[Queen of Orcs 03] - Royal Destiny (40 page)

Despite the orcs’ deference to their queen, a murmur arose among them. Dar waited for it to quiet.

“Our enemy’s strength is also its weakness. Big armies cannot hide. They have many mouths to feed. Washavokis don’t know this land, but they can follow New Road to our hall. They have no choice but to come. They need food. They need shelter. They want our goods and our lives. All these things they must take from us. But when they come, they won’t find them. They’ll find death instead. Why? Because we’ll have sealed pass so they cannot leave, and we’ll have departed after destroying this hall.”

This time, the chamber rang with alarmed voices. Muth-yat’s was the loudest. Eventually, the others quieted so Muth-yat could speak for them. “So this is your wisdom?” she cried. “To become cowards and abandon our home?”

“I say cling to life, not this hall,” said Dar. “We can overcome these washavokis, but only if we act wisely. Mothers will flee, but sons will remain. With no food or shelter and nowhere to flee, washavokis will weaken. We’ll attack them as small birds attack hawk. We’ll dart in to peck our larger foe, then fly away. Each peck will injure it. Many small wounds can bring death.”

“You brought this on us!” shouted Muth-yat, violating all propriety. “You should have tasted Muth la’s Draught!”

“Have her taste it now!” cried Zor-yat. “If she’s worthy to rule, let her prove it!”

“Muthuri!” shouted Nir-yat. “Have you forsaken wisdom? This hall’s destruction was foretold! You know this.”

“How dare you speak to me like that!” screamed Zor-yat in reply. “You’re my daughter. Show respect.”

“I follow your example, Muthuri. How dare you question Muth Mauk’s wisdom?”

The exchange stunned the crowd into silence. That was when Muth-pah mounted the first step of the throne, drawing everyone’s attention “I am Muth-pah. Hear my wisdom. My clan was once mightiest among urkzimmuthi. We were Queen Clan. Tarathank was our home. Yet now my entire clan fits into one hanmuthi, and we’re called lost.

“Most believe washavokis did that to us, but we did it to ourselves. True, washavokis destroyed our city and killed many of our number. But that didn’t make us Lost Clan. We became doomed when our thoughts fixed on past. We sent our sons to kill, hoping to take back what had been lost. When that failed, we lingered in west. There, our sons hunted washavoki skulls. We embraced death, not life. Thus we diminished.

“Do not let this lovely hall become your Tarathank. It’s only wood and stone. Your lives and your children are your true treasures. Heed Muth Mauk’s wisdom. Forsake this hall.”

Then Dar spoke. “Muth la sends me visions, but she doesn’t tell me what to do. I must choose my path. As your queen, I can command you. I will not. I cannot make you live. That must be your choice.

“If you choose to remain, I’ll stay and die with you. If you choose to flee, I will guide you. Whatever you decide, be aware that this hall
will
burn. Muth la has shown me its destruction. Perhaps washavokis will set it on fire. Perhaps we will. I don’t know.”

Dar swept her glaze over the entire room. “Now choose.”

For a moment, everyone stood frozen. Then Jvar-yat, the clan’s latath, spoke out. “Guide me, Muth Mauk. I will follow you.” She sank to her knees and made the sign of the Tree.

“I’ll heed your wisdom,” said Tauma-yat, kneeling and making the sign for Muth la.

Then other muthuris did the same. The room filled with their voices as they knelt. From where Dar sat, the mothers looked like grass bending before a wind. Eventually, only Muth-yat and Zor-yat remained standing. They glanced about, then fell to their knees also.

The room grew still and silent. Dar regarded the kneeling orcs with tear-brimmed eyes before she spoke. “We must flee in haste but not in panic. Gather warm clothes and those tools you’ll need to start new life. Carry as much food as you possibly can. Pile everything you leave behind together so it might be burned after you depart. Stay in your hanmuthis to receive further guidance. When it’s time to leave, Nir-yat will guide you. You should go now.”

As the chamber emptied out, Dar began to think of all the things that must be done.
I must finish the plan for sealing the pass…tell sons how they must fight…plot our escape…send messages to the other clans…direct the destruction of this hall.
When she considered each task, the details seemed overwhelming. Dar’s head was awhirl with all she had to accomplish, and it was a while before she noticed her sister gazing at her. Nir-yat looked distressed. “What is it?” Dar asked.

