732
She found him early that night walking the main route from the healers’ tents with his arm in a sling. There was potential in that. Perhaps he might wake up with a small colony of slicer ants building a new home amongst his bandages? She knew where to find plenty of the little pests.
Her attention drew back to Rolk when he stopped at the entrance to his own encampment. It was no secret that he was the son of elder Wren Stormbane, who was a powerful elder in the camp and a member of the shaman council. His father was rumoured to be seeking the leadership of the orc shamans, and if successful would likely become the highest ranking orc behind only Grolfir himself. Because of his father’s position, Rolk had been given his own encampment. Technically, all that was within belonged to his father, but Wren seldom visited his own camp and took up housing with the other shamans instead.
Rolk stood there at the threshold of his home, and waited a few moments. Then, instead of moving to his tent, he walked back to the road.
Talina pondered using Rolk’s absence to plant a few interesting and horrifying surprises for himself and his pack around the camp; but curiosity got the better of her and she followed the path he’d set out on instead.
It wasn’t remotely difficult to follow the hulking orc. Even after getting his just desserts for his behaviour, Rolk didn’t even consider that anyone else might want payback for the slights he’d caused them. His ego made him largely oblivious to anything but the road ahead. Talina felt she could have skipped along the trail behind him playing a flute and he still wouldn’t have noticed her.
Rolk made his way around almost the entire encampment twice, and she was starting to grow bored since following him had become so easy. Her mind wandered over to more interesting things, and she almost missed him abruptly turn to step out into the jungle.
Not being one to lose her mark so easily, Talina moved to creep in amongst the dense foliage and soon found him again. Although tracking him would have been only slightly less easy than tracking a rampaging dragon. There was even a large notch on a tree that had obviously been in his path, suggesting that he’d tried to punch it out of his way before eventually walking around it.
“You’re late.”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
The voice had arisen from close by, and actually startled her. In following Rolk, she hadn’t exactly needed to be too alert and almost missed the dark figure who had spoken. Thankfully, she was shielded from view by Rolk’s bulk, and quickly disappeared up the nearest tree to slink between the branches and settle her eyes on the meeting.
“I was delayed, father,” Rolk grunted.
“You mean you were beaten!” Wren stepped out of the darkness and smacked Rolk across his already bruised features with his gnarled staff.
For a moment, the hot blood in Rolk’s veins burned to lash out at his father. Talina could see his muscles tensing to form an attack, but they soon relaxed once again when he lifted his face to meet his father’s eyes.
“It was not a good fight. We were-” Rolk began.
“I know what happened, fool! I have spent the better part of a day grovelling on your behalf before Dregolf and his pathetic brother. They wanted you cast out of the provings.”
“What!?” Rolk’s voice practically detonated at the suggestion. “How dare they so much as-”
Another swift move of that long staff and another noise of hardened wood meeting bone arose from between them. This time Rolk cried out with rage, but Wren soon took a step toward his son and wrapped his hand around the young orc’s neck.
“It isn’t much more than what you deserve, boy! I told you again and again to keep your damned focus on the task at hand. Instead you lay down challenges only to those weaker than yourself. Do you think others do not see? Your honour has been tarnished. This time you got caught.”
Despite the obvious difference in size and age between Wren and his son, it seemed that he had little difficulty in half-choking his child to death. He rudely shoved Rolk backward and growled a deadly warning. Rolk fell back into the earth and lifted his good arm to rub at his neck, but he did not attempt to get back to his feet. Instead he lowered his gaze from Wren’s blazing eyes and attempted to strike a more peaceable tone.
“My focus has been on the human, father.”
“The human? I told you to kill that unworthy wretch of a creature. What have you done about it since?”
“I had him thrown into the provings where-”
Talina’s ears perked up at that and she leaned in on her branch to risk getting a clearer view of their conversation.
“Ah yes, the provings. Where only today he was cheered on for his victory over the Bear Claws.” At this, Rolk’s eyes widened in shock and he fell back onto his backside. “What? You didn’t think him dangerous enough? All humans are dangerous! Wasn’t it enough that your grand plan to release his prisoner almost ended up with the entire camp burning down around our heads?”
Talina almost fell out of the tree in her excitement at hearing that little revelation. Rolk had been the one to free the mad boy?
“I couldn’t have known-” Rolk scrambled up to his feet to defend his actions.
“No. No, I suppose you couldn’t, could you?” Wren contemplatively ran his fingers across his chin. “Even I could not imagine a human would ever have carried a relic of such power into our camp. Though it is clearly far too volatile for such a lowly creature to wield. I would have gone to great lengths to acquire such a thing.”
“Take it from the warchief then.” Rolk continued to nurse his sore throat with his hand.
“Take it? From Grolfir? By the First, boy, your head might as well have been made of rock for all it’s worth. The Warchief is protected from all magic by the compact. Even mine. At least not without showing too much too soon. And I was too eager in my interest of the ring to simply steal it. Grolfir would know it was me.” Wren let out a derisive little laugh. “I thought that all the shamans within the encampment would have been trampling over each other for a mere glimpse at such a thing, but no. Instead, they were afraid. Afraid!” He spat on the earth with contempt for his kinsmen. “I was the only one to stake a claim on it, and I was refused. But it is of no matter. Soon such obstacles and annoyances will be mere memories. By the end of the next cycle, all humans will be our slaves, never to be anything more for all time. You will still need to deal with the human wretch, of course. He risks being proven before the time is right, and I’ll not have such scum claiming kinship with me.”