'What I still find hard to take in,' Brelan said, spearing a chunk of meat with his dagger, 'is the idea of humans taking the side of orcs.'
'The way I see it,' Pepperdyne replied, 'it's not about humans and orcs. It's about right and wrong.'
'And is that how your companion sees it too?' Chillder asked, staring at Standeven. 'He doesn't say much.'
'Er… I…' Standeven jabbed a finger at Pepperdyne. 'What he said.'
'He's a deep thinker,' Pepperdyne explained. 'Not much of a way with words.'
'Is he as good a fighter as I've heard you are?'
'You'd be… surprised at his talents, Chillder.'
Servers arrived to replenish their cups with wine, and conversation dwindled.
It was evening. Brelan and Chillder had invited Stryke and his officers to join them for a meal. The humans had been included, along with Jup and Spurral, though Stryke wasn't alone in thinking it was with some understandable reluctance on the twins' part. The rest of the Wolverines were taking their food elsewhere in the dilapidated farmhouse.
It was Stryke who broke the silence. 'So what's the plan?'
'Plan?' Brelan said.
'How are you going to stoke your rebellion?'
Brelan smiled. It was more cynical than amused. 'Rebellions need popular backing. Unlike your far northern lands, the orcs here have no taste for rising up. As I said, we of the resistance are different; we're prepared to fight the invaders. But we're no more than a thorn in their side. Though what you did today — '
'You could do every day,' Coilla assured him. 'Our numbers are small too, if you hadn't noticed. Resolve counts more than numbers.'
'Along with training and experience,' Stryke said.
'Not that you couldn't do with a much bigger force,' Dallog added.
'I'd give my sword arm for another thousand warriors,' Brelan agreed. 'But warfare's not in the nature of orcs. At least, not in this part of the world.'
Haskeer had been stuffing his mouth with fowl. He dragged a sleeve across his greasy chin. 'Yeah, why are they so gutless in these parts?'
Stryke shot him a look. 'Sorry. My sergeant's not used to civil company.'
Haskeer shrugged and tore a large chunk from a loaf of bread.
'Orcs tend to be blunt in their opinions,' Chillder replied. 'It seems we are like our northern brethren in that way, and long may it last. But he's right. Our race's weakness shames us.'
'And we find it puzzling,' Stryke remarked. 'That orcs should shy from a fight… well, that's something we don't understand.'
'I think we've become too civilised. It seems you of the northern wastes aren't as soft in your ways. Life here has been too easy for too long, and it's buried our natural passions.'
'But underneath the fire's still there. You're proof of that.'
' You're the proof,' Brelan said. 'We differ a little from Acurial's citizenry; you could almost be from another world.'
Stryke smiled stiffly. 'I wouldn't say that.'
'I would. You're unlike any orcs I've ever known. I mean, you even have ranks, like the humans. How did that come about?'
Stryke felt as though he was about to start walking on eggs again. He could hardly say it was imposed on them as members of a horde headed by an insane sorceress. 'We got organised, created a clear line of command so we could better fight the enemy. It's something you should think about doing yourselves.'
'It's so like the way humans do it, and what with those tattoos you all had, I thought you might have been press-ganged by them.'
'Is that something they do here?' Coilla asked.
'No. They've tried, mind you. But they find orcs poor material for fighting. We've been such an unwarlike race there isn't even a tradition of weapon-making. We have to forge our own, or steal them from the occupiers.'
'Things do seem in a bad way here,' Stryke reflected.
Chillder nodded. 'They are. But what your band managed in one day gives us hope. If you'd help us organise and train, we could do some real damage to the occupiers, not just harass them.'
' Now you're talking,' Haskeer said. He gulped his wine. Some of it dribbled down the front of his jerkin.
'We can help,' Stryke confirmed.
Chillder looked to the dwarfs. 'Jup, are your folk as warlike as these orcs of the north?'
'We hold our own.'
'As well as any in the band,' Stryke told her.
'And how do you see us faring against the humans here, Jup?' Brelan asked.
'I'd imagine their greater numbers would be a problem.'
'They aren't that great. Granted there's more than the resistance. A lot more. But not as many as you might think to cow a nation.'
'How so?'
'Isn't it obvious? With a population this meek, they don't need vast regiments to keep us down. That's why we were such a tempting prize. It's not force of arms that holds the balance, it's damn magic.'
'And with orcs lacking that ability, it's not likely to change.'
'Yet it was the lie that we could control magic that led to the invasion.'
'How is it with dwarfs?' Chillder said.
Spurral had been picking at her food. She looked up. 'What do you mean?'
'We know some humans can master sorcery. Is it the same with dwarfs?'
'We may look a little like them, but we don't share that particular gift. Our troubles would have been over long before now if we did.'
'Pity.' Chillder turned her gaze to Pepperdyne and Stand-even.
'It's no good looking at us,' Pepperdyne said, raising his hands in denial. 'Magic's practised by an elite we've never been acquainted with.'
'You can't help us turn sorcery against them then,' Chillder sighed.
'Forget magic; it's not likely to be part of the orcs' armoury,' Stryke reckoned. 'But cold steel can match it.'
'How?' Brelan wanted to know.
'A dead wizard casts no spells. Humans are flesh, and they bleed. Concentrate on that.'
'It's easier said,' Chillder reminded him. 'What can we do to bring it about?'
'What you've been doing, only better. We've fought humans and we've fought magic. Both can be overcome. We'll share our skills with you, show you how to make the best of what you've got.'
'I had an idea about that,' Coilla ventured.
'Go on,' Brelan said.
'I noticed that you have a number of females in your ranks. But as far as I can see they're menials. Do any of them fight?'
It wasn't Brelan who replied, but his sister. 'Ah. You've touched on a sore point, Coilla. Of the resistance females, it's just me who takes on the enemy in battle. And that's only because my brother wouldn't dare deny me.'
'That's not really true,' Brelan protested. He saw how his twin was looking at him. 'Well, all right, it is. But as a general rule we don't let the females fight.'
'Why?' Coilla demanded.
'I'll say it again: we are few. We've a duty to protect the child-bearers.'
'Have you asked them what they think? Look, Brelan, you're an orc, but the way orcs are in Acurial isn't… natural. You need to understand that females of our race are as ferocious as the males. Or could be. They're an asset you're wasting.'
'That's never been our way.'
'Then change it. You're fighting for freedom for all. All should fight.'
