—more of a chore than I expected to set up a lab in such a remote region. It’s certainly cheap—less than the price of a semester’s tuition at the University to buy the little shop outright. And the owner balked when I gave him the payment in full. Are people really so bad at saving money that they’re shocked by a significant purchase made with personal savings? Regardless, it feels like my research has finally taken off, no longer limited by the steady schedule of being faculty at the University. I just wish I had a second set of hands with me. Perhaps I should try my hand at building an automaton to assist with—
Tracking individuals in cities made for fairly boring, if reliable, work.
It only took three conversations with bartenders at a few taverns around the Goronich docks to find one that had seen Brexothuruk and his companion.
“Aye,” the man said, in an accent that immediately irritated Karna. “Saw the pair of ’em walk in the door and ah thought to myself ‘Well there’s somethin’ you don’t see every day.'”
“What did they do while they were here?” Karna asked.
“Just ordered up something to eat and some water. Tried to convince ’em to give the ale a shot, but I suppose they’re not interested in a good time. Maybe they’re here on orc clan business? Odd seeing ’em all the way out here, but back when I used to live in Harramschall, ah saw ’em constantly.”
Karna held up a hand and interrupted him. “Just looking for the facts, sir. Did they do anything else after they ate?”
“Nope, just paid and left.”
“Thank you. If you see them again, please notify the Guard.”
“They do somethin’?”
“You could say that,” Karna said.
“They’re both persons of interest in a special case with the Harrish embassy,” Tiv interjected with diplomacy.
“Ah see,” the bartender said. “Well if I find ’em again, I’ll holler.”
“Thank you,” Tiv said. “Do you know if anyone else here saw them or where they went?”
“Mayhaps,” the bartender said. He grabbed a steel mug and banged it on the bar three times, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise. “Hey! Anyone here seen the orcs from a few hours back and wanna snitch on ’em!?”
Customers glanced at each other, but no one volunteered. Karna couldn’t stop herself from groaning.
“Welp, guess not. Best of luck with it!”
“Thanks again,” Karna said with a grumble.
Outside the tavern, crowds of people passed by under the midday sun, bumping into each other on the busy street. Karna crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the tavern, trying to predict where Brexothuruk and the other orc were heading next.
“He said he had to take care of business, right?” Tiv asked. She must have sensed what Karna was thinking.
“Not quite, he said he had to finish something before he faced trial. Finish something…maybe some kind of revenge killing? Avenging the death of someone close to him?”
“Maybe his dog?” Tiv said. “He didn’t have any dogs in Harramschall and he could be very defensive about it. Maybe something happened to it while traveling to Harramschall.”
Karna shook her head. That didn’t line up with the Brex she’d met.
Then again, none of it lined up with the orc she met. The idiot didn’t even know how money worked until she told him about it. The more she encountered him, the more she became convinced that he was an idealistic and naive child in a massive body.
But she couldn’t ignore the damage that had been done to Wallach’s body. That was something beyond the range of normal people. That looked feral. Beyond crimes of passion, beyond politically-motivated assassinations. It was hard to believe that the idiot she knew could be capable of that, and yet he was the only reasonable suspect.
“Finish something,” Tiv repeated. Their bodyguards looked on in silence, but Ydward was starting to sweat under all that armor in the sunlight. “Why come to Goronich to finish something? Does he have connections here?”
“Doubt it,” Karna said. “He came from a very isolated clan in the mesa. He might have met people from Ziqondi and Harramschall, but having connections this far out? Seems unlikely.”
“But he could have taken a ship anywhere, like you said. Why come here?”
“It has to be something about the city itself—or the area around it,” Karna said. But there’s nothing here. Nothing but mines and forests. This is why you left, she told herself. Karna curled her hands into fists and looked up at the sky in frustration, trying to escape her own thoughts.
Slumped against the wall, she felt a vibration in the wood behind her, followed by a faint sound nearby. Someone moaning and coughing, followed by another impact that barely rumbled through the structure.
She looked to the others to see if they’d heard or felt it, but Tiv was still in thought while Nico and Ydward made small talk with each other. She caught Tiv’s attention and signaled for the three of them to follow her.
When they turned the corner around the building to find the back alley, the scene was laid out before them. Three felarin, each with lithe but tall builds, wearing dark, tight clothes, surrounded a dwarf woman. Two felarin, one man and one woman, looked as though they were taking turns kicking the dwarf, who was laying on the ground in the fetal position. The remaining felarin faced the street and whistled as soon as Karna and her crew arrived, causing the other two felarin to stop their assault.
