Orcs First Blood - Legion Of Thunder Part 21

'Just keep looking and hope we catch a glimpse of Coilla, I suppose. It's not as though we can ask the Watchers where the local slavers live.'

'Well, what's the point, then? I mean, what the h.e.l.l are we doing here if we haven't got a hope of finding her?'

'Just a minute,'Stryke seethed, barely containing his anger. 'We're here because ofyou! If you hadn't gone AWOL with the stars in the first place we wouldn'tbe here. And Coilla wouldn't be in the mess she's in.'

'That's not fair!' Haskeer protested. 'I didn't know what I was do-ing. You can't blame me for-'

'Captain!'

'What is it, Toche?' Stryke replied irritably.

The grunt pointed to the intersection they were approaching. 'There, sir!'

They all looked the way he indicated. A ma.s.s of beings swarmed where four streets met.

'What is it?' Stryke demanded. 'What are we supposed to be see-ing?'

'That human!' Toche exclaimed. 'The one we saw in the snow.There!'

This time Stryke spotted him. Serapheim, the wordsmith who sent them to Hecklowe, and who disappeared so completely. Taller than most around him, he was an unmistakable figure with his flowing locks and long, blue cloak. He was walking away from them.

'Reckon he's one of the bounty hunters?' Haskeer wondered, the argument forgotten.

'No more than I did when we first saw him,' Stryke said. 'And why send us here if he was? Come to that, what's he doing here?'

'He's moving off.'

'It's too much of a coincidence that he should be here. Come on, we're going to follow. But take it easy, we don't wanthim seeing us.'

They pushed through the crowd, careful to keep a safe distance. Serapheim didn't appear to know he was being trailed and acted natu-rally, though he walked purposefully. The orcs followed him to the core of the eastern quarter, where the streets became winding alleys and every cloak seemed to hide a dagger.

In due course he turned a corner, and when they got to it and peered round they found themselves looking into an empty cul-de-sac. At the far end and to the side was a decaying, once white building. It had a single door. Indeed it was the only door in the street.

They made the obvious a.s.sumption that he must have gone throughit and crept that way. The door was slightly ajar.

The orcs flattened themselves against the wall on either side.

'We go in?' Haskeer whispered.

'What else?' Stryke said.

'Remember what you told Jup. If in doubt get help.'

Stryke thought that remarkably sensible coming from Haskeer. 'I don't know if this situation warrants it.' He glanced at the sky. 'Then again, the time we set for the rendezvous isn't that far off. Seafe, get back to that square and bring Jup's group here. If we're not waiting at the mouth of the alley we'll be inside. On the double.'

The grunt jogged away.

For the moment that left just Haskeer, Toche, Reafdaw and Stryke himself. But he reckoned that was enough to deal with a crazy human storyteller.

'We're going in,' he decided, discreetly slipping the knife from his boot. 'Draw weapons.'

He pushed the door and entered, the others close behind.

They were in a sizeable room with a long dais at one end supporting a ma.s.sive chair. Other small items of furniture were scattered about the apartment. The place was deserted.

'What the h.e.l.l happened to that Serapheim character?' Haskeer asked.

There have to be other rooms, or another way out,' Stryke said. 'Let's-'

A sudden flurry of sound and movement cut him short. Wall hang-ings were torn aside. At the back of the dais a concealed door flew open. Ten or more armed goblins emerged and rushed to surround them. They held club maces, swords and short spears, weapons that outreached the Wolverines' knives. A goblin slammed and bolted the door to the street.

Spear tips and sword points were held to the orcs' throats and chests. Goblins s.n.a.t.c.hed away the band's knives and searched their clothes for more. But they only seemed interested in weapons; the pel-lucid and stars were ignored. The blades, and Haskeer's chain, were tossed clanging into a pile on the floor.

Another goblin appeared on the platform. He was dressed in finery and gems. 'I am Razatt-Kheage,' he announced with more than a dash of melodrama.

'Slaver sc.u.m,' Haskeer rumbled.

One of the goblins delivered a hefty blow to his stomach with the shaft end of his mace. Haskeer doubled over and wheezed.

'Have a care with the new merchandise,' Razatt-Kheage cautioned.

'b.a.s.t.a.r.d,' Stryke spat. 'Face me without these dolts and we'll settle this, orc to goblin.'

Razatt-Kheage gave a snorting laugh. 'How charmingly primitive. Put aside thoughts of violence, my friend, I have somebody for you to meet. Come!' he called.

Coilla appeared at the concealed door, Blaan holding her arms from behind. She reacted with surprise at seeing Stryke, Haskeer and the others.

'Corporal,' Stryke said.

'Captain,' she responded with admirable cool. 'Sorry you got in-volved.'

'We're a band, we stick together.'

She looked at Haskeer. 'We have a few things to work out, Ser-geant.'

'This is all very touching,' Razatt-Kheage interrupted, 'but make the most of it. You'll be saying your goodbyes soon enough.'

