Part Twenty-four
Marduk's band had thirty Orcs now, as some running from the Rangers had met up with them after their battle. Marduk was still Leader, and though he led as many as he followed the Chieftain Nose-ring, Marduk had proven himself against no Chieftain, and so he remained Leader. They were all well fed on animal flesh they had hunted and well rested as well. It was night now and they were moving and wanting to join the other Orcs again, but their path was cut off by the Rangers.
Since the Battle of the Hill, Rangers had been riding the Men road either side of their strange city and thirty Orcs were enough to draw notice, but perhaps not enough to survive barrage of arrows from Elven bows.
The band was somewhere south of the city, where water flowed from beneath a wall, dirtied by all manner of waste.
"We must go through the city, using the rivers," Marduk told the band.
Some protested, saying the waters smelled bad or that Orcs did not swim.
"Listen to me. You have Marduk to do the thinking. The road is too guarded, but we have seen the people in the city in strange activity. They are entering the walls in disguises, drinking, crowding their streets. They will not notice us moving through their city tonight. The rivers go through the city all the way to the road that will take us to the mines. The water is filthy here and smells like Men, but it cannot be bad through the entire city. Waste flows in the direction of the river. It will be less dirty the further we go. None of you need to swim. Did you not learn from us Westerners that water does not hurt Orcs and that only the deep fast water is dangerous? You only need to walk along the edge."
Some now told the others that Marduk was smart and that if no Orc could suggest a better idea they should shut their mouth and do as the Leader said.
"We go," Marduk said, "Now. Stay Quiet and no killing unless I tell you to kill. You do not want a whole city of Men and Elves on us!"
No, the Orcs said, they certainly did not want to face the whole city of Men and Elves, but if some Man or Elf confronted them, they would surely kill him.
Marduk went first into the water and beneath the wall. The water and filth covered his head, but when he was on the other side he could lift his head and see that several canals and ditches dumped into the river here, as if part of some Wizardry. A short distance upriver the water was clean and moved much more slowly. Marduk pushed through the current and submerged again where the water was cleaner to take the Man waste off him.
Marduk turned and watched the rest of the Orcs come from beneath the wall. They wondered at the ditches and the tall buildings right along the riverbanks and then followed in making their way against the current.
"Be quiet," Marduk said in a low voice, "Stay where it is dark." He then turned and lead the band up the river. Some of the smaller Orcs climbed up onto the walls the Men had built to hold the river away from their dwellings. Marduk did not discipline them, the water was probably too deep in places for the little stooped ones, and these walls left no natural banks or shallows to walk in.
They came to some arrangement of wooden piers walled in by poles and canvas panels. There were lanterns within, making some shadows on the cloth for the Orcs to see and some noises traveled through the primitive walls. Marduk did not know what business went on inside, but he determined that they would have to move around the structure, into the middle of the river if they were to continue. There seemed some foam coming from beneath the piers and the Orcs were afraid of it.
"Grab those little ones off the wall and make them come around this way. We do not want to be seen inside the city," Marduk ordered in a low voice. He peered through a gap in the panels as the other Orcs were grabbing the little ones. Marduk saw some Men inside and turned away quickly. "It is some place for Men to bring their pets," Marduk told the Orcs behind him. He walked around the public bath area.
Some of the Orcs behind whispered to each other. "Do Men have pets?"
"We think that Death-shadow keeps a Man for a pet."
"Men have females."
"Look in there. Those are not females."
"Do Men make sacs with others that grow into new Men?"
"Men make babies. Have you never eaten a baby? They mount their females and the females bear live young as furry animals do."
Dog made his way around the baths by hanging onto the piers and walking his hands along the edge of the wood. He stopped and looked inside. Dog saw two men without their clothes. One was lying on the planks and the other sucked at his organ, so Dog decided that was the pet. Then Dog saw they finished. He could hear them; he did not speak the Common Speech well, but he understood it. The Man that seemed a master sat up and said, "Now I want to do you."
