The Weight of Blood (Half-Orcs Book 1) (10 page)

Then Velixar did something completely unexpected. He laughed.

“It will not be our hands that destroy Woodhaven,” Velixar said. “King Vaelor will do so for us by starting a war that will give us the dead we need.”

“How?” Qurrah asked.

The fire burned in Velixar’s eyes, deep with anticipation.

“I will darken his dreams, just as I have shown you. He is a cowardly man, and fears the elves already. I played a large part in his decision to banish the elves from the city. After I’m done, he will want them gone from all his lands, including here.”

The man in black gestured to the city nestled against the forest.

“This city has long been treated neutral, even though it resides within Neldar’s border. The elves will not take kindly to removal from a home many have lived in since before our dear king’s grandparents were alive.”

“I eagerly await the bloodshed,” Qurrah said. He bowed to his master.

“Go. The night is young. Taint the dreams of the slumbering.”

Qurrah left Velixar to sit alone before the fire. The dark night sang a song of crickets and wind. In the quiet, Dieredon entered the light of the fire.

“Greetings, traveler,” the elf said, bowing. “The town is not far, and all are welcome. Would you not sleep in safety rather than in the wild?”

Velixar looked at the elf, dressed in camouflaged armor and holding his wicked bow.

“You are a scoutmaster for the Quellan elves, are you not?” he asked.

“I am. And you have remained outside our village for several days yet vanish with the morning sun.”

“Have I done something wrong?” Velixar asked.

Dieredon frowned, noticing the subtle yet constant changes to the man’s facial features. His instincts cried out in warning. This man was dangerous.

“Children have been dying in our forest, all found horribly butchered,” Dieredon said.

“As you can plainly see, I am nowhere near the forest,” Velixar said. His voice was calm, disarming. Dieredon did not buy it.

“Give me your name,” he said.

“Earn the privilege,” Velixar countered. The elf’s arms blurred, and then the bow was in his hands. He pulled no arrow, though, for he held the weapon much like one would hold a staff.

“Leave this place,” Dieredon ordered as two long blades snapped out of either side of the bow and many spikes punched out the front. The man in black rose to his feet, an aura of death and despair rolling out around him.

“You should not threaten those who can rip the bones from your body with a thought,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.

“And you should not threaten an elf who can tear out your throat before a single word of a spell may pass through your lips. Go. Now.”

“As you wish,” Velixar said, giving a low, mocking bow. Then he was gone, fading away like smoke on a strong wind. Dieredon sprinted back to Woodhaven, knowing that the darkness was no longer safe to him.

6

O
ne sword came from above, aiming for her shoulder, while the other thrust low. The staff twirled, batting the thrust to one side. Aurelia spun, evading a downward strike slicing through the air by just an inch. She continued the turn, her staff whirling. The swords sliced, trying to block, but they were too slow. The staff cracked against Harruq’s forehead.

He staggered backward, his eyes going wide and blank.

“You could fell an ogre with that hit,” he said.

“Very funny,” Aurelia said. She smiled. “That was my first good hit of the day. Mind if we make it the last?”

“I’m doomed,” Harruq said, ignoring her. “Oh, the agony. What a way to die.” He collapsed, his arms splayed wide and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Aurelia giggled. “Never thought a half-orc dying could be so adorable.”

His eyes flared wide.

“I’m not!” he insisted.

She slid over beside him, her long hair cascading toward his face.

“Oh, but I think you are,” she said. “Since you’re down here, how about I--”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Harruq sat up, breathing heavily even though the sparring match had been relatively casual. The elf smirked and trotted away.

“Hey, Aurelia,” Harruq said.

“Yes, Harruq?” She turned around.

Harruq tapped his fingers against the hilts of his swords and glanced about the clearing.

“I…you still want to hear that story?” he asked.

The playful atmosphere vanished into the trees. Aurelia returned and sat on her heels. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He tensed and jerked away, then blushed at his reaction.

“Sorry,” Harruq stood up, his face burning red. “This is stupid. I’m leaving.”

“Stay, please,” Aurelia said. The half-orc halted, turned, and sat back down. His face was still beet red but the elf paid it no mind.

“Alright,” Harruq grumbled. “No interrupting, and no saying a thing. I just want to get this over with. Don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”

“Because you must,” she said, a bit of her stubbornness returning. “Because I need to know.”

The half-orc nodded. He began his story.

“The only money I ever made was working for the king,” Harruq said. “This was after the orcs attacked Veldaren about a year ago and busted up the walls. They were hiring everybody to help rebuild and I was just as strong then as I am now. They weren’t paying much, but you got to remember we were stealing food to live. Those few coins they gave me were a treasure.

“Most didn’t mind me working with ‘em. I worked hard, harder than most, and I kept my mouth shut if you can believe it. Only one guy there hated me, and I mean hated. Perry was his name. Always calling me names, trying to make me lose my balance while lifting and carrying things. Then he did something stupid, Aurelia. He did that in front of Qurrah.”

