Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (157 page)

High he climbed, where other Orcs were not likely to follow, and where it was cold. It was a sick reason, perhaps, but he knew she would not rot as fast in the cold and even unthinking, her presence comforted him.

For weeks he stayed with her, watching her deteriorate, as it slowly tore him apart. He watched as her scalp and hair slid from atop her head and tore free to settle upon the cold stones beneath them and her eyes ruptured only to deflate and fall from her skull. He watched as the flesh from her fingers tore when she bent them, and broke away leaving little nubs. He watched as great slabs of her skin were left behind as she sought to rise from laying down or sitting. He watched still as her muscle and other tissues turned slowly into a thick black fluid and she was rendered immobile. Still he stayed at her side waiting.

Though it was painful, and
he
, not
she
, suffered the torture of
her
slow death, to Gnak it had been worth it to not put her down. She had had two more days with moderate periods of lucidity and he used them to express to her his regret of failing her and not listening to her. He told her that all would be OK, and comforted her when she realized what it was that was happening, but that had been more than ten days ago. In her final moments of conscious thought, he promised her that he would carry on to see the god’s desires fulfilled, and at the same time he would teach his people that there was more to life than pride and courage. All that was left for him was waiting.

It was three days after her last movement that the little ball of swirling light left her. Unable to let her go, he again snatched it out of the air, and held it close.

It took him three more days of experimentation, but when he was done he was both satisfied and prepared to return to camp. One last time he focused himself inward, and located the small orb of Jen’s light and willed it into his hand. He felt the warmth, and felt the transition as it exited his body, coalescing in his palm. Then, as he had done hundreds of times, he drew it back into himself. Jen was with him. Rising, he strode down the mountainside.

It would be a long walk, but he did not care. Gnak had a promise to keep, both to his goddess and to Jen. He had a plan, and had thought it through several times, but in order to pull it off he had to kill a few Orcs. Sometimes to save many you had to kill a few, and Gnak could live with that. After all, he had an empire to build.

“Gnak wish Jen here,” he said into the empty air, setting his pace for the long journey back home alone.

“I am here,” her small voice replied inside his head.

-End

AGE OF THE GODS, VOLUME IX

ORC DESTINY, BOOK TWO

THE BLOOD AND BROTHERHOOD SAGA

PROLOGUE

Entering the Orcish rite of passage known as Catunga, Gnak sought to capture a human to sacrifice to the Orc gods of old. In a failed plan to capture a human warrior, he stumbles upon a small girl that would change his life forever.

Dying from a wound suffered at the hands of human warriors, the girl called Jen stays at his side as he falters, telling him of things he previously did not understand. Using her blessing from the human gods, she restored him to health from the very brink of death. Wanting to understand her motives, Gnak listened as she explained her understanding of the world, and he realized the way of his people had many faults.

Vowing to return her home, he stumbles upon a pair of his peers and is caught up in the struggle between his new understanding and his people’s ways. With events spiraling out of control, Jen was taken from him, forcing him on a path away from his home and the human girl who saved his life.

Stumbling across a goblin city in the sand, Gnak made an unlikely ally of a goblin king and, capturing a new sacrifice for the gods, he returns home atop a sand giant bound by steel and chains. Before he can save Jen, however, she is murdered right before his eyes. With rage and pain in his heart, Gnak cries out to the only one that he thinks can help him, invoking the name of a human god.

Out of obscurity Gnak then rises as a new blessed warrior among the race of the Orcs. Seemingly holding the power over life, he is sworn to the goddess Ishanya. In return for his power, he has given his oath to unite the clans of the Orcs, build temples to honor Ishanya, spread her following, and create an army the like of which has never assembled before.

Using his newfound power he resurrects his small human companion from the dead, only to watch her body fail. Pushed to the edge and torn between what he feels is right and what his people have taught him, Gnak flees his home with Jen, wishing to stay at her side as she had once done for him.

CHAPTER ONE

A cold wind howled down the mountains from the snowcapped altitudes above. Sweeping up to carry aloft both dust and debris, it rose again to be lost among the night’s clouds somewhere in the distance. Predators prowled, slinking from one darkened shadow to another in hopes of catching prey unaware. Night birds and bats flitted from the boughs of great trees above, as below, darkness swallowed everything both living and dead.

Gnak feared neither the living nor the dead, for he was mighty among his kind. Striding down the mountain slopes he glanced up at the sky when able, and again marked his location and destination by the position of the stars. Though the clouds were making it difficult, so familiar was he with the land, that his use of the stars here was moot, and more or less just a means of passing the time. Just as he had done with Jen.

It had been many days since she had finally fled her mortal shell, and though he had waited with her until the very end, even when she had left him, she had not left him alone.

Sauntering down the rocky mountainside, Gnak passed between two trees, a small creature scurrying away at his approach. Shrugging his massive shoulders and testing his grip upon his spear, he parted his lips and wet his two massive tusk-like teeth that protruded from within his mouth. Ignoring the fleeing animal, he thought more of his current situation. It was a strange thing. It was uneasy. He knew it was not natural to share a body with another. But since his meeting with the goddess he had sworn himself to, was anything natural any longer?

