The camp ahead of them was eerily quiet. Auric hadn't noticed any guards as the Warband approached. No campfires were burning either. Either these Orcs felt completely safe, or they were incredibly stupid. Not that it mattered to Auric either way, the faster this was done, the better.

  "It's too quiet," wheezed the Paladin to his right. Harlon, a squat, balding man in his middle years, trudged through the tall grass. He was breathing heavily in his plate armor. His red egg pendant hung around his neck slightly askew from the hike.

  "Mm," grunted the much taller man to Auric's left. Luca wasn't much in the way of bulky, but his lithe physique was well suited to the long narrow rapier at his hip, and the longbow slung over his shoulder. His long black hair hid his eyes most of the time, giving him a haggard look. Luca was a Silver and had many run-ins with Orcs. He lost his first initiate to an Orc ambush just 2 summers ago.

  Stopping short of the clearing near the camp, the rest of the Warband settled in to wait for the scout report. Captain Markus wouldn't waste his manpower on a foolhardy charge without Intel. As if summoned by thought, Auric saw one of the scouts, his leather armor stained in a multitude of greens and browns materialize next to the Captain. Words were exchanged and the Captain's jaw set.

  "Ready yourselves for battle, Paladins," the Captain said in a hushed tone. "Your orders are simple, no prisoners."

  With that, a warcry rose from the throats of over 200 men and women. Auric didn't join in the ululation. He hated this part. There was a reason he'd joined the Blue. He was a defender, not an attacker. He wanted no part in this, but he was duty-bound to join the fray.

  Arrows loosed over his head, and the sound of them hitting the tents was akin to that of a massive rainstorm dumping water on the world below. Except for rain usually wasn't followed by guttural screams and the gurgling sounds of death. Drawing his sword once the final volley of arrows landed amongst the camp, he started forward. An arrow must have hit a lamp, as the camp started to catch fire. He kept moving forward, wary as he entered the camp proper. Peeking into a tent as he passed, he saw 2 bodies riddled with the shafts of arrows. One was noticeably smaller than the other, but thankfully it was unlikely they felt anything. Auric paused at that thought. These are Orcs, raiders, pillagers, and murderers. Why spare a thought for their deaths when they likely wouldn't do the same for him?

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The next tent was more of the same, and with a sickening realization after the fourth or fifth tent, he had stopped counting, he'd concluded that this camp was either mostly women and children or completely women and children.

  Auric caught movement out of the corner of his eye, stopping and bringing his sword to the ready position, and stopped. The young girl in front of him had green skin, black hair, and striking yellow eyes. Human in all the ways that mattered. Her dress was singed, and her left arm was hanging limp and bloody. She held a bundle in her right arm. An infant Orc, couldn't be but a month old at most. Her eyes were begging him to help.

  This is madness. These Orcs meant us no harm. Why are we slaughtering innocents?

  Without thinking, he pulled the young Orc to her feet, shielding her with his body, and started looking for a way of this... massacre was the only word that seemed right. He started toward the forest and heard the twang of a bowstring as he turned. The Orc jerked in his arms and she looked up at him, a shocked expression on her face. The blood started to seep from her mouth as her eyes glazed and she went limp. In a moment of surprising clarity, he remembered the infant and caught him before she fell completely to the ground. He was stunned. He had failed her. His duty as a Paladin is to protect.

  The infant made a small mewling noise and that brought him back to reality in time to see the offending archer. Dark hair spilled over the man's eyes as he drew another arrow. Luca.

  "You heard the Captain, Paladin Auric," the man said, icily. "No prisoners."