Part Ninety-Two
North had been seated beside Snagrat at the feast, which he thought most advantageous. His Chieftain wanted Snagrat dead, so North spent most of the time pretending he did not care that Snagrat was listening to him and talking to himself about how impressive Duma and Ugarit seemed. He hoped Snagrat got it in his little head to cross Duma.
North was not one who desired physical dominance for himself, but no Orc with any self awareness or belief in himself remaining wanted to be completely subjugated. North dominated by manipulation.
Thus he made sure to mention how he wondered what Ugarit's child would look like. If she was Duma's Orc now, it was a given they had to engage in breeding activity sooner or later. Snagrat would not be one to see any reason they should hesitate.
"He used to be a pet, like us," North said, but by that point, Snagrat was just listening.
Snagrat left the pavilion grumbling and North was sure he would do something foolish and earn a new name for it. Duma was strong. North had never doubted it. He had known the Half-Orc when they lived in the Mines and he had only been known as Elf-Scream. He had not only upset his master several times by screaming during punishment or singing to himself, but he had gone into rages whenever some Orc brought an Elf into the Mines still alive, so that its screams could be heard echoing off the stone walls. Duma had killed other Orcs with that black-glass shiv of his and seemingly been unaware of it.
North never once considered that Snagrat would be able to harm Duma. He thought he might leave the pavilion a short while after Snagrat so he would be able to come across their conflict and witness the little treacherous Mine-Dweller's humiliation.
Duma left the pavilion with Ugarit and Tashmetum and headed across the settlement toward the road and the west side, where the guest house was. The walked slowly, because Tashmetum was on her feet and not being carried. They said nothing, just walked, until they were past the road.
"I will give you a kiss, if you want," Duma said then.
"Elves kiss, Duma," Ugarit said, but she stopped walking and barred Tashmetum's way with her leg.
"So…I would not have to kiss you on your mouth."
"You can do what you like. I offered it a long time ago. There is no reason I would be against it now."
"hem, aaaw, I would like to…but I would like if you liked it also."
"I think that I will, if it is with you, Duma. The others say it hurts, but I do not believe you would make it hurt more than necessary, and even if there is pain, I am strong enough."
"We do not really have to do it that way, I mean with breeding…unless that is what you want. I do not mean to say I am opposed. It would probably be all right. Maybe it would just be mostly northerner and not look very strange."
"If you truly know a way that is pleasure without breeding, I would like to learn it. We will have time for breeding. We are not in danger now."
"Here?" Duma lifted his eyes and looked around. They were in an area of the Wood where the trees were young and unable to support Elf houses. There were only trees and a wind. "What is that?"
"Duma!" Ugarit threw her weight against Duma and knocked him to the ground as an arrow passed close to them.
"Did it get you?" Duma asked frantically. He reached around Ugarit and felt the beck of her head. There was no arrow, no dampness of blood.
"I felt nothing hit."
Duma turned. "Tash. Get down!"
Ugarit screamed. Tashmetum was standing, yellow eyes wide, with an arrow in her throat. Ugarit scrambled to reach the child.
"Put pressure on the wound! We'll find help for her. Patch her…" Duma saw the Mine-Dwellers moving in, running quickly on hands and feet as they did sometimes. If he had his bow…but he did not. Duma got to his feet and drew his knives as quickly as he could. He only had two on him, both he had made, one in the forge and one shaped from obsidian.
Duma did not think about it, he just stuck the one that came at him first and then looked for Ugarit. Several of the Goblins had teamed against her and wrestled Tashmetum from her before Ugarit could get on her feet.
Ugarit threw a Goblin off her and drew her knives from the sheaths strapped to her thighs, but she saw at once she could not move. The runty looking one had Tashmetum in his arms. They would hurt the child worse if she moved.
"Let her go!" Duma called. "She is a little one. She is precious. Let her go now. She can still be patched up!"
Tashmetum began screaming.
"You threatened to 'cull the herd' as if you have a right to breed, Half-Elf."
"You want to kill me? Kill me, but you let them go!"
"Kill you? I will leave you alive with 'Fool' tagged to your name Elf's-Cream!"
One of the goblins ran at Duma and he kicked it in the head.
"You can have me," Ugarit said. "Let Tashmetum go with Duma and you can have me as your Orc. All the Orcs will call Duma Fool for thinking he could keep me."