Dog watched as the other one lay down. The positions were reversed. The one that had seemed master was now sucking like a pet. They must not be pets, Dog thought, they must be something else. The Men seemed happy to switch places with each other.
Another Orc shoved Dog and he moved his hands around the pier faster.
Marduk and those immediately behind him cleared the bathing area and looked upriver. "We cannot continue," the one called Lucky said; he had received a scar over his eye without loosing his sight, "there are many lights and people on the side of the water there."
They would run out of shadows if they continued. It was too far to go beneath the water. "We will walk on the streets," Marduk said. "See, they wear disguises. I think it is some kind of celebration. We will wear disguises too." Marduk looked for Dog and saw him struggling to move along the piers.
Marduk walked back through the water and lifted Marduk and put him over his shoulder so that he could carry him to the next section of the wall. "You are small and wear a cloak. Go see if you can steal clothes the Men have removed for us to make disguises. Keep your hood up."
Dog ran along the wall to search for clothing and Marduk looked over the Orcs in his band. Like all the bands Marduk had been Leader of recently the Orcs were of various clans. They had come from different areas and scavenged much of their gear. Some had garments Men or Elves would find proper, pants or shirts. Some, like Marduk, had leg coverings of skin or leather worn with loincloths made of some woven plant fiber. Marduk wore mail that draped his chest and shoulders and some others had leather or metal armor. Some wore only loincloths. Few had cloaks, mostly the little ones who needed them to keep the sun off their skin during their travel.
"We are going to go up on the streets. You ones with some Men clothing, go up out of the water and stay to the shadows. Make smaller groups. No standing all together like an army. Sheath your weapons or strap them in place. Find some dwelling or place of trade where there are garments and take some for the others here."
Marduk looked around the edge of a canvas wall and saw dog creeping around. Dog held some garments in his arms and stopped to watch two Men. One of them saw him. "Go home, boy!" he shouted at Dog.
Dog ran along the wall and delivered the clothing to Marduk.
Soon, with some barely noticed looting, Marduk's band of Orcs seemed suitably dressed, enough that they would not be identified as a real band of Orcs, they hoped. The Orcs in this band were brave, but even Marduk did not like the idea of walking the streets when they were full of Men, Elves, and even Dwarves. Halflings did not seem very threatening, but in such numbers, the others could easily kill the entire band. Worse, they might capture some and take them to some Wizard for study.
Marduk knew quite a bit about what had gone on in the north, though he had not seen it himself. Some Wizards were making something there, maybe a weapon, and some Elves had helped them, and the Orcs who had worked for the Wizards had all gotten some terrible sickness. If Wizards were going to make Orcs sick instead of making new Orcs to join them, and giving them weapons, armor and meat, then no Orcs should serve the Wizards.
They were inside a tent, which Men had left vacant to join the celebration in the streets. Marduk looked out from the flaps and then turned to give orders. "We need to make smaller groups. Who thinks they are brave and smart enough to lead some Orcs?"
None of the Orcs wanted to go against Marduk.
"I will be Leader, but we must make small groups to move through the city unnoticed. How about Lucky? Will some of you follow Lucky until you are out of the city?"
Lucky straightened and made a nod.
"That will be two groups. Half go with Lucky and half follow me. We will meet at the road that leads to the mines. That road is at the northwest of the city. Do you know that? If you follow the rivers you will come out of the city at the right place. Keep the water in sight as you walk on the roads, stay in shadows, and do not talk to the people and you will survive. If others cause trouble, kill only a few quickly and then run from that place."
The Orcs seemed confused and afraid.
"WE are smart Orcs," Marduk told them. "We will pretend, just like the Men here. You will see, they are having pretend fights. If they chase you with those wooden swords, just keep moving. We are not here for meat and sport. Not tonight. We had plenty of meat today. We are here only so we can get back to the other Orcs. When we get to the road and find the others, we will have plenty to boast about! Right? We will tell them how we tricked the Men and escaped the Rangers!"
