Finances
Income
Mission #15
£0
Expenses
Wages
16s 2d
Loss
16s 2d
Total
£29 16s 7p
Ashlyn, Femke, and Mila had been taken.
Emotions in The Pig and Iron were running high, making it impossible for Lothar to control the conversation.
‘If we’d just turned around when we saw the fort was taken, this wouldn’t have happened,’ Christoph said accusingly to Cap. ‘It’s your fault.’
Wade looked from one man to the other, his face white. Like Lothar, he hadn’t gone on the mission, and was relying on snippets of information to piece together what had happened.
‘Come on,’ Leonard said. ‘That’s unfair. I didn’t want them taken. I offered myself.’
‘Why didn’t you do something to save them?’ Wade demanded of Bletcher.
‘You think I didn’t? We’d all be dead if the gods hadn’t intervened to influence that orc queen.’
No one seemed to know if that was true or not, and the slight pause allowed Lothar to interject.
‘I know people are upset. But I need to work out what to do about this. We can negotiate with this Queen Brid, though I'm not sure supplying them with weapons and armour is wise. The alternative is to get our squad members back. Some urgent decisions are needed.’
‘He’s right,’ Jaelin said. ‘I’m going back. Chances are the main orc force will return to their dungeon, and leave a garrison at the hillfort. I need to get there before they leave, and follow them. If I don’t, we might never know where Mila and the others have been taken.’
‘I’m coming with you,’ said Wade.
More voices chimed in—Christoph, Wilson, even Cap—demanding to go with The Explorer.
‘I need to go alone. If the orcs know they’re being followed, they’ll lose us. I’ll return when I know the location.’
‘No way,’ Wade said. ‘I’m going to get Femke. I can travel without being seen.’
‘And I’m going for my aunt. And Ashlyn,’ Christoph said, equally firm.
‘I can’t risk it,’ said Jaelin.
‘Take them both,’ Lothar said. ‘You’ll need them. When you find where they’ve been taken, someone will need to return here for help, and someone will need to keep an eye on the place, in case they are moved on somewhere else.’
Jaelin grimaced, but he couldn’t argue with the logic. ‘Very well. But I’m leaving now, and I’m travelling fast. I won’t be slowed down.’
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‘You won’t need to worry about that,’ Wade said.
The trio were soon gone, taking some of the heat out of the conversation.
‘I know we have other things to do, Stiff,’ said Cap. ‘Some of us will have to patrol the territory around the hillfort to keep an eye on the garrison there. But the orcs also took Redblade and Breaker. I don’t think we can afford to ignore them. We’ll need that sword when the time comes to take Brid on.’
Lothar raised a hand. ‘Give me a moment. I’ve had no time to think.’ He looked at the mission list, assessing his options.
KILL SAL
LOCATE BARROW
FOUND TOWN
PATROL AROUND EISENBERG
KILL BRID
RESCUE GREENBLADE, AUNTIE & MILA
RETRIEVE REDBLADE & BREAKER
The first three he immediately discounted as distant objectives. He needed to deal with the threat from the orcs that was close to tearing his squad apart.
Jaelin, Christoph, and Wade were focused on the rescue mission. Ruled by their emotions, he had to question their chances of success. If they did manage to find the Black Orcs’ dungeon, what were the chances they would send someone back to Eisenberg for help? They’ll try to do it all themselves, more than likely. And more than likely get themselves killed.
He needed a backup plan.
‘Alright,’ he said, turning to the remaining eight mercs. ‘Rest up tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll go back to the hillfort. I know they have a distinct height advantage, but I need you to avoid detection. Approach at night if necessary, and find somewhere out of sight where you can observe them. Wait for some of them to descend. They’ll have to come down at some point, for supplies. Don’t be hasty—if you have to wait a few days, then wait.’
‘Got it,’ Cap said. ‘We can do that.’
‘Catch one of the bastards. Orc or goblin, I don’t think it matters. Get them to take you to this Darkspike Dungeon. Bletcher, you can help with that?’
‘If the gods allow.’
At first, Lothar had got annoyed by the wizard’s equivocal pronouncements. But he had begun to realise that it wasn’t simply Bletcher being difficult. He seemed reliant on the gods acting on his behalf, and therefore unable to offer guarantees.
‘Then I pray they do. Now, when you get to this dungeon, I know you won’t be able to work miracles. You’ll be heavily outnumbered. Get the weapons if you can. Help any squad members you find, if you can. Don’t get yourselves killed. If you return to Eisenberg having tried and failed, then so be it.’
***
Queen Brid had them tied up and kept together in the same room of one of the wooden houses in the fort. They were left alone, but it was still an uneasy night, each of them drifting in and out of sleep.
In the morning, there were lots of sounds of activity—shouting, grunting, and even a fight that had to be broken up. Femke guessed Brid was getting ready to leave. The door of their room was barged open, and an orc entered.
He growled a word that could have been “food”, since he dropped some rations on the floor next to them, along with three large jugs of water. He then untied each of them, so they could feed themselves. He stood by the door, his huge arms folded, and watched.
The food was strips of dried meat. Femke had to tear at it with her teeth, like an animal, before she ripped off a piece she could fit in her mouth.
‘What is it?’ Ashlyn asked the orc, suspicion on her face.
‘Meat,’ he said. Femke was only just able to understand his pronunciation.
‘What kind of meat?’
He laughed at her.
‘I’m not eating it then.’
‘It’s not human meat,’ Mila told Ashlyn, tucking into hers with gusto.
Ashlyn gave Femke a look, as if to ask how does she know?
Femke could only shrug. But she had the feeling they would have a hard walk today, and they would need some food in their bellies, whatever it was. She persevered with her first strip, and Ashlyn reluctantly nibbled at hers. The meat was so tough and dry, Femke could see why they’d been given so much water. She used it to moisten the food, and then to help her swallow it.
The orc led them out into the fresh air. They had nothing to do but wait, until it was their turn to climb down the rope ladder, to the bottom of the mound.
Here, a large force was ready to leave. Brid was there, with most of her orcs, and all her goblins. But about a score of her orc warriors remained, to keep hold of the fort. It told Femke that the queen had ambitions of expanding farther east.
The force set off in a southwest direction. The mounted goblin riders ranged ahead. The rest of their brethren walked at the rear of the walking column. Brid was at the front, while Femke and the two girls were in the middle, surrounded by orc warriors. They were still free of their bonds, but with their weapons taken, there was nothing they could do to escape. Femke could see they were the only prisoners. Brid had at least been honest, in sending all the captured residents of the fort to Eisenberg with The Apples.
She’d tried to stop herself thinking about it—but now she imagined Wade being given the news of her capture. Then came the image of her nephew’s face, as she and Ashlyn were led away. She knew they would attempt a rescue, and that it would almost certainly fail.
A tear came, but she wiped it away.
She had to be strong, for Ashlyn and Mila.