Chapter 3: Regret, Regret, Regret

Isaka

Isaka hated the smell of dog. But the smell of hyena was far, far worse. Luckily she wasn’t in the cramped truck for long. The truck pulled to a stop about an hour after they had started driving, and the sounds of a city, people talking or yelling, and the general noise of an open market filled her ears.

“Come little pup.” The gray muzzled Gnoll said as he took a single step down and out of the truck. He offered her help, and she accepted. Isaka’s hand looked like a toddler holding her fathers hand for comfort. When her boots hit the ground she let go and thanked him.

She had known he was tall, but nearly everyone was tall compared to her. She was used to that experience. But standing at his full height he was a full head and shoulders taller than the truck.

“You will stay with our families, until our master says different.” He said the word master with a bitterness Isaka had rarely heard come from another person. She got the feeling if he could murder General McOn’a it would have been done already.

The building he and his pack mates lead her to was short and squat, but it sprawled to the north and south. When she entered she found the entire complex was partially underground. The ceilings were nearly twelve feet tall. Tall enough for the gnolls to walk around comfortably at their full height.

“We built this in the weeks after our emergence from the dream. The city outside was in chaos, but we provided stability for those iron folk who paid tribute and offered respect. Until the General arrived with his tanks, and guns. We’d never seen such things, and even I had not yet fully recovered my strength from the long sleep. Most of our welps and warriors were barely stronger than your people when he came.

We tried to fight him. We killed many during that first night. But come the day, and his weapons destroyed half this complex in under an hour. I was away ambushing another caravan of his men, when they took our mates and pups.”

As they walked through the high ceilinged compound Isaka found the architecture far different then what she had expected. High arch ways made of brick, and fired mud cement, made up the sturdy construction. Everything was open, there were no doors, and the little concessions to privacy were reed curtains that hung down blocking line of sight into various rooms she assumed were living quarters.

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They came to a large open area at the heart of the compound where a massive skylight above let in natural light. It was the reverse of a dome, greedily funneling the light into the courtyard. Something shivered overhead, and she watched the wave of multicolored light run through the barrier that protected it from flooding or harsh winds. “Is that a spell?”

Gray, that was what she was thinking of him as, chuckled deep in his chest. “Yes, human. Our crafts cast are not powerful combat casters, but they are skilled craftsmen and enchanters. That barrier is but the best they could create given the short time we had to build.” He grumbled unhappily. As if displeased with the sight.

“Given more time, and a few better resources, and they can create grand palaces from little but light and sandstone. Some of the nations of the Iron Folk once hired our crafts casts to teach them. To help replicate these grand things out of stone, and melted sand. Not far from here, is what some of your people call a cathedral. I see many of our people’s teachings are still alive in that design.”

As he was explaining, Isaka’s gaze fell on the rest of the courtyard. It was filled with Gnolls, mostly male from the looks of it, who were cleaning weapons, tending wounds, or lounging under the few trees that had been cultivated and planted inside the yard. In a few cases she spotted a group of Gnolls that were larger, yet built more lithe and lean. Each one of these had several other gnolls around it, talking and communing, while smaller gnolls she assumed were children ran around them.

“We are allowed one visit from our families a week. The matriarch of the family comes with the children, and the males are allowed to commune with her. But it does not last.”

“What about you gray? Does your mate come and visit you?”

He snarled in anger, but it was not directed at her. At least, she didn’t think so. “The General keeps our clan’s matriarch, my mate, locked away. She is not far, under the complex with the rest of the children and females. But she is under guard so heavy, we could not face it. Perhaps in my youth I could fight that monster, when I was stronger and had the fae’s blessing. But not today.”

“What kind of guard could face you?”

Old Gray let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a snarl and it sent shivers up her spine. “Do not worry little pup. You go to meet him now.”

“Well that’s ominous.” She couldn’t help it. Snark was as much a part of her personality as her sisters. Luckily Old Gray let out another snarling laugh. “Can I at least have my backpack back? It has food, and other things in it.” Gray shook his head in a way that she read as a form of gnoll shoulder shrug, before handing her the backpack. “Thank you.And my rifle? It was my grandfathers.”

This time he glared down at her, unamused. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”