Chapter 11 Vidorak
Chapter eleven
Vidorak
There was a faint scent of piss as the two human men stood frozen in fright, realizing they had stumbled upon an orc camp.
One of the men took a shaky step back. Before he could go any further, a hiss pierced the air as a dagger flew past him and embedded in the tree nearby. A thin trail of blood dripped down the man’s cheek.
“Sit down, or the next dagger goes through your head,” Kinar growled.
There was a brief moment of hesitation before the men swallowed and came to sit on a log near the fire.
“We didn’t mean to interrupt. We were just passing through,” the man with the cut sputtered out.
“What are your names?” Kinar asked, his eyes gleaming with plans.
“I’m Jacob. And this is my brother Erik,” answered the brother without the cut, trying to keep his voice steady. Vidorak knew compliance wouldn’t make a difference.
“It’s good to have brothers. True brothers would go to great lengths to protect one another,” Kinar said. “Tell me, Jacob, do you have a favorite hand?”
Jacob’s eyes widened, and Erik began to chant. “Oh God, oh God.”
“I’ll make you a deal, Jacob. Either I take one of your hands or I take both of your brother’s.”
Jacob turned so white Vidorak thought he would pass out before giving any sort of answer.
Vidorak had enough.
“What do you plan on doing with them?” he said in Orcish, interrupting Kinar’s game.
Irritation colored the jarl’s face. “I’m just looking for some entertainment. The travel has been boring. Unless you want to share your witch.”
“Are you going to kill them?” Vidorak pointedly asked.
“They have seen us. I can’t have them reporting our presence and causing trouble with the exchange.”
“We can tie them to a tree. By the time they are found, we will be long gone.” Vidorak didn’t know why he was trying to help these men when he had done almost nothing to help Calypso.
Kinar growled, causing the humans to jump up at the abrupt sound. They looked around wildly, desperate for any sign of rescue to come. Vidorak stiffened when their eyes moved over Calypso, taking in her chained state.
Jacob misinterpreted his reaction and put up his hands. “Don’t worry, you’ll get no protest from us. We support the witch ban.”
It was undeniable that Calypso was a witch with her easily visible markings.
Erik hurried to agree. “In fact, we are headed toward a witch trial ourselves.”
“A trial in the middle of the night?”
Eager to keep the focus off their hands, Jacob rushed to explain. “This isn’t just any trial. Magistrate Collum likes to put on a show. There are witches, but also trolls, elves, and others. Collum says it’s good for town morale to remember—”
Suddenly the human cut off, not wanting to say the rest.
“Finish your sentence,” Kinar growled.
Jacob’s answer was barely a whisper, but the mantra of the Purists was well known. “Remember the original order.”
The theory behind the “original order” was based on a single page from one of Shalimar’s ancient texts that read, “First in the realm roamed humans, then magic grew, birthing additional races.” Most of the human nobility in Sanograd were Purists, whether or not they admitted it.
His brother jumped in before Kinar could say anything further. “You should’ve seen the witch that was caught the other day. Could change from a towering man to a small woman in the blink of an eye. I didn’t even know they could shapeshift like that. Truly the devil’s work.”
Calypso had been casually observing the scene up until this point, but at the man’s words her face snapped in his direction. Something painful and furious broke over her features.
“What is the name of this witch?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. She performed witchcraft, which means she deserves to burn.”
Calypso’s eyes flashed with anger. “When I get free, you will wish the orcs had snapped your necks.”
The man took her threats as a joke and let out a short laugh.
Kinar stood, putting an end to their exchange. “Show us where this trail is and I’ll let you live.”
The brothers looked at each other hesitantly, but they realized the losing predicament they were in and nodded.
“Why?” Mabanok asked while strapping on his weapons.
“Where there are groups of humans, there are goods. While the humans are distracted, we will relieve them of the pressure of hauling those goods,” Kinar said with an eager grin.
Vidorak walked over to Calypso and kneeled to her level.
While pretending to check the chain, he lowered his voice and whispered to her. “We will stay behind. Once the others leave, use the key your crow took and run.”
Her red eyebrows lifted in surprise, but then her eyes hardened. “No. I want to go to the burning.”
He stared at her for a moment, not understanding why she wouldn’t take the chance for freedom. But there was no time to question her, so he unwound the chain and they headed after the humans.
They followed the brothers through the woods in silence. The human men looked over their shoulders nervously every few minutes as they led them. Calypso didn’t reach for the key that he knew she had hidden on her.
