Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (163 page)

Down they came, nearly two dozen carts of goblin design, each pulled by a pair of the small agile men. But it was the contents of the carts that had even the most skeptical members of his clan leaning nearer to see just what treasures they held. Piled high into the carts were stacks of plate armor, each piece identical to the one below. Gnak was impressed. He had hoped for, and asked for, the goblin king to have his many blacksmiths alter and repair the odd collection of armor his men had gathered, but instead the goblins had used the material to create entirely new pieces from the old. Gnak was excited, an odd feeling for an Orc, but even so he wondered just how many of his clan he would be able to outfit with the new armor. No sooner had he had that thought, than a cart of blades was rolled before him. He recognized the design, as it was the same as the ones he personally carried. The goblins too had reformed every blade brought to them, and recreated each to mimic the one the goblin king had seen him carry.

Raising a hand to silence those who spoke amongst his clan behind him, he watched and patiently waited as the goblins removed themselves from the harnesses.

“Good goblins, Gnak thank you. Go now. Bring you king. Tell king armor make Gnak proud. Proud know goblin king. Proud talk goblin king.”

The goblins, respecting his position of authority, each bowed slightly before they turned and fell into four ranks of twelve before they marched back up the hill. Even with so few, the goblins’ precision was impressive and Gnak was glad for it. His clan was witnessing the display, and now they would see with their own eyes how working together with such perfection inspired awe. It demanded respect. It instilled pride. Now it was time to address his people.

“Mighty Gathos, good goblins bring us gift. No touch gift. Gathos wait, goblin king come. Goblin king bring people. Goblin king good. Goblins good. No kill goblin king people. Yes?” Gnak began.

Heads bobbed here and there, and were punctuated by many a grunt of approval. Patience was not a strong trait among Orcs, but they were beginning to trust his ways. Setting off across the camp he motioned for his newly returned captains and Bota to follow. Within minutes he was back in his tent and hearing the details of their trip. Within an hour he knew all that was needed to know, and he sat patiently listening to their tale.

It seemed they had reached the pass through the mountains without incident, but found the southern mouth cleared of all useful materials, except of course the many pouches stuffed with goblin currency he had hidden there weeks ago. Traveling through the pass they found it still empty, the great carcasses of the giants nearly picked clean by flocks of large black birds. Fortunately the northern mouth of the pass was another story.

The Orcs told him that they had found all they could carry with their large carts and still left much behind. They gathered all they could carry and struck out for the city of the goblin king immediately. Without time to rest, they had hauled the equipment day and night until they reached the city of the goblins and, once there, they were met amongst the dunes by a scouting patrol. They surrendered themselves and their wares to the goblins, telling them what Gnak had ordered them to.

Brought to the city, they were met by the goblin king who was happy to receive them. He fed the Orcs, allowed them rest, and set his armorers and blacksmiths to task as he prepared his own troops to march. For three days and two nights the goblins’ forges blazed heat, and thousands of hammers clanged steel relentlessly until the job was complete. Returning, the Orcs marched with the goblin king and his small army, detaching themselves the previous day to rush ahead and announce his coming. He would arrive near morning.

Gnak took in all the information as it was given. He rested quietly for several minutes, thinking to himself. Planning. Then he spoke, giving his orders to Bota, who could then delegate them to whomever he wished to carry them out.

“Go count clan. Gnak want know number. Send hunt. Big hunt. Goblins come, we feed. Give honor goblin king.”

Dismissing them from his tent, Gnak followed them out and watched as they dispersed to carry out his orders. Turning, he strode between the tents back the way he had come earlier, and reaching the southern edge of the camp he looked upon the carts of weapons and armor. A guard had been set to protect the armor from outsiders who might be looking on from the dunes beyond. Gnak had no doubt they were there, watching his clan’s every move. But he did not care. Let them watch.

