale threatened.
"The Elf?" Marduk growled.
"My Chieftain has a Wizard to amuse him, he is not going to spoil anyone that has not already been!"
"She is not your Orcs, either, Elf-scream!" Marduk kicked Duma in the shin.
Duma drew his knife and threatened to pry Marduk's right kneecap away from the leg. "My name is Duma!"
"Don't touch her!"
"I am not the one trying to have half-breed children!"
Dale kicked Duma's thigh. "Stop. We're leaving. Marduk has his information."
"I will follow you. If you betray the Orcs, if you work with the Elves and Wizards against us, I will kill you."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be sure to save you a dance. If I stumble upon some terrible conspiracy against Orcs, I'll let ya know."
Marduk growled.
Dale sighed. "Look," he said, though he intended Marduk to listen, "why don't you just go back across the river and take your Clan somewhere north? Ah, because you must be heroic and defeat all the enemies of the Orcs on your own. I suppose I ought to wish you luck. I am not certain you have what it takes to survive."
Marduk looked to Dale in confusion.
"He speaks strangely when weary or agitated," Duma explained, "But my Chieftain is trying to say, I think, that Orcs must change to survive. It is true we have no Masters now, so we must be good Masters to ourselves and guide our path carefully. Elves depart and go into hiding in the wood. The Wizards are falling. This age is an age of Men. Orcs must be able to make peace with Men if they wish to survive, or we will always be night horrors that prey on Men, to drink their blood, eat their flesh, grind their bones into bread, and beget freaks upon their daughters."
"Bones ground into meal for bread?" Marduk laughed.
Dale nodded. "Elven hatred of Orcs is natural, you must understand that, because they see in Orcs a twisted version of themselves, and that disturbs them greatly; makes them feel vulnerable and mortal. Perhaps Orcs hate Elves for believing Orcs failed reproductions, because they judge themselves superior, and because we learned hatred from them. The other races are accustomed to following Elves. They hate us mostly because Elves hate us, but every raid upon a Man settlement gives them reason to hate us for their own sake. To survive in this time, we must make a peace with Men and stop our terrorism in the west. If we do not, Orcs shall be come legendary monsters and every peasant with a hoe will be plowing up breeding pits and every Man with a sword and a torch will hunt us into our caves. They are united under a strong king. They will kill us all. You are right to suspect a conflict is coming, but if there is some conspiracy to sicken and kill Orcs, that is your smallest worry. The vast numbers of common Men and their families are your true concern, because they will all become your enemies, if you do not learn to make peace with them."
"Let the flesh eating and blood drinking become legend," Duma suggested, "make the old ways something half remembered and feared, and learn to use Mannish society to advantage."
"You are strange Orcs. You are not even like normal Elves."
"Strange? Return to the mines and see if they think you usual Orcs. Look at your Clan. Do they not wear and use some Mannish and Elvish gear when it suits them? Do they not wear garments in Mannish fashion? Do they not understand breeding between male and female very well? Have they not avoided eating flesh of their foes with the purpose of effecting the actions of Men on their trail? You are already strange. Duma is saying that you should continue and that he believes it is the right way for Orcs to be. He respects you, Marduk, and he is a smart Orc. I am not so certain. I think perhaps you will soon die, but Duma has more faith in you than I do. I am not certain that Orcs can survive in this world without Masters, but I am willing to wait and see if they may. If Orcs survive without being monsters, I may never have to kill another."
"Go now! But know I watch you!"
Dale reached behind his back and sheathed his sword. He then tossed his hair and walked slowly from the camp, Duma waiting a moment and then jogging to his side. They went in the same southeast direction the others had taken and so came to the road before night.
Duma did not complain, in fact he and Dale had not spoken since leaving the camp, so Dale continued walking east along the road during the night.
They came upon a camp of Easterners who had fled Marduk's camp, roasting conies over a small fire. The Orcs showed their weapons as they recognized Dale, but he simply continued along the road. One of the Orcs wondered aloud that they might be seeing his ghost, or that perhaps Death-shadow had always been a ghost of some murdered Elf. When Dale cleared the camp, he turned and spoke to them. "Go back across the river and take jobs with Men and learn from them what seems advantageous and then maybe you will not have to fear me."
