373 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Shaman Blackspear,

I’ve detected several magical probes being conducted on the valley. Given the sophistication of the intrusions, it cannot be the humans who are responsible. In fact, the magical signature of the scrying attempts bear all the hallmarks of the svartalfar. I suspect this is the work of their mages.

—Shaman Jhaven.

Cass woke me early the following day.

Groaning, I sat upright and squinted at the weak light filtering down between the trees. “What time is it?” I asked sleepily.

“Time we got going,” the scout replied.

Again, I sensed an undercurrent of tension in the scout. “Is everything okay?” I asked quietly.

Cass’ eyes flitted to my right. Following the direction of her gaze, I saw Jain’s party was already up and kitted to travel. Even Cedric, despite his yawns, was ready to set out.

“We’ll speak soon,” the scout replied, lowering her voice. “But there is little time to waste, we must return to Sierra.”

Without further protest, I rose to my feet. I could tell from Cass’ voice that something was wrong. Morning had given her a renewed sense of urgency.

But first things first, I thought, walking over to Jain’s group. As I limped through the camp, I noticed the rest of the soldiers were up as well. Their mood was as somber as the scout’s. Whatever is going on, it’s got them worried too.

Perturbed myself now, the last of the lingering traces of sleep vanished from my mind as I drew to a halt before Jain’s people. “All set to go?” I asked.

The rogue nodded. “It’s time to say our farewells.” His eyes flitted past me. “Your own people seem anxious to leave too. Let’s keep this short.” He gestured Liyanda forward, and before I could say anything, the big fighter buried me in a hug.

“Make sure you come to visit us down south, you hear?” she said.

“I will, I promise,” I said with a smile.

She released me, and Pierre stepped forward, holding out his hand. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure, Jamie, but you’ve proven an able party member. Good luck.”

I took the ranger’s hand and shook it. “You too, Pierre.”

The hazel-eyed man began to turn away, then paused. “Oh, and I’ve instructed your scouts on the refuge Technique.”

I tilted my head to the side and studied him curiously, not sure what he meant.

“I’ve walked them through the process and explained the ability as best I can,” the ranger said. He shifted uncomfortably. “I’m no trainer, but between what I’ve told them and the lore scrolls your people should still have, there is a chance one of them may be able to self-learn the Technique. It only requires a scouting skill of level fifty.”

“Ah,” I said, understanding at last. “Thank you, Pierre.” If Sierra’s scouts acquired the refuge ability, they could range further without worrying about their safety overnight. Marcus will be ecstatic.

The ranger jerked his head in acknowledgment and retreated. Cedric strode up to me next. “I look forward to when we next meet.” He held out something. “This is for you.”

I looked down at his hands. He was holding two reanimate dead scrolls. My eyes widened. “You’re sure?”

Cedric nodded. “You’ve earned them.”

I took them and smiled in thanks as Jain took his place. The rogue stuck out his hand, and we shook. A moment later, a Trials message opened in my mind.

You have been acknowledged as trustworthy by the faction, Order of Humanity. Any Order faction member will see this status when analyzing you.

I studied Jain in surprise. “The Order of Humanity?”

He chuckled. “The name’s a bit pretentious, I admit, but we have some good people amongst us.” His eyes drifted to Sierra’s soldiers behind me. “And we could do with more,” he added softly. “Give my regards to your leader, and if your people ever head south, have them seek our representatives in Jabbermuck. They will direct you to our village.”

“I will do that,” I replied. “Safe travels, Jain.”

“You too, Jamie,” he said and walked off to rejoin his companions. Without further ado, the four swung around and began marching south.

✽✽✽

The moment Jain’s team disappeared from sight, Cass rejoined me while the sergeant hurried the men along packing up the camp. I glanced at the scout. “What’s happened?” I asked without preamble.

“There’s news from the north,” Cass said tersely.

I frowned for a moment, not understanding. Then it dawned on me. “The orcs?” I asked. “They’ve been found?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems likely,” she admitted. “All I know for certain is that every available unit has been ordered to return to Sierra. Petrov and the spearmen company from Woodspire have been recalled too. Only Marcus and a skeleton force remain at the fort.” Cass held my gaze, her own serious. “The old lady herself gave me my orders. I’m to see you back to Sierra.”

This didn’t sound good. “Surely, you must know something?” I pressed.

The scout shook her head. “The commander was sketchy on the details.” She hesitated. “Deliberately so, I suspect. All I was told was to get you back as soon as feasible.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I frowned, not liking the implications. “What about the fort?” I asked.

“It’s been established,” Cass said. “The walls have been expanded, and work is progressing on the second tower level. There have been no reports of attacks.”

That at least was a bit of good news. “And the intervening area, has it been claimed yet?

“No,” Cass replied. “The territorial expansion has begun, but from what I’ve heard, it will be weeks before the land between Sierra and Woodspire is claimed for the faction.”

Weeks. I grimaced, not liking that. Still, it couldn’t be helped. “Why didn’t you tell me last night what was going on?” I asked, returning to the matter at hand.

“What would have been the point?” Cass retorted. “We still had to wait for morning before setting out. And no,” she added, seeing I was about to protest, “we could not have marched overnight. The commander was quite specific. My orders are to get you back safely without needless risks. I judged it was better you got a good night’s rest rather than spend the evening worrying.” She frowned. “Though, by the looks of it, you didn’t get much sleep.”

“No, I didn’t,” I admitted absently. “But that’s no fault of yours.” The sergeant was waving to attract our attention. “Come on, I see the spearmen are ready. Let’s go.”

