Orc Dominion: Triumph Ch. 15

As they walked through the walls he couldn't help but think of the secret passages running through the building, the same secret passages the Duke's men were even now getting ready to enter. Will they have to navigate through the same maze of lust that I did? He wondered, thinking of the lewd sound of orgies he heard down the passages of the castle when he traversed the secret tunnels.

Hopefully they wouldn't get distracted the alluring sounds and sights and stay focused on the mission. No, the Duke will have selected men who are disgusted with the wantonness that has taken over the capital; disgusted with the Queen.

Dorian didn't say a word as they traveled to the council chambers. Only the sound of stomping boots and the rattle of the squad's armor accompanied them as they moved through the lavishly decorated passages. When they finally reached their destination two more guards were waiting outside. They opened the doors and Drauken and the leader of the Queen's Shadow entered.

The Queen was seated on a large, opulent chair made of oak and inlaid with gold. She was thankfully dressed in a maroon velvet dress that covered her completely below the next. A necklace of large pearls hung from her neck, contrasting with the obsidian crown fastened after broken towers that sat atop her head.

He was pleased to see that the lord from Oxmain was present. Duke Willem had said the man's name was Count Luthor, and that he would be instrumental in swaying Oxmain onto their side once the rest of the council and royal family was imprisoned.

Vilknar, the Queen's eighth son was present as well. As custodian of the royal treasury he would be needed to gain access to the Kingdom's gold. He was surprisingly studious for one of the royal family, and not known for prowess at arms or valor in battle. Drauken hoped that he would yield the secrets of the treasury easily. The Queen was too old and stubborn to be intimidated into betraying them.

"Master Drauken, you grace us with your presence at last." Jeanette looked him over, a cold, steely look in her eyes. "You've returned after so long, and with nothing to show for it. How is it that you failed to prevent the orcs from murdering my dearest Susannah?"

"I did my best, Your Highness. I thought my contacts there, and the years of mutually profitable business we shared would be enough to win them to our cause." Drauken raised his hands and sighed dramatically. "I did not count on the dislike they have, even now, for your noble husband and our dear departed King, Turogg. They are all tribes that resisted his consolidation, and even now would oppose you simply to spite his ghost."

Jeanette's face puckered and she scowled dangerously. It was always hard to read how she would react to Turogg's name; it had been many years since his death, and she certainly had carried on without him, but it could still throw her into a rage, though none could say if it was caused by sorrow or guilt.

"You're saying that they hated my noble husband so much that even now they oppose him? That it is King Turogg's fault that you couldn't persuade the March orcs not to attack?" Jeanette's lip curled into a sneer and she glared at the orc.

"It isn't anyone's fault. Raiding orcs are a savage lot and go where the gold and women are. They've captured more treasure and women on this raid then they have in a generation." Drauken gripped the table nervously. I don't have to be so defensive, none of this really matters, he realized, the men will be here soon to put an end to this farce.

"Let's talk about the Duchess of Haverset," Dorian said softly, "we know that she died during the sack of Shropfordshire, but we haven't learned the exact details. Do you know how she died? Why wasn't she held for ransom?"

"I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you. The Duchess was killed well after I left the orcs, and I had no notion of their target." Drauken paused to listen for the sound of soldiers moving through secret passages, but heard nothing. I need to stall a little longer. "I could speculate, of course if you wish, based on my knowledge of their practices."

"That won't be necessary" Jeanette replied waspishly, "we wanted you here today for facts, not speculation."

"We will find out the truth, sooner or later. The Queen will have her due from whomever was responsible." Dorian added.

"The war must be won first, and our best armies are far away. How do you intend to exact vengeance on the orcs?"

"It is only a matter of time before victory in this war is ours. Then we can hunt them down at our leisure: once we know who is responsible." Jeanette stated plainly, her old steely resolve asserting itself over her previous anger.

Shouting in the hall interrupted the meeting, and the sound of battle soon followed. Finally. "I don't think so, Your Highness. You won't be doing that, or anything else. It is time for new leadership in the Kingdom. These destructive wars of yours are madness and need to come to an end. If you willingly abdicate, I promise that you will be well treated, and will be able to retire with your accustomed comforts and...pastimes."

