Nothing ruined the morning more than waking up to a hungry ogre outside her peaceful Island of Fire home. Maith quickly sent him on his way, grabbed some cloth-wrapped cheese and bread and started off on her distasteful journey. She spent most of the time complaining loudly to Bacon Bits about the task at hand. He didn’t mind and soon the overcrowded shores of Britain came into view.
“Maybe I can stop by the bank for a quick focus!” she told Bacon Bits hopefully. As usual, he didn’t answer and as usual, she took that to mean he agreed. Maith shrugged and put out a pigeon to the arcanists, so they were ready and waiting for her when she got to town. Buoyed by the comradery and magic flowing through her veins, she rode without stop until she reached the edge of the Serpent’s Spine mountains. The skies darkened and Maith tightened her cloak as she searched for the opening in the mountain side.
“Bacon, there it is!” She whispered to her silent companion. Her fingertips sparkled with the light of fireflies as she drew them in towards her before whispering a plea for help.
“Illorae!” The air stilled around her. The fireflies hovered and then disappeared into darkness. Maith smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, friends, for your protection!”
---
“Sanctuary!” Maith whispered to Bacon Bits. She involuntarily sniffed the air and gagged as she passed through the gates that held the rebels inside. She kept her eye on the road ahead while she rooted around in her backpack for the distasteful, yet necessary, piece of equipment she had procured before her departure.
“Ugh! This mask!” Maith put the skinned head of an orc over her own, wishing she had thought to bring some lotion in her traveling basket to protect her skin. “It’s the only way, Bacon. And you're not safe either!" With a poof, Bacon Bits disappeared from view.
Maith knew who she had to see. She just hoped he was still alive. Sanctuary was a lawless place and even the worst of the worst lived in fear. Being bad might move you up temporarily but most likely, it was just an invitation for another to try and usurp your position. She knew it was a terrible idea, but it was her only idea, and she was counting on him having bigger problems than their personal past scuffles.
She smelled him before she saw him. He was still fat and nasty, but his scars had faded. Maith shuddered and offered up a silent plea that his memory of how he got the scars had faded too.
“Wurtguth!” Maith hissed in her best orcish impersonation. “Come here, I want to talk to you!” she growled in orcish.
The pudgy orc turned and looked at her inquisitively. He shrugged and waddled over, his hand on his axe. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air. Maith’s heart sunk.
“You not orc!” he accused. Maith held up a heavy bag of gold and a turkey leg, hoping that would make up for her not being an orc. Wurtguth grabbed the bag and it disappeared into his folds. She timidly wiggled the turkey leg in front of him. He grabbed the meat, licked the crispy skin, and greedily bit into it.
“Wurtguth, it’s Maith.” She continued in bad orcish and braced for the hit that never came. “I have to talk to you.”
The orc grunted, his one good eye narrowing over the top of the now just bone of the turkey leg. “Why? Why and why I talk to you?”
Maith thought about apologizing to him. For his eye, his scars, his brothers, and that little fire she had set. She decided to go the orc way and just not. “Wurtguth, are the orcs taking the ships from Moonglow? We had word that fancy orcs wearing clothes, on human ships were intercepting our trade ships. Fancy orcs … they would have to come from here. Do you know?”
Wurtguth stared at Maith while he wetly licked the turkey bone. He shuffled over to the gates of Sanctuary and motioned her to follow him. Once she was there, he pulled her behind a boulder and pulled her mask off.
“Why you think orcs do this? Orcs in fancy clothes? No. Orcs on human ships? No!” his hot breath assaulted Maith’s nostrils. She grimaced but did not flinch while she translated what he had said.
Maith nodded at him. “Okay.” She could tell he was more offended by the thought of human clothes than of being accused of pirating Moonglow’s goods. “Do you know who might be impersonating orcs? Surely you want to protect your reputation. Tell me what you know, and I’ll make sure everyone knows orcs don’t wear fancy clothes and only sail fearsome orc ships.”
The orc hesitated. Maith pulled out some old candy canes she had found in a chest and offered it to him.
“I need your help, Wurtguth. I can send more candy and turkey legs if I get your help.” She pleaded with him.
Wurtguth grabbed the candy canes and stuffed them … somewhere. Maith closed her eyes and shook her head but opened them in disbelief when she heard his next words.
“Cove. My brother, the one you not killed … “ He glared at her and she shrugged. “He say he see fancy orcs sailing past Orc Fort in Cove. But they not at that fort. He follow one into town and into tunnel. Then they leave tunnel and get on boat. He think they go to Jhelom.”
“To Jhelom? To the city?” Maith crinkled her nose in confusion.
“To gate. Gate turn red. He followed them. To island north.” Wurtguth finished off his candy cane by picking his pointy teeth with the last of the cane. “Jhelom north. They hide there.”
“Thank you, Wurtguth. Thank you.” Maith bowed her head in thanks.
“You owe more candy canes to Wurtguth!” he growled. Maith nodded.