Karna always had trouble reading Felarin. They frequently wore long hair (or was it fur…) that hid their eyebrows in their bangs and their flat noses gave their faces less depth. She was never totally sure that she wasn’t offending one at any given moment in a conversation.
“If you’re not the Guard, I suggest you move along. This is not your concern.”
“Why’s that, citizen?” Karna said, stepping forward toward the felarin.
“We’re having a private business conversation with an interested party. You know, there are regulations for these things.”
“Interesting,” Tiv said, stepping forward. “This doesn’t look like a professional discussion.”
“We all have our own ways, do we not?” the felarin said, with a mock bow. “But like I said, you best be on your way, travelers.”
“Funny thing,” Karna said. “We’re not exactly travelers.”
“Not exactly the Guard, either,” Tiv said.
The felarin rolled his eyes. “Then what might you be?”
“Trouble,” Karna said, hand sliding to her side to grip the handle of a dagger. The felarin saw her movement and cocked an eyebrow, or that was Karna’s best guess as to his reaction. She didn’t really want him to start anything since her still-injured shoulder, even being her non-dominant side, put her at a disadvantage. But she hadn’t shown anything to betray this to him.
“You laugh,” Tiv said, voice dark and stern, mouth curled up into the faintest of smiles. “But these two gentlemen behind us are sworn to protect my associate and me during our stay here in Goronich. If either of us were to throw ourselves between your business partner and the rest of you during this discussion…Well, they’d have to do everything in their power to ensure our safety. Which would cause quite the problem for you, given what I know of your negotiation style.”
“You wouldn’t be that stupid,” the felarin said.
“A few cuts and bruises to stop your extremely illegal interrogation here?” Karna asked, catching onto Tiv’s plan. “Seems like a fair trade-off to me.”
The felarin scoffed. “As if the worst that could happen to you were cuts and bruises.” He narrowed his eyes and spoke with a snarl. “If we wanted to, we could make sure you leave this alley in a coffin.”
Tiv brought her hand to her chin. “But you don’t want that kind of attention. You’re here to have a discussion with this woman, which means you need information. Three felarin killing known emissaries of Harramschall while inside Goronich, that’d be tantamount to a declaration of war between the Felarin Territories and the combined might of Harramschall and Goronich. Far too great a price to pay for information.”
“Emissaries?” the felarin hissed.
Karna showed the insignia stamped on her bracers. “Captain Karna Baccata, Enforcer of Special Tasks Division Nine, Harramschall City Guard. My associate is Lieutenant Tivyana Sylvestris.”
The felarin crossed his arms, turning back to the two by the dwarf and spoke something in a language Karna didn’t recognize. The others left the alley, the dwarf woman still on the ground but breathing and wincing.
“We will remember you, Lieutenant,” the last felarin said as they walked past. “This transgression will not be so easily forgiven.”
And then they blended into the crowd on the street, leaving the rest of them alone.
Karna knelt by the dwarf woman and checked her for any major injuries. “Ma’am, are you hurt?”
“Yes,” she choked out. “But I’ll live.”
She probably had a cracked rib or two, with her stuttered breathing and wincing. “We should send for a medic,” Karna said, looking back at Tiv and their bodyguards.
Tiv turned toward Nico and Ydward and stated very plainly: “If you two don’t get this woman medical attention, I’m going to throw myself in front of a carriage.”
The both of them stuttered, exchanging glances, then ran off to fetch someone that could help the dwarf woman. Meanwhile, Karna and Tiv helped prop the woman up against the building and used some spare cloths in their kit to mitigate some of the bleeding.
“I’m very sorry this happened,” Tiv said. “I wish we would have found you sooner.”
“It’s all right, dear,” the woman said. “My name’s Calissa, by the way.” She clutched her side, hissing as she inhaled.
“If you don’t mind us asking,” Karna said. “Why were they troubling you?”
“I don’t know for sure, truly,” Calissa began. “I was walking along the street with my husband when they came over and surrounded us by the wall, asking all sorts of rude questions. My husband said he didn’t know anything and ran away. He’s a slippery one. I thought he was going to get help and come back.” She swallowed. “But if he didn’t send you, then…”
“We’ll make sure you’re left in good hands,” Tiv said.
“Do you remember what the felarin were asking about?” Karna said.