"But..." one Northerner said quietly, "They will ask us where our Chieftains are. They will ask why we alive when other Orcs died."
"Do you not all know about the Precious Things? The Chieftains at the mines know what they are. Tell them your Leader knows that the Precious Things belong only to Orcs and that we must make sure the Rangers and Wizards do not get them. Tell them our band will volunteer to go out and track Death-Shadow and other Rangers that may carry messages. You better be smart Orcs to be in this band. No Dark Lords and Wizards to send us to do their work! We will make our own plans to protect the Precious Things."
"I saw one," said an Easterner, "When I served another Chieftain we found one in the wild. He said we must take them all to the mines to hide them and not speak of them to weak Orcs who may tell Men where to find them."
Marduk growled. "We go now! Any of you that get separated, make your way to the road." Marduk left the tent, snuffed the air for the direction of the river and then went to the darkest place he could see in that direction.
The streets were still very crowded then and the Orcs could see that three was staged fighting, that small treasures and food were dropped from windows and balconies and handed out at doors, and that many of the Men and their women were exposing parts of their body.
Dog eagerly collected both treasures and food that had fallen to the street and collected them in a corner of his cloak. He bit into one cake and something hard was inside. Dog dribbled moist cake from his mouth and let the object fall into his hand. It was a ring. "The food has treasures inside!" Dog told the others.
Most did not listen. They were looking at the people, sometimes reaching for their weapons as if they expected attack, sometimes awed by how unafraid the people were. "Our disguises are good. They do not know we are Orcs," one of them said.
Something flew across Marduk's field of vision and he grabbed it. It was a collection of rings on a string. "Wonderful! You are the best Orcs we have seen yet! Great costumes! We should not want to be take prisoner by you!" Marduk saw the females clapping and laughing. They did not think they were Orcs. They thought they were Men dressed as Orcs.
"Females," One of the Orcs said.
They did seem like things Marduk would like to play with, but a whole city of Men would be hunting them if they stopped to play now. Marduk considered smacking that Orc in the head, but then he saw one of the females lift her skirts to show her legs.
Dog took a handful of treasures and threw them up to the females. Several were caught and others landed on their balcony. "Oh, quite an arm there! Not so hard!" One said.
The other female laughed. "A gold one," she said, "You get a special treat for that." She undid the laces of her blouse and exposed her breasts.
"You have drunk too much. Some of them are only boys!"
Marduk thought he was going to have to use his whip. It was difficult to resist temptation such as that, but as he reached for his whip, someone called loudly from behind. "A stray band of Orcs! Behold I am the all colorful Wizard here to lead you into battle!"
It was just a man in patchwork robes wearing a beard made of string.
Marduk took out his whip and snapped it. "We go now! Not time to play with females. March or I will be at your heels!"
The Orcs ran as the people on the street clapped at the performance. Dog took time only to pick up some more rings from the street as he scampered alongside the other Orcs. Dog was so busy looking at the ground that he ran into some legs and rolled to the ground.
"Dog! Move!" Marduk barked, and then he saw the legs Dog had tumbled into were those of a giant black horse. He raised his eyes and saw Death-Shadow looking down at him.
"Dale," Tsuki called.
Dale watched Marduk bow his head and run.
"Dale, is something wrong?" Tsuki asked, riding Moon-halo back toward Nightmare.
"I thought I saw Orcs."
"I saw them too, but they must have been costumes. I rather think Orcs would be confused and scared with all this celebration. If there were killings or battle we would hear."
"I just...they looked...but they smelled clean like soap."
Tsuki laughed. "Then they are not real Orcs, com on, we can catch the end of the play."
Dale nodded and rode after Tsuki. They found Lenaduiniel and Kato waiting near the theater entrance and tethered their horses outside.