Harruq thrust out his chin and squinted.

“This was how that Perry guy looked. Seen dogs look more human. He was strong, and I think he was the strongest before I showed up. I told him about this contest me and Qurrah made up, some arm wrestling thing. Guy was drunk out of his mind, so when I told him we could win four gold coins he should have figured something was off.

“We met after work, just past sundown, and I led him straight to Qurrah, who cast a spell on Perry then, kind of like you did with the guards. He shouted until his head turned purple but made no sound for the effort. Then Qurrah cast another spell that made him go all tough and rigid. Felt like I was holding a stick. We took him inside and put him on the floor.

“He wasn’t supposed to die,” Harruq said, staring right into Aurelia’s eyes so she would know he spoke the truth. “We didn’t mean to have what happened happen, but well... Qurrah put a bunch of meat on Perry’s face. It was old and rancid. Poor guy still had to keep smelling it though, and then Qurrah cast his spell.

“The meat started bubbling and turning watery. It ran down his face, getting into his eyes. It burned him. His skin turned black, like it was rotting. He called me dogface all the time, Perry did. We were making him just like what he called me. A dogface. But it went wrong. I yelled at Qurrah to stop, and I think he wanted to, but he kept shrieking more of that curse. Then he…”

Harruq rubbed his eyes and refused to meet Aurelia’s gaze.

“And then Qurrah removed the spells that kept him from talking and moving. He screamed and screamed and he just, he just…he tore off his own face. He reached up and yanked that mess off him. He died. Qurrah fell over, too weak to stand. Never seen him so scared in my life. He kept staring at that guy’s face and blubbering, saying he didn’t mean to. That’s all he said, over and over. He didn’t mean to. He tried to stop. We burned the body and haven’t ever talked about it since.”

Silence filled their clearing as Harruq’s story ended.

“I asked for the first time you killed,” Aurelia said after an agonizingly long pause.

“I know,” Harruq said. “And I did. I brought Perry to Qurrah. I failed to stop him when I saw something was wrong. If there is blame, it falls on me.”

The elf stared off into the forest, her brown eyes seeing nothing. Harruq and Qurrah’s relationship could not be clearer to her mind. Qurrah directed, Qurrah ordered, and then Harruq bore the guilt and the blame. Did Harruq ever consider disobedience? She didn’t know.

“We done here?” the half-orc asked.

He left without giving her a chance to answer.

T
he final days of sparring with Aurelia passed quietly and swiftly. Aurelia asked for no stories and Harruq told her none. They simply enjoyed each other’s company, fought to the extent of their skill, and then parted. On the fourteenth and final day, however, Harruq was in an unusually quiet mood. His mind refused to stay on the mock combat, and many times a quick jab of Aurelia’s staff cracked his arm or wrist when he should have easily deflected it away.

Finally, the elf called it a day. She set aside her staff.

“I thank you for sparring with me,” she told him.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Better to spar with someone than practice alone.”

Aurelia smiled. “You’re different than what I expected, Harruq. Smarter, too.”

Harruq blushed. “No need for lies,” he said.

The elf laughed a little but said nothing. Instead, she walked over and gave Harruq a quick peck on the cheek.

“Keep your big butt safe, okay?” she said.

The half-orc tried to answer but his mouth refused to cooperate. Somehow, it seemed to have become unhinged. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could think of anything to say. All his mind could concentrate on was the feel of the elf’s soft lips on his cheek, the flowery scent of her perfume mixed with sweat, and the quick brush of her breasts against his arm.

By the time his jaw and mind began working again, Aurelia was laughing.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded. The elf smiled.

“Nothing. Just a big stupid half-orc I’m going to miss. Bye-bye.”

She waved and then vanished into the forest. For a long time, Harruq remained. He ran a hand through his hair and pondered what in the abyss was wrong with him.

“Never get involved with elves,” he mumbled. “Never ever should have gotten myself screwed up like this.”

But a part of him liked it, and that scared him even more.

H
arruq arrived at the clearing the next morning at the same time as always. Aurelia stepped out from behind a tree, her cold, emotionless face so different from the previous day.

“We have sparred our two weeks, Harruq,” she said. “You have no need to come here.”

“Yeah, well, you heard what I said yesterday,” Harruq said, his face red.

“What was that?”

He kicked a rock. “It’s better to spar with another, remember?”

Aurelia frowned. “You know I am a sorceress. My time should be spent studying my craft. I only wanted to be proficient with my staff, not a master.”

A tiny bit of panic crept into Harruq’s voice. “Yeah, but, but, it’s only an hour or two, and who said you were proficient anyway? I could beat you without trying, and so could anyone better than me. It would be stupid now to just stop and…”

Aurelia crossed the distance between them and placed her hand across his mouth to shut him up. A grin lit her entire face.