Calissa paused, nodding after a moment passed. “Yes, they were looking for someone.” She frowned. “It sounded like a child who ran away, maybe. I don’t think they want to be found. I certainly wouldn’t if they were the company I had to keep.”
“Do you remember anything about what happened before they cornered you?” Karna asked.
“Yes, a little. My husband and I were on our way to have lunch after visiting the Loquela Grove. There was a lot hubbub about a pair of sorcerers trying to get in without a permit just as we left. Didn’t get a good look at them, but I saw that they were big fellows even from pretty far. I suspect they were probably scolded and sent on their way. The rangers take that grove very seriously.”
Karna and Tiv exchanged glances.
“Do you know any details about the person they’re looking for?” Karna asked.
Calissa shook her head. “Nothing else, no. They were certain I knew something, but even after I told them everything I knew they kept…going…”
“It’s all right,” Karna said. “You don’t have to say any more. We’ll be informing the Guard of this incident.”
“Thank you.”
There was a rustling of footsteps and the bodyguards arrived with a trio of medics. The medics took Calissa, promising to treat her as quickly as possible, and soon only the four of them remained in the alley.
“I feel a little stupid for not realizing it sooner,” Karna said.
“Yeah,” Tiv said, looking at the corner of the alley exit where the medics and Calissa had disappeared. “If he’s a sorcerer, there’s a big attraction to the Loquela Grove. He could be trying to smuggle some lumber out.”
“This friend of his, the other orc, he could be some kind of connection. Getting him into the Grove. Maybe by charm, maybe by sneaking in,” Karna said. “But if he’s here to finish something, he’s probably going to the Grove for that reason.”
“So we’re going to the Grove,” Tiv said.
“Clearly.”
“Kay, what do you think the odds are that these felarin are looking for Brexothuruk?”
“Seventy-thirty, it’s him.”
Tiv tsked. “No way. He’s a magnet for trouble, but not that much.”
“I’m finding it hard to believe in coincidences the longer I chase him, Tiv.”
“He’s just an orc, Kay.”
They started walking up the street toward the Loquela Grove while Karna puzzled over how it all fit together.
The Loquela Grove of Goronich, crown jewel of the various lumber and logging sites around the city, was situated gently between the city’s northwestern edge and the ocean. The trees were massive, sturdy, and mostly just very tall. Some were large enough to walk through, and the Goronich Rangers made their homes in a few of the older ones. They worked with loggers to make sure that resources in the Grove were never overextended and that there were always saplings planted so that there would be something to cut down in ten years.
The Loquela Grove was the smallest of the city’s attached logging sites, but certainly its most precious, given how the wood was used by sorcerers all over the continet, and the raw lumber itself was as much a controlled substance as any hallucinogen, given the sheer value. Of course, developing a tight security system around what was essentially a private park proved to be difficult, and gave the Grove an air of mystique that attracted idiot tourists. So the Goronich Rangers decided to solve two problems at once by offering paid tours, encouraging tourists to speak up if they saw problems or intruders. As it turned out, many of them secretly hoped there would be a security breach, just so they could snitch on their fellow visitors and play the hero for an hour.
Karna and Tiv, though, were not idiot tourists.
Under different circumstances, Tiv probably would have enjoyed a tour of the Grove and if anything did happen while she was present, she could take down most intruders by a count of ten.
Karna was routinely disgusted by all of the trees and the Rangers’ insistence on living on-site in stupid, flimsy treehouses. They claimed the homes were sturdy and blended well with the Grove, but Karna knew that just meant the odds of finding a bug in your kitchen or bedroom shot up considerably. There was an awful sense of nature pervading the place, one that even Ziqondi couldn’t touch. And she despised it.
The gates at the border between Goronich proper and the Grove parted for Tiv, Karna, and their bodyguards as a dwarven man dressed in forest-colored uniforms stepped over to greet them. “Ladies, gentlemen. How are you this fine afternoon?”
Karna spoke first, refusing to deal with the man’s pleasantries. “We’re looking for a person of interest. An orc who may have been involved in some special crimes in Harramschall. We’ve tracked him here, and we believe he’s accompanied by another orc. I understand there was a disturbance earlier today that might have involved them?”
The dwarven man took off his ranger’s hat and scratched at his head. “Ah, well, yes, there was a misunderstanding with an orcish patron and his friend earlier today. But that was resolved peacefully, I assure you.”