Inside they came into large hall of the theater, which was constructed on the foundations of an ancient palace. The floor had been built up in terraces so those at the back could see over those in front and many wooden benches made rows on each terrace for seating. Kato located four seats together at the outside of a row.
It was a rather elaborate stage set. The backdrop showed the realm of the Dark Lord, with volcanoes, mountains, and tower that with various effects operated by hidden stage hands were made to smoke and glow. The effects and positioning of actors was such that it was understood that those on the left were meant to be on the mountain. The figure at the center of the stage was meant to be the Dark Lord and those to the right, the army at his gate.
The audience was awed by the effects, the figures that seemed to move on the mountain, the character leading the Halflings that was a puppet rather than a costumed actor, the painted soldiers and point of light that suggested the army was much larger than the several actors on the stage, and all the artfully contrived lighting that drew attention to the characters who spoke.
"How do they do that?" voices in the audience would ask.
"Mama, the Dark Lord scares me!"
"It is only a model."
"Is this how it all happened?"
A door opened in the volcano as the two actors and puppet departed the stage. Inside the bright smoky chamber beyond the door their silhouettes could be seen, but this was all puppetry. In the course of destroying the Dark Lord's source of power, one Halfling lost a finger.
The figure of the Dark Lord at the center of the stage seemed to disappear. All that was left was a black robe, which one of the actors portraying a mortal minion came and stepped upon with a loud footfall, as if to show there certainly was nothing within the robe.
Beryl came from backstage in his black velvet clothing, smoothing his hair as he went; it tended to fall into his face if it was not braided. He spotted Kato and Dale and then Tsuki and Lenaduiniel with them. The others scooted along the bench to allow Beryl to join them.
"See much of the show?" he whispered. On the stage, some eagle puppets seemed to lift the Halflings from the volcano and fly them to safety.
"We only caught the end it seems," Kato said, "How did you disappear like that? Were you in the robes?"
Beryl laughed. "It is all just stage magic, trapdoors and strings. It makes it more convincing when my minion comes and steps on the robes. The floor sounds solid."
"Oh yes, is that some kind of illusion as well?"
"I cannot give away all my secrets!"
"Is there another act?" Dale asked.
"Just the final in which the new kings are coronated. I think we should do another version of our drama. People are always asking if that other Wizard was really allowed to go off somewhere with his life, and he was, but he died afterward and that part might be worth telling. Though, not so many people here are interested in the matters of Halflings."
"That is because they rarely venture to the south, where civilization and forces for good have held out in the past," Dale said, "I think the Rangers knew them best."
"Yes, well, not that my people believed we had need of Rangers. They seemed rather evil, lurking in the wilderness and being so secretive."
"And what of Elves who live in the wild and keep much to themselves?" Beryl asked.
Kato laughed, "Well Elves seem more fair, naturally, but I think
not a few of my people would be afraid of accidentally offending some
Elf and finding their magics against them."
"You did not seem very afraid to insult me when we had only just
met," Dale said.
"Well, really, all the black clothing does seem some calculated façade. You are really more merry than somber, once one gets to know you."
Dale huffed.
"I see you found some of my hair-wash," Beryl said.
Dale laughed giddily. "I hope you don't mind. The others said it would be well to use the things we found and I was rather curious to know what Old Forest Magical Hair-wash did."
"Puts curl into your hair for one," Beryl said.
"I should not have used it," Kato said, "It might have turned your hair green for all you knew."
"I think only Wizardry can do that," Beryl said, "But I would know how to enhance some usual Elven color of hair, such as black or brown or gold. I could even do a nice red treatment."
Dale cringed and said nothing, for he wondered why an Elf would need to change or enhance the color of their hair, unless they were so incredibly ancient that their hair had gone grey...but then Dale would suppose an Elf would be proud to show their age.
When Beryl had gone to make his curtain call and the play was ended he left the theater with the others and guided them home. The ladder was drawn up at the front of the house, but Beryl could catch the lower side of the balcony and pull himself up by the strength in his arms, so he did, and put the ladder down for the others.