Striding among the carts he found that they were all similarly filled, and reaching within one he pulled from it a blackened iron breastplate. It was not an overly ornate thing, but neither was it plain. Shaped in the form of the Orc body, it lacked the definition of muscles and such, but was thick and solid. The edges were turned up and rolled, to make them smooth. Leather straps clung to the plate from behind and attached to them a simple back plate had been created with built in slots to hold the newly formed blades. Though the design was simple, it allowed a wearer to easily slide it over their head, pull the straps tight to secure it, and they were ready.

Turning the piece back over once more, he touched his finger to the design etched upon the blackened metal, tracing the image. It was a large skull that wore an immense crown. Standing within the crown was an Orc, with chains in his fists. The goblins had made Gnak the very image his clan would wear. Orcish pride demanded that Gnak approve, and so he did… with a large tusky grin.

Replacing the piece into the cart he turned and strode away. A king was coming to visit him. A king he had been working to emulate. He would prepare as best as he was able.

CHAPTER SEVEN

With the morning came the goblin king, though naught announced his arrival but the drumming of hooves and eerie song that carried over the dunes from the south. With light breaking the horizon, the sky transitioned from black to purple and then finally blue as the sun rose, streaking beams of yellow and white light through the clouds. After another hour, war drums could be heard, beating in rhythm with the song. Climbing the nearest dune, Gnak and Bota both looked out across the desert and watched the goblins come.

Though he had received the count of how many Orcs he commanded sometime in the middle of the night and found it impressive, the force that marched with the goblin leader dwarfed his by more than ten times. Gnak’s nearly five hundred seemed quite small by comparison. Even so, his many hunters were still returning with whatever animals they could gather to feed the goblin horde. The feast would range from everything from bear to wild boar, and even several dozen of the small foxes they had hunted days before.

Over the dunes the procession came, near four thousand foot troops accompanied by almost another thousand goblins mounted on domesticated boars. Louder and louder they grew, until at last Gnak could make words out of their dark and foreboding song, and listening he began to piece it all together, only to find himself astonished.

Once was an Orc, a mighty Orc.

who traveled across the sand.

Defying the desert and his race,

he came with gold in hand.

To the goblin king he came,

with plans to lead his kind,

Capture a giant from the sand,

was what he had in mind.

With the goblin king his friend,

together a giant they bound.

The Orc Gnak, with message to send,

rode the king of giants, once crowned.

Return to his home, the Orc did go,

and slay the giant by right,

Sworn to a god Orcs did not know,

he was blessed by the goddess that night.

A mighty Orc, could raise the dead,

some say it was beyond belief,

But again he returned, and removing his head,

he slayed his father the chief.

Now called to war, the new chief strode,

with his clan to go and fight.

And to his side a goblin king rode,

to join together their might.

Gnak it seemed, the mightiest chief,

would claim the Orkin throne,

In him the goblin king had belief,

having had a vision of his own.

So on the goblin forces marched,

to join with the Orkin clan.

To drink some blood, their throats quite parched,

and help Chief Gnak with his plan.

On and on the goblins repeated the tune, growing louder and louder by the minute. Gnak listened time and again, his head not believing his ears. He watched as the mounted contingent broke away from the rest of the goblin horde and split into two, the mounted goblins circled out in both directions, both east and west, vanishing among the dunes as the main force stayed true.

Gnak was filled with so many questions he found it hard to focus, and instinctively reached within himself to find Jen. With her presence soothing him, he stood atop the dune until the goblins finally arrived. When they did, he was again surprised.

Marching to within feet of him the goblin army halted, both their song and drumming ceasing. To the fore of the goblins came a man he recognized, carried across the sand in a two-wheeled cart pulled by a pair of the trained boars. Standing tall, Gnak watched the goblin king come. He was a small man with the same ruddy green skin of his kind, striped through with browns and blacks. He was not overly large, not even for a goblin, yet he
was
impressive.

