Hellrien had spotted several smaller orc encampments before she turned around and rode back south towards Trestlebridge. She had been wandering here and there along the Greenway area, certain that Crambe’s hideout had to lie somewhere nearby. It was getting dusk, and shadows were getting long. She was hungry as a wolf. Back in the garrison she would have to persuade Blue Nose to prepare a proper expedition tomorrow.
It was a pure coincidence that she spotted the tracks on the grass in a small cove. She stopped dead on her tracks. It looked like a single man had gone through here at running speed. She followed the tracks for a while. They turned towards the chasm, and she rode near the edge. The tracks continued southwards for a spell and then turned west – towards Trestlebridge.
Hellrien stopped her horse. Who the hell could that be? Crambe? A solitary orc? Hellrien glanced at the sun. There would be daylight left for maybe a couple more hours. She followed the tracks. They led her into craggy ground, full of cliffs and rock formations. There she lost the tracks again, and she had to ride in circles until she found a solitary footprint. She kept looking about. The ground rose steeply uphill in the east.
Rock cavities were growing with lush moss and bushy ferns. The sun was low above the western sky. Perhaps it was the sunlight’s reflection on the wet grass that made her spot a flash of something farther up where the root of the cliff disappeared into the grass. She forced her horse through ferns and bushes towards the spot.
There she found the tracks again. Footprints – and something else too! She jumped off the saddle. Another pair of footprints, this one smaller, possibly a female. And some imprints that looked like the other one had fallen down and tried to escape. Signs of a struggle, and then the pair of smaller footprints disappeared again. The bigger man must have lifted her up there. From there the bigger footprints continued uphill. She decided to follow the tracks on foot. Half-pint was exhausted.
She hid her horse in the bushes, dressed on her hauberk and cloak, grabbed her bow and started climbing up the side of the hill. There were more footprints there. She advanced uphill. It had stopped raining earlier in the afternoon, but the grass was still slippery with rainwater. Hellrien climbed carefully higher up the steep hillside. After a while she saw the paling rising against the sky on top of the hill. It was the orc assault camp.
Now Hellrien was sure that the footprints were leading over there. Cold terror overwhelmed her for a moment. There could be enough orcs to wipe out The Bloody Dawn entirely over there, and if one of them should glance out of the gate right now, there would be nowhere for her to run. What in the world had possessed Crambe to go over there – if it was him? Should she turn back, tell Blue Nose what she had seen here? No, the Undersergeant would never believe her if she told him that Crambe had brought Maria Shelton to the orc assault camp. She didn’t even know if they were Crambe’s footprints, nor that the other person was Maria. She had to get closer – she had to see more to find out what had happened.
She was soaking with sweat. She remembered her visit to Fornost two years back and the big hulking brute of an orc that had permanently deformed her left ear.
The hillside got gentler as a path squirmed past the palisade. Hellrien stooped instinctively lower as she crossed the path, bow and arrow ready in her hands. She advanced slowly towards an opening in the palisade. The wind seemed to be rising. The slouch of her hat started flapping. She crossed the path and climbed the slippery cliff to the stakewall. She pressed herself against the paling and peeked behind the opening.
The orc camp was huge, hundreds of yards in diameter enclosed by palisades. There were tents too, but not as many as she had expected. The orcs here had a lot of elbow room as the tents were scattered here and there with a lot of distance in between and a lot of empty space. Perhaps orcs didn’t get along with each other very well? Further back she saw some kinds of war machines. The camp was too long for her to see what was on the other side. There was not a single orc about – absolutely no sign of life anywhere. Orc’s eyes didn’t tolerate sunlight and they weren’t very active during daytime, but still, they must have felt very sure of themselves if they had left no-one to guard the camp. That would end soon, though, as the sun was about to set. Shadows were long and dark. Hellrien felt how her hand squeezing the grip of the bow was cold as ice.
That’s when she heard it – a weak, vibrating scream that reminded her of a dying lynx. Could that be a woman?
Cautiously she sneaked into the camp. Her boot scraped on a rock.
It was like an explosion. A dark, gigantic creature rushed out of a tent with a terrifying roar.
It was a huge half-orc!
