Part Seventy-one
The counsel was finished. Beryl had shared all he and his companions had learned and Gwindor had informed the new arrivals of the preparations for battle they had made within the Wood. The counsel had debated what to do with the recent findings and it had been decided that one of the Elves, Galen, Elder of House Greenriver would assist Fei and Tsuki in any attempts to decipher the suspected Wizard-coded message. The others who had returned, but for Aud, were given tasks within the wood so that they might now aid their allies, as their previous obligations had been fulfilled and they chose to be of service. Aud was told by Lenaduiniel, for the Elves, that his aid was welcome, but he might best serve now by riding back to his town of Men and taking word to them of the suspected enemy and conveying the Elves warning to their neighbors. One Elf was dispatched to be Aud's escort and Elven representative to the Men, and if need be one who might bring return messages to the Elves; this was Dernder the cousin of Gildenmund. A copy was made of the sketches so that Dernder might show this to their allies.
The Orcs