“What?” Taegan panted, staring in shock at the incapacitated orc. “Who...?”
He looked, and Zorvut was a few yards away from him, still atop his horse with an equally stunned expression, looking down at his hand which cupped a ball of flickering flame. But he seemed to snap out of it quickly and looked back to Taegan.
“Get behind me,” he said as he rode up, and Taegan clambered to his feet. The two orcs who had been pursuing him had come to an uneasy halt, staring with distrust at the flames in Zorvut’s hand. The two elven guards must have ushered away the common folk caught up in the skirmish and were now approaching cautiously, one with a crossbow and the other with a sword. They looked questioningly at Taegan, and he held up a hand for them to wait.
“Traitor,” the orc on the ground groaned, having wrenched the burning arrows out of his body. Taegan realized with a start that the orc was speakingelvish—whatever he was going to say, he wanted the elves to hear him and understand.The flames that had crept along his clothing were now mostly extinguished as he glared up at them from the dirt. His spooked horse had dashed away and did not seem to be slowing. “Whatever mercy Hrul may have had on you, half-breed, it’s gone now. He will know of your treason and cut you down with the rest of them. This willallbe orcish land again before long.”
“Good to know,” Zorvut replied coldly, still holding the fire in his hand as he looked down at the wounded orc from his horse. “Flee, then, and warn the warlord that any other scouts he may send here will meet the same fate as your friend, or worse.” He turned to face the other two orcs still on their horses, a cruel scowl spreading across his face. “Go!” he bellowed, and with a start, they began to gallop away, heading for the bridge to the other side of the river. The wounded orc lumbered to his feet and chased after them, apparently abandoning his horse.
His horse. With a sob, Taegan ran to Moonlight’s motionless form on the ground. She whickered weakly as he stumbled to his knees next to her head, but did not move. A puddle of blood surrounded them. Now that he was close enough to have a good look, the ax had cut her down to the bone. Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked away, unable to bear the gruesome sight—it was undoubtedly a mortal wound, and she was fading quickly.
“Taegan,” Zorvut’s voice came softly—he was already next to him, kneeling in the dirt at his side. “I’m so sorry.”
Taegan nodded wordlessly, unable to make a sound around the lump in his throat. He gently stroked Moonlight’s face, running his fingers through her mane. Her eyes followed the movement for a moment until her eyelids slowly shut. It felt like only an instant until she was gone.
In light of everything that had happened, it seemed such a small thing to shed tears over. But he could not stop himself from weeping as her breaths slowed and stopped. Zorvut pulled him into his arms and he pressed his face into his shoulder, stifling his cries.
But there was still work to be done. He allowed himself his moment of weakness and wept bitterly into Zorvut’s shoulder, then forced himself to pull away, wiping his eyes and breathing deeply until the tears stopped.
“Are you all right?” he asked hoarsely, gingerly holding his fingers to Zorvut’s arm where he had been wounded.
“Just a scratch,” Zorvut reassured him, pressing his hand over the cut. It came away bloody, but it did seem to be a shallow wound. Taegan nodded, and shakily stood, Zorvut steadying him. The two elven guards had approached but were still standing a careful distance away, and he could see some of the lay folk who had been caught up in the commotion now peeking their heads out of their homes to watch.
“Prince Taegan,” one of the guards said cautiously, her eyes flitting between Taegan and Zorvut as if unsure who to watch more closely. Her fair hair had been pulled back in a tight bun, but some pieces of it had fallen loose in the skirmish and were now plastered to her perspiring face. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he replied with a nod, leaning against Zorvut’s steady frame. “What happened here?”
“They came out of nowhere, my prince,” she replied. “I’m not even sure where they crossed the river, as we didn’t see anyone coming from the bridge. By the time we saw them they were already nearly in the town square.” She hesitated, glancing away. “We had heard rumors yesterday, but... I take it this means the peace treaty is really over? Are we at war again?”
The despair in her tone was enough to make Taegan feel as though his heart might shatter once more. These were his people, his responsibility, and he had promised them a new age of peace only to have their vision destroyed. How many had she known who had already died on the battlefield, and how many more would follow?
“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case,” he replied in a dark tone, forcing himself to meet her gaze. “But let me assure you of this. Whatever rumors you may have heard, my trust in my husband remains unwavering. He has no intention of betraying us, and that is the truth, just as you saw.”
He felt Zorvut’s breath hitch as the wordsmy husbandleft his lips. His hand on Taegan’s shoulder gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze. The guard looked between them a moment longer, then nodded.
“Thank you for your help here, Prince Zorvut,” she said, giving a polite bow of her head as she addressed him. “Without you, I fear we may have been overpowered.”
“I’m glad to be of service,” Zorvut replied, nodding solemnly. “I only wish things had not turned out this way.”
“Prince Taegan,” the other guard offered, finally speaking up. “If you have a need for a horse to return home, I’m sure we can find one suitable for you. It would be our honor.”
The offer was like a fistful of salt in the open wound of his heart, but Taegan nodded, hoping it was not obvious on his face.
“That would be much appreciated,” he said, then looked back at Moonlight’s body. “Is there somewhere we can bury her?”
The guards glanced at each other, hesitating until the woman, who seemed to be in charge, spoke up.
“If you’d prefer, we can have her body taken to the castle, if you wanted to bury her somewhere there,” she said, but Taegan shook his head.
Moonlight had been a gift from his late father, not long before he had died. It seemed somehow fitting to him for her to be laid to rest at the place he was born.
“No, I’d like to leave her here,” he said.
“There’s a good spot just a bit south,” the other guard interjected. “A nice sunny hill with a view of the river.”
“That would be nice,” Taegan agreed, nodding. “Thank you.”
Together, he and Zorvut removed the saddle bags and other equipment from Moonlight’s still body. At first, he had been worried how they would move her, but Zorvut seemed to have little issue shifting her weight as they dragged away the saddle.