With a golden crown upon his head and golden barbs through his ears, he was covered in baubles that many races found to have value. He wore odd armor, that resembled the layered feathers of birds, only each feather was gold and silver. In one hand he held a goblin blade, though his was a fine creation encrusted with sparkling stones in various hues. In the other he held a scepter similarly encrusted. But the display of goblin wealth meant little to Gnak. It was the goblin’s eyes that made him impressive. The intelligence and cunning that shone there were not hidden well by the smile the king gave. No. The goblin king did not mean him harm, but it was obvious he was not a man to cross. No matter how small his stature.

Approaching the small king, Gnak was caught off guard when the goblin leader stepped from his chariot and knelt before him in the sand. Every single goblin echoed their leader’s move, and not knowing what to do in return, Gnak nodded, lowering his own head in respect to the king. Gnak watched the goblin king rise and appraise him, before the small man talked.

“My friend, Gnak. We haves much to discuss,” said the goblin king with a toothy grin.

“Come. Goblins make camp,” Gnak replied turning to point back down the dune behind him. “Have food. Goblins eat. Get rest. We talk.”

Having invited his ally to join their camp, Gnak turned and walked across the sand with the small king. He watched the man at his side as the goblin raised a hand and gestured with his fingers as goblins behind them began shouting orders. Down the side of the dune they walked, Gnak taking smaller strides than was natural, allowing the smaller man to keep pace. It was not until they approached the base of the dune, with all the Orcish clan having come out to witness the arrival of the goblins, that the goblin king began speaking again.

“Me sees you gots the armors,” he said gesturing to the heavily laden carts still unpacked at the edge of camp.

“Yes. Gnak think is good. Gnak thank goblin king for armor. Gnak no understand why goblins come. Want know what goblin music say. What goblin king vision?” Gnak said, voicing his concerns aloud.

“Yes, we talks all this in private. I tells you what me sees in vision. What me thinks it means.”

And with that the two walked into the Orc camp. Gnak paused only momentarily to instruct Bota to have the Orcs help the goblins in striking camp, and extending it in the way the Orcs had begun. He also gave the order to see to it that as many Orcs as possible were armed and armored with the new equipment. Before even walking away, Bota was delegating to the captains their own sections of the camp in which to lead the Orcs in assisting their apparent new allies.

Before Gnak and the goblin king could make it through the camp to his tent, the mounted goblins rode in, both contingents becoming one as they closed in upon the north side of the camp, opposite where they had begun. Gnak watched out between the tents as the goblins dismounted, and working together they dragged to the edge of the camp several Orcs bound by ropes.

One of the goblin’s apparent captains came running down the isle of tents, and dropping to a knee before his king he spoke.

“We catches spies. We brings them. Whats we do with them?”

The goblin king did not even respond, instead turning to Gnak for an answer.

“Keep tie. Hold spies. Gnak talk goblin king first.”

Up the goblin sprang before sprinting back the way he had come. Shouting orders, the goblin pointed towards the sand outside of camp and within seconds poles were being driven down into the sand, the prisoners being dragged up to them and lashed round and round their bodies, holding them still. Gnak admired their efficiency.

As the task was being completed he again led the goblin to his tent and once inside they seated themselves as if they were old friends. Though before Gnak could begin his questioning anew, the goblin spoke.

“Tells me, Gnak. What happened afters you left me city? I have heard a tale, but wants to hears it from you. Then, I will tells you my tale.”

It was a fairly simple request, and with all the goblin was apparently offering, it was a trade Gnak couldn’t resist. Reaching inward to caress the power that was Jen, he soothed himself, allowing his mind to stitch together his story in chronological order.

He told the king of his return to camp and how Jen, the human he wished to save, had been brutally treated. He told of her murder and his killing of the false king of the giants. He told of his answered prayers to Ishanya and the granting of his blessed power. Though it was difficult, he spoke of his attempt of saving Jen and restoring her to life only to watch her fade and die yet again. Keeping the details to himself, he told the goblin king about slaying his own father to claim the clan for his own, and everything else, minus his experiments, between that time and the present. On and on the goblin king listened intently, his facial expression changing again and again as the story progressed. Only when Gnak was done did he split his wicked grin, the rows of razor sharp teeth creating an odd bemused expression.