When Marduk later came upon these same Orcs, they informed him of Dale's commands. "Then be his Orcs," Marduk said to them, "but repay your cowardice under my leadership by doing what I say also. When you go, send messages by smoke, drum, and mouth that Marduk is east of the river and desires that all his Orcs come out of safe hiding to join him. Send messages that my Orcs and any who wish to join us should come. They should make no battles along the way, and run along the roads. I want word of any that make their arrows with machined shafts, metal heads, and eagle feathers; they may be enemies. The Men know of our numbers in the mines and in the land west of the mountains and they grow weary of our raids. It is time for Orcs to gather in numbers, for a conflict is coming. I desire that my Clan will survive and I will do what I must to achieve that desire."
After Marduk's speech, some of the Orcs begged to be accepted into the Clan again, while others promised to carry the messages. Marduk allowed those that begged to join, but assigned them many chores that benefited the Clan, such as hunting, cooking, and making armor. Marduk wanted all his Orcs to have some clothing and armor. Weapons were important, but if they were attacked by cowardly foes that concealed themselves, armor would be more important.
In the morning, while Dale and Duma still walked along the road, Duma heard the sound of horses running toward them over the packed earth. Dale did not move from the road, but continued walking, as he had since the day before. Soon they sighted a rider and several horses.
It was Beryl, towing Moon-halo and Snaga after Brethil. "Are you both well?" he called out to them, when he believed them in range of hearing. Dale stopped walking and waited for the horses to reach him.
"What news do you have? We are well as can be expected."
Beryl told them how Tsuki had removed the arrows from the two that were injured and then devised a stretcher to carry them, which Nightmare had been persuaded to haul. This was why Moon-halo came to carry Dale, and not his own horse. Beryl said also that he had left Tsuki and Ugarit to lead Nightmare and tend the injured while he took the horses and packs to seek the others. He had come across them on the road and seen to setting up a camp and preparing them a meal, and then set out again to find Dale and Duma. "And here you are, unharmed it seems. I am glad. Did you do damage to the Orcs? I have heard drums."
"We heard them also," Dale said, though he and Duma had not spoken of it on the road. "We made some suggestions to Marduk, and it seems he has interpreted our advise in an unexpected way. He calls for Orcs to join him. Many Orcs."
"Will he attack us again?"
"I do not think he will," Dale said, though he was not certain of it. "I probably could have killed him if I tried."
Beryl said nothing, for a moment. He thought he might understand why Dale allowed the Orcs to follow without really trying to kill them, but he did not speak of it aloud. "Let us ride to the camp. It is not very far on horseback. The others traveled faster."
"I only kept pace with Dale."
"I did not feel like running," Dale said.
"You both need rest," Beryl said. He had not slept in many nights, even before locating a ship he had spent day and night watching the river from the lookout. As soon as they reached camp, he would sleep.
Coming to the camp, they found that Tsuki had already arrived with the stretcher and that all were resting, except for Gwindor who kept watch. He stood to greet them, but did not look quite merry, he looked not even his usual brooding self. Still, Gwindor said he was happy to see them and offered to prepare food.
Duma felt he was starving, but when Dale said he was too tired to eat, Duma did not ask for food. Instead, he said, "Do you need help watching?"
"Do not make foolish offers," Gwindor said, sounding almost amused, "You have been traveling a day and a half without rest and with an injury of your own. I think you and Dale should try to eat."
Dale had already located his cloak and was sneaking through the sleeping bodies in search of Tsuki. "I think Dale hordes food like a squirrel," Duma said. He expected Dale had plenty of dry food in his cloak pockets.
Beryl laughed giddily. "An excellent comparison for an Orc. I think right now Dale would love to stuff some nuts into his cheeks."
Gwindor sighed. "You need sleep as well," he whispered to Beryl. "Duma, allow Beryl to check your wound and then you both go to sleep. I can watch a while longer, and then..." He could not think whom he should wake, as near everyone had been injured, exhausted or suffered some great emotional stress in recent days, some of them had suffered more than one such affliction.