Delving within, Gnak felt around for her presence and located it exactly where he had left it. There, within him, was a warmth that pulsed. Consciously noting it made him feel better, as if her foreign presence within him meant that he had not failed her. It made him feel as if he was not alone. Jen had been better than he. She had been a weak human girl when considering her body, but her mind and understanding had far exceeded that of his own. She had been his better in nearly every way, and from her he had learned a new understanding of the world. He had learned of new gods. He had learned that there was more to life than strength and courage and pride. He had learned that his people could learn, as he had, and become better. It was because of her that he had been given the gift of a god. But surely it had been his own stupid Orc brain that had failed to use the gift correctly, and in so doing, failed her.

Jen had been his savior even when she knew that she would die because of it. But she had been strong for a puny human and she was proud when she died. For her, and for his people, Gnak knew he had to do something to better the Orcs. He wanted to teach them that their ways were making them weaker, not stronger, and guide them to a better future. That was what it was all about. That is what Jen had taught him. Life was not all about the here and now. It was about looking forward and planning ahead. Life was about serving life, saving life, and seeing the usefulness in people, both strong and weak, for everyone had something to contribute. But only the chief of his tribe had the power to change their ways, and Gnak was only a captain. At least for now.

Brushing the warm glow within him still, he wrapped his conscious around it, feeling her there. Feeling her power. She was alive. In a way. She survived within him. If he could keep her, then perhaps one day he would better understand the gift Ishanya had given him, and perhaps then he could find another means of saving her. He just needed to keep her safe. But for now it left him feeling alone.

Wrapping himself around her as he walked down the treacherous path he followed, he brushed against her time and again, stroking the power that remained of her like one might coddle a babe. Her essence stirred within him. Gnak grinned, his sharpened teeth and tusks standing in stark contrast to the darkened night.

“Jen?” he asked into the night-time air.

When no reply came he continued brushing against her presence with his own, feeling the need to communicate with her. If he could only gain her attention for a few moments, that would be enough. He just wanted to ask her a question. It had been hours since last he heard her.

Minutes passed and then more beyond that, and still nothing. Gnak, with the stubbornness only his race had, continued relentlessly for what felt like hours, but in the end his determination paid off.

“Jen?” he asked the night again.

“Hi, Gnak. Is it night time now?” came her voice within his mind.

Gnak smiled anew. Though her voice was faint and muffled slightly, as if she were far away, he recognized it and it filled him with happiness.

“Yes, Jen. It night. Very dark.”

“Are we going home?” she asked, her voice exactly as he remembered.

“We go camp. Make better Orc future.”

“Like Ishanya said?” she asked.

“Yes. Go camp. Kill chief. Make Gnak chief. Make better future.”

“So if you just kill the chief, then you
become
the chief?”

“Yes. Make challenge. Pride make chief fight. Gnak win fight, Gnak win chief.”

“What if the clan is afraid of you because of what happened when I died?”

Gnak stopped dead in his tracks, his face bunching up in a grimace. He had hoped that she had no recollection of what had become of her when he had restored her to life. He had hoped that the weeks of painful rotting would have been left behind in the shell she had discarded. He did not want for her to bring those memories with her, the memories of his failure. But there was no help for it now.

Beginning to walk again, he thought of her question. It was possible the members of his clan would no longer trust him, or deem his act of raising the dead as weak, unnatural, or even unholy. He could not be certain his newly won position as a clan captain would still be his to claim. The Orcs in his command may have turned against him. They might even attempt to kill him when he returned. Even if he were to challenge the chief, if he were not seen as a possible successor, the people would not see the challenge as one with merit and the chief could simply order him killed. No. He would have to test the waters within his clan. Discover what the people thought. Plan ahead.

Again his attention turned within.

“What Jen think Gnak do when go back camp?” he asked her presence.

“I think you should hide. Find the Orc who is most afraid of you. Question them about what the clan thinks of you. See if you still are considered a captain. Then you don’t have to rush into anything and can choose a path when one comes. What do you think, Gnak?”

“Gnak think Jen smart. Use Jen plan. Go camp, see clan. Then make plan.”

For more than an hour they exchanged minor variations of their ideas in an attempt to better solidify the best option available without more information. Though he was saddened when it happened, Gnak did not get frustrated when her replies stopped coming, as he
had
done several times over the last few days. Instead, this time, he simply kept walking downhill in the general direction of his camp.

He did not know why she faded in and out as she did. He assumed that she needed time to rest and build up enough energy to communicate with him. Of course there was no way to be certain. Though he did not like the feeling that came when she departed, he did his best to steel his resolve and soldier on. Life as an Orc had taught him much about swallowing emotion and holding one’s head high even in defeat.

