375 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Archmage,

You are authorized to begin espionage operations. Before the shield falls, I want the target softened and any organized resistance crushed.

—Supreme Mystic Lionel Biaxal.

We left before dawn and traveled for hours, not stopping until noon. Our quarry proved simple to follow all morning. The orcs left deep imprints, and even I had no trouble identifying their spoor on the forest floor. According to Thornton, they were making no attempt to disguise their trail.

The humans’ tracks were harder to identify. Lighter than the orcs, they left less of an impression in the soil, and we saw only sporadic evidence of their passing. At times though, I spotted something a bit more puzzling.

“What’s that?” I asked the two scouts, pointing out a thick line of mangled grass and upturned soil slashed across an orc bootprint. I’d been seeing it all morning and had thought nothing of it at first, but now, I was not so sure.

“I think it’s a wheel tread,” Cass said quietly.

I looked at her blankly.

“It’s from a heavy vehicle of some sort,” Thornton added. “A wagon, most likely. It might explain why the orc party split. If that wagon is as heavy as that tread implies, it can’t be capable of much speed, especially in this terrain.”

“I see,” I said. “What’s pulling it?”

With the toe of her boot, Cass gestured to an almost indistinguishable scuff mark. “A four-footed beast. A pair of them.”

I fell silent, wondering why the orcs would need a wagon and sort of beasts they were using.

After lunch, we resumed our chase. The scouts were tireless and didn’t seem to need much rest. The same could not be said of me, and as the day progressed, our stops became more frequent. I was slowing the pair down, but there was no help for it. Even so, as night began to fall, Thornton became convinced we were closing in on our quarry.

The scout sergeant had spotted signs—fresh droppings, newly broken twigs, and the like—that suggested the orcs were not far ahead. Eager to see an end to our pursuit, we pushed on after sunset. With gift of sight and night vision, the darkness was not much of an obstacle, and our pace didn’t slow further.

It was hours later when I was exhausted and about ready to call it quits, no matter how close our quarry, that Cass laid a hand on my shoulder. “Stop,” she whispered, her breathing suddenly harsh. “I see something.”

I stared in the direction she was looking and picked out the glint of a campfire through the trees. It has to be the orcs, I thought, tiredness dissipating in a flash. We’d caught up with them.

Thornton turned to me. “Wait here. Let me and Cass scout ahead first.”

I stifled the protest that rose to my lips, unable to deny the wisdom of what he’d said. Through the day’s travel, it’d become clear that the pair were better equipped than me for such a task. “Go. I’ll wait here.”

The sergeant nodded and slipped forward with Cass on his heels. Before my eyes, the pair disappeared into the surroundings, vanishing without a trace. I whistled in appreciation. The two were good.

With little else to do, I pulled out a ration and ate while studying the distant glow. From this range, and with the trees obscuring my vision, I could tell little about it. Judging by the firelight’s size, the orc camp—if that was what it was—had to be at least fifty yards away. Cass had done well to spot the light, I thought.

Realizing I was not going to learn much more by staring at the campfire, I leaned back against a tree trunk and made myself comfortable. I sighed. Nothing for it then, but to wait.

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The minutes ticked by. No calls of distress nor cries of alarm rang out. Despite that, I stayed alert. If the pair was discovered, I needed to be ready to act.

More time passed.

My brows crinkled in concern. How long has it been? Ten minutes? Closer to twenty, I suspected. Unable to contain my worry, I began pacing. Where were the two? Had something happened to them? Were they dead? Captured?

I didn’t know, and I was fast losing patience. Just a little longer, I thought, forcing myself to wait. The pair know what they are doing. Trust them.

Another ten minutes passed.

It’s been too long, I decided. I have to act. Unclipping my staff, I took a step towards the distant beacon.

Two figures emerged out of the bushes. Sharp relief sang through me. It was Thornton and Cass, and both were unhurt. Then I noticed their frowns, and my worry resurged. Something’s amiss. “What’s wrong?”

“We found the orcs,” Thornton said absently.

“Go on,” I said.

“There’s four of them like we thought,” he replied, brows still puckered.

I nodded, wishing he would spill his news faster. “What else?”

