That did not seem promising, but Taegan acquiesced, stumbling to his feet to step toward the guard. The orc grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him from the cell, before pushing him toward the stone steps where another guard was waiting, this one the same orc with the torch who had just brought him food. He could see the torchlight glinting off a set of metal chains in his opposite hand, and his stomach lurched with fear.
The first orc held his shoulder with a painfully tight grip as he stepped up to the second one, who yanked his right wrist up, wrapping the chain around it. Taegan offered his left hand, but still the guard grabbed him as roughly as if he were trying to flee. His wrists were wrapped so tight that he winced as the guard locked the chain in place, but did his best not to make a sound. He would not give them the satisfaction of knowing he was afraid or in pain, though his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.
Once he was sufficiently bound, the first guard took the length of chain and led him up beyond the stairs, through a small room that Taegan barely got a glimpse of before pushing open a heavy metal door and flooding Taegan’s vision with light. In the time since he had last been brought out of the dungeon, his eyes had readjusted enough to the darkness that now the light made his head throb and his eyes burn. He winced and stumbled after the orc, who was walking on completely unfazed.
Taegan followed blindly for a long moment, blinking and rubbing his eyes as much as he could with his wrists wrapped so closely. Tears streamed down his face as if he were weeping, making what little he could see blurry and shapeless for what felt like hours as they walked. When his vision finally adjusted, they were still outside, though none of his surroundings were familiar.
But as he glanced around, the streets seemed empty—had it been so empty before? He could not quite remember. He knew that Drol Kuggradh, though it was the largest city in the orc territories, housed only a handful of orcs permanently, as the majority of their number still roved the mountainous wilds as nomads and might pass through the capital but rarely stayed for long. Still, something about the silent, empty streets unsettled him.
Taegan managed a glance up at the sky—luckily, the lack of high towers and tall buildings meant he could see the sun unimpeded, although the brightness of it burned his eyes anew. It was a fairly clear day, and the sun was quite high in the sky, just a bit off from the center. Whether it was late morning or early afternoon, he could not tell.
He had to jog to keep up with the orc as they walked, making a few turns but mainly following a wide dirt road in a straight line. It looked like they were approaching the city gate.
Taegan’s heart leapt into his throat at the realization. The city gate? Certainly they would not be releasing him, but where else might they take him? But as they drew nearer, he could distantly hear the sounds of voices speaking the harsh guttural sounds of orcish. Something must be happening.
Sure enough, as they approached, Taegan could see a clearing in front of the city gate, and a crowd of orcs had gathered around it. He recognized the warlord Hrul Bonebreaker standing in the center, speaking to some of them. Unlike the last time he had seen the warlord, he seemed ready for battle now, his face and body painted with red symbols in stark contrast to his gray-green skin and a massive battle axe strapped to his back. Now that he was looking, many of the orcs that were gathered around him looked dressed and painted for battle as well.
Taegan’s heart sank down to the very pit of his stomach. If the warlord was preparing for battle, then…
“Ah, the prince has arrived!” Hrul Bonebreaker exclaimed in elvish, his eyes landing on the approaching guard leading Taegan toward the clearing. Much of the chatter around them fell silent at his voice, heads swinging to stare at Taegan as well. He barked something in orcish, making a beckoning gesture at the guard, before continuing in elvish, “Excellent. Come here, come here.”
The guard leading him lowered his head as he approached, then handed the chain over to the warlord before stepping away silently. Taegan eyed him warily, trying to keep his face void of any emotion despite his pounding heart.
“I’m sure you must have questions,” the warlord continued, grinning down at Taegan. “And I’ll indulge you, since we’re waiting for the main act to arrive.”
“Please, enlighten me,” Taegan replied wryly, looking away. The orc chuckled, turning to face the city gate and gesturing toward it.
“Everything has worked out exactly as I’d hoped,” he continued. “Poor Zorvut has made his way here all alone and should be arriving within the hour. Soon, he’ll arrive, and when he does, you’ll watch me kill him, and then you will die, too. Then nothing will impede my way into Aefraya.”
Taegan forced his face to remain still, forced his breathing to remain even and calm. But his heart was pounding, his stomach roiling with nerves. Part of him was relieved Zorvut had come to rescue him, but the rest of him was terrified. The warlord was so much bigger, so much stronger—did Zorvut really stand a chance, even with his magic?
“Or maybe I’ll make him watch first,” Hrul said, glancing back down at Taegan with a sneer, clearly irritated at the lack of response. “What do you think? Should I behead you right away, or should I make him watch you be fucked to death? I’m sure more than a few of these men wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to try.”
Fear spiked in chest at that, and he could not stop the words as he snapped, “Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to punish him for something that isn’t his fault?”
“It’s only partly about him,” he answered, the casualness in his voice sparking even more rage in Taegan. “He was supposed to be my excuse to end the peace treaty anyway. I had hoped you would find each other insufferable and eventually he would return. But then he had the gall to side with you damned elves, so you all have to go.”
“It sounds to me like you’re trying to punish him for your wife’s own indiscretions,” Taegan replied bitterly.
He did not see the warlord lash out at him, but suddenly he was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him and his face throbbing. His nose was bleeding, he realized as he pressed his bound hands up to his face and pulled them away wet and bloody. When his eyes trained on the warlord hulking over him, Hrul’s face had finally twisted into a look of true rage.
“She will continue to pay for what she did, too,” he snarled, then wrenched on the chain, hauling Taegan to his feet. Blood splattered down his neck and onto his shirt. “But I have more important matters to deal with first.”
Part of Taegan wanted to make some retort, but the words died in his mouth. Something clicked in the back of his head, and there was a sense of unease that was not his own coming from the bond.
Zorvut. Relief flooded him so rapidly that tears immediately sprang to his eyes, and he pressed his hands to his mouth. With any luck, Hrul had not seen the grin that had instinctually spread across his face. He doubled over, his whole body shaking as he tried to stop himself from weeping in sheer happiness. It was as if he had been viewing the world through a cloudy lens that had finally been pulled away and for the first time in weeks, he could truly see.
Zorvut must have felt the bond snap back into place, as well, because the anxiety that had been trickling from the bond suddenly became a joyful relief that echoed his own.
I’m coming, he heard in his head, as clearly as if Zorvut were whispering in his ear.Trust me.
“Finally sinking in, eh?” Hrul said, now with a faint grin spreading around his tusks. “Unfortunately for you, no one here will be moved by your tears.”
Taegan barely heard him, his whole consciousness cradled around the pinpoint in the back of his head where Zorvut had finally returned, where he belonged. A spark of hope bloomed in his chest, for once overpowering the fear that had been simmering inside him from the moment he had been captured. Zorvut would save him, he knew it. Hehadto.
8
Zorvut