Hellrien pulled the drawstring back and released the arrow. The half-orc was so close that she could see how the arrow ripped through his leather armor. Then he was right in front of her, and Hellrien had no time to shoot another arrow. A fierce blow from a two-handed mace flew Hellrien side first into the tall grass. She hit her head on a rock and sparkles danced in her eyes. She yanked out her swords and blindly swung at a shadow that again threw itself at her. She could feel in her hand that a blade hit something. Then an enormous weight fell on her. Hellrien stretched her left hand, squeezing the hilt in her grip. Her fist hit something hard. A scream of pain echoed in her ears. She tried to get up as the half-orc lifted his arm on his face. She managed to release one of her legs and kicked him hard on the chest. There was a grunt and the half-orc reeled backwards. He threw himself forward again. But now Hellrien was ready. She swung fiercely toward’s the half-orc’s neck. The blade didn’t quite hit the target, but it sunk through the thick leather padding into his shoulder. The half-orc tossed his head back and roared fiercely. His mace swung forward, it crashed on Hellrien’s chest, and again Hellrien flew on the ground. She was already panting heavily. She couldn’t take many more hammerstrikes like that. The half-orc approached with a weird sway. She wouldn’t manage the fight against this giant! She stood up and bent down.
The half-orc moved like a machine. Hellrien stepped aside. The half-orc followed. Was it laughter that emanated from his enormous rib cage? Burning, murderous rage overcame Hellrien. The half-orc’s face was sallow and scarred. Hellrien’s left-hand sword swung towards the half-orc’s right ear. She could feel the blade grazing something before the half-orc’s heavy boot hit her thigh and flew her over. As she was lying on the ground Hellrien saw how the half-orc wiped blood from his ear onto his sleeve. Most of his auricle was gone! Hellrien scrambled up. Wheezing came out of her chest as she breathed in. She made a feint, dodged one strike of the mace but then stepped right in front of another. Hellrien almost somersaulted backwards. The sky was swinging insanely before her eyes. She tried to roll over to her stomach. She barely managed. She felt intolerable pain in her head and neck. She could barely see the half-orc as he wobbled around and growled. Hellrien stood up. She saw that her hauberk was covered with blood. It was the half-orc’s blood! She dragged forward, moaning like a wounded animal. The half-orc heard her approaching, grunted and turned at her. This time Hellrien managed to dodge his blind swing, stretched up and thrusted both blades forward, towards her opponent’s eyes. The monster let out a strange, wailing, desperate cry. Then he shouted hoarsely:
”I’m blind!”
Hellrien stopped and swayed, disoriented and nauseous. She couldn’t carry on anymore. She didn’t have the strength to land another strike.
The half-orc fell on his knees. He was moaning, over and over: ”Blind… I’m blind… blind…”
In a flash Hellrien remembered Maria’s story… the adopted half-orc boy… Ray Cranes. Ray, whom they had first rescued and raised as a man, then sentenced to death for his crime of trying to live like one. Ray, who had sworn revenge as they threw him off the edge of the chasm. Could it be him?
”Ray?” Hellrien said. ”Ray Cranes?”
The creature turned his blinded face towards the voice. ”Who are you?” he moaned. He was on all fours on the ground and looked hideous in the last light of the setting sun.
”Nobody. Nobody of importance.”
”Just make it quick, will you?” The half-orc’s bloodied face turned from side to side. ”I am tired of pain. You owe me that much… you and your kind.”
Hellrien saw the bow on the grass right in front of her. She picked it up. Ray Cranes had fought like a cornered animal. Because that’s what he had been, right from the birth. He had never stood a chance. Half orc, half human, Ray had never belonged anywhere. He was doomed to fail since the day he was born. And yet he had tried the best he could, once. Tried his best to be a human. Hellrien wondered, and not for the first time, who the real monsters were.
”At least you got your revenge, Ray”, Hellrien said in a voice she didn’t recognize as her own.
”Yes… revenge…”
Hellrien stepped over to him. There was still no sign of life anywhere in the camp. Ray Cranes was blindly crawling back and forth in all directions. In the last rays of the setting sun Hellrien saw the expression upon his face. It looked almost serene.
”You may rest now, mellon”, she said gently. ”Posto vae.”
She released the arrow.
Ray Cranes slumped onto the ground – slowly. It looked like he was going to sleep. Sleep forever.
