Death Or Fortune (52 page)

     I looked
around the small camp, some of the men were eating or trying to rest.
 Bryce was sitting with Michaels, talking about something.  At the
time I really didn't care.  I told him to get everyone up.
'Sir?
'
 I told him it was time to get started.  He nodded to me once and set
off to find the two men he sent out on patrol.  Miri and Pare were sitting
side by side, their hands pressed together there in the dark, one giving
comfort to the other.  While I was waiting I cleared a large part of the
forest floor and started to draw a crude map of the farm in the dirt.  I
looked at Pare and asked him if everything looked right.  
'What is it?
'
he said as he stood up and walked around towards me.
'Ohhhh, that's the
farm. Well, I guess it is close enough.
'  I just nodded at my little
friend, close enough would have to do.  It took longer than what I liked
but once all the men were up and aware, I began.  I drew my sword and used
it to point to the map.

     "In
about ten hours, the Orcs on that farm are going to be relieved by another
group of Orcs.  When that group of comes in, they are going to find the
slaves are gone and their companions dead.  Not that we are going to give
them much time to think about it.  We are going to split into two groups.
 Michaels, the dead squad and I are going to go wide to the west, come
back around to here." I pointed at the road, just north of the farm. I had
to stop a moment to wait for the men to stop laughing.  They didn't know I
knew what they called themselves. "We don’t want them to know we are there
until we are on the road.  Once we are set and on the road, we are going
to march right to the farm. We want them to know we are coming but not too
soon.  Now this is important.  We are going to be outnumbered.
 For every one of us, there are at least two of them. While I am not
worried about any one of you, anything could happen.  So, if we are over
whelmed or can’t hold a line, we will form into a circle, if one of us falls,
we tighten the circle.  Everyone understand?" I looked around to see
if there were any questions.  "We are going to kill every single Orc
down there.  Wayne, I want you to stay back from the fight.  You are
going to watch for runners.  Outside of Bryce you are the best one here
with a bow.  Use it."

     "Now,
Windfall is going to take a second group of Bryce, the Halflings and Ebbit.
 You are going to hit the farm from the south.  You are going to take
out the Orcs on the guard towers.  As soon as you see our signal from the
north, take them out quick and quiet like.  Once they are dead, open the
slave pen.  Pare and Windfall can take care of the chains, once they are
all free tell them they can stay and fight with us or they can go find their
people in the Lost Valley. Make sure they understand though, they are free but
they are not safe from the Orcs.  I am sure they will understand.
 Once they are all free, you will spread out, kill as many Orcs as you can
find.  The Orcs will show us no mercy so they will get the same from us.
 Are there any questions?' I waited for a minute, letting what I said sink
in.  "If this plan is going to work, they all must die.  No one
gets away from us. Is this clear?"  Again, no one said a single
thing.  "Gentleman, I wish you luck.  Michaels, would you like
to say a prayer before we head out?"  While I had damaged him earlier
that day, what I said here went a long way towards repairing that damage.
 I could see it on his face and I could hear it in his voice.  When
his prayer was completed, we set out into the night.  When his prayer was
complete, we declared war on the Orc army.

     Stone
Tongue was a happy Orc as a child.  He was proud of his family and his
clan. Descended from a long line of warriors he knew what his fate was. When
his family was chosen by the dark one, he was still just a small Orc.
 With the promise of greater glory than they could imagine, they moved
away from his first clan to join the clan of the dark one.  He brought
them all together for one reason and one reason only.  To destroy every
human that walks Majius, man, woman and child.  The dark one took them far
away; over the sea to an island he called the Well Spring.  "From
here we will cleanse the world of the scourge that is humanity." None of
the Orcs cared that he was a human; he offered the clan power, glory and riches
beyond all imagination.
     For thirty years Stone Tongue lived with his new clan.
 Learning to be a warrior, learning the tactics they would need to destroy
the humans.  He worked hard and long to earn the praise of his superiors.
When he was made an officer in the dark ones army, it was the proudest day of
his entire life.  The dark one himself came to him that day.  The
dark one laid his hand on the chest of Stone Tongue and told him "You will
be the first to land and your hand will be the first to draw human blood.
 Your company will be the tip of the spear that begins the death of
humanity." To this day, Stone Tongue could still feel the dark ones touch.
 When he was in doubt or in trouble he would place his own hand over that
spot and think about the pride he had that day.  He would think about how
disappointed the dark one would be when he heard of Stone Tongue's failure.
 The fear of letting his clan down drove him to do better, to try harder.

     When the
word came down how they would soon begin their conquest, Stone Tongue was
worried.  Many of his brothers thought they would soon land in the country
of Eystlund, they thought the war would begin there.  When they were told
they would start with the island of Va'Nox, even farther away from the rest of
the world some thought the dark one lied to them.  He had promised them
they would sweep Atalanxia clean of humans yet they were going in a different
direction.  It wasn't until he called them all forth as one clan that they
understood why they were going to the island of Va'Nox.