“
I’m
to guide our clan as we flee?”

“Hai. I’ll see this hall is destroyed, then join you.”

“But you’re our queen.”

“And you’re my sister. I have confidence in you.”

“But…”

“I need you, Nir. Who else can I turn to? Not Muth-yat.”

Nir-yat bowed. “Then I’ll do my best.”

“Your best is all that’s necessary. Make sure this goes calmly. Head for Mah clan halls but avoid New Road.”

Nir-yat thought a moment. “We can take road to Smat clan halls,” she said. “It goes north, but after three days’ travel, it joins with road that heads south. That way will add at least five days to our journey.”

“Your plan sounds wise,” said Dar. “Gather those living in countryside as you go. They must flee also. Nothing can remain for washavokis.”

“You’ll need sons to help destroy this hall,” said Nir-yat. “How many should I send you?”

“Send thirty. Also set out sentries to warn of washavokis’ approach. All remaining sons should go with mothers and protect them.”

After Nir-yat departed, Dar summoned the three Tok clan representatives. “We’re going to destroy this hall,” said Dar when they arrived, “so washavokis will have no food or shelter. If you seal pass, they cannot escape.”

“Desperate foes are dangerous ones, Muth Mauk,” said Karam-tok. “Are you sure you want them in our land?”

Dar briefly considered letting Kol depart without a fight. Without the prospect of plunder, he might lose interest in the orcs. On the face of it, that seemed less risky than trapping and fighting him. Then Dar recalled how she had bested Kol before, only to have him return even stronger. Dar’s instincts told her that Kol wouldn’t let matters rest.
And what of Othar?
Dar assumed he was still in Taiben.
If the army returns intact, he’ll use it for another invasion.
With that reflection, Dar resolved on her course. “Hidden foes are most deadly,” said Dar. “We can’t avoid this fight. Best have it now.”

Karam-tok bowed. “Then let us discuss how we’ll seal pass.”

“We know washavokis were camped on New Road just beyond pass,” said Dar. “I assume they’ll arrive here late today.”

Sevren, who had been following the conversation as best he could, spoke up in Orcish. “Washavokis will not fight dark. Will wait morning.”

“That’s good to know,” said Karam-tok. “We’ll need that time.”

Gar-tok pulled out what looked to Dar to be a bundle of sticks and string. She tugged at one of the strings and the bundle opened to become an intricate, three-dimensional construction. It was comprised of sticks, which differed in shape, length, thickness, and color, that were bound together by cords that also varied. “This is trafpaha. It shows ridge and rocks that make it,” said the lorekeeper. The three Tok clan members studied the object, clearly understanding its complex symbology.

Tar-tok pointed to a knotted cord. “So we would ascend here?”

“Hai,” replied Gar-tok. “It’s two hills west of New Road and out of sight from it.”

“Yellow means steep climb,” said Tar-tok.

“Use ropes,” said Karam-tok.

“Hai,” said Tar-tok. He slowly traced a series of sticks that portrayed the ridgeline. “This way won’t be easy.” His fingers stopped at a protruding stick. “Is this peak you spoke of?”

“Hai. What do you think?”

Tar-tok studied the pattern of small twigs radiating from the stick that represented the peak. “Kokuum might work here. What do you think, Karam-tok?”

The mother examined the trafpaha. “It looks promising.” She bowed to Dar. “Muth Mauk, shall we risk using kokuum to seal pass? It would be faster, though less certain of success.”

“Speed is necessary for success,” said Dar. “Use kokuum.” She thought a moment, then added. “How will I know if passage is closed?”

“Perhaps we could light signal fire,” said Karam-tok.

But who would see it?
wondered Dar. The pass was far away and visibility was unpredictable. She resigned herself to living with uncertainty. “You needn’t bother,” she said. “After you seal pass, head for Mah clan halls. When we meet there, I’ll know you succeeded.”

Karam-tok bowed. “We’ll leave at once.”

As the three departed, Dar turned to Kovok-mah. “Will those mothers go with Tar-tok?”

“Most certainly, Muth Mauk.”

“Even Gar-tok? She looks too old to be climbing mountains.”