“Yes, Gnak. This all be good, buts me know this already. Tells me about your dreams. Does Gnak have dreams?”

Gnak nodded slowly, recalling the very dream he had just had the previous day. Thinking it a vision, he was at first cautious about telling the goblin what he had saw, but then he recalled the song of the goblins and knew that the goblin king had had a vision of his own. It was obvious the smaller man wanted to compare what they had seen.

“Yes, Gnak have vision. Gnak big chief. Big ruler. Big king. Have many clans. Many race. Goblin, troll, giant, more. Gnak stand top big city in mountains. Watch city built. Bad storm, still all work. Gnak make all safe. Make all better. No more fight.”

The goblin nodded distractedly, his own thoughts playing out in his head. Gnak simply stopped and watched the small king, waiting for him to speak in return.

“I too have had a vision, Gnak. In my vision I sees many Orcsies, and goblins, and trollsies, and more. Each race is led by a king, and the kings are sworn to you. In my vision, I is the one who is king of alls the goblins, not justs my city. Alls of them. So I says to Gnak this… Why wait? I knows you haves ambitions. I knows that yous plans to rule. So I comes and I brings me peoples to joins you now, and to helps you sees it done.”

Gnak said nothing in reply. Instead he nodded his acceptance and understanding slowly, still absently toiling with Jen’s energy inside him. Things seemed to be moving so fast now, it was hard for him to keep up. Even so, with the new alliance of the goblin and his people, Gnak had another big issue to deal with. With so many eyes and ears in camp now, it would be hard to discuss things with Jen without others knowing. He would have to decide as best he was able without her, consulting those around him instead. He just had to keep in mind when taking their counsel, what forces it was that drove those around him.

Most of the Orcs were still driven by pride and honor. It was not a bad thing, they just needed to be taught about other things that were important as well. That would take time. But knowing this made them predictable, and that was something Gnak could rely upon and use to his advantage. His newest ally, though stating he would serve Gnak to help him see his plans through, was a goblin. Goblins desired wealth, and greed was their driving factor. If the goblin was wealthy among his kind now, the king of just one city, Gnak could only imagine what the little goblin dreamed of as ruler of all goblins. Gnak would have to factor in the goblin’s greed when asking him about matters.

Now, however, Gnak needed to see to the prisoners that were captured spying upon his clan. He knew who they belonged to. He just needed to decide what he could glean from them and furthermore what he was going to do with them.

Rising from the floor of his tent, he invited the goblin king to do as he wished, whether it be stay and rest or join him to see to the prisoners. Naturally the goblin was curious, and as such he decided to accompany Gnak.

Striding out of his tent and across the camp, he was surprised to find that much had already changed. The camp was now much, much larger than it had been before, and still odd goblin tents were being erected at the direction of his Orcs. The layout of the camp remained the same, and from the avenue created between any two tents, Gnak could see out beyond the camp. It was simply a much longer walk.

Finally reaching the edge of camp he was presented with an odd sight. Here, half a dozen Orcs stood, each bound to a pole. Around them stood both Orc and goblin guards, the curiosity obviously having gotten the better of them. Gnak was surprised to find the guards of both races talking freely as he approached, though their mouths snapped shut as soon as he was noticed. Even so, he saw it as a good sign.

Looking over the prisoners, it was evident that they were not all of the same clan, though he recognized two of the Orcs, having already dealt with them before. These he knew belonged to the big chief. It was a fine line he needed to walk. He needed to send a message to all the other Orc tribes, without upsetting the big chief. It would almost be easier if he were to just simply kill the big chief, but he couldn’t. Such an act would create a power struggle as hundreds fought to take his place. Then clans would find themselves leaderless and more power struggles would ensue. No. He needed to win the clans one at a time until he remained as the only Orc viable for the position.