    
"Va'Nox is a land rich with the resources and materials we will need to
fight the humans in their own lands. The people who inhabit the island are
going to be a test, for your selves and for me.  A rich land where we will
find all we need to begin our conquest.  Minerals to make the weapons,
materials to build the ships of war and they will also give us the slaves we
need to build those ships.  It will give us a chance to practice all that
we have trained for, to take the field of battle as one army, organized and
disciplined.  To crush the enemy and make them submit to our will.
 When we have taken all that we need from these people, we will destroy
them.  This is the forge that will form our people into a weapon.  A
weapon so strong, no man will be able to withstand a single blow.  When we
launch from Va'Nox we will be ready for anything that stands in our way."

     Stone
Tongue felt his pride swell in his chest that day.  He imagined even the
gods could hear the roar his clan let out that day.  He imagined their
fear and laughed at their inability to do anything about it.  As promised,
Stone Tongue's company was the first to land on the new island. Ten boats, the
only ten they had, carried six companies of Orcs.  They were to land on
the island, secure a landing area for the rest of the army and to begin
scouting out the human villages.  They had one month to complete this
task, to make ready for the next drop off.  As more of the army arrived,
they moved farther inland.  Each time they moved Stone Tongue and his
company were on the front lines of the invasion.  His sword cut the path
that all his clan would follow.  His scouts were the first to find the
human city.  Shimmering towers made of glass and marble.  These
people were scholars, craftsmen, dreamers and idealist.  None of them ever
dreamed of meeting an Orc.  None of them ever dreamed that death would
swarm over the city in the middle of the night, leaving every one of them dead
or a slave.

     The dark
one had warned him that there would be magic users in the city.  That
warning saved the lives of many Orcs.  Archers were trained to spot the
magic users.  Taught the best time to fire their cross bows so a wizard
wouldn’t be able to finish the spells they were going to cast.  They were
able to capture more than half the city before they met with resistance they
could not break.  It was something the dark one expected, something he had
planned on.  As the dark one came into the city, that final area of resistance
was shattered.  The lone Othos city had fallen to the dark one's army in
less than a day.  All the living humans in the city were ushered into a
stadium where the humans held sporting contest.   It was the only
place large enough to hold them all.

     Stone Tongue
was there the day Argon made his last speech before he moved south. "At
one time the people of this city lived all over, spread out in various
villages.  These humans, being weak, sought the safety of numbers.
 They built this decadent monstrosity thinking they would all be safe.
 No human city is safe from you my children.  One by one they will
all fall just as this one has.  Now we prepare, build the great ships and
gather all that we need.  Soon, my general will arrive to lead you.
 He was the first of my children and will be with us soon.  Until
then, we continue to work, to make ready.  You have done very well in
containing the humans here but we must do more.  First we build the
holding areas for the slaves, one just south of this city and then one on the
west coast where the ship yard will be.  Once the holding areas are
filled, any human that is not of use to us will be killed.  I am sure the
cooks will welcome the extra meat in their pots.  I will take a single
company south with me to secure the temple and the bridges.  Once that is
done we hold the line."

     "When
it is time I will summon more of you to take the first of many human
settlements on the south half of the island.  The farm land there is rich
and we will need all that it has to offer to make the trip over the sea.
 The Melkor people are a bit stronger than their cousins here, the fight
will be harder but I know you will be victorious.  We will enslave what we
need and kill any we do not.  Every day we grow closer to our goals.
 Every day victory is one step closer.  I am very proud of all of you
my children.  Now, go!  Continue what it is that we have started; we
will show the world what we are capable of and they will tremble in fear.
"Stone Tongue begged and pleaded with his commanders to send his company
south with the dark one.  He wanted to be first in line to challenge the
people on the south half of the island.  He was given his wish.
 Stone Tongue and his company escorted the dark one to the temple on the
south half of the island. They took control of the bridges and kept any humans
that approached from the south away from the temple.  Not that they saw
any once Argon entered the temple.

     He told
them, "Do not enter the temple grounds my children. It would only draw the
wrath of the god down upon you.  I am able to enter as he knows I am doing
good work, destroying the evil of humanity.  You will be witness to this
fact as I walk in the gate, up the temple steps and in the doors." Stone
Tongue wasn't too sure about that, the whole time he watched the dark one, he
waited for a sign, a bolt of lightning or a flash of flames striking the wizard
down. Yet nothing happened, as he had told him.  Not long after the wizard
entered the temple, the massive flame at the top of the tower went out.
 Stone Tongue knew that was his sign, Argon the Dark was the chosen one.
He would lead them to unending glory.  He then turned and barked out his
orders for the company to make camp and to wait word from their great leader
inside the temple.