"If I let the little one go, you will not really come with me," Snagrat said. He put his hand to Tashmetum's mouth. "Shut Up!"
"None of us can move from here!" Ugarit shouted, "You cowardly maggot! You are hiding behind a baby! Put her down and challenge us like an Orc!"
"Snagrat, I think some others are coming," one of the Goblins hissed.
Snagrat threw Tashmetum down and put up his Goblin sword. And then, they all realized, the crying had stopped.
Ugarit ran forward and kicked Snagrat out of the way and bent over Tashmetum. Duma ran to them also. The Goblins fled. "It is all right. We will patch you up," Ugarit whispered.
"She's dead," Duma said.
"No."
There was acid in his throat. Duma swallowed. "Look at her neck, Ugarit! She's dead! He did it! Snagrat!"
"What happened? What did he do?"
Duma turned, with his knife extended and saw North there alone. North's eyes rolled toward Ugarit and the small body on the ground.
"What did he do?"
Duma was panting breaths. Someone was going to pay. "Tashmetum is dead. Goblins. Snagrat and some Goblins from Jareth's Clan. They killed her!"
"I-I did not mean for it to happen," North said. "Not a little one. No."
"You set them on us!" Duma shouted.
North did not attempt to defend himself. He had never even thought that an Orc would hurt Tashmetum. He had never considered it. "But I thought…I did not mean…"
Duma threw the halfelven blade to the ground and swung the tip of the obsidian blade at North's throat. North staggered back to dodge the blade and Duma's boot saw he fell to the ground. Duma crouched over North and pinned his legs and right arm. If the left hand came toward him, he would cut it off. He lifted North's loincloth with the blade and then he saw. The sack that should have hung below the member was already gone.
Duma growled and covered North with the loincloth. He put the tip of his knife to North's left shoulder. "Who did it to you?" Duma demanded, snarling.
"My Old Master. The one who was also Master to Dog, before Marduk. Muzbug. He said it would make it so I could only spill the thicker seed for him. Many times, I can spill nothing at all. Muzbug is dead now. One named Gibil leads that Clan now, but is very small since the battle."
Duma made a shallow cut inside North's arm and then climbed off him quickly.
Ugarit was crying.
"Ugarit."
"Kill them, Duma! A Man would do it. An Elf would do it! I do not care if they are Orcs! They killed my child!"
Duma picked up his discarded knife and stalked toward the Orc camp.
Orcs without Masters behaved strangely in the eyes of Elves and Men, but
Orcs without Chieftains was another thing. It made it very clear who were
the smart Orcs and who were not, when they had no other Orc to tell them
what to do. The only ones left in the camp with whips were those Leaders
who had not been of high enough status to be invited by their Chieftain
to the feast.
Snagrat had already shown he was not a smart Orc. The fact that the other Orcs in the camp were not tearing him apart already mean that they did not know what he had done. Duma would not wait to find out if Snagrat was stupid enough to brag about what he had done.
Walking into the camp with his knives drawn and without gifts gave Orcs of various Clans cause to question him, but Duma did not stop in his pursuit. He only said to the others, "I am not here for you."
When he found those he knew had been in the party with Snagrat, Duma did not talk or wait for them to attack. He just killed. His mind had gone into a rage and he did not think to recall sparring with Dale or Tsuki or any of Lenaduiniel's lessons. He just killed. He was fighting Mine-Dwellers only and being male and Halfelven he was taller, stronger, more agile, and had a greater reach than most of his opponents. He did things he had not known he could do, contorting in such a way to avoid two blades as they came at him and then springing back to slit throats. They were smaller, and so that was the easiest kill: swiping the blade across the throat. He was angry enough that it did not feel he needed to exert a great deal of pressure to make the wound lethal. He was simply unable to touch them lightly.
When he came to Snagrat, last, as he had hidden behind others, Duma did not kill quickly. He knew this one was the one who had done the most harm. He threw the little Orc down and pinned his legs beneath his knees. He cut all the genitals from the body and then stuffed them into snag rat's mouth to silence his screams. Duma wrenched an arrow that had found him from his leg and stabbed it into Snagrat's throat. When that was done, he looked into the Goblin's eyes, put his hands either side of his head, and snapped his neck.
Duma walked from the camp and no Orc tried to stop him. Some had run to tell their Chieftains what had happened, but most stood watching. They said Duma was mad. They said he was truly Death-Shadow's heir. Duma, they said, had massacred Jareth's Clan. Jareth would have to challenge him.
