“That should do it,” Skyeyes said, paler than usual, sweating, and visibly exhausted. “You should stay off your feet for a day or two,” he added, stepping back and sitting down.

Grot was laid up in a room on a bed fit for an orc that just declared himself the chief-of-chiefs and newly healed. Shade was at his side the whole time and only gave the orc a glare once he was healed. “What were you thinking?” she hissed at last.

“I needed to do it,” Grot said with a shrug. “Everything was falling apart. The other chiefs wanted Merdon's head and to march on Avant in force.” The chief looked at Merdon and asked, “That would have been bad, right?”

The knight sighed and nodded, seated as he was in an orc sized chair across from Grot's bed. “Yeah. We get the feeling Avant wants you guys to push into open war. They can tell their allies you were the aggressors and bury any assassination as lies. There's no proof they were here, best case they pin the whole thing on me.”

Grot nodded and laid in contemplation, his hand gently eclipsing Shade's much smaller appendage. Skyeyes had Red sitting in the same seat with him, the pair reading the mood of the room. Thickhide was out exploring the stronghold, while Sarel was looking pensively out the window at the city below. Night had just fallen, cloaking the city in darkness before the torches were lit one by one down the main roads. It was the thief that broke the silence, peeling herself away from her windowsill and stepping into the middle of the room.

“Now what?” she asked, looking between everyone.

“We wait until Grot can travel,” Merdon said, looking back to the chief-of-chiefs. “He has to visit the kobolds in Avant, the ones hiding in the forests and the mountains, convince them that we have a fighting chance with their help.” It was still a longshot.

Grot nodded and slowly looked at each of the kobolds. “You really are some kinda whisperer aren't you?” he chuckled. “I've never seen a human traveling with three kobolds that weren't behind bars. Not even chained up.”

Merdon shrugged. “I try my best to treat them with respect, just like you.” The orc grunted in response. “It's a lot easier to do when the first one you meet can crack a lock better than most halflings, and discuss the philosophy of being an honorable thief while doing it.” The knight shot Sarel a smirk, which the blue one reacted to by blushing.

“You are too kind, verakt, but we've never had such talks while I opened a lock. Although we could.” She considered it, in truth, if only as an exercise in concentration. There might be a time she needed to open a lock and focus on more than just the lock. It had come up before, prior to her journey with Merdon, but listening for guards was different than carrying a conversation.

The dark-skinned orc looked at the two kobolds sitting together and added, “I've never heard of a kobold priest, or mage, before now.”

Shade had to chime in at that, “Yes, there is no kobold god I have heard of, and there are only legends about kobolds with magic, even here in the orc lands.”

“I burned down my home with my power, learned from a human spellbook,” Red told them with a sour look. Shade's eyes went wide in shock, while Grot looked more upset at the knowledge.

Skyeyes, however, looked nervous. “And I … do not worship a kobold god.”

Grot looked at him and held up a hand. “I noticed the robes,” he said quietly. “Ethral. I would suggest a change of clothes before you go out if you decide to at all. Her worshipers are rarely, if ever, welcome here.”

The priest gave him a faint smile and said, “I'm sorry, chief, but it is my firmest belief that the teachings of Ethral will be what unites the lands one day.”

Grot snorted and sneered at the assertion. “Not here, she won't.”

Shade put her hand on Grot's chest and then directed her gaze at the white-scaled kobold. “Ethral is the one that gave Avant the advantage over us, willingly. Whatever you may think of your goddess' teachings, the fact remains she gave our enemies power. It was her will you be enslaved.”

Skyeyes shook his head. “Her will has been twisted. Blessings are not so easy to revoke as they are to give. The humans needed an edge over the orcs, but they have gone too far. They must be reminded of the kindness within her words,” he said cautiously.

Grot huffed and shook his head. “Be that as it may,” he stated, “you should be aware most orcs, and kobolds, won't listen to your preaching. They'll beat you to the ground before you can tell them that.”

He frowned and, at last, conceded, “I'll consider it.”

“I hope you consider it quickly,” Shade said as she climbed off the bed Grot was on. “I thought this a good time to show you all the city when it's more active. Many kobolds here live and work well into the night, and the sun has just set.”

Grot bemoaned, exaggeratedly, “And leave me here to suffer in recovery alone.”

The black kobold slapped his hand and told him, “I will be back, and the priest has assured us your health. For the moment, you need rest, not war talk.”

“But talking about war is relaxing,” he asserted with a confused frown.

Shade rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. Red and Sarel joined her quickly, and readily, while Skyeyes was a bit more hesitant. Of course, the assassin wasn't so forgetful. They stopped off in a room down the hall to get Skyeyes into something less conspicuous. There was a lack of robes, particularly of the priestly kind, but he made do with some leggings and a tunic. The existence of clothes in such sizes within the orcs' castle spoke just as loudly as their civilization did about kobold acceptance. It certainly relaxed Red more than being back in Verist's tower. She had to silently admit to herself, however, that Skyeyes looked as out of place in normal clothes as he probably felt. Judging by the way he was picking at the garments, he felt very out of place. Still, it was better than getting accosted in the streets by offended kobolds and orcs, even if they had good reason to be.