Something about what the men had said caused her to change her plans. He hoped she wouldn’t do something foolish and risk the opportunity to escape. The tension in her body increased as the sounds of a gathering crowd bled through the darkness.
“We are getting close,” one brother mumbled, clearing his throat.
They walked a little further and paused at the edge of the woods, which melted into an open field. In front were several horses and wagons from those who had traveled for this trial. Throughout the field, dozens of people gathered, their distant conversations full of eager excitement.
“Here it is.” Jacob pointed. “I am not sure how the others would react to orcs. But if you stay in the back, you’ll be able to see.”
Jarl Kinar stepped forward. “We don’t plan on being seen at all.”
The man didn't have time to respond before Jarl Kinar twisted his neck. A sharp crack sounded before the body slumped over.
His brother could only stare in shock as Mabanok yanked his head back and sliced across the neck, leaving him a gurgling mess.
Stepping over them as if they were nothing, Kinar commanded. “Search the wagons and bring back any goods. Kill anyone who spots you.”
Grorn peeled his eyes away from the fallen humans and followed the other orcs toward the goods waiting to be stolen.
Calypso tugged on the chains in the opposite direction, her eyes glued past the wagons and horses. She walked away, unaffected by the sudden show of violence.
“Unlock the chains and leave,” Vidorak snapped in a low voice, unhappy that she was lingering.
“I plan on it.” She stalked around the edge of the woods with the confidence of someone not currently completely powerless.
He watched her study the roughly constructed stage in front of the crowd. The crowd erupted with excitement as a guard paraded forth three hooded figures followed by a man in black robes. Judging by the attire, it seemed the magistrate of whatever town they were at was orchestrating this event.
One by one, the hoods were ripped off the prisoners, revealing their identities to the crowd. He saw the moment she recognized one witch on trial. Her whole body froze, then her hands started to open and close, attempting to summon her power. He didn’t know if she even realized what she was doing.
When her breath picked up, he pulled her attention back to him.
“Who is that?”
“It is someone I know. Someone I won’t let stay up there.” She pulled out the shackle key, the metal glittering in the moonlight. She awkwardly turned her fingers toward the lock but fumbled with the placement.
He reached over to take it from her and unlocked the shackles himself, noting the irony that he was the one to put them there just days prior. The metal released with a click, and the heavy chains fell to the ground.
There were red marks below her wrists from the restraints, and he couldn’t help but massage the area until the heat of flames licked his fingers in warning.
He looked up to find Calypso staring daggers at him. “You’re lucky that others have the focus of my ire at the moment. Do not think this erases anything.”
“I wouldn’t dream of being forgiven so easily.” He looked over at the gathered crowd. “Not that you are asking for advice. But it would be a pity to be freed just to get captured minutes later.”
“I can handle a group of villagers.” She sneered.
“Would your friend want you to put yourself at risk like this?”
“She’s not my friend.” The statement came out quickly, but then she pursed her lips as if she hadn’t meant to tell him that. “She’s someone I’ve known for some time, who’s in this mess because of me. I will not leave her. All I need is a distraction.”
There was a tug of understanding with what she said. The weight of responsibility was something Vidorak was familiar with. As well as the instinct to shut out others in an effort to keep them safe.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
“I am not in these shackles anymore. You don’t command me.”
“Just wait a moment before you create utter chaos.” He put up a hand. “I will give you the distraction, then you can take your witch acquaintance and escape. Keep to the trading routes if you can. The smells will distract Kinar and the others.”
Thankfully, she didn’t fight him on this and nodded her agreement to the plan. “Alright, orc. Let’s see what you can do.”
He returned the way they had come, circling back to the wagons. There were about a dozen horses tied up, grazing by the clearing. Kinar would want to head back to camp soon, so he needed to work fast.
He carefully unhitched their ties, the horses continuing to graze peacefully. In the nearby brush, he found a couple of snakes, which he picked up. He swiftly tossed the angry serpents into the middle of where the horses gathered.
The sudden appearance of hissing tangles spooked the horses one by one, and they set off in a panic. They galloped away from the snakes and into the crowd.
In the darkness, the large animals appeared even bigger, and the humans fearfully scrambled out of the way. The group broke apart, running in all directions. Some tried to grab the horses, while others just tried to avoid being trampled.
With chaos brewing, the witch should now have no trouble rescuing her acquaintance. It was the right thing to set her free, yet he felt an ache of sadness for the end of their interactions.
He was so focused on watching the panic spread that he almost missed the way the ground started to shake under his feet. The thunder gradually grew louder and closer.
Vidorak turned his head in time to see a massive cyclops stampeding toward him and bellowing at the top of its lungs.