CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - ARouNd THE fiRE

AlecNeuvallreinedinhishorseandngeredthepommelofhissaddle.Somethingaboutthisdidn’tfeelright.Somethingaboutthisdidn’tfeelrightatall.Forfourdaysnowtheyhadfollowedtheorcs’trail.It wasn’thard,afterallathousandbeingsmadequiteanimpressioninprairiegrassevenwhentheyweretryingtomoveunobserved.Theseorcs,hegathered,hadn’tbeen.Fourdays.Hishorsewhickeredasheconsideredwhat

had happened.

Four days and nary a sign of anything – or anyone.

Oh,ithadgoneallrightatrst.TheyhadcrossedtheriveratthefordnearGreywallwithoutincident,andhadquicklyrundownthefeworcswhostraggledacrosstheriverinfrontofthem.MostofthegreenbackraidingpartyhadscatteredlikethewindsafterthebattleatGreywall,butevenso,histroopshadkilledagreatmanygreenbacksthatday. They’devenmanagedtocaptureafew,andtheonestheyhadnabbedhadsunglikecanaries.Theytoldhimofagreatencampmentoforcsacrosstheriver,butbeyondthat,theirstorieshadbeendisturbinglyvague.Theyseemedforced,asiftheyallhadbeengivenastorytotell.Iftheyhadbeenhuman,hewouldhavenbeensureofit.Iftheyhadbeenhuman…Heknewthatwasimpossible,though.Orcssimplydidn’thavethecapacitytoformulateaplanlikethatandsticktoitwithoutthethreatoftheirleadersorshamansloomingovertheirstupidheads.Asaresult,whenanorc wascaptured,italmostalwayssangattherstthreatofviolence.Threatentobeatanorc,andsoonenoughitwouldtellyouwhateveryouwantedtoheartosaveitsscrawnylittleneck.

That’s the problem

,hemused.Theirstoriesweretooconsistent.Nodeviation.Noblusterfromstrongerandmoredeantorcs.Nosignsoforcsbreakingdownandtellingtheircaptorswhattheywantedtoknowjustsotheycouldlive.Justthesamestory,overandoverandoveragain, withoutvariation.Helongedtobelievethattheorcsweresimplycowards,ashelplessasSirKinnithbelievedthemtobe.He’dcertainlybelievedthatwhentheycrossedtheriver.Butnow?

It’s almost like they are intentionally leading us somewhere.

Forthreedaysnow,theyhadfoundnowaterandseenlittlegame.Histroopsweredowntotrailrations,andthatwasbadenough.Offarmoreconcerntohimwasthelackofwater.Seasonedcampaignersthattheywere,histrooperseachhadseveralwaterskinsstrappedtotheirmounts,andthey’dhadwaterrationingdrummedintothemsincetherstdaysoftheirtraining.Evenwithalltheirpreparation,though,theywerestartingtorunlow.Iftheydidn’tndwatersoon,they’dhavetoturnbackwesttokeepfromdyingofthirst.HeturnedaroundandlookedatSirKinnith,whosehorsehadpulledupalongsidehim.“Anything?”heaskedtheyoungerman.“No,milord.Stillnosignsofanythingbeyondthegreenbacks’trailthatwe’vebeenfollowingallalong.”Kinnithlookedatthefurrowinhiscommander’sbrow,andtookittobefrustration.“Don’tworry,milord.We’llndthemsoonenough.Itcan’tbemuchfarthernow.”Kinnithsoundedasifheweretryingtoconvincehimselfofthatfact

as much as reassure Alec.

“Allright,Kinnith.Let’smakecamp.Youknowthedrill—doublewatch,andmakesurethesentriesarealert.

Oh,andsendoutTimmisontoseeifhecanscareupsomegame.”Timmisonhadthenoseofabloodhound.Infact,it wasrumoredthattherewasactuallysomegnollbloodinhisancestry.Alecwasn’tsureifhebelievedthat,buthecouldn’tdenythatthemanhadatalentforbringingback

supper when no else could.

Kinnithnodded.“You’resureyoudon’twanttopresson,milord?”“Nottonight.I’vegotabadfeelingaboutthis.Iwanttomakesureourcampissecurebeforenightfall.Somethingisn’t…”Hestoppedtoscratchanitchonthebackofhisneckthatwouldn’tseemtogoaway. Justthen,onthefarsideofhisforce,thescreamofahorsedrewhisattentionlikealodestone.Bellowedcursesfollowedamomentlater.Alecwasjustbeginningtolookaroundforsomeonetoaskwhatwashappeningwhenapageranuptohim.“ThatwasoldFirey,SirAl…Alec.”Heswallowed,tryingtocalmhisstutter.“Hedone,hedone…Imean,sir,hejuststeppedinahole.Hedonebrokehisleg.OldBaldy,Imean,theSergeantsayswe’regonnahavetoputhimdown,seein’ashowweain’tgotnoclericheretohealhimup,andwecan’tbeslowedbyanylamehorses.”

Damn

,Alecthoughttohimself.

That’s the third horse we’ve lost today alone.

Thatitchonhisneckwentsouthandbecameagnawingacheinhisguts.

This didn’t feel right at all.

* * *

GromTen-Killscratchedthewolfdogbehindtheears.Mostorcsdidn’tkeeppets,buthehadalwayslovedthisoldhoundofhis.Hehadtakenthedogasapup,andshehehadbeenhiscompanionfortensummersnow.