Duma wandered from the camp and fell upon a tree. He stabbed at the trunk and sliced its bark with his knives and screamed.
The sound brought Loriol and Lain running and North came after them. Loriol saw Duma first and put out his arm to stop Lain from going closer. "Duma. An Elf does not attack a tree so."
"I am not an Elf," Duma groaned. "I just killed a bunch of Orcs, and it has not brought Tashmetum back. Tashmetum is dead!"
"Sheath your knives," Loriol said firmly. "Where is Ugarit?"
"I think she went toward the house," North said. He had seen her leave with the little one's body, but he had not followed.
"Lain," Loriol said quietly. "If Duma has really killed many Orcs, it is possible some others will go to the house to look for him or seek out Ugarit. Run and find her. Warn Dale also. I will take Duma away from here until he…he does not seem entirely able to defend himself right now."
"I will go. Be careful," Lain said. He ran east through the trees.
"He should not be alone in this part of the Wood now," North said.
Loriol had a choice. He might allow Lain to run through the Wood alone when there might be angry Orcs looking for those who knew Duma or he could allow North to be his guard. "If any Orc harms him, you will be the one I kill," Loriol said.
North ran away, in the direction Lain had.
Loriol looked to Duma. He understood, this was how he had seemed to others after he had learned that Denelas died. He saw a tremor go through Duma and the Half-Orc then doubled over and vomited upon the tree roots.
"Duma. How many did you kill?"
"What?"
"You are covered in Orc blood. You said you killed a 'bunch'. How many."
"I don't know. Did I really do it?"
"The blood is all over you."
Duma looked down at his body, at his favorite coat soaked with black blood. Some of it was his. He trembled, and then as Loriol watched, his expression hardened again. "They killed Tashmetum!"
"Duma, come with me. Lain and North have gone to find Ugarit, to guard her. Some Orcs might come look for you. Let me take you away."
Duma stood and he laughed. "Do you think Dale was mad before or after he did it?"
Loriol had seen the scars. He knew Dale had been tortured over time and then later killed the Orcs that tortured him. "It must have been both, but it was a different madness afterward."
When Lain and North came to the guest house, they opened the door and found Setsugekka's bow and arrow aimed at them. Ugarit was kneeling on the floor beside a small figure wrapped in a blanket and crying on Dale's shoulder. Dale had one arm about Ugarit and in the other hand held a flask, which he drew heavily from.
Dale lowered the flask and went into a coughing fit. Blood came up out of his mouth and dribbled from his lip before he wiped it away with his fingers. North saw that Dale was badly injured. He wondered if it was the sickness Orcs had suffered from the wizard's experiments.
"Duma killed a bunch of Orcs," Lain said quickly.
"Snagrat? Did he kill Snagrat?" Ugarit asked, attempting to steady her voice.
"I do not know."
"Was Duma injured?" Fei asked. That was likely what Dale would ask if he had strength.
Lain shook his head; he did not know.
"I think he took some wounds, but Rorii is with him. He will see that Duma is patched up if he needs it. We do not know how many Orcs Duma killed, but it is possible some others will come looking for him. You may not be safe, if you are of his Clan."
"It was you who began this," Dale hissed. Ugarit had told him.
"Snagrat was with Marduk's Clan when they tracked you, so he knew your horses. Snagrat went over to another Clan, though Marduk lives. He helped his new Clan to sneak about the Men's camp and look at your horses. They were trying to learn if you were here in hiding."
"What does it matter?" Dale asked. "Everyone knows we are here now. Dog and Marduk likely knew we were here. Marduk claimed to know it for days."
"Dog knew," North said and did not comment on Marduk. Perhaps Marduk had known, but North was only aware of Dog's spying, which he had been part of, and Snagrat's. "Snagrat was a betrayer. Dog wanted him killed. We wanted Snagrat to do something foolish so that Jareth would take his head. I thought he would only be proven a fool is he crossed Duma or Ugarit. Duma is strong."
"It is my fault," Ugarit said. "I heard the arrow, and I made Duma drop to the ground, but not Tashmetum. Why did I protect Duma before a child?"
"You can both leave," Dale rasped. "If anyone comes, we will protect ourselves and Duma. You should both go where you will be safe."