'This one's cohorts are due back!' Coilla yelled, indicating Blaan.

'Is Serapheim one of them?' Stryke said.

'Serapheim? The storyteller?'

'Be silent!' the slaver hissed. 'Be still,' he said in a calmer voice, 'and we will wait for them together.' Then he snapped something to his guards in goblin language.

The henchlins moved forward to corral Stryke, Haskeer and the grunts in a corner. Almost as soon as it was done, there was a rap on the door. A goblin went to it, checked through the viewing hatch and opened up.

Lekmann and Aulay swaggered in.

'The rest of the rats,' Coilla said.

Blaan jerked her arm, hard. 'Stow it!' he growled. She winced.

Lekmann surveyed the scene. 'Now what have we got here? I heard you were a fixer, Razatt-Kheage, but this is something again. The rest of the b.i.t.c.h's band, yeah? Or some of them anyway.'

'Yes,' the slaver confirmed, 'and worth a tidy amount to me.'

'To you?'Aulay blurted. 'What is this, Micah?'

'Sharp practise, I reckon.'

'I hope you humans are not laying claim to my property,' Razatt-Kheage told them. That could be unfortunate.'Lekmann's face darkened. 'Now look, these orcs are the ones my partners and me had a deal to bring in.'

'So what? Any agreement you have doesn't hold in Hecklowe. You didn't bring them here.'

'I broughther, and that brought them. Don't that stand for some-thing?'

'Oi!' Haskeer roared. 'You're talking about us like we weren't here! We're not pieces of meat to be squabbled over!'

The goblin who hit him before did it again. Once more, Haskeer doubled up.

'Meat's just what you are, orc,' Lekmann sneered.

When Haskeer straightened he aimed a cold, level stare at the goblin that struck him. That's twice, sc.u.mpouch. I'll be paying you back with interest.'

The impa.s.sive-faced creature pulled back his club for another blow. Razatt-Kheage barked a curt order and the minion stayed his hand. In words all understood, he added, 'I'm sure we can come to a mutually profitable arrangement, human.'

'That's more like it,' Lekmann replied, brightening a little. Though from what I've heard of these renegades, you ain't gonna have an easy time turning them into something fancy like bodyguards.'

The slaver looked at the orcs. He studied their muscular, combat-hardened physiques, saw the scars they bore, regarded their murderous, steely-eyed expressions.

'Perhaps they would be somewhat more of a challenge than the female,' he conceded.

Stryke glanced at Coilla and thought how little the slaver knew.

'We're promised gold for their heads,' Aulay interjected. 'From Queen Jennesta.'

Razatt-Kheage thought about it. 'That may prove a less bothersome option.'

Jup's group spent its time in a futile search. When his allotted three hours were almost spent, he took the grunts back to the square.

They found Seafe waiting for them. He conveyed Stryke's message.

'Let's hope it's not fool's gold,' the dwarf said. 'Come on.'

If the pa.s.sersby thought there was anything odd in a dwarf leading half a dozen orcs at double time through the streets of Hecklowe, they knew better than to show it. Fortunately no Watchers were encountered.

There was a sticky moment when they reached the eastern quarter and Seafe was unsure of which pa.s.sage to take. But he chose right and five minutes later they got to the alley with the white house. n.o.body was about.

Jup didn't like the look of it. 'Stryke said they'd be waiting for us here, right?'

'Yes,' Seafe confirmed. 'If there was no trouble.'

'Then we a.s.sume there has been.' To the whole group he added. 'We'll have to expect hostility in there. I reckon this is a time when weapons can be used, and to h.e.l.l with Hecklowe law.'

Keeping an eye on the street behind them, they pulled out their knives.

Jup stretched a hand to the door and pushed. It didn't s.h.i.+ft. He signalled for the others to join him. At his word they shouldered the dooren ma.s.se three times with all the force they could muster. It cracked, splintered and gave. They tumbled in.

And froze.

Ahead of them were two humans armed with knives. To their right, Stryke, Haskeer and the other orcs lined a wall.

Seven or eight goblins with maces, swords and short pikes guarded them. On a raised platform at the far end of the room stood a goblin in silken robes. To his left a mountainous human had Coilla in a neck lock.

A goblin stepped from a corner and stood among the broken shards of the doorway, barring it with a spear, its barbed tip glinting.

'Ah,' Jup said.

Lekmann grinned. 'This just gets better and better.'

Leering, Aulay chimed in with, 'A regular little reunion.'

'Drop your weapons,' Razatt-Kheage hissed.

n.o.body moved.

'Give it up,' Lekmann said. 'You're outnumbered and under-armed.'

'I don't take orders from goblins, and certainly not from a stinking human.'

'Do as you're told, freak!' Lekmann snarled.

Jup looked to Stryke. 'Well, Captain?'

'Do what you have to, Sergeant.'

There was no mistaking Stryke's meaning.

Jup swallowed. Sounding as casual as he could manage, he said, 'f.u.c.k it, what's life without a bit of excitement?'

15.