Harmon smiled. "You lie, Orc. We have sent riders ahead. There is no sign of them."
Laruhk's face fell. It appeared the ruse would not work after all. "Very well, I shall tell you, but you must promise not to punish them."
Harmon looked like he wanted to say something but instead took a breath, his face turning red. "Go on," he urged.
"We tried to lure you westward so we could make an escape."
"To where, man?"
Laruhk wanted to laugh, for being called a man was funny to him. Instead, he took a deep breath. "They are going south, to the wilderness."
"I knew it!" said Harmon. "It was a trick all along. These are crafty creatures, these Orcs."
"Your orders, sir?"
"Send the cavalry south. As soon as they've found the trail, we'll send the infantry to follow."
"And what of the prisoner, sir?"
Harmon rose, a smile crossing his features. "He has given us all he can. Dispose of him, Sergeant."
"Yes, Commander." The warrior moved closer, drawing his sword. Laruhk gazed up at him, unable to do anything but watch his own doom approaching.
The commander had moved out of sight, but the sergeant, obviously enjoying himself, made a show of holding the blade before Laruhk's eyes.
"See this, greenskin? This is the instrument of your death. Say your prayers to whatever you believe in."
As he drew back his sword, ready to plunge it into Laruhk's chest, he suddenly halted, a look of surprise on his face as the tip of an arrow blossomed from his chest, splattering Laruhk with blood. The sergeant fell forward to his knees, then flat onto his face, the tail end of the arrow protruding from his back.
Moments later, Durgash was there, warbow in one hand, his knife in the other. "Can you walk?"
"No," said Laruhk, "but I can run!"
Hunting Grounds
Summer 1104 SR
Urughar slowly brushed aside the weeds, his eyes searching the area. "I see no sign of them at present, but our hunters marked their presence here only yesterday."
"Then we shall proceed on our own," said Athgar. "I think it best they don't know we're here at your request, at least initially."
"Good luck to you, Therengian, and may your axe stay sharp."
"Thank you, Urughar."
The Orc hunter withdrew, leaving Athgar and Natalia in silence, the only sound that of distant songbirds.
"It's very peaceful here," she noted.
"So it is," he agreed. "How do you think we should proceed?"
It took only a moment for Natalia to make up her mind. She rose, stretching her back and luxuriating in the warmth of the sun. "There's no sense in skulking around here; we should walk out in the open."
He soon joined her, though his hand gripped his axe tightly.
"Put that away," she said. "We want to make friends, not intimidate them. Besides which, we might not see them at all."
"They were here yesterday."
"There is no guarantee they are still here. If you were hunting, wouldn't you want to take the kill back to your village?"
"Of course, so Skora could skin it for me."
"She was the old woman who helped look after you and your sister, wasn't she?"
"That's right, I'm surprised you remember. I wouldn't have thought you'd consider it important."
"People are always important, and aside from your sister, she's probably the closest you have to a family. Hopefully I'll meet her one day."
Athgar frowned. "I doubt you'll get the chance. She was old when I last saw her. She's probably dead by now."
"Why would you say that?"
"Skora always had a streak of rebellion. I doubt she'd take well to a life of slavery. What about you? Do you remember much about your mother?"
"No, but then again, I was young."
"But you were thirteen when you went to the Volstrum, weren't you? Can't you remember something?"
"Ten, actually. I vaguely remember a face, but the academy kept us busy. There was little time for reflection. I'm afraid I've lost most of my childhood memories."
He reached out his hand. "Then we'll just have to make new ones."
Natalia grasped his hand in hers as they stepped into the clearing. Athgar paused as he spotted movement, and then a hare raced across the clearing, a wolf in pursuit.
"I doubt we'll see any hunters yet," he said, pointing. "If they were in the area, the wolves would be scarce."
"Don't they normally hunt in packs?" she asked.
"They do, but this one looks young. Perhaps he's learning?"
"Should we be alarmed?"
"No, they seldom attack Humans."
"Seldom, or never?"
Athgar smiled. "They've been known to attack farm animals from time to time, but only in harsh winters. This place looks to be teeming with wildlife."
She cast her eyes about, then turned to face him. "Are we looking at the same place? I see no signs of life."
He pointed at a nearby tree. "Something's been nibbling at the bark over there, and there are deer prints beneath us, not to mention the hare we just saw."
She looked down in wonderment. "Deer prints?"
Athgar knelt, pointing them out. "Yes, here. Don't you see them? A young buck would be my guess."
"How can you possibly tell that?"
"I'm a hunter, remember? The depth of the print gives a rough idea of the weight."
"This is definitely your world," she said. "You feel at home here, don't you?"
"I feel at home wherever you are," he replied, "but I was raised in a place like this, though there were not so many pine trees in Athelwald."
"And more maple," noted Natalia. "I do so like the taste of it."
"You're thinking of Shaluhk's porridge again."
"I am. I think I've developed a taste for it."
"Come on, let's get moving."
"Which direction?"
Athgar scanned the area. "Kirak said they came from the west. That seems like a good enough place to start."
They started walking, enjoying the warm summer's day, but here, north of the Grey Spires, the land was cooler than Ord-Kurgad, and Athgar found himself shivering slightly. He pulled his tunic closer, warding off the chill wind that blew in from the distant mountains.
"There'll be snow soon," he mused.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Natalia, "it's still