Tiv spoke up. “We’re not directly affiliated with the Goronich Guard, sir. We’re just here on a special assignment to bring this man in for questioning.”
“Meaning…” the dwarf said, unsure what Tiv was referring to.
“Any testimony you give to use will be strictly off-the-record, if you decide to cooperate.”
The man glanced back at Nico and Ydward and bit his lip.
Karna turned back to their accompaniment and gestured for them to give her some space. They looked put out, but took a few strides back so the ranger could whisper without being heard.
He leaned in. “We did turn them away, yes. But we have reason to believe they’ve found a way inside the Grove through some other means. We’ve discovered large footprints that fit the build and weight of an orc, as well as animal tracks that don’t match the wildlife here. But we have the situation under control, I assure you.”
“Why not ask for assistance from the Guard?” Tiv asked.
Karna crossed her arms. “The Guard doesn’t have jurisdiction over the Grove. The rangers do. But the Grove is technically city property, and in the case of an emergency, the city can claim temporary jurisdiction over it. It’s just that the rangers and the Guard don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on some things.”
The ranger nodded. “We are preservationists. If the Guard comes in here and declares that something’s wrong, then we could lose jurisdiction permanently. Worse, the Guard might contaminate or destroy valuable elements of the ecosystem.”
Karna tried not to gag at the ranger’s words.
“They’ll do far more damage to the Grove than whatever your ‘person of interest’ might. The fact that there’s no smoke rising at the moment is testament enough to that. I promise as soon as we find this orc of yours, we’ll escort him directly to the gate.”
“We’re pressed for time,” Tiv said. “Surely, as long as we’re delicate and unintrusive to the ecosystem here, you don’t mind if we apprehend him, do you?”
The ranger bit his lip again, glancing at Nico and Ydward. “Make sure they behave,” he said, nodding toward the two bodyguards. “And stay discreet. But yes, you can search the Grove.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Tiv said.
“Any hint as to where they might be now?” Karna asked.
“Can’t say for sure, but we saw the most recent tracks closer to the center of the Grove, where The Giant stands.”
Karna nodded, then whistled for Nico and Ydward to rejoin them.
They trotted off toward the Grove’s network of trails after wishing the ranger farewell.
“I’d bet my last senta that they’re headed for The Giant,” Karna said.
“Let me guess,” Tiv said. “It’s the biggest tree in here.”
“That’s not exactly difficult.”
“Then give me a challenge some time.” They approached a fork in the trail and Tiv crossed her arms in disapproval. “Bit foolish for us all to search together.”
“Agreed,” Karna said, then turned back to their bodyguards. “I take it we can’t convince you two to look around on your own.”
Ydward shook his head. “We’ve each got to stick by one of you.”
Karna grimaced. “Just love it when decisions make themselves.”
They split up, where Karna and Ydward went toward the center of the grove toward The Giant, and Nico and Tiv went to circle around the perimeter. As they separated, Karna found her hand twitching to pull out the small poisoned crossbow, just in case.
Without Tiv, Karna found it much easier to concentrate on the mechanics of tracking Brex and his companion, but harder to analyze Brex’s possible behaviors or motivations. Ydward, as it turned out, was not much of a talker, no matter what information she tried to pry from him.
“So they tell you anything about our suspect?” Karna asked.
“No,” Ydward said.
“They tell you anything about me or Tiv?”
“No.”
“They tell you anything about anything?”
“Didn’t listen much.”
Karna groaned. “How long have you been in the Goronich Guard?”
“Few years.”
Karna found herself more than irritated by his noncommittal responses, which only served to make her feel indignant about the whole situation. A bodyguard? Her? She was an Enforcer, not a diplomat. She knew her way around a blade and a crossbow. Hell, a shortbow if she had to. (Longbows were a different matter entirely, given they were often taller than she was.) How incompetent did they think she was, assigning her a bodyguard? Just thinking about it nearly made her groan.
All this flew right out of her head when she saw The Giant’s trunk, though.
Massive was an understatement. Even the name seemed ill-fitting. It should have been The Titan. Or The Collossus. The Loquela tree’s trunk was easily as wide as three buildings. An easy comparison to make, given that the center third looked like it had been slowly hollowed over time, to make room for small alcoves that could temporarily host a gathering of a dozen people. There was no furniture, unlike some of the Rangers’ homes that she’d seen. Just even ground on a few different “levels”, with only the southern side of the alcove open to entry. The path up to The Giant was still partially uphilll, and the bottom alcove was still obscured.