Shade approved and led them out of the stronghold. The guards didn't give her any gruff this time, nor the other kobolds accompanying her. She had felt a little bad about having to slam the two guards earlier in the day, but orcs were tough and getting a good knocking rarely angered them. If anything, the pair would be boasting about how Grot's assassin had seen it necessary to fight them. There weren't many that faced Shade and were allowed to walk away. It was practically an honor that she'd knocked them around.

The black-scaled kobold walked the other three down the streets and explained things as they went. The free kobolds of the orc lands had trickled over the border of Avant for many years. Most of them were escaped slaves, some had fled their destroyed and captured villages, others still had opted to avoid the situation altogether. It hadn't taken the orcs long to adopt the small creatures as fellow citizens. Kobolds arrived with marks, whipped, beaten, claws clipped or removed, battered, but not broken in spirit. The orcs recognized the incredible fortitude it took to withstand the suffering humans inflicted on them, and, in some ways, saw the kobolds as allies in that pain. Both had been made to suffer at the hands of humans.

She also explained, to the surprise of Red and Skyeyes, that it was because of kobold craftsmen that the orc's capital had a proper city. The walls had been built by orcs, they were good at fortifications, but the buildings, though they matched the militaristic look of the castle and walls, were put together by kobolds. It was the race's most incredible achievement, apart from their survival, and it was hidden by Avantian propaganda. Their work on the city also explained why parts of it were designed for kobolds. They had made the city, it was only common sense they would build a place for themselves in it.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Greater still, to Red, was how they walked down the streets without so much as a second look. Even though they were traveling with Shade, the mate of a chief, the orcs they passed paid them no mind. Where they came from, where they were going, how they got there, were not questions the orcs cared to ask or consider. They were as much a part of the city as anyone else. Not to mention the other kobolds she saw walking around, resting on benches, gathering on street corners. Here, among these massive orcs, they were friends, not products.

Shade rounded a corner and took them down a side street that led to an area of the city that was almost entirely kobolds. It was enough of a shift to make Skyeyes stop and gawk. There were orcs, but they were few compared to the kobolds, and they appeared to be around on business, speaking to kobold carpenters or smiths. The black kobold smiled and encouraged them to look around, be impressed, see their futures as free citizens. While Red and Skyeyes went to do just that, Sarel stood near Shade, pondering. The thief had something she wanted to ask but didn't know how to.

“Something wrong?” Shade asked after a minute, glancing at the blue kobold beside her.

Sarel shook her head. “No, nothing is wrong. I just...” She didn't know how to phrase it.

“Worried about what happened last time?”

The thief nodded. That was one way of thinking about it.

Shade put her claw on Sarel's shoulder and said, “Don't. They won't get the drop on us a second time. We've already doubled patrols and included more kobolds on watch to help track any sneaky types that might roam about. We're better at that than the orcs are.”

Quickclaw just nodded. She didn't know how to tell Shade she wasn't worried about being attacked again. Rather, she was worried about how useless she had been when they were attacked, and how helpless she might end up in the future. She wanted the assassin to teach her how to defend herself better, how to become more helpful to the rebellion as a whole once it became tangible. A thief was limited to an army's use, an assassin was more versatile. Her silence wasn't missed, but it was misunderstood.

“C'mon,” Shade told her, pulling the blue-scaled kobold towards a building. “Let's get a drink. Nothing too stout, just to calm down.”

Sarel admitted to herself that a little something would be nice. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to drink freely. Verist's tower was dry as a desert where alcohol was concerned. Plus, she'd never seen a kobold ran bar before, and they were supposed to be exploring this part of town.

The bar was lively despite the early night hours. It only occurred to Sarel after seeing all the kobolds in there that they must have had many different schedules. Some had to be coming off shifts while others were just opening their businesses outside or getting ready to go help the guard. She was so used to thinking of their sleeping patterns in terms of humans that she had never considered how they would mesh together as a society themselves. Even the villages in Avant didn't operate like this small section of the city did. They didn't have jobs to tend to, just watch and scavenging, which were both often done at night to avoid humans. Everything the kobolds of Avant did revolved around the humans, slaves or not. Here they were genuinely free in ways those living across the border couldn't comprehend.

Sarel also noted that despite the building being normal-sized, the inside was not. The roof would have been just enough for a halfling, or in this case a kobold, but no normal-sized human could simply walk in the door. Many of the other businesses she'd seen were normal sized, but this bar was different. The notion made her smile. She did feel a lot safer in a room no one over four feet tall could stand inside, and she wondered if there were more buildings like that. Ones built to kobold sizes per floor, resulting in more space per building. There was an unmistakable sense of comfort and peace as she sat at the bar while Shade ordered some drinks. They got no more than two mugs in when Red and Skyeyes came wandering in looking for them.

