[Queen of Orcs 03] - Royal Destiny (33 page)

Kovok-mah tried to make sense of Zna-yat’s reply, but lacking his cousin’s grasp of deception, he failed to see its logic. Nevertheless, Kovok-mah accepted his explanation.
Zna-yat thinks like Dargu
, he thought.
He understands her plans better than I.

The palace gradually grew quieter as its occupants retired. Girta’s attendants left her apartments for their quarters. The traffic in and out of the doorway to the servant passageway diminished, then ceased altogether. Three of the oil lamps illuminating the corridor went out, but no one relit them. The orcs’ keen ears occasionally heard soft noises made by the spies hidden behind the wooden paneling. In time, they were the only sounds of human activity. Otherwise, the palace was deathly quiet except for the creaks and groans of an old building on a chill night. Zna-yat periodically moved to block the peephole. When the night was old, he did it again and motioned that it was time to act.

Kovok-mah quietly entered the queen’s apartments. Speed was essential, but he had never been there before, and he had no idea where the queen slept. The entrance chamber had five doors within it, and he cautiously opened each to peer into the room beyond. None was for sleeping, and all the rooms contained additional doors.
I must search further
, he thought.

“It’s doin’ it again,” said one of the Queen’s Men.

“Doin’ what?” asked his companion.

“Standin’ in front of the other spy hole.”

“So, what else is new?”

“Nothin’. Most like, it’s as bored as…Nay, wait! The other piss eye just entered the queen’s door.”

“Let me see,” said the second Queen’s Man. He put his eye to the spy hole and peered down the length of the hallway. There was only one orc visible. “Well suck Karm’s tits,” swore the man. “And I thought piss eyes weren’t sly.” He turned when he heard his companion draw his sword. “Sheath that! We’re to do nothin’ without the Queen’s Man’s say.”

“Nothin’?”

“Aye, nothin’, ’cept to report what’s happenin’. So, go tell him.”

“You mean wake him?”

“Aye, ye stupid arse, and be quick about it. I’ll keep an eye on the piss eyes.”

Girta woke with a start as a huge hand clamped over her mouth. She opened her eyes and saw a nightmare shape bent over her. It spoke in a low whisper. “I will not hurt you. You will be safe.”

Girta didn’t believe a word. The hand lifted for an instant, but before she could scream, clawed fingers forced a wad of cloth into her mouth. She was flipped over. A cloth band was wrapped around her lower face to hold the gag in place. Girta tried to tear it loose, but the orc grabbed her wrists and bound them behind her back. She felt as helpless as a trussed chicken.
Where are the Queen’s Men? The orcs were supposed to be watched.
A terrible thought came to her.
The orcs slew them!

When the orc pulled off the bedcovers to expose Girta’s legs, she realized that she was naked beneath her nightgown. She recalled horrific tales of orcs ravishing women and tried to kick the brute, but it snatched her ankles and bound them. Then, to Girta’s terror, it lifted her and placed her on the floor. Despite the fact that the orc had just tied her legs together, she felt certain it would rape her. Instead, it rolled her so that she was wrapped in thick cloth.

Girta felt her captor binding her further, as if she were a rolled carpet. When that was done, it lifted her and started walking. Girta wondered where she was being taken.
Will it throw me from the palace walls or will my death be crueler?
In her panic and despair, Girta had only one certainty:
This is Dar’s doing!

Kol entered the hidden observation chamber and found his man peering out the peephole. “What’s happened so far?”

The man continued to observe while he explained. “One of the piss eyes carried a bundle into the servant passageway. From the looks of it, I’d say someone was inside it.”

“It has to be the queen,” said Kol. “Did you follow my orders?”

“Aye, sir. The piss eyes don’t know we’re onto them.”

“Good,” said Kol. He considered the situation.
It seems Dar smelled out my trap.
Kol didn’t try to figure out how. Instead, he considered ways he might turn his setback to his advantage. Rescuing Girta seemed unpromising. He couldn’t see her declaring war, no matter how provoked. She was more likely to banish the orcs, which would make sparking a conflict much harder. Though Kol’s original plan was useless, one part was still salvageable.
Drastic measures are necessary
, he decided,
but these two aren’t up for the task.
He turned to the man who had brought him. “Rouse Wulfar, then come back,” he said. “Tell him to come here, but say he must gather iron first.”