Orc messengers had come to the pavilion and informed their Chieftains that Duma was at the camp slaying Orcs. The messengers did not understand the reason for his actions and so they could not explain when the Chieftains demanded it. The news spread by the volume at which the Orcs made their demands to the Men and then to Elves and all were surprised that Duma was slaying anyone. Gwindor took some Elves with him to go to the west part of the settlement and see what was happening.
The Orc Chieftains went also quickly to the west of the settlement. There they found North seemingly wandering. He was waiting for them to come. "I can tell you what happened," he said.
"You smell of fresh blood," Marduk said.
"Duma cut me."
"It is true?" Dog asked.
"Why does he do it now?" Marduk demanded.
"Tashmetum is dead," North told them. All the Chieftains understood this was the little One Ugarit kept and before they could make the next demand, North said, "It was Snagrat the Mine-Dweller of Jareth's Clan. He and a number of Goblins came upon Duma and Ugarit and Snagrat killed the little One. Duma went after them in vengeance.
"Snagrat?" Jareth asked, "He is not even a Leader! How is this true? Many Goblins following him?"
"I did not see any battle, but I came upon them myself after the Goblins had fled. I saw the little one. She was pierced with an arrow and her neck was broken. Duma and Ugarit did not even have their bows on them. The arrow could have been from Mine-Dwellers. Also, I sat near Snagrat at the feast and I heard him muttering about Duma and I saw that he left shortly before Duma and Ugarit did."
"And where are Duma and Ugarit?" Marduk asked.
"An Elf took Duma away. I do not know where. Ugarit is with Dale-Chieftain, grieving, in the little house."
"Why did Dale not go with Duma to slay Orcs?"
"Dale did not know if it. It happened in a place where there are no Elf houses. I heard some crying and went that way, but others who were distant may not have heard. Dale-Chieftain does not have such ears as I do."
"I will go first to the camp and see what has happened, and then I will find Ugarit," Marduk said. "She and Tashmetum used to be my Orcs. They are precious. I must know that Dale can protect Ugarit, or I will take her back." Marduk did not really want Ugarit, but he knew no better way to explain his want to see Ugarit.
The Chieftains went to the Orc camp together, but the others put a short distance between themselves and Jareth.
The scent of death was strong before they came to the camp. The Orcs that had remained had not gone near the dead ones yet, even to strip them of gear. A few that had been in Jareth's Clan and who had not been Mine-Dwellers or attacked Duma had already begged to be taken into another Clan and offered all their best gear and even to be pets, for they knew their status would be nothing if they remained associated with the Orcs Duma had massacred and they did not desire to fight Duma over the Mine-Dwellers deaths. Some of Gibil's Leaders had let them join their bands.
When Jareth returned, he found he had no followers, only dead.
Jareth went to Snagrat's body, passing the others. Marduk went with him. They saw that many had been killed quickly, mostly slit throats, but Snagrat's body had been tortured and arranged as a message.
"The wounds match those Northerner Bitch claims the little one suffered. One arrow. Broken neck."
"But why this?" Marduk asked, pointing to the mouth.
Dog scampered to them and observed the body. "Maybe this one did not like what Duma threatened. 'Culling the herd'. My pet claims Snagrat said some things about Duma and Ugarit at the feast. He did not like that Duma is Half-Elf and has a female to himself for breeding and dared to make true Orcs unable to breed."
"This one was a fool," Marduk said. "I have tasted Duma's blood. He is an Orc." He stood and turned from Jareth and the dead Orcs and went to his own fire.
Jareth realized he truly had nothing. He had only a whip. It was nothing.
Gwindor came to the guest house and knocked at the door. A voice, Fei he thought, called from within to ask who was there. Gwindor gave his name and shortly afterward Fei opened the door to him. Gwindor repeated what he had heard at the pavilion and asked if they had Duma within and if they knew if he had killed Orcs and why it might have been done.
"I will speak to him outside," Dale said. The Grey had given him no more medicine since before the feast, but he had nearly emptied Duma's flask to dull his pain and sickness. He stood uneasily. "Do not open the door to anyone else. I will give the signal when I return."
Fei gave a nod to say he understood.
Dale went out to Gwindor them. He told him what he had heard from Ugarit and then from Lain and North. "None of us actually saw the bodies or know the number of Orcs that were killed, but I am told Duma was covered in blood. He is with Loriol. I think he would have taken him to the bathing pavilion, or perhaps to some other secure place to wash him and calm him. North seemed to believe that other Orcs might come after Duma now in retaliation."