I will watch," Beryl said. Gwindor knew Beryl had not slept in days, and even for an Elf this was highly unadvisable. He feared Beryl would begin chasing shadows if he stayed awake much longer.
"I suppose Laurel and Fei have suffered the least injury, though she seemed most hostile toward me in setting up camp."
"Wake Laurel then, if you do not wish my help," Duma said, "I suppose the Men should complain that the Elves and Orcs do too much and they wish to prove themselves as well."
"He is tired," Beryl said to Gwindor. "Our three of the Second Race have done much for us, but it would be a most different adventure if we had a common or average three and not ones who were so scholarly and learned in spells and lore."
Gwindor sighed. "The Witch will watch when I weary, though I wish not wake the woman..."
Beryl and Duma fell to the ground giggling. It was fortunate Marduk was not determined to attack them. He still suspected and disliked Death-shadow, but he believed the strange Orcs had not lied to him in telling of Dog and presenting the arrow, and Marduk already knew the rogue Orcs' stories of concealed enemies east of the river that killed Orcs. Now he had a clear sign that the stories were based in fact and the Orcs were not simply cowardly. He would stop his Orcs from fearing shadows by finding them an enemy to face.
Death-shadow could wait; Marduk knew where he was. Attacking their camp would only give the Elves motive to harm his Orcs within their camp. Marduk would wait and gather strength.
Annavala sat along the branch of a tree, Setsugekka beside her, not very well camouflaged in her fancy robes and playing with some bauble Their Master had given her. One of Lord Forhrondo's house was leaning against the tree trunk, also assigned to watch the Priestess.
"We should have gone out and killed all the abominations," he said quietly, "Now they drum and build large fires. I do not like it. Seems preparation for battle."
"Our Master says the abominations must be destroyed, but Our Master also orders that we remain concealed until the next phase of his plan is completed. Our domination of the west will be glorious! I wish to see it! But, I can wait until the timing is perfect."
"Yes, but it is as acceptable to kill those who see us as to never be seen. Perhaps they could have remained concealed wile taking care of that Clan. If they had been from my house, we could have. Look how we hide from these Fools on the Hunt, and we are within their own wood."
Duma dreamt. He dreamt that he was being kissed, and it felt better than any he remembered. The taste was quite different than he had tasted before, and Duma began to suspect he was only half asleep and not really dreaming at all. He opened his eyes and saw Lenaduiniel's face and hair too close. Duma raised his hands to push her from him and then sat, gasping, shivering and covering his mouth.
Lenaduiniel sat, waiting. Duma's eyes darted over her and then away again.
"Are you mad?" He hissed. "Did Dale see? Did Gwindor? What possessed you?"
"How did that feel?" Lenaduiniel asked calmly.
"How?" Duma gasped. It had been horrible. Lenaduiniel was like...something that might be like a mother, if Duma had a mother to know the feeling. She was most definitely a female he wished to protect, but whom he regarded as separate from all intimate physical pleasures and breeding.
"It was a good kiss."
"You speak so plainly!" Duma said, then covered his mouth again. "Do you not understand...?"
"But it felt very wrong at the same time, because I am one you never would have wished to receive such a thing from."
"Yes!" Duma hissed.
"That is just how it felt."
"How...?" The image came unbidden into his mind, the way Lenaduiniel had looked held by Sarpanit. Duma shook himself to be rid of the vision. "And you thought to share it with me? With me? She made you her pet for a day! That is no excuse to claim Northerner cruelty as your way!"
"I am afraid this is Elven logic. Dale would have understood, if I cried upon his shoulder, but I would have had to wake Tsuki to do so, and that Man has seen me in distress more than is right. I needed to know that someone understood. Forgive me, Duma. Please say you understand."
"I understand that you are still influenced by poisons that have not yet worked their way from your body! You did not have to molest me in my sleep! You could have just asked me to imagine how horrible it was for you! At least I would have been able to say it was not your fault."
"It was just a kiss. I could have done what was done to me."
"I do not think you could have."
"I would have to be a pet for more than a day to do that."
"I think so."