The man looked puzzled. “Did ye say ‘gather iron,’ sir?”

“Aye. Now go!”

After the man left, Kol addressed the other Queen’s Man, who was still peering through the peephole. “Any changes?”

“Nay, sir. One piss eye’s still gone and t’other hasn’t moved. Probably thinks no one sees what’s goin’ on.” He chuckled. “Simpleminded brute.”

“Aye,” said Kol, silently drawing his dagger. “Piss eyes lack guile.” Then he slit the man’s throat.

Meanwhile, Kovok-mah carried Girta through the servant passageway. All the torches there had been extinguished and even he was blind in the total darkness. He had removed his boots upon entering it to feel his way with his feet as well as his hands. Dar had told him no washavoki would use the narrow corridor and stairs without a torch; thus light would warn him of anyone’s approach. Yet negotiating the pitch-black passageway was difficult, and Kovok-mah did it slowly. The washavoki queen continued to make muffled noises and struggle feebly. Kovok-mah could smell her fear and felt sorry for her.
When she understands Dargu’s goodness, she won’t be afraid.
He hoped that she would reach that understanding soon.

Kovok-mah was relieved when he reached the palace kitchen and could see again. His keen ears heard someone sleeping in a corner, but he was quiet and quick as he made his way to the courtyard. There, he dashed to the stables with his burden. Since Dar had forgotten to caution him to hide his tracks, he was mindless of his footprints in the snowy courtyard. He entered the stables and made his way to the orcs’ enclosed latrine. Its stone floor was cold, and Kovok-mah felt bad about leaving his captive on it. Nevertheless, he did and hurried back to his post.

The “iron” Wulfar gathered before reporting to the observation chamber consisted of the members of a secret brotherhood within the Queen’s Men. Kol had created it and named it the Iron Circle. Only its men were privy to his true ambitions. Over a dozen in number, they were as hardened as the general, who killed the man he had sent to summon Wulfar upon his return. When the Iron Circle arrived, two corpses lay at its leader’s feet.

“Piss eyes have kidnapped Girta,” said General Kol. He glanced meaningfully at the two bodies. “Now, only we know it.”

“What ’bout those at the other peephole?” asked Wulfar.

“They can’t see,” said Kol. “A piss eye blocks their view.”

“What are yer orders, sir? Should we get the queen back?”

“I’ve been pondering that,” said Kol. “I believe Dar got wind of my plan. Otherwise, this abduction makes no sense. It’s a foolhardy move, but it forces my hand.” He turned to one of the men. “Wake Lokung and escort him to the House of Balten. Tell him to fetch Girta’s double and bring her here.”

As the man departed, one of his comrades asked, “What about the piss eyes? They have the queen.”

“I’m certain they’ll try to sneak her to the garrison, so I want every way out of the palace and the city watched.”

“Should we stop them?”

“Nay, let them pass, then report to me. I need to know when the queen reaches the garrison. Before she does, I want our men out of there.” Kol turned to Wulfar. “Take three men to the garrison. Give my order for an immediate withdrawal. After the men are gone, kill all the serving women. Do it quietly. Then hack their bodies to make it look like orcs did it.”

Kol could tell the men didn’t understand the purpose of his orders, so he elaborated. “Having the queen out of Taiben serves my purpose, but only if no one knows she’s missing.” That was all he said, choosing to keep the rest of his stratagem secret until the time came to put it into action.

After the men departed on their missions, Kol took another look through the peephole. There were two orc guards flanking the queen’s door again.
They’ve secreted Girta somewhere
, he thought. Kol felt certain that Dar wouldn’t harm the queen, only talk to her. He wondered how much Dar knew and whether she’d be able to convince Girta of its truth.
It won’t make any difference if she does.
Kol smiled, glad that the plotting was over.
I can act at last!
All that was left was to wait for dawn.

