It was getting late when she made her way to the smithy, but Kila was still hard at work. After explaining that she wanted some time to talk to the prisoner alone, she was able to convince the orc to head home with a promise to lock up and not to have too much fun at the human’s expense on her own. After she was sure she had her privacy, she pulled up a stool to sit in front of the surly man.

  “So, how’s life as a prisoner treating you? Gotta say, I’m pretty okay with being on this end of that equation instead of the way things would’ve gone if you’d gotten your way.”

  “Enjoy it while it lasts, woman,” he scowled. “I’ll get free and you’ll pay.”

  “Yeah, none of that. I let it slide back when you were trying to kill me, but now that we’re a bit more intimate, that just isn’t gonna work. You call me Lenore, or you call me Miss Wraithwhisper. Anything less than that is gonna make me have to hurt you. Clear?”

  He scowled again, but finally nodded.

  “Very well, Lenore. Doesn’t change the fact that I’ll regain my freedom and have my revenge.”

  “Dude, that’s just about the dumbest statement you could’ve made. First, how the hell are you gonna get revenge on someone who defended themselves from your bloody attack? Second, if you actually do manage to get free, the only thing that should be on your mind is how the hell you’re gonna get out of a camp full of Goblins, Orcs, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few proper Demons wandering around. Exercise a little common sense, please.”

  “What do you want,” he asked irritably. “Just here to gloat some more? I’m not really in the mood.”

  “Nah,” she smirked. “It’s a nice little bonus, but it’s not why I’m here. What I really want is a history lesson.”

  “A what?”

  “A history lesson. I want you to explain what the hell is going on with this whole war. I’m playing a bit of catchup here and it’d help to know why the fuck everyone’s fighting.”

  “Are you serious? You serve the Demon Lord! He’s done unspeakable things to slake his bloodlust! You’re all monsters who have to be put down!”

  “Mkay… that’s not exactly heavy on the specifics. Let’s start with something simpler: when did this war begin?”

  “You know very well that it began 500 years ago with the assassination of Lord Gabriel.”

  “Can’t say I do. Who was this Gabe fellow?”

  “The Great Unifier, he’d brought peace to the lands of elf, dwarf, and man, and was seeking to bring the same peace to you primitives.”

  “Ah, one of those guys. Sounds like a real upright fellow, inflicting his rule on everyone. I take it that didn’t work out too well for him?”

  “No, one of you mongrels murdered him in his castle before he could do his good works. Still, his generals carried out his wishes and marched on your lands.”

  “What a cheery tale. Still, you’re fighting a war over a guy that died hundreds of years ago? That’s insane. How the hell hasn’t someone won yet.”

  “There have been times where victory has been snatched from us, and times where fortune has saved us from annihilation. Sadly, we just can’t manage to strike a decisive blow against you vermin.”

  “Look, Craig, I get that you’re in a stressful situation and really not where you want to be in life, but I’m gonna need you to dial back the obviously hateful crap. It’s not doing either of us any good and it’s reminding me of some experiences I’d rather not relive. Just give me the info without all the editorializing, please.”

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  He looked as if he might say something at that, but wisely bit his tongue. She offered him some water which he reluctantly accepted.

  “Every once in a while, a great leader rises up. Sometimes it’s on the side of Light, sometimes Dark. They make great headway into enemy territory, but inevitably they fall before they can completely crush their enemies.”

  “Why doesn’t someone just, you know, make peace?”

  “We will not make peace with you butchers!” he spat the words, rage flaring in his eyes. “Too much blood has been spilled to accept anything less than total victory.”

  “Hate to tell you this, mate, but that’s not how wars work. Way too many bodies on this side of the war for it to be over that cleanly. And do you honestly mean to tell me that you’ll slaughter every child you come across? You’re a bit of a dick, Craig, but I don’t think you have that kind of evil in you.”

  He didn’t respond to that.

  “Look, like I said, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but what you’re describing is pretty goddamn insane. I don’t expect you to understand that just yet, but I do think you’re gonna have some learning to do while you teach me that Mantra stuff.”

  “What makes you think you can even learn the holy arts?”

  “Oh, I’ve got no idea if I can pull it off. But I’ve spent a lifetime drilling techniques into my body, and now that I know magic is real, you can bet I’m going to see if I can’t pull some of it off.”

  The fact that the Lenore of this world had been utterly useless at magic didn’t seem like a detail she needed to fill him in on. She wasn’t sure whether her own aptitude would be different or not, but saw no reason to assume that something that seemed largely dependent on the mentality of the user would be locked out of her reach due to some genetic predisposition. It might have been wishful thinking, but she was determined to find out on her own.

  “Now that you know it’s… what in the world are you talking about?”

  “Eh, don’t worry about that. Maybe I’ll tell you sometime if we live long enough for it.”

  “Why… why are you being so friendly? It’s disturbing.”

  “Buddy, I’ve had a looong week and a half. I’m probably still a bit punch-drunk, and you’re the first human I’ve seen in ages. I’m a bit off my game and it’s too late to be the kind of bitch I’d need to be to intimidate you into compliance. Just read the mood and roll with it.”

  He stared at her dumbly for a moment then, surprisingly, laughed.

  “You sound like my sister. She’s always telling me to relax and ‘take the wooden sword out of your ass’.”

  “Sounds like a woman after my own heart. You probably should’ve listened to that advice before you got yourself trapped in Orc country. Just saying.”

  “You’re probably right,” he said, continuing to chuckle. “Nothing I can do about it now, I suppose. All right, then. I’ll try to teach you what I know. It’s not a lot, honestly. Dad taught me the very basics of the arts, more than he should have but still not much. If you’re serious about it, you might be able to pick up a thing or two before this… Grand Proving, was it?”

  “Yeah, a pain in the ass dick-measuring contest near as I can tell. Got a fair bit riding on it, though, so I kind of have to give it my all. Not really how I’d like to spend the month, but I wasn’t given a whole lot of options here.”

  “You’re a strange one, Miss Wraithwhisper. I genuinely don’t know what to make of you.”

  “Yeah, well welcome to the club, Craig. We don’t have t-shirts.”