"You think so? You think that you will be the one to bring me down, Master Drauken? After all these years, all of the people who wanted to take me down and see me fail, you think you're the one to do it?" Jeanette gripped the arms of her chair tightly, face contorting as she fought to restrain the emotions raging through her.

"It had to be someone. Your increasingly erratic reign could not continue indefinitely. It just so happens to have fallen on me to initiate it." The sounds of battle got closer. "It is over, Your Highness, but this isn't the end of your dynasty. A regency council will be implemented until one of your children is selected to take the throne. Griselda, if I have my way. But your tenure is over; you can come quietly, or you can be dragged out of here kicking and screaming. I don't want to see you hurt, or humiliated, but the men out there are angry, disillusioned, and want to see only your ruin."

Dorian's dry voice broke the silence that lingered after Drauken's impassioned pleas. "I think he's sincere, Your Highness. He seems like he really does mean it." He slowly rose from the table, his hand resting on the hilt of a dagger on his belt as he moved to stand between Drauken and Jeanette.

"I find myself disappointed." Vilknar added wryly. "Griselda, really? At least be a little more circumspect in picking a puppet. You should have picked me, then we might have believed you actually intended to leave my family some real power." Despite the levity in his voice, he did seem vaguely offended at being overlooked.

He was right of course, Vilknar was too talented to leave on the throne. He would have made a good King, better than Grotok in Drauken's view. But then, Vilknar was more mercantile the martial. "Whether you believe me or not, this is the end" Drauken began before getting cut off.

"On that we agree." Dorian replied, the dry amusement taking on a more sinister tone. It has been amusing following your little plot, Drauken. You even managed to surprise me once or twice. But things are coming to a head now, and with the death of the Duchess this game is no longer amusing." The Captain of the Queen's Shadow rose from his chair and walked to the wall where he rang the servant's bell.

A moment later twelve guards wearing the Queen's livery burst into the council chambers. As Drauken stood there in shock, and before he could even think of running they had taken him in hand. "Drauken, Master of Caravans, you are hereby charged with Treason." Jeanette rose shakily from her chair, her voice quivering as she glared at Drauken. "You have confessed your guilt before the council. All estates and properties will be forfeited to the crown. You will be incarcerated until your execution at the Crown's convenience."

The sound of fighting had stopped in the corridors. How? Drauken wondered in vain as they dragged him from the room. How?

****

For the first time that morning things were quiet in the camp. Jasmara had been awoken early by the blasts of trumpets and the sound of thousands of men preparing for battle. She knew her brother was out there nearby, and began to hope that she might even be rescued before nightfall. As the morning progressed she watched the army depart, marching towards Belkor and lining up for battle. Now, only the camp followers remained. Them, and the two guards wielding spears who stood watch outside the barred wagon she was kept in. Even they didn't speak much, not that she tried to engage them in conversation.

Jasmara quickly slipped the knife into the sleeve of her tunic as she spotted Daniels approaching with another guard. Neither were bearing weapons, which was luckier than she had any right to expect. The look on Daniels' face told her all she needed to know about why they had come though. This is it she thought as she steeled herself for battle.

"Here we go, Princess" Daniels sneered as he approached the wagon. "It's time to see how much your family loves you."

"Haven't we had this dance before? King Belkor knows better than to throw away his army simply because you're going to rape me for the hundred and first time." Blood rushed to Jasmara's head and it began to pound. I won't be used as a pawn again.

"Oh we're not going to rape you this time, we're going to make a clean end of it and hang you. Think he'll come running if he sees you swinging from the gallows?" Daniels laughed and nodded to his companion, who began unlocking the cage.

When the man unlocked the cage and grabbed her by the arms to pull her out she was ready. Jasmara slide the knife out of her sleeve and plunged it into the soldier's neck from inside his guard. She pushed him away as he gurgled for breath but choked on his own blood.