"I am sorry the child was slain, truly," Gwindor said.
"There is nothing to be done for it now, but perhaps see how Ugarit would have the remains treated. It does not affect your treaty. It was not Orcs slaying Elves of your Wood, or Elves or your Wood slaying Orcs sworn to the treaty."
"It does not seem right to feel pleased about that. There has still been a lot of killing, and on the night of a feast. Do you really think it was right Duma killed these Orcs?"
"Duma is still mine, and I will protect him. Apart from that, it does not matter what I think, but I have something to ask of you. It would be a favor, to me, if you are able to grant it."
"If it is in my power. Tell me."
"I know your Elf houses are full, but do you know any place we might put Ugarit and Duma alone? Even a tent. Someplace more distant from the Orc camp. Someplace they might not be noticed? It is not only for their safety. I think there is something Ugarit has not told me…"
"What is it?"
"It does not matter. No matter what she said, I know they are recently married. They are not Elves, but still, every day since they have spoken the vows they have been injured or sick or confined to one-room house without private chambers."
"Those houses were not built for Elves, and past visitors were mainly parties of Men or Dwarves, all male, who came to build or trade or speak to my brother."
"But you know what I am saying, Gwindor. It is not sharing within a barracks with others who pretend not to see. Even if all they do is talk together about the child who has died, they should be alone for now. I really believe it is best for them."
"Yes I understand. The recent days have been quite hectic for all of us."
"Galadhiel looked quite lovely in a gown."
"She did." Gwindor smiled slightly. "I will see to your favor. I will be discreet and find if there is some place. Shall I contact you when I have secured it?"
"Please, or if you learn where Duma is, please let me know. The Treeweaver's and their household have done too much for us already."
"They have done much," Gwindor agreed.
As they stood outside the guesthouse, Dale saw Marduk approaching alone. He tipped his head to Gwindor. Gwindor saw the Orc Chieftain and gestured for the Elves he had brought to draw further back.
Marduk stopped at a respectful distance. "I seek Ugarit," he said.
"She is within, but let me go first. I ordered them to shoot any who opened the door."
Marduk grunted and Dale took it as agreement. Dale gave Gwindor a look that said they would speak later. He turned to the door then and tapped the rhythm of a Dwarf song upon it.
Fei opened the door.
"Marduk is here alone to see Ugarit. Will she see him?"
Fei turned into the house and spoke to Ugarit and heard her answer and then opened the door wider. "Come in," he said.
Ugarit was still sitting on the floor with the shrouded child-body but she no longer wept. Her face had been cleaned also. She was dressed still in her feast clothes and so she appeared beautiful for an Orc, and uninjured, but sad.
"Do you believe Dale and Duma failed to protect those of ther Clan who are precious?" Marduk asked.
"No. It was I…" Ugarit stopped and her face took on an expression of anger. "Tashmetum knew no fear of Orcs. We called for her to get down, to stay low to avoid the arrows, but she had already been pierced. I went to her as fast as I could. She was never far, but those Goblins used their numbers to take her from me. She cried in Snagrat's hands. She was afraid and we could make no attack, because Snagrat held Tasmetum's life. She could have been patched up then!" Ugarit raised her eyes to Marduk. "We even begged for her. We reminded them that she was precious. Duma offered his life. I even offered my body, but…Snagrat knew that if he did let her go we would instantly move to take his life. We would have. We could not leave him alive to take her again. He threw her down with a broken neck and fled. He was no Orc! He hid himself behind a little one! He killed her! Duma was not wrong. Duma was the one that called out to her first. He would have died to protect her if events allowed it. Even when he was sick, he would play with her and watch her. Duma is not very smart near the Men's females, but he is an Orc and smart and knows to protect ones that are precious. He only threatened Sarpanit after she offended me…and after she had also offended Lady Lena, who is precious to him."
"And Dale-Chieftain too."
"You see he is protecting me. I came here when Duma left us. I had told Duma to go. To kill them. I wanted him to do it. And if he feels bad…is angry that he has been forced to kill Orcs like some Wizard's slave, it is my fault."