✽✽✽

We spent nearly the entire day hurrying westwards through the forest. The journey passed without incident, though, and a few hours before sunset, the walls of Sierra came into sight. From without, the village looked serene. Still, Cass’ news had made me anxious, and I hurried along at the fastest pace I could manage.

We reached the gates and were let in without fuss. Inside, we found the settlement’s citizens in a frenzy of activity. Something was going on, something big enough to involve the entire village, yet to my relief, I did not see panic painted on the faces of the passing residents. Whatever it was, Sierra itself didn’t appear under threat.

A spearman ran up to us. “Mage Jamie,” he said, gasping for air. “Come with me. The commander and the others are waiting in the village hall.”

I turned to Cass. “You want to tag along?”

“I can’t,” she replied. “I have to report back to my unit. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Bidding farewell to her and my escort, I hurried after the messenger. He dashed into the village hall without pause, and I had barely time to notice the startling changes made since I’d last been here six days ago. The building was almost complete, I judged. No one stopped me, and shortly I limped into the commander’s office.

Jolin looked up from the table she’d been leaning over. Petrov and a few other officers I didn’t recognize were with her. There were no crafters nor other civilians in the room. This is a military matter.

“Welcome back, Jamie,” Jolin said. “Cass and Petrov have reported some of what occurred at Woodspire since I left, and I’m curious to find out the rest, but your own report will have to wait, I’m afraid. We have more urgent matters to attend to first.”

I nodded to Petrov and the others as I stepped forward.

The old lady gestured towards the table. “Tell me what you see.”

I glanced down. The map had changed again, I saw. More details had been added. But what drew my eye were the colorful tokens that had been set on the table. A cluster of red, black, and white markers had been placed together at a location east of the Primal Keep. It confirmed my fears. “We’ve located the orcs,” I pronounced.

Jolin nodded. “We have. But we’ve found other things we didn’t bargain on, too.”

Frowning, I waited for her to go on.

“Our scouts picked up the spoor of the orcs you spotted here,” Jolin said, her finger resting on the triangular-shaped outlines of the foothills. Her hand traced upwards to the group of markers. “They followed the trail northeast until they reached this point.” She paused, her face grim.

“What is it?” I prompted.

“There is a settlement there,” Jolin answered.

I lowered my head, dread curling in me. “The orcs raided the village,” I guessed.

Jolin shook her head. “No, it’s much worse.”

My head jerked up. Worse? How could it be worse?

“The village is allied with the orcs,” Jolin said flatly.

I stared at her aghast. “You can’t be serious. Nobody is fool enough to do that. Surely?”

Petrov snorted. “Human stupidity knows no bounds.”

Jolin sighed. “Petrov is right. I had a hard time believing it myself. But the proof is incontrovertible. The humans controlling the settlement are working with the orcs—willingly by all appearances.”

I slumped into a nearby chair. “What do we know about these… collaborators?”

“They look to be an old-school criminal gang,” one of the officers I didn’t know said.

“They’re thugs,” Petrov agreed.

“Which dots are they on the map?” I asked.

“The red ones,” the old lady answered. “The black tokens are the orcs.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “And the white tokens?”

Jolin’s lips tightened. “That’s the village’s civilian population.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Are they in league with the orcs too?”

“Worse,” the commander said. “They’re slaves.”

My reaction to the news was mixed. On the one hand, knowing that not all in the village had sided with the orcs restored some of my faith in humanity. On the other hand, it horrified me to think of what the prisoners were going through. I opened my eyes.

The old lady was watching me closely. “All strategic considerations aside, we have to help them, Jamie,” she said quietly.

I jerked my head downwards. “Of course.”

Jolin smiled. “I knew I could count on you.”

I glanced at the map carved out on the table again. There was a trail of blue tokens on a straight-line path between Sierra and the enemy settlement. “These are our forces?”

“Yes,” Jolin replied. “Tara’s company.”

I started at that.

“When I got the news about the orcs, I sent Tara north immediately,” the commander said.

I nodded slowly. “Lance is still with her?”

“Yes,” Jolin said.

I hid my relief. At least if things went wrong, Tara would have a mage to support her.

The old lady pointed to another trail of yellow dots heading east from the Warren. “Giselle and her company will rendezvous with Tara south of the enemy settlement.”

My gaze darted between the blue and yellow markers, trying to guess at the numbers involved. “How many have you sent?”

“Giselle has two hundred soldiers under her command.” At my look of surprise, the old lady explained. “After the incident with the tinder maggots, I reinforced the Warren again. Giselle is a captain now.” She pointed at the blue dots. “Tara has three hundred in her company.”

That made five hundred. A sizable force, but was it enough? “What about the orcs?”

“They’re a company of one hundred under the command of a shaman,” Jolin answered softly.

My head whipped up. “A shaman?” I asked sharply.

Jolin nodded solemnly.

“Just the one?” I probed.

The old lady glanced at an officer to her right. He hesitated for a moment. “As far as the scouts can tell, there is only one.”

I pursed my lips. “Have we identified the shaman?” Before the officer could answer, I asked, “Is it Jhaven?”

Jolin looked at me in surprise. “How did you know?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said. Rising to my feet, I began pacing. This was bad. Very bad. Jhaven was the shaman who had captured Jain’s group and then left them to hurry north. Now, I knew it was to the enemy settlement he’d been heading to.

I had questioned Jain and Cedric at length about our Patrons, but the pair had known little of the orcs’ deployment in the area. They had had much to say about Jhaven, though. The shaman was not to be trifled with.

He was a high-leveled player, a Veteran already. And he has another hundred other orcs to back him up. I spun back to face the old lady. “Can we talk—” my gaze flitted to the others—“alone?”

Jolin nodded imperceptibly. “Petrov, you know your orders. Go ready the men.”