“The humans are there, too,” Cass said.

“And?”

The two didn’t answer.

My gaze darted between the pair. “Are the humans working with the orcs?” I asked, thinking that this accounted for their troubled expressions. “We’ve suspected it to be the case all along,” I reminded them.

Cass shook her head. “They aren’t,” she growled. “They’re prisoners.”

I stared at her. “What?”

“Remember the wagon?” Thornton asked.

I nodded, uncertain where he was going with this.

“The orcs are using it to transport their prisoners,” he said. “That’s why we’ve hardly seen any human tracks. They must have been locked in the wagon most of the time.”

“Prisoners,” I repeated, eyes narrowing.

“The wagon is carrying a steel cage,” Cass said. “The four humans are inside.” She spat angrily. “They’re being kept like animals!”

I rubbed my chin, wondering what to make of this unexpected twist. “What do the orcs want with prisoners?” I muttered.

“That’s what Cass and I couldn’t figure out,” Thornton replied. “It’s why we took so long. At first, we thought it had to be a ruse, but we saw no evidence of that.” He paused. “I don’t think it’s a trap.”

I nodded absently, seeing no reason to doubt him. Sinking down to the forest floor, I bowed my head, puzzling over the mystery. Why would the orcs take prisoners? I asked myself again. We had little value to them as individuals, as they had already made clear on Earth. It makes little sense, not unless—

I paused, my gaze snapping back to the scouts again. “The cage. Describe it to me.”

Thornton and Cass exchanged baffled glances. Then he replied, “It is an ordinary cage, like any you would use to transport animals.”

I leaned forward. “Was there anything strange about it?” I asked. “Were there any sigils decorating the bars, for instance? Or did it glow perhaps?”

“Glow—?” Thornton exclaimed. “It certainly wasn’t glowing.”

Cass shrugged. “It may have had sigils carved on its inside, though.”

Thornton glanced at her in surprise.

“You couldn’t see it from where you were,” she explained, “and I wasn’t able to identify the markings myself, but now that Jamie mentions it, they could’ve been sigils.”

“Hmm,” I mused.

“What are you thinking?” Cass asked.

I looked up at her. “The orcs have only ever wanted humans for one thing.”

She frowned. A moment later, her eyes widened. “Magic. You suspect the prisoners are mages?”

I nodded. “I can’t think of any other reason for the orcs to go to all the bother of transporting human prisoners across the Dominion, can you?”

She shook her head.

“The cage you described must be a magical containment cell,” I said. “I’ve seen its like before.”

Thornton’s brows furrowed again. “But where are orcs going?”

I glanced his way. “You said it yourself. North.” Since the trail had stopped meandering, it had not deviated once from its northerly heading. “They must have a base somewhere in the mountains.” It was probably the same base from which the orcs had ventured out to destroy the hamlet, Doran’s Retreat.

“Then we should rescue the prisoners,” Cass said, “before they can get there.”

Thornton nodded. “We’ll return with reinforcements. I’m sure Captain Marcus will spare a few squads to help.”

I shook my head. “There’s no time for that. We will have to free them tonight.”

Thornton stared at me in consternation. “What? Just the three of us?” he asked jokingly.

I nodded solemnly.

“That’s insane,” he sputtered. “There’s no way we can—”

“We don’t have a choice,” I replied, cutting him off. I glanced at Cass. “How far would you say we are from the forest’s northern boundary?”

She frowned. “A few hours. A half day’s travel at most.”

“That’s what I thought.” I turned back to Thornton. “If we return to Woodspire for reinforcements, we won’t catch up to the orcs before they reach the grass plains, or worse yet, get to their base. On the plains, an enemy patrol will spot us from miles away.” I shook my head. “No, trying to ambush the orcs out there is too risky. Marcus will never allow it. If we’re going to free the prisoners, it has to be now, while they are still in the forest.”

Thornton glanced at Cass, but seeing the excited glint in her eyes, he realized he would get no support from her. He turned back to me. “But the three of us? Alone?” the sergeant asked somberly. “Are you sure? How are we going to take on four orcs? They are all Seasoned players.”

I smiled. “I have an idea.”