“Gorza!” Zorvut exclaimed behind him, stepping up to the orc. He said something in orcish, then turned to Taegan and said in elvish, “This is my sister, Gorza, who I told you about. She knows a bit of elvish. Gorza, Taegan is joining me today.”
Gorza met Taegan’s gaze and hesitated for a moment before grimacing. Immediately he could tell her mind was elsewhere, and a tight knot of tension squeezed through the bond, too, hinting that Zorvut felt the same.
“Taegan,” she said briskly, nodding toward him. “I’m glad to finally meet you. Unfortunately, Zorvut, I come with bad news.”
Zorvut frowned. “Let’s hear it.”
She sighed, glancing between them, then said in a lower voice, “It’s Zesh. He’s gathered a group from the outlying clans, and they’re marching on Drol Kuggradh.”
14
Taegan
There was a beat of silence, then Zorvut sat down at the large table with a long, slow sigh. The bond was suddenly quiet; whatever he was feeling, he must have been tightly guarding. Taegan glanced between him and Gorza for a moment, brows furrowed.
“Zesh is… your brother, right?” he asked, tentatively breaking the silence. Gorza gave a single terse nod.
“Our eldest brother, yes,” Zorvut replied slowly, running a hand over his face as he spoke. “No one had heard from him, or any of our other siblings, since I took Drol Kuggradh. But as the eldest I suppose he may have felt… entitled, in a way, to becoming the next warlord. I’m not surprised, but it is disappointing to hear.”
“And depending on the size of his army, he may have a real chance at taking Drol Kuggradh,” Gorza interjected.
A flash of anger burned from the bond, but was gone by the time Taegan looked back over at Zorvut.
“I won’t let that happen,” he said, his voice a low growl. “No, the people of Drol Kuggradh want peace. Even if Zesh has gathered an army, we have one, too.”
“It may be smaller,” Gorza said softly. “I mean, we have the elves, but… I haven’t been able to figure out for sure how many orcs ride with Zesh, and I’m sure he has some sympathizers in the city. And he’s not far. From what I was told, I’d expect them in a day, maybe two.”
“A day?!” Taegan exclaimed, startled, and from behind him he heard Zorvut groan in frustration as well.
“You could have led with that, Gorza,” he snapped, leaning over the table to study the map spread out upon it. He seemed to consider it for a moment, then looked back at her. “If he’s gathered orcs from the outlying clans, he’s almost certainly coming from the west. Have the guard on the western wall doubled, and warn everyone to be on the alert. At the first sign of a group they’re to sound the alarm. Make sure the elves know, too.”
“I’m on it,” Gorza said, and she had ducked back out of the tent just as suddenly as she’d arrived.
They remained in a nervous silence for a long moment, Zorvut’s gaze lingering on the map as Taegan watched him uncertainly, feeling a muffled range of emotions from the bond that he could not quite identify.
After a moment Zorvut finally looked back over at him, his lips pressed together in a tight line around his tusks.
“Come here,” he said softly, gesturing for Taegan to step closer to him. He obliged, and the half-orc took him into his arms, hugging him tightly as Taegan let out a surprised, nervous laugh.
“Maybe I should have gone back to Aefraya after all, like you said,” he sighed, lifting his arms to return the embrace. Even sitting, Zorvut had to lower his head to press his face into Taegan’s shoulder. He could feel him take in a few long, slow breaths before raising his head to meet Taegan’s eyes once more.
“No, I’m glad you’re here,” he replied, and Taegan stifled a slight grin at that. “I was worried your presence might be the spark that finally lit the flame of whatever was brewing, but it seems it was on the way regardless of whether or not you were here. So I’m glad you stayed.” He grimaced, and a grim sort of amusement trickled from the bond. “It seems like you’re finally going to get the battle against the orcs you’ve always wanted.”
Taegan could not stop himself from laughing aloud at that, though it was a dry and humorless laugh.
“I suppose so,” he said, nodding. “Though I have to say it’s not nearly as exciting a prospect as I had once hoped.”
“Listen,” Zorvut said, his tone suddenly much more serious. He pulled away from their embrace enough to look Taegan directly in the eye, his grip tightening around Taegan’s arms to hold him firmly in place. “I know how strong a fighter you are, how capable a leader you are. I trust you completely. Do you understand?”
Taegan blinked, taken aback at his sudden sternness. “Yes, I understand.”
“I trust you completely,” Zorvut repeated, then sighed. “But I don’t know anything about what Zesh is planning. And it’s entirely likely that he’ll challenge me to single combat, the way I did with Hrul. In fact, I would be surprised if he doesn’t. If it comes to that… I’m still injured, and I won’t have the surprise of my magic against him. So if things take a turn for the worse… Taegan, if it seems like it’s going to be a losing battle, I want you to take as many elves as you can rally and go home. Back to Aefraya.”
Taegan frowned, Zorvut’s words not processing right away. Go home?
“What?” he asked, shaking his head. “I won’t leave you, Zorvut.”
“I’m serious,” Zorvut said, releasing Taegan for just a brief moment to instead grasp his hands, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. “You can’t—you can’t die here, Taegan. Your father needs you. Your people need you. You have so,somuch longer to live.”