As they drew closer, she could hear a conversation deeper within. Karna signaled for Ydward to quiet his footsteps as she did the same.
“Are you sure you’re fine with this?” said a voice that undoubtedly belonged to Brexothuruk.
“Not completely,” said another that she didn’t recognize. “But I’m more fine with it than I’m not.”
“It’s just that…I don’t want you to go through with this if you’re not totally and completely fine with it. I can stop carving and we can figure something else out.”
Karna scanned the area for a better vantage point where she wouldn’t be spotted. Unfortunately, the best she could spot was a climbable tree a few dozen yards away from The Giant.
She turned to Ydward. “I’m going to climb that to get a closer look. If I whistle, move in and make the arrest. Got it?” she whispered.
“Climb a tree—with a sprained shoulder?” he asked.
“Just be ready.” She rolled her eyes and crept over to the tree, without putting pressure on her injured arm. You don’t grow up in Goronich without learning to climb a tree one-handed, she thought. It took some effort, sure, but she got a much better view. Getting down would take some time, but as long as Ydward wasn’t a complete buffoon, it’d be fine.
She looked back at The Giant, seeing Brexothuruk kneeling and carving a sorcerer’s circle into the wooden floor of the Loquela tree itself. His orcish companion, who had startling crimson hair, was sitting at the alcove opening, watching him work. If he was supposed to be a lookout, he was doing an awful job of it.
It seemed their conversation had taken a more serious turn.
“I just…” Brexothuruk said. “I like you this way. Maybe I don’t want you to change.”
“What do you mean?” his companion asked.
“That boat ride, it should have been awful. We were stuck there eating disgusting food and doing nothing but waiting and reading for a whole week.” Brexothuruk leaned back on his legs, still kneeling. “But it was some of the best days of my life. Just the chance to be around you, knowing what I was doing, knowing nobody could catch up and hurt us. It was so peaceful and you, you’re so kind.”
The companion shifted his posture. “So, you’re worried that I won’t be peaceful or kind?”
Brexothuruk resumed carving. “No. Maybe. I’m worried that the you that you are now won’t be the you that you’ll be after we finish this. What if you change and you won’t be my friend anymore?”
The companion gave this some thought, but Brexothuruk continued. “You’re the reason I’m out here. You’re the only friend I’ve got left. What if I lose you?”
“That’s…something worth worrying about.”
Brexothuruk grimaced.
“But maybe I can help ease your mind,” the companion said. “Firstly, if we don’t go through with this, we’ll be on the run from the small angry human for a long time.”
“She’s a dwarf,” Brexothuruk said.
“Sorry, small angry dwarf. But that’s no way to live. Running in fear from city to city, never able to relax.”
Brexothuruk scrunched up his face in bemusement. “How would you know a ‘better way to live’ than that? You can’t remember anything before the savannah.”
“That’s what I mean. My other point. I don’t know what I am, sure. But I know who I am. And, those things you said, peaceful and kind. Those are the things I want to be, no matter what else I might be. And…one thing I know I will always be…is your friend.”
Brexothuruk paused, looking up from his work. “Do you promise?”
The companion smiled. “I promise.”
Karna clutched the tree branch she held for balance. Some people would have moved in and arrested them already. Others would have seen this display of emotion and called off the search. Karna found herself somewhere in the middle, waiting for them to discuss their future plans, or something that could connect them to the murders, but instead feeling half sympathetic and half sick of their situation.
The tree itself shuddered as a loud thwack rang out from below her.
Brexothuruk and his companion looked out toward the rest of the grove but didn’t spot Karna. She looked down and saw that Ydward had unsheathed his blade and was chopping at the trunk of the tree that supported her.
“What are you doing?” she hissed at him. “I said whistle if there’s trouble.”
He looked up, made eye contact with her with an uncaring glare, then chopped at the trunk again with his sword.
Possibilities flurried through her mind until she settled on the only thing that made sense: For whatever reason, Ydward was trying to kill her.
As soon as she reached this conclusion, her body reacted. In a flash, she drew her hand crossbow, took aim down at Ydward’s neck and fired.
The small bolt knicked Ydward’s shoulder and the poison began making its way through his body. In seconds, he dropped his blade, wavered, then fell to the ground unconscious.
“Lousy Goronich bodyguards,” she grumbled. “If they’re not incompetent, they’re trying to kill you.”