The celebration continued in some parts of the city, but Bloom street was only as noisy as on any usual night. Galadhiel alone was awake and on the second floor. She was looking at Maps as Beryl led the others in.
Lenaduiniel and Kato both said they needed to sleep. Tsuki and Dale came in through the front shutters a minute later, after tending to the horses and bringing the ladder up again. They were engaged in some idle conversation about Tsuki needing to get some saddle soap, waxes and polishes to restore his boots and leather gear before traveling again.
"I suppose we do have a lot to get done before we can leave," Dale said. "For now I really could use some sleep."
"I will go with you," Tsuki said.
"You should sleep as well," Beryl told Galadhiel. "There is no need to set a watch over my house."
Galadhiel did not argue but went quietly to the third floor to sleep. Beryl checked that the ladders were drawn up and the shutters closed. He made certain that the few coals in the stove were contained and that there was nothing flammable near the stove itself.
He ran up to the next floor and checked the stove there. The nights were not cold yet, so he put no wood in it. Everyone was asleep or preparing to sleep.
Beryl went to the ladder in the far corner that led to the fourth floor. It was slightly smaller than the floor below, but divided into only two rooms by some trained potted trees. The rear wall had its canvas panels rolled up, but a second curtain of thin linen hung down, obscuring views of the interior, while moonlight and lamps outside allowed Beryl to view the houses across the yards and even the land beyond the houses and that across the river which fed their ditch.
Beryl took from his many belongings a spying glass on a small tripod. Looking through a part in the curtain, he trained the lenses toward the road across the river, which led to the mines.
"It is like a King's horde in here," Dale said, as he was still awake.
"I have collected a lot, it is the main reason I live in a house," Beryl said quietly.
"It is right for me to be here? You told Tsuki he could use this space and I sleep with Tsuki."
"I would have offered that pallet to you had Tsuki not been here."
"Why? You did seem eager to meet me. Do you know some other Elves? They told you about me?"
"I know other Elves of course, and I do know a few things about you, but the correct answer is 'no'. No Elves told me of your past in particular. Any that head high houses probably are not aware that I still live and never knew that I was one who warmed the beds of their grandsires in their youth. No, it was animals that told me of you. Most recently your ravens."
"My ravens."
"Yes, the two black birds that have taking a liking to you. They alerted me to your troubles and also of your other friends. I told them to return to you and that I would alert the Rangers and do what I could for your friends as well."
"I did not get that part of the message."
"I have been meaning to ask what you know of the Vale Elves. What sort of education did you get in your youth or during your stay with other Elves? Do you know where your people came from?"
"You are really old, aren't you?"
"The dialect seems curiously changed. I have not been a Vale Elf in thousands of years. By the time I crossed back over the mountains, they had dispersed or moved and I did not know if they had perished or gone to sea or perhaps mingled with those in the Wood. Then perhaps seventy years ago, I heard rumors that some Elves had settled along the river just east of the mountains near the sea and that they might perhaps be some Vale Elves returned from wandering, but that was also the time in which the Dark Lord made it known he had returned, though there had been rumors before that, and I was engaged in efforts to thwart him and so did not investigate. Then perhaps twenty years ago I heard that many Elves in that valley had been slaughtered by Orcs...and I was grieved that I had not met with them or been able to save them."
"I did not know that anyone cared whether we wandered or not. We were not particularly noble Elves. I did not even know proper script until I stayed with other Elves, but always used the old runes. Not that we made our own records. We made songs and tended trees and flowers and played near the water and did very little writing and almost no working in metal."
"That was how we all were in the beginning. It does not mean you are not noble. Do you not remember your history then?"
"I forgot a lot. Do you know about the Orcs? How I was with them?"
"I did not know until recent years that one had been with them and survived. I learned of it after you had been discovered, but I did not know where you were or what you called yourself until speaking with the birds."