Red started talking immediately when she came over, gushing about how wonderful it was to see a portion of a city dedicated to kobolds. Much like Sarel, there was a feeling of hope and relaxation for the pair. Something none of them had felt living in Avant. If they could even call what they had been doing living any more.

While Red had Shade distracted, Quickclaw's eyes were pulled to the patrons of the bar. Several kobolds were looking at Skyeyes sideways, pretending to be focused on their drinks. It was a look the thief was familiar with. Shade caught on eventually and stood up, smiling, pretending everything was all right. Unfortunately, Sarel wasn't as good at masking her emotions. Her scowl and unfinished drink spoke volumes to the barely disguised priest. Things escalated rapidly when a pair of kobolds stepped in front of the door. At last, Red's attention was in the room as well, instead of in the clouds.

“What's going on?” she asked quietly.

Skyeyes' claws clacked together nervously as he said, “I think they know who I am.”

Shade grunted in response and moved to the pair at the door. “We're leaving,” she told them bluntly.

“No one has a problem with you three girls,” the bartender said, wiping out a mug and setting it down gently. “Just the boy.”

“He's leaving too,” Shade said, a little bite in her tone.

“You aren't going to kill us,” one of the kobolds at the door said. “We aren't scared of a little roughhousing, and there's only four of you.”

Sarel looked around. It was true, there were at least a dozen other kobolds in the bar, but there wasn't a guarantee all of them would get involved either. Shade decided the time for words was over. She grabbed the first kobold at the door and threw him into a nearby table, knocking down two others in the process. Sarel, picking up the message, grabbed her half-full mug and tossed the contents into the face of one patron that was moving towards Skyeyes before sweeping his legs and leaving him on the floor. The whole bar stood up at that point.

Shade was like the wind, uncatchable, but felt by just about everyone that got in her way as she moved back to defend the white-scaled priest by the bar, who was paralyzed with surprise. Her feet and claws moved deftly, toppling, striking, or catching everything that she crossed. Sarel was slower, took a couple of hits, but moved just as effectively in defense. Where Shade was doing everything with her limbs, Sarel was using the environment to her advantage. Stools and chairs became weapons or barriers, mugs of ale created unsure footing for the less-than-sober attackers, tables were shoved and rolled to create chaos.

By the time they were grouped up, nearly half the kobolds in the bar were on the ground, but they weren't out. One by one they started standing up, largely because neither the assassin nor the thief had the time to land any serious blows before being overwhelmed. A few stayed down, but not many. Shade took a serious stance while Sarel kicked a chair up to her claws, ready to get serious. Skyeyes was pressed up against the bar, his eyes flicking wildly at the enraged crowd.

And then Red stepped forward and ignited her claws, causing everyone, including the bartender, to back away from her. “A few days ago I set an entire wagon full of slavers on fire,” she said to the crowd. “Don't think I'm afraid to put this whole bar to the pyre.” She looked at the customers that were now entirely drawn to her flaming hands. “We're leaving,” the mage said, looking back at the others.

They moved in tandem, slowly, towards the door, keeping Skyeyes between them as much as they could with only three. As soon as the door was open, they broke into a sprint out of the kobold section of the city. Their peace was short-lived, causing Skyeyes to tear up as they fled. Shade slowed down when they got back to the part of town with orcs roaming around, but she didn't stop. The assassin led them on a very roundabout path towards the castle, making sure they weren't followed or watched in the process.

Once they were back behind the stone walls, she said, “I think it would be best if we left sooner rather than later. News of our brawl will reach all of the kobolds in the city soon enough.”

Skyeyes nodded, forlorn.

“Again,” Red grumbled. “Again a bunch of stupid, useless cowards...”

“We can only hope their irrationality tonight doesn't turn them away from helping the greater cause,” Shade mentioned. “It's doubtful, but it would be best if the kobolds here were handled by someone other than you two.”

Sarel gave a faint smile. “That's why we have you, isn't it?” The assassin returned the expression with a nod.

“I'll get changed and check on Grot,” Skyeyes said, trudging off. “We can head back to Verist's tower tomorrow morning.”

The others nodded in agreement, but Red seethed. She was mad again, at her own kind this time. She knew why they were upset, but to take their aggression out on another of their kind was over the line. Humans were the enemy. It was a human religion Skyeyes followed, they were angry about human beliefs. Fighting him didn't change those elsewhere. He wasn't the problem, his institution was. Yet, they were blinded by their own perceptions. It was laughable to her how they missed such an obvious flaw in their hate. Worse, it had taken from her that sense of belonging she had only just started to feel. Their ignorance angered her to no end. For a moment, the mage regretted not setting the bar on fire anyway. She took a breath and calmed herself. There would be more important things to burn later. Human things. And maybe some humans along with their things.