Daniels stumbled back, and Jasmara wanted nothing more than to cut him into pieces but she needed to take the armed guards first. Springing forth from the back of the wagon she grabbed onto the spear of the nearest guard and slammed it into his chest as she knocked him over. The guard winced in pain and tried to knock her off by leveraging the shaft of the spear to turn her aside.

A human woman would have been doomed, but as an orc, even as a female, she had a large and dense frame. The weeks of 'freedom' she enjoyed with Sylvia allowed her to regain weight and musculature which she now put to good use. Jasmara straddled the guard, still leaning forward with her weight to pin the man and held the spear with one hand while readied her knife with the other.

"Bitch!" Daniels snarled, looking up from beside the corpse of the dead soldier.

He rose too late to save the second though, as Jasmara slammed the dagger down into his eye. Ironically, killing the guard saved her own life, as the turning motion of bringing down the blade angled her enough that the last guard's spear cut through her shoulder blade instead of puncturing into her back. Jasmara howled in pain as blood poured down her back. Snatching the spear out of the dead guard's hands, she leapt to her feet and readied a defensive stance.

Daniels lunged for the knife that was still embedded in the dead guard's eye, but Jasmara slashed with the tip of the spear and drew a cut down his cheek. She tried to whip back around, but couldn't move fast enough to prevent the remaining guard to jab his spear into her arm. A thin rivulet of blood ran down her arm as she brought the spear around, slamming the shaft into his to knock it aside.

Jasmara followed up with a straight punch into the guard's jaw. He reeled back from the blow and his kettle helm fell off his head. Her distraction allowed Daniels to grab the knife, which dripped blood onto the earth as he held it out in front of him. Jasmara backed up again to create some distance and keep from getting flanked.

Daniels and the guard moved outward to either side as Jasmara moved back until they were on either side. But before they could capitalize on the advantage Jasmara struck. As quick as a coiled snake she jabbed out towards Daniels, who had to retreat since his knife couldn't parry a spear. The princess didn't expect to connect though, and instead whipped the butt of the spear back to smash it into the guard's unprotected head. It connected with a sickening thud that sent him straight to the ground where blood pooled around his head.

She moved backwards again, dragging the lead foot until she was online with the guard and then thrust the spear into his stomach and twisted the blade. The soldier guard gurgled, but only for a moment as the blood seeping from his mouth mixed into the puddle beneath him. Jasmara ripped the spear out of the man as he died and readied her guard to keep Daniels from lunging inside to attack her.

"Bitch!" He snarled, but as angry as he was he didn't seem like he was going to attack. "Do you really think you'll escape this camp? The King was going to kill you quick, but if you run you're going to suffer!"

Cold laughter rippled out from her throat. "A few months ago that might have worked, you might have been able to intimidate me. But I remember who I am now, and if you think I'm going to miss this chance to kill you then you are as stupid and as useless as you were when my mother treated you like a dog!"

"You still won't make it from here alive. Kill me and I'll die happy knowing that your mother whore of a mother will lose a daughter along with that bastard son of hers!"

"As long as you die!" Jasmara advanced, and this time it was Daniels who was retreating. "Don't even think of running either. I want to look in your eyes as the light fades out of them. But I'll shove this spear through your spine too if I have to!"

Daniels, who had been looking behind to see if there was a path to escape, suddenly spun back and threw the knife at Jasmara. The Princess brought her arm up as if to deflect it with a buckler that wasn't there and winced in pain as the tip of the blade cut through her forearm. Fortunately, it was a glancing blow and didn't bury itself in her flesh.

He was already running by the time she brought her arm down. Jasmara darted forward after him and quickly caught up with the elderly man. She thrust the spear down into the back of his knee sending the former footman into the dust groaning in pain. Jasmara pulled it back and spun it around and smashed the butt into Daniels face, shattering his jaw.

She flipped him over, contemptuously batting away his hand as he tried to swing at her. "I'd like to take this slow, to pay back everything I owe you. But the battle is about to start, and I don't want to miss it." Jasmara thrust the spear a final time, ending Daniels' long, sad life. After savoring the victory for just a moment, she pulled it out again and wiped the blade clean.