"I forgot many things when I was with them. I even forgot my name. I have remembered a few things since. Recently I have been remembering. I know there was a song that told the names of all the various bloodlines and houses among the Elves. I remember we were born in the east very long ago and that there was some danger there. In the song, it says a god called us to march into a particular land, but I am not certain I believe in any god. I have seen little evidence of gods in my life, mostly a lot of pain and death."
"He was a god of forests and monster-slaying. Elves were being abducted in the East. Taken and studied or altered by some Dark Art. That is how Orcs were first made. Some part of them was Elven, once. It is painful for Elves to admit, so they often do not, but it is true. To save ourselves from that fate we marched, but one group remained."
"And three marched. I remember that, and besides I read of it when I was recovering. Those Who Are Fair marched, and Those Deep in Knowledge marched and Those Who Sing. They all were together until they reached the mountains. Those there." Dale pointed out through the curtain. The tall house gave them an unobstructed view. "What are you looking at?"
"I watch the Orcs. Do you remember more of the song?"
"Let me see...The fist two great houses of Elves passed over the mountains by some high pass. The third, Those Who Sing, then became sundered. There were two leaders. I cannot remember if it was a father and a son, or perhaps two brothers. One with grey as their color and the other green. The Grey went over the pass, I think, but perhaps slightly later than the others. Then...I think there was a son, but I do not remember if he was the same as the leader of the green or perhaps the son of that one."
"I think the leaders were brothers and then the son of one brother is who you must be speaking of."
"Yes. That must be right. The son among the green was not content to remain there, but did not wish to cross the mountains and follow his uncle and the other houses of Elves, so he went south, along the Great River. He was the first Vale Elf. And, I think that his father still led the remainder of their people and those became the Wood Elves. But, other peoples always get us confused, saying that we are all one group that is called East-Elves, because we did not cross the mountains, or that we are all called Sylvan."
"The groups are related. They are related somewhat to the Grey as well."
"Yes."
"And what then? What happened among the Vale Elves?"
"They just stayed Vale Elves."
"And Green Elves?"
"Well, The house colors of you will of Vale Elves were green, but Green Elves sounds familiar. I think there was another group that left. He was a son or descendant of the head of their house and he wanted to go see what had happened to those Elves who had gone West, I think, because at the time Vale Elves still lived East of the mountains."
"That would be my people. We crossed the mountains. I followed that one."
"Then you probably know much about other Elves. I only read of them in recent years. The stories were all so confusing, not like memorizing songs. So many marches and Elven cities and battles against fell beasts and Dark Lords."
Beryl laughed. "I suppose it would be a bit much to learn all at once, but if you ever want to know, I could tell you. Do you know how you came to live so far west?"
"I remember that it was said we never crossed mountains, but walked over many years around several ranges and when we came nearly to the farthest west of this land, where there are mountains and other Elves live between and beyond them, we stopped and did not cross over or go through those ranges, but settled just east of them."
"Determined to the last not to be counted among those who crossed the mountains and went west."
"I suppose. It would have been better if I was female. Then when you found me we might have had a child that was purely a Vale Elf."
Beryl laughed. "You are fine as you are, Dale. If the Orcs had taken a female things would be quite different and you would not have aided Gwindor in the war or met Tsuki. Heirs are not the most important thing. In any case, I do have daughters still living. Their mothers were of other Elven houses. One even has red hair and a sort of light purple coloring to her eyes, but such coloring is a spontaneous rare thing, such as leaves on one branch of a plant that take on a different color or pattern and when cut and transplanted will grow whole plants of that color. You also are just a leaf of a different color. I do not think you are of an age to consider a spouse or heirs, but if you live several hundred years and you tell me that heirs are of a concern to you, I would gladly give you the hand of my daughter."
"I am not considering it, but at the same time, it feels good to
know there may be some option that would be pleasing to my ancestors."