Thirty-eight

Dar spent the night too nervous to sleep. Soon after Kovok-mah and Zna-yat had departed for Taiben, she began to see flaws in her plan. By then, it was too late for second thoughts; the arrow had been loosed. All that remained was to find out where it struck. Toward dawn, an orc informed her that all the black-garbed washavokis were leaving the garrison. Dar peered out the door, but snow was falling heavily, and she could neither see nor hear the withdrawal. Nevertheless, she didn’t doubt the orc’s keener senses. The development heightened her concern, for she feared it was a sign that something had gone wrong.

By the time first light appeared in the sky, Dar was in a state approaching panic. Still, she tried to appear calm as Magtha-jan and Nagtha-yat prepared to relieve Kovok-mah and Zna-yat from guard duty. Magtha-jan was chosen because he was an experienced guard, while Nagtha-yat could understand what the washavokis were saying. Both knew their mission was dangerous. Girta’s orc guards said she usually slept late, and Dar hoped to return the queen—enlightened to her peril—to the palace before she was discovered missing. If that plan failed, Dar feared the consequences. Thus, it was with a heavy heart and many reservations that she sent the two orcs off as dawn approached.

The blizzard that had arisen during the night continued unabated, and Taiben was invisible in the storm. Dar received no report of whether the orcs had entered its gates. She waited anxiously for news. At last, two figures were spotted. It was all Dar could do to keep from running to them. Instead, she and Nir-yat donned shirts in hopes of receiving a royal guest. Dar’s heart was pounding wildly by the time the door opened and Kovok-mah and her brother entered the barracks.

“Do you have her?” asked Dar in Orcish.

“Hai, Muth Mauk,” replied Kovok-mah.

There was something about Kovok-mah’s voice that disquieted Dar. When she glanced into his eyes, he seemed ashamed. “Release her quickly.”

Beneath Kovok-mah’s snow-covered cloak was a lump so conspicuous that Dar was amazed that he had managed to get past the guards at the gates. The cloak was removed to reveal Girta’s body strapped to his back. It was wrapped in cloth that was further wrapped with rope. Zna-yat worked quickly to free the bundle. Then he gently lowered it to the floor, where he removed the bindings around the cloth wrapping and unrolled it to expose the captive inside.

With a single glance, Dar realized the magnitude of her blunder. Queen Girta sat up amid the cloth that had imprisoned her, still gagged and bound. She was shivering in her thin nightgown and her bare feet were blue from cold. Unable to speak, she glared about with wild eyes, resembling a snared animal in her terror and rage.

What have I done?
thought Dar, understanding the cause of Kovok-mah’s shame. She spoke to him in the human tongue so Girta might understand. “Free her and see to her comfort.”

Kovok-mah undid the gag first, and Girta spoke as he untied her hands and feet. “How
dare
you!” she said in a shrill voice.

“I did it for your welfare,” said Dar.

“Don’t lie to me! At least, spare me that.”

“I had to talk to you, and I couldn’t do it around Kol.”

“So you sent your brutes to…to…”

“Listen to me, Girta! Othar’s alive. He’s helping Kol.”

“Liar! Liar! Filthy lying whore.”

Girta’s hysteria convinced Dar there was little point in reasoning with her. Kindness seemed a more promising approach. Dar brought her thick wool cloak over to Girta. “Warm clothing will soon arrive. Until then, wear this.”

As Dar bent over to wrap Girta’s shoulders, the queen struck out and raked her nails across Dar’s cheeks. The orcs reacted immediately and lunged to seize Girta. Dar cried out “Gav!”—
Stop!
—before they grabbed the queen. The orcs froze, then slowly settled down. Dar touched her face and withdrew bloody fingers. “I’ve hurt this mother,” said Dar in Orcish. “She’s justly angry.”

The orcs’ reaction had further terrified Girta. She cowered, clutching Dar’s cloak around her. The queen still shivered, but Dar doubted it was from cold. “I’m sorry, Girta.”

Girta said nothing.

“I’d let you go right now,” said Dar. “But if I do that, I fear Kol will harm you. I know his secret, and if he thinks you know it, too, he’ll…” Dar could tell her words were having no effect.
Does she even hear me?