The orc bared his teeth in an approximation of a smile and held up the mask he had taken from her. “I help you this time because you let me see face of beloved cousin. Go now, Maith Ceol.”
“Maybe I can stop by the bank for a quick focus!” she told Bacon Bits hopefully. As usual, he didn’t answer and as usual, she took that to mean he agreed. Maith shrugged and put out a pigeon to the arcanists, so they were ready and waiting for her when she got to town. Buoyed by the comradery and magic flowing through her veins, she rode without stop until she reached the edge of the Serpent’s Spine mountains. The skies darkened and Maith tightened her cloak as she searched for the opening in the mountain side.
“Bacon, there it is!” She whispered to her silent companion. Her fingertips sparkled with the light of fireflies as she drew them in towards her before whispering a plea for help.
“Illorae!” The air stilled around her. The fireflies hovered and then disappeared into darkness. Maith smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, friends, for your protection!”
---
“Sanctuary!” Maith whispered to Bacon Bits. She involuntarily sniffed the air and gagged as she passed through the gates that held the rebels inside. She kept her eye on the road ahead while she rooted around in her backpack for the distasteful, yet necessary, piece of equipment she had procured before her departure.
“Ugh! This mask!” Maith put the skinned head of an orc over her own, wishing she had thought to bring some lotion in her traveling basket to protect her skin. “It’s the only way, Bacon. And you're not safe either!" With a poof, Bacon Bits disappeared from view.
Maith knew who she had to see. She just hoped he was still alive. Sanctuary was a lawless place and even the worst of the worst lived in fear. Being bad might move you up temporarily but most likely, it was just an invitation for another to try and usurp your position. She knew it was a terrible idea, but it was her only idea, and she was counting on him having bigger problems than their personal past scuffles.
She smelled him before she saw him. He was still fat and nasty, but his scars had faded. Maith shuddered and offered up a silent plea that his memory of how he got the scars had faded too.
“Wurtguth!” Maith hissed in her best orcish impersonation. “Come here, I want to talk to you!” she growled in orcish.
The pudgy orc turned and looked at her inquisitively. He shrugged and waddled over, his hand on his axe. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air. Maith’s heart sunk.
“You not orc!” he accused. Maith held up a heavy bag of gold and a turkey leg, hoping that would make up for her not being an orc. Wurtguth grabbed the bag and it disappeared into his folds. She timidly wiggled the turkey leg in front of him. He grabbed the meat, licked the crispy skin, and greedily bit into it.
“Wurtguth, it’s Maith.” She continued in bad orcish and braced for the hit that never came. “I have to talk to you.”
The orc grunted, his one good eye narrowing over the top of the now just bone of the turkey leg. “Why? Why and why I talk to you?”
Maith thought about apologizing to him. For his eye, his scars, his brothers, and that little fire she had set. She decided to go the orc way and just not. “Wurtguth, are the orcs taking the ships from Moonglow? We had word that fancy orcs wearing clothes, on human ships were intercepting our trade ships. Fancy orcs … they would have to come from here. Do you know?”
Wurtguth stared at Maith while he wetly licked the turkey bone. He shuffled over to the gates of Sanctuary and motioned her to follow him. Once she was there, he pulled her behind a boulder and pulled her mask off.
“Why you think orcs do this? Orcs in fancy clothes? No. Orcs on human ships? No!” his hot breath assaulted Maith’s nostrils. She grimaced but did not flinch while she translated what he had said.
Maith nodded at him. “Okay.” She could tell he was more offended by the thought of human clothes than of being accused of pirating Moonglow’s goods. “Do you know who might be impersonating orcs? Surely you want to protect your reputation. Tell me what you know, and I’ll make sure everyone knows orcs don’t wear fancy clothes and only sail fearsome orc ships.”
The orc hesitated. Maith pulled out some old candy canes she had found in a chest and offered it to him.
“I need your help, Wurtguth. I can send more candy and turkey legs if I get your help.” She pleaded with him.
Wurtguth grabbed the candy canes and stuffed them … somewhere. Maith closed her eyes and shook her head but opened them in disbelief when she heard his next words.
“Cove. My brother, the one you not killed … “ He glared at her and she shrugged. “He say he see fancy orcs sailing past Orc Fort in Cove. But they not at that fort. He follow one into town and into tunnel. Then they leave tunnel and get on boat. He think they go to Jhelom.”
“To Jhelom? To the city?” Maith crinkled her nose in confusion.
“To gate. Gate turn red. He followed them. To island north.” Wurtguth finished off his candy cane by picking his pointy teeth with the last of the cane. “Jhelom north. They hide there.”
“Thank you, Wurtguth. Thank you.” Maith bowed her head in thanks.
“You owe more candy canes to Wurtguth!” he growled. Maith nodded.
The orc bared his teeth in an approximation of a smile and held up the mask he had taken from her. “I help you this time because you let me see face of beloved cousin. Go now, Maith Ceol.”