     Several
times Stone Tongue and his company saw signs of the humans coming towards the
temple but when they saw the flame at the top of the tower was gone, none of
them came closer. For months they kept watch to the south, over time they saw
less and less of the humans.  Not that it mattered to Stone Tongue; he
knew they would go to find them at some point.  He was a patient Orc; this
would be a difficult but rewarding hunt in his mind.  He would spend days
thinking of nothing but killing the pathetic humans.  Soon he saw them as
nothing more than animals who he would slaughter.  When Argon next came
from the tower he told Stone Tongue to summon a second company of Orcs from the
north, it was time to take the first human settlement to the south. "Every
Orc is to carry a shield, the Melkor are skilled archers, anyone without the
protection of a shield will die." Stone Tongue nodded to his master and
sent a runner north to summon a second company.  A little more than a week
later, the two companies headed south of the tower to the first Melkor village.

     Stone
Tongue wanted to attack the farming village at night. Tal'Cha, the leader of
the second company argued that Stone Tongue was a coward, pushed to attack in
the middle of the day. This was the last time Stone Tongue let anyone push him
into doing something he didn't want to do. The attack was a total disaster.
 Tal'Cha was supposed to take his men around to the west flank, while
Stone Tongue and his company hit them from the north.  Tal'Cha and his men
were seen long before they were ready to attack.  The people in town
panicked and they all fled to the large building in the center of town.
 They could not get close to the building without facing a hail storm of
arrows.  Stone Tongue sent a runner to the tower to tell Argon of their
failure.  While the blame could be placed on Tal'Cha, Stone Tongue knew he
would share in the shame of their failure.

     Stone
Tongue and the others thought for sure more troops would come but when the dark
one appeared before them he began to fear for his own life.  The two
commanders were on their knees before the wizard. "Tal'Cha, you should
have listened to your brother.  He told you to attack at night yet you
called him a coward to force his hand.  Leave my sight now, report to high
commander Trall.  Your men will stay behind and learn from Stone Tongue,
he will command both companies now." Stone Tongue was shocked as he could
not believe what he had just heard. "Now Stone Tongue, follow me. Tell
your men to get in formation.  We are marching on the town." Argon
led the Orc to a spot just north of town on the main road towards the tower.
Stone Tongue could see the farm from where they were standing.

    
"After the town is destroyed, the humans that live will be kept as slaves.
 You will build a holding area for the slaves like the ones in the north.
 Those slaves will work the farm for us until we no longer need them. You
will build it there." The wizard pointed to a spot just off to the side of
the fields. Stone Tongue committed the area to memory and waited for further
instructions, instructions that never came.  The dark one started to walk
down the road towards the town. "Stone Tongue my son. Work swift, work
hard and try not to let many escape.  When my spells are completed, not
many of them will be able to run but some will try.  Now, I have one last
thing to tell you.  I am expecting two visitors.  The first will be
here soon.  An elf woman in white, she will not be alone, while I do not
care what happens to the ones she travels with, she must not be harmed.
 She is to be brought to the temple.  The second is my son, the
general.  You will know him when you see him.  You will feel the same
love for him as you do me.  Yet, he is still farther away.  It will
be many more months, many."

     Stone
Tongue watched as the dark one began to cast his spells.  Dark clouds
rolled over the village, blocking out the sun. "Do not fear my children,
you are in no danger." Bolts of lightning started to rain down from the
sky, striking the buildings.  For close to a half hour the assault
continued on the little village, soon there was not a single building left
standing.  Even the old  temple where the Melkor people hid was
nothing more than a pile of rubble. When the clouds dissipated Stone Tongue
gave the order to attack. They were able to capture and shackle close to a
hundred people, the rest were dead or close to it.  Before the end of the
day, the slave pen was built and every human they found was forced inside.
 With the camp completed, the Orcs high commander came to inspect the work
of Stone Tongue and his men.  He was pleased that the failure of Tal'Cha
had not been a complete one.

     As things
became more routine the companies began to rotate at the camp as they did at the
ship yard.  Stone Tongue and his men rotated between the north slave camp
and the farm. Twice a month they made the trip from the north camp to the farm
with the wagons to haul away the food.  It was during the second month of
this that the humans were found trying to get around the camp.  The Orcs
were able to capture them all but not without taking losses of their own.
 The six humans and the elf woman were able to kill ten of Stone Tongues
Orcs before they were captured.  Remembering the dark ones orders, Stone
Tongue bound and gagged the elf to transport her to the tower.  He then
ordered the rest of the men killed.  They were nothing more than meat to
fill the pots to him.  Yet something about them bothered him, they were
all in the same uniform.  Those men were soldiers, all from the same
nation.  His anger over the loss of his fellow Orcs did not go away for a
long time, not even once he delivered the elf woman to the tower did his anger
go away.  Argon could see the anger in Stone Tongues eyes when he greeted
the Orc.