Something about the noise of Ydward chopping the tree motivated Brexothuruk and his companion to work faster. He was nearly done carving the glyphs into the wooden floor.
“Quick, take those off and lay in the circle. Whatever happens now, we need to do it fast before those rangers find us,” Brexothuruk said.
The companion slid off his pants and removed his shirt, standing naked until–
Karna stopped herself from gasping.
Before her eyes, the orcish companion changed his shape from a bipedal creature with green skin and red hair to a lion with a crimson mane. The body itself shifted, meaning it wasn’t some illusion, waiting to be removed. She saw the joints slip into place and change direction, hands and feet both reforming into a uniform set of feline paws. And while he was facing away from her at the time, when he turned his head, she saw an undoubtedly leonine skull and muzzle.
Whatever was about to happen, she had to stop it.
Ydward was, for lack of a better word, compromised. So descending the tree was going to take time. More than once, as she jumped and swang from one branch to another, she glanced back at the alcove where Brexothuruk was casting his spell. Just as she reached the ground, she saw an explosion of ethereal light burst forth from the alcove. At the sight of that, she whistled loud enough for Tiv to hear, no matter where she was in the grove.
She sprinted up the path until she was level with the alcove once again, drew out her hand crossbow and shouted “Freeze!”
Brexothuruk stood facing away from her, carving knife in his right hand, looking at the lion in the middle of the circle. Waiting. Watching.
“Nothing’s happening,” he muttered. “Why…why isn’t anything happening?”
“Brexothuruk, put the knife on the ground and place your hands in the air,” she said, keeping her aim trained on the orc.
He turned and saw her, taking a moment to register her presence, then leaning down and placing the knife on the floor of the alcove.
“You found us…all the way out here?” he asked, his tone somber and shocked. “I thought we’d have more time.”
“Brexothuruk, put your hands on your head and come with me.” Karna’s heart raced. Her one poison bolt was laying next to Ydward, foolishly left behind. If the orc turned violent, she might not make it out in one piece.
“You won’t do anything to him, will you?” he asked.
Karna’s eyes darted at the lion. “We…we won’t hurt him. We’ll take him into custody. Just like you.”
Brexothuruk shook his head. “No, you can’t. We only just…” He balled his hands into fists. “He’s not involved. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then the courts will exonorate him. Just like they will for you, if the evidence proves you innocent.”
He shook his head again. “No, no you can’t take him. I-I need to make sure that he’s going to be all right. What if something went wrong with the spell?” He turned back toward the lion and took a step forward.
“Don’t move, orc!” Karna barked on instinct, and he frooze. “Take another step and I’ll shoot.” With ammo she didn’t have.
“I have to make sure he’s safe,” Brex said.
“We’ll bring you both in, take care of you, make sure you’re fine until the courts can decide your fate,” Karna said. “Don’t be a fool. Don’t throw your life away now.”
The orc turned and Karna swore she saw something being restrained in his eyes. He was holding himself back, she was sure of it.
“Brex, do you remember the promise you made to me, the night of the storm?” Karna asked.
He looked down. “I need to finish something first…”
“Did you?”
The question hung in the air. She meant it honestly. And a fraction of her wanted to let the orc go if he hadn’t, just in case it would all work out. It wanted to trust him, to believe in that stupid little child who didn’t understand what a senta was. But the rest of her, built on jaded years of chasing criminals, knew better.
He bit his lip and looked at the lion. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice cracking. He looked back at Karna, and that presence from before, whatever he was holding back, was gone. “But I’m out of time.”
Brexothuruk lifted his hands to his head. “I surrender.”
Footsteps approached from behind them and Tiv appeared at her side.
“Kay…what’s happening here?” she asked.
Without turning away from Brex, Karna gave her orders. “Tiv, you’ll find Ydward next to a trunk a few yards back. Restrain him. Then summon the rangers to take the lion into Goronich custody. Nico, shackle the orc. We’re taking him back to the embassy holding cells.”
Normally, Tiv would just act instantly after orders like that. But this time she paused. “We’re taking the lion?”
“Goronich custody,” Karna repeated. “He’s…of interest.”
“All right, that one’s new,” Tiv said before heading back to find Ydward.
Karna would have liked to joke with her friend, but as Nico slipped the handcuffs around Brexothuruk’s wrists, she saw something that she would keep in her heart for years to come.
Tears in the orc’s eyes as he looked at his friend laying in the sorcerer’s circle, breathing but otherwise unmoving.
Orcanist 