There was calm between Duma and Lenaduiniel. Then Duma said, "Even if it felt good, you did not invite it or wish it from that person, and so you need not feel confused. It was still wrong, and not something you need to seek. Simply pleasure as a tool of torture. It is not true that Orcs are only educated in pain."
"Thank you for saying so."
"I forgive you, but never do that again. Perhaps if I were sick or dying a more chaste kiss upon the skin would be welcome."
"Of course. I will not attempt it again. You have not polished your teeth in days..."
"I did not expect to be kissed! We spent so much time traveling and running so that we might find you and the others!"
Lenaduiniel laughed. "I know. I did not mean to offend you." She sighed. "My ears hurt."
Duma scooted toward Lenaduiniel and looked at her ears where Sarpanit had pierced them. "May I try to help?"
"Please."
"It may hurt." Duma examined the rings and saw how they closed and then removed each quickly, as he thought this would hurt less than slowly, even if it seemed to hurt greatly. He looked at the flesh where the rings had been removed and saw how the holes had been made. "I do not think the holes will heal without scarring. The tool was either dull or meant for stretching rather then piercing unspoiled earlobes. The flesh was torn rather than cleanly cut."
"Then, it will always be obvious I was a prisoner?"
"Obvious there were holes in your ears."
"It is not the way of Elves to mutilate their bodies and we do not find scars beautiful or honorable, only sad reminders of wounds that the immortal must survive. It will be obvious I was a prisoner of Orcs, even if it was for a short time."
"I am sorry."
"You did not abduct me. It is no one's fault. I chose to stand with Laurel. I thought we would be rescued, or I wanted to believe it. Beryl told me that he might have reached us sooner, but one of the horses was bit by a snake when crossing the wetlands and he had to stop to care for the animal. I do not fault him for it."
"The best I can do is give you jewelry more fitting an Elven noble and advise you how to make the holes heal around the metal with as little scaring as possible. The jewelry would be obvious, but not the holes. Perhaps some would think the ornaments only clipped to your ears. Or, if you dislike the holes, I could advise you how to heal them, and then devise clipped ornaments."
"I will wear the mark to remind myself that even when being pursued, sleep is important, but I will not wear the rings Sarpanit chose."
"Do not worry about her. Her own pet carved their initial in her chest as if she were the pet. She is still strong, but she has lost much status in the Clan and will probably not even think to attempt capturing an Elf again."
"Do you think her well?" Laurel whispered to Kato as they sat keeping watch, and waiting for some cereal to cool a bit so that Kato might feed Tashmetum, or violet, as he persisted in calling her.
Kato glanced toward Lenaduiniel. "I am surprised you would ask me."
"I expect it would entertain you if she went mad and began waking all the males in our party in such manner, but I know that you can be serious when there is need, Kato. I know you have a gift for reading people."
"Perhaps it is just experience; it does come in handily in my work. Duma is a good lad, apart from being an Orc. I am sure he has already set her straight, as it were." It might be more amusing, Kato thought, if Lenaduiniel began waking all the females in their party with such kisses. Kato saw Laurel glare at him, as if she knew his thoughts, and laughed nervously.
Laurel checked the cereal and pronounced it cool enough. She passed the bowl with a spoon then to Kato. "I think we shall have to ration water soon. There is plenty of water in this area, but little of it clean."
"I can see the trees now. We could make the wood by nightfall."
"Were we to leave now. I think it will depend on the injured. If their condition seems to improve or remain unchanged, we may have time to wait for all our party to rest fully. If their condition worsens, we may have to rush for help."
"I think rushing would speed their decline, but I see your point. We shall travel slowly. Perhaps by night we shall be rested and move. If we find a safe haven within the wood, then we may spend several days recuperating, but if we find trouble there, and we cannot know that we will not, then we must rest now in preparation."
"It will be well enough. I do not expect the Orcs will attack, though they sound quite close."
"I am worried that we will not only find Elves in the wood. Galadhiel was shot too many times for it to be accidental."
"I do not know who fired upon you, but generally, when one enters a wood populated by Elves, one only need fear Elves. What else might be there?"
"I do not know, and that is precisely what worries me," Kato
said as he spooned warm cereal into Violet's mouth. "It does not
really feel we came the unexpected route."