"Then, the death has been fully avenged and punished," Marduk declared. "If you hold no others in blame but Snagrat and his fellow Goblins. Duma slew all that were with Snagrat and Snagrat himself was marked specially, with the same wounds we are told your little one suffered. Ugarit, what do you wish to do with the body? Will you ask Lady Lena if you may bury it? She does not wish Orcs buried, but for you, she may choose different."
"No. The river. Damkina went into a river after she died. Tashmetum was found again in a river. I will put her in the river again. Maybe she will be with Damkina."
"I will go with you," Marduk said, "You and Tashmetum and Damkina were my Orcs once. I will go."
"That seems good, Marduk-Chieftain. Dale and Duma should go also. If the Halfling was here, I would let him go, but he is not."
"When will you go?"
"Soon. While the body is fresh. I will just wait here a little longer to see if Duma returns."
"Will this Jareth challenge Duma, Marduk?" Dale asked.
"Jareth left the camp. He has a whip, but no followers, like you once did. If he does challenge Duma, it will be a fair fight, and so that is not my concern. If he kills Duma and you kill Jareth, I will not care. He should have controlled his Orcs better. He should have taught them."
"You will see us when we go. You may go from the house now," Dale said.
Marduk did not say anything else, but he did leave.
Duma had bathed and was sitting on a bench in the bathing pavilion in his small clothes, with Loriol crouched at his side putting stitches in the wound on his thigh. There had been some knife wounds on his chest also, but his clothing had absorbed most of the damage and some gauze wrapped around his body seemed enough to cover the wounds as they healed.
"But, you and Ugarit could have a child," Loriol said. They had spoken of various things which were supposed to comfort Duma, but this did not comfort him really.
"I do not know if she will want me near her after what happened. I do not know if I could do it."
"But why? Do you feel unworthy just because of the killing. She said for you to do it."
"Maybe she was only speaking in anger and will regret it and weep."
"You cannot know unless you offer. You and she are alike to being married." Loriol raised his eyes to Duma's face and looked at his eyes a moment before looking at his stitches again.
"Yes. That is just it. The Goblins were able to come upon us so secretly and quickly because we were distracted. I think she…I think Ugarit really forgot Tashmetum was there for a moment. I do not blame the death on her. I truly do not, but, if we had not been distracted…"
"But that happened to me."
"What happened?"
"Was it not obvious to you?"
"That hurt a bit much!"
"Sorry," Loriol said, blushing pink. "I meant that, the night the Rómendar struck me with that dart and Lain ran for help…you were among those who heard his scream and came running. I know you were the one who saw Lain safely home. The enemy caught us already half undressed. We could have been killed, and it was because we were distracted by each other."
"But no one did die."
"No, but it is important to remember, there would be no attack without the attackers, no matter what were doing at the time. It is their dishonor to attack at such a time."
"And Lain was not afraid to try it again?"
"Elves do not really talk about such things."
"Yes."
"But if it will help you…do not tell anyone else…we were able to try it again and Lain made it very clear he did not blame me and was not disgusted by me. It happened even after I had…hewed at bodies."
"I only heard rumors."
"I was so angry because my friend had died. I murdered the Rómendar as if in a rage and did things I thought Orcish. And then I lay on a grave and did not bathe for several days."
Duma laughed.
"But Lain still wanted to be my bathing partner and he still wanted me. I am sure Ugarit will want you. I am not sure how it is with females. She may insist you give her a child."
"If I go assuming that and that is not how Ugarit feels, she will probably draw her knives on me."
"Maybe you should just go and be as you normally are. I am sure you can work it out." Loriol tied off the thread. "There. I made it neat as I could. It should not show much."
"Thanks." Duma did not want that one to make an obvious scar.
"I will oil your skin and then we can say the prayers and we will be finished here. I will walk you back to the house. I am going that way."
Duma was going to ask if it was to see Lain, which it likely was, but he saw someone coming up into the pavilion.
"An Orc should not be here," Loriol whispered. Duma could hear the hiss of a sword being drawn behind him.
"It's Jareth."
The half-Northerner Chieftain came up the steps and stopped outside of a spear's reach. He tossed his whip to Duma.
Duma caught the whip, looked at it and then cut it's tail with his knife, once, and then several more times.
Jareth gave a nod, turned and walked away.
"You killed all his Clan," Loriol whispered and sheathed his sword.
"No, only most. The others must have abandoned him and begged into other Clans."
"But what does it mean, the whip?"
"He said that he acknowledged that I was dominant without contest
and I said I did not care."