Alone and battling the emptiness within, Gnak decided to pick up his pace. Deciding upon a slow jog, his stride stretched out unnaturally, gravity pulling him down large swaths of earth with each step. Down he came, dodging between trees and outcroppings of stone, weaving this way and that in the darkness. Beneath him, patches of rock, moss, and lichens created a surface that was ever changing and a challenge to navigate, as above the mountain wind swept the clouds across the sky obscuring stars and moons alike, creating an absolute darkness where only the deadliest of killers dared prowl. And ahead, even with his feet pounding out a steady rhythm upon the mountainside, his armor creaking and clanking as he descended, he heard the snap of a small twig and reacted as only the deadliest of killers could react.

Springing aside he dove headlong into the night, tucking his left shoulder before striking the ground and rolling back to his feet. A spear sailed inches above his face as he spun while crouching, the
whoosh
of its passing giving him an idea where his attacker might lay. His eyes searching the darkness, he found that which he sought, and he sprang forward, driving his feet and legs into the earth behind him as hard as he was able as a means to propel himself into an attack.

Pulling both blades from his back as he lunged, he brought them to bear just as he collided with his foe. Pressing the enemy back with a metallic clang, he found the opposing Orc armed with a blade of its own. Reminding himself that every life was precious, he altered his tactic. Instead of aiming to injure, kill, or maim the Orc who had happened upon him, he began to bash at the man’s blade instead of his body. Again and again their swords rang out with the distinct sounds of steel upon steel, and again and again he drove his opponent back. Lunging forward again, Gnak brought one blade to task in a swooping arc and smashed the other Orc’s blade and watched as it came loose in his opponent’s hand. His second blade swung true as well, and with a reverberating ringing sound his assailant’s blade was flung end over end into the darkness. As any proud Orc would, the attacker fell to his knees tilting his head back to expose his throat to accept the death that was owed his weakness.

Gnak, realizing that the Orc intended to die, leaned in close to his attacker’s face. The man was a low ranking Orc. One of which he had never paid any mind to in the past. He had not been any competition, and as such Gnak had never even bothered to learn his name. But leaning in for a better look, it was apparent that his attacker now recognized him.

“Captain Gnak?” the attacker grunted, tilting his head back further, his shame apparent.

One did not attack a superior unless it was to assume their position through a fight to the death. To fail such an attack was shameful, though only if you survived. Hence the reason the Orc before him exposed his throat further. He had unwittingly attacked a superior and worse, had failed to even injure, let alone kill Gnak. Had it occurred weeks earlier, Gnak would have put him to his death immediately, if not after insulting him and spitting upon him several times. But with his new understanding of the world, he sought out a better way to put his current predicament to use.

“Captain say you. You know Gnak?” Gnak asked.

“Yes,” the Orc grunted.

“What you name?” Gnak asked, as his kneeling foe showed shame plainly upon his face at the insult of Gnak not even knowing his name.

“Bota,” the Orc answered.

“Gnak captain. Clan no make new captain?” Gnak asked, picking out a path that would bring him that which he needed. Knowledge.

“Some say Gnak die. Some say Gnak become like human girl. Some want take captain. Some say no.”

“Who say no?”

“Chief say Gnak new shaman of new god,” the Orc answered, his chin lowering slightly as if debating his honorable surrender.

Raising his blade, Gnak pressed it to the throat of the Orc supplicated before him on the ground, forcing his head back once more.

“What say Bota?” Gnak asked.

“Captain Gnak no die. Captain Gnak no like dead girl. Gnak new shaman?” he asked hesitantly.

“Gnak no shaman. No heal. Use magic. Yes, Gnak serve new god. Serve Ishanya,” and with those words, mid speech, Gnak had a thought.

“Bota no die. No honor in kill for mistake. Ishanya let live. Gnak let live. Bota serve Gnak. Bota serve Ishanya. Yes?” Gnak asked, leaning in to watch the Orc’s face.

It was odd watching the realization spread across the Orc’s face as he took in Gnak’s words. Not only the implications of an Orc who had magic, as such a thing was unheard of, but the realizations that not only would he survive, but that he was being spared to serve a magic-wielding Orc and the god he served. Gnak watched on as the features of his captor’s face changed again and again, before Bota’s eyes looked up and met his own.

“No honor, die for mistake. Honor yes, serve Gnak, serve Ishanya,” Bota rationalized. “Yes serve, yes live.”

It was good the Orc valued its own life, even if the clan would not have. Gnak knew he could use such an ally, he just didn’t know how to best utilize the man. It was an odd concept. Orcs were used to serving those above them, but never had an Orc been spared its life simply to serve.

Removing his blade from Bota’s throat, he allowed the Orc to rise, and it was apparent that even Bota had no idea how such an arrangement would work, as the Orc simply stood there like a statue awaiting some sign from him. Without any idea what to do with the Orc, Gnak gave the only orders he could.

“Get Bota sword. We go camp. I talk, you hear. I ask, you tell.”

“Yes, captain.”

Though he had given the order, it was hours before Gnak opened his mouth to speak as he and Bota traversed the lower reaches of the southern face of the Rancor mountains. He had hoped that Jen would speak up within him and give him some idea as to what he should do with Bota, but no such thing had yet occurred. He had tried to stir her once again, but had failed in his attempts time after time.