“She’ll go,” replied Kovok-mah. “She’s their lorekeeper, and Tok clan lore concerns mostly rocks and mountains. She knows that ridge like I knew my goats.”

Dar recalled how Lama-tok had loved stonework.
He dragged me about Tarathank to show his favorite walls.
Thoughts of her slain friend renewed her grief. “Peril and haste have made me neglectful,” she said. “If I live, I must honor dead properly.”

Time was not on Dar’s side and she knew it. That was her only certainty. Almost everything else was unknown and unpredictable.
When will Kol’s army arrive? Will they attack at once? Will the pass be sealed? If it’s sealed, what will Kol do? Can we fight so great a foe? Will this storm help or hurt us?
Dar tried not to waste time attempting to answer those questions; there was too much to do.

Dar’s initial impulse was to pitch in and help. If Kol’s army arrived before the hall was evacuated, everyone would be slaughtered. Yet as much as Dar wanted to lend a hand, she knew that wasn’t her role. She was queen, and her task was to lead. Dar had much to do. She had to ensure the evacuation went swiftly, oversee the hall’s destruction, and prepare for the fighting to follow. That meant remaining in the center of the storm, not flying about in it.

Her first step was to meet with the thirty sons Nir-yat had sent to help destroy the hall. Dar spoke with them after they gathered in the Great Chamber. “Walls of this hall are stone,” she said, “but most of its ceilings are wooden. Gather everything that will burn into piles within largest rooms. When I give word, we’ll break all windows to let in wind, and set those piles ablaze. Those fires must spread quickly. How can this be aided?”

A son bowed. “In kitchen, there are cooking oils that could help piles ignite.”

“Wise thinking,” said Dar. “Use lamp oil, too.”

Another son bowed. “Cloth could be soaked in those oils. That would make it light quicker.”

“Hai,” said Dar. “Do that, but save all white cloth. Worn like cloaks, it will make you hard to see in snow.” Dar could tell by the orcs’ faces that many failed to grasp the idea of camouflage. It seemed a foretaste of the difficulties ahead. “Do this thing and trust in my wisdom. Is there anything else that can speed fire’s spread?”

“Deetpahis are waxed wood,” said a son. “They’ll burn well.”

“Good suggestion,” said Dar, “but I must consult with lorekeeper first.” She turned to Zna-yat. “You know this hall well. Decide which rooms should be set ablaze and direct sons in assembling piles. I think we’ll be lighting them soon.”

Dar spoke to her other mintaris. “Assist Zna-yat. Sevren, come with me.” Then she addressed the assembled sons. “Zna-yat will tell you what to do.” She rose to see the lorekeeper. “Remember, Zna, washavokis should find nothing they can use. Keep me informed. I’ll return here soon.” As Zna-yat bowed, Dar hurried out of the room with Sevren at her heels.

“Have you been following what I’ve said?” asked Dar in the human tongue.

“I understand Orcish better than I speak it,” replied Sevren. “Having your fighters wear white capes was a clever idea.”

“Which a lot of them don’t grasp,” said Dar. “Murdant Teeg was right. Orcs lack guile.”

“Their queen doesn’t.”

“So talk to me about tactics,” said Dar as she walked. “What will Kol do first?”

“That depends on what he wants. If it’s just plunder, he’ll camp and wait for dawn to attack. If it’s slaughter, he’ll surround the hall right away to cut off any escape.”

“Othar’s his master,” said Dar. “I’m certain he’ll want slaughter.”

“Then get your folk out quick and have them hide their tracks as best they can.”

“There are ways out from this hall other than the road,” said Dar. “If Kol thinks we’re in here, he won’t go hunting for us.”

“But as soon as you torch this place, he’ll know you’ve fled.”

“I’ll wait until the last possible moment.”

“We could end up trapped in a burning building.”

“That’s not your problem,” said Dar. “You’re going with Nir-yat. Those sons with her must learn how to fight.”

“They won’t listen to me.”

“They’ll listen to her.”

“What if I can’t explain things properly?”

“Kovok-mah will help you.”

“You’re sending both of us away, and staying in the hall?”

“Only until it’s on fire.”

“But…”

They reached the entrance to the lorechamber. “We’ll finish talking after I speak to the lorekeeper.”

Forty-four