him, if there was such truth to the rumours he was
hearing.
'I
have questions for you, Elf.' he said, refusing to use the boy's
name.
'Then ask your questions and be done with it,' El-Vador replied in a
disrespectful tone.
Sarvacts
bristled, unaccustomed to having his authority challenged, if he were
to get angry now and slay the child he would never know. The
settlement streets had been abandoned as a result of their meeting,
nobody wanted to see what might happen next.
'You
are aware that one of my men has gone missing, are you not?'
El-Vador
smiled. 'What concern of that is mine? Do you expect me to
sympathise?'
Sarvacts
fought down the urge to spur his horse directly through the boy, this
impudent youth was goading him.
'My
men claim that you go into the woods often, many of them suspect that
you are involved in his downfall, what say you to this?'
The
boy's expression did not change, he was still smiling at the Chief as
if they were talking of the weather. 'If you suspect he was murdered
by one of my people then I can only wish that it had been by my hand.
Sadly I do not have the time to butcher Orcs in the woods, however
satisfying that might seem.'
Either
the boy was an excellent liar or genuinely had nothing to do with the
loss of his man, his patience was being sorely tested either way. He
hefted his axe dangerously at the Elf. 'One more word of dissent from
you and I shall cleave your head from your shoulders.'
He
looked up, the Elf had turned his back to the Chief and was walking
back toward his home as if Sarvacts wasn't there.
He
considered riding the child down then, yet something stopped him. In
all this barren and desolate country, El-Vador's unabashed defiance
of him was the only thing that intrigued him. Turning his horse, he
galloped back to the stronghold to await the Elf's next move.
The
invaders blundering along the trail clearly had no skill in the
woods, El-Vador found tailing them to be almost comically easy. He
pushed his luck further and further, drawing closer to them without
their realising.
They
ambled along, loudly announcing their presence to anything that could
hear, they would be catching no prey this day.
With
a resounding crack, one of them stepped on a stick. 'Fool!' hissed a
Goblin. 'Do you not know how to move silently as I do?'
'As if what I did was any different to your attempts at stealth.' the
Orc replied, clearly not appreciating his companion. 'You keep this
up we'll not catch anything.'
'If we don't catch anything it'll be you to blame, you'll see.' said
the Goblin. He mocked the Orc then, stamping his feet up and down.
'Look at me forest, for I am Hlug the stealth master. Now come to me
animals and let me slay you with my silence!' he reached his scrawny
arms out in mockery as if trying to embrace the animals in the woods.
The
Orc chose not to rise to the Goblin's bait. 'I wouldn't fancy hugging
half the stuff out here, it'd more likely maul you.'
El-Vador
nodded. He wanted to kill all the invaders who tramped through the
woods. Soon he would do exactly that, very soon indeed. He could
easily pin them both to the trees with well-placed shots, now was not
the time for such indulgences with Sarvacts still clearly suspicious
of him. Any further Orcs missing in the woods would cause
retribution. Instead he stayed close to them and listened, not
expecting to hear much of use.
'Our beloved Chief isn't making things any better for us, the way
he's prowling around that settlement as if he'll sniff out the Elven
killer,' another Orc said.
El-Vador
had not expected a third Orc, this one moved silently compared to his
companions. These Orcs, much like the others, suspected that their
comrade had been slain at Elven hands, the idle rumour seemed to have
now been accepted as fact. Why then had they not simply raised the
settlement? What was stopping them?
'If he hears you saying that Harg, you'll be on the gallows with the
rest of the Elves up north. Sarvacts doesn't like
hearing.
'I
have questions for you, Elf.' he said, refusing to use the boy's
name.
'Then ask your questions and be done with it,' El-Vador replied in a
disrespectful tone.
Sarvacts
bristled, unaccustomed to having his authority challenged, if he were
to get angry now and slay the child he would never know. The
settlement streets had been abandoned as a result of their meeting,
nobody wanted to see what might happen next.
'You
are aware that one of my men has gone missing, are you not?'
El-Vador
smiled. 'What concern of that is mine? Do you expect me to
sympathise?'
Sarvacts
fought down the urge to spur his horse directly through the boy, this
impudent youth was goading him.
'My
men claim that you go into the woods often, many of them suspect that
you are involved in his downfall, what say you to this?'
The
boy's expression did not change, he was still smiling at the Chief as
if they were talking of the weather. 'If you suspect he was murdered
by one of my people then I can only wish that it had been by my hand.
Sadly I do not have the time to butcher Orcs in the woods, however
satisfying that might seem.'
Either
the boy was an excellent liar or genuinely had nothing to do with the
loss of his man, his patience was being sorely tested either way. He
hefted his axe dangerously at the Elf. 'One more word of dissent from
you and I shall cleave your head from your shoulders.'
He
looked up, the Elf had turned his back to the Chief and was walking
back toward his home as if Sarvacts wasn't there.
He
considered riding the child down then, yet something stopped him. In
all this barren and desolate country, El-Vador's unabashed defiance
of him was the only thing that intrigued him. Turning his horse, he
galloped back to the stronghold to await the Elf's next move.
The
invaders blundering along the trail clearly had no skill in the
woods, El-Vador found tailing them to be almost comically easy. He
pushed his luck further and further, drawing closer to them without
their realising.
They
ambled along, loudly announcing their presence to anything that could
hear, they would be catching no prey this day.
With
a resounding crack, one of them stepped on a stick. 'Fool!' hissed a
Goblin. 'Do you not know how to move silently as I do?'
'As if what I did was any different to your attempts at stealth.' the
Orc replied, clearly not appreciating his companion. 'You keep this
up we'll not catch anything.'
'If we don't catch anything it'll be you to blame, you'll see.' said
the Goblin. He mocked the Orc then, stamping his feet up and down.
'Look at me forest, for I am Hlug the stealth master. Now come to me
animals and let me slay you with my silence!' he reached his scrawny
arms out in mockery as if trying to embrace the animals in the woods.
The
Orc chose not to rise to the Goblin's bait. 'I wouldn't fancy hugging
half the stuff out here, it'd more likely maul you.'
El-Vador
nodded. He wanted to kill all the invaders who tramped through the
woods. Soon he would do exactly that, very soon indeed. He could
easily pin them both to the trees with well-placed shots, now was not
the time for such indulgences with Sarvacts still clearly suspicious
of him. Any further Orcs missing in the woods would cause
retribution. Instead he stayed close to them and listened, not
expecting to hear much of use.
'Our beloved Chief isn't making things any better for us, the way
he's prowling around that settlement as if he'll sniff out the Elven
killer,' another Orc said.
El-Vador
had not expected a third Orc, this one moved silently compared to his
companions. These Orcs, much like the others, suspected that their
comrade had been slain at Elven hands, the idle rumour seemed to have
now been accepted as fact. Why then had they not simply raised the
settlement? What was stopping them?
'If he hears you saying that Harg, you'll be on the gallows with the
rest of the Elves up north. Sarvacts doesn't like
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