After bandaging her own wounds, she returned to the guard she had killed by stabbing in the eye. As the camp followers screamed and scattered, she began to strip off the armor. It wouldn't be a perfect fit, but it would be good enough. Jasmara smiled to herself as she put it on. It felt good to be a warrior again.

****

All light was rapidly disappearing as the guards dragged Drauken through the halls, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. A darkness the orc didn't even know existed began to envelop him as he neared the depths reserved for only the most dangerous criminals and traitors. This must be what the Abyss looks like, he thought forlornly. Drauken had been in an almost fugue state since he was seized in the council chambers. We were so close; the war was going to end.

How did they know? Who betrayed us? One of the other Masters? Duke Willem? It is said he courted the Queen in her youth. Could he be making a play for King-Consort? Over and over he played it in his mind, trying to figure out where it went wrong and who betrayed him. It was hard to believe that one of the Guild Masters had betrayed them. They had all the gold they needed, and their solidarity in face of the crown was legendary.

Still, they all had their weak points, secrets and weaknesses that could have been leveraged by Dorian. All of them knew about the plot, and some more operational details than others. But he knew them all, and could not think of one who would betray them. It has to be Willem. Not that it matters, I'm never going to leave this cell. More than likely I'll never learn who it was and I'll be hanged quietly, in secret, never to be seen again.

A loud cry interrupted Drauken's moroseness. At first he thought it was the tortured cry of some prisoner, but the mass of bodies crashing into his guards quickly pulled him from the morass of his despair. A brutal fight erupted around him as the party escorting him to the cells was ambushed. In the cramped corridor the guards' spears were less effective than the attackers' swords.

A vicious slash nearly severed the head off the last guard as the burly form of Duke Willem turned towards Drauken. Blood streamed from a cut on his forehead, and several of the rings in his chain shirt were busted and rent from hard battle. "We have to get out of here! Quickly, this way!" Willem gestured towards an opening in the wall that led to one of the many secret passages in the castle.

"You! You're here? What happened?" Drauken hurried through the doorway, following the small party of human soldiers into the narrow tunnel.

"Everything has gone to the Abyss! Over half our men collapsed before the battle even started. Poison, I think. Then the passages here were filled with guards. They cut off our escape right away, but it is a maze down here. I don't think anyone really knows them all, even the Guild that built them! It was too dark, too confined in the passages. It only took a few rounds of battle before everyone was split up and lost." Drauken's face was flush and he heaved for breath, but still seemed more alive than he had been in some time.

"It took a while but we finally found ourselves in a place we recognized from the map. We were able to carve a path to the cells, figuring that they would bring you here. We have to escape the city, and get back to our Duchies to make a stand there. Come with us, and bring as much gold as you can get your hands on in the city. If we can get to the rest of the Masters we can shut down the city's economy. That alone might give us the edge we need to survive this disaster."

"For a while, but all of your best men are dead. How can we hope to resist the Queen with peasant armed with pitchforks?"

"We'll have to raid the Smiths' stores, and get as many of them as we can to build more. Besides, we don't have to resist for long, only long enough to distract the crown while the March orcs move on Ruar, while Henry defeats Belkor, and for the princess-knight to pull some...trick of stratagem." Willem deflated slightly, knowing how improbably it all was.

But what else can we do? "Alright; you're right. We have to do something and that is as good a plan as any. Organize the western Dukes and I'll get the Guilds and as much money as we can get our hands on. Swords, spears, and armor too."

The sound of fighting still resounded through the secret corridors, but with the map in hand Willem was able to lead them to the nearest exit. A squad of soldiers had been left to guard the exit, but they had grown lax and sure in their victory. Another brutal battle unfolded, but they were able to dispatch the guards and flee back into Ruar.

"We should split up here" Drauken said as they got to an intersection, "an orc with a group of humans will draw too much attention. You get out of the city. I'll join you in Polder as soon as I can. Thank you for coming back from me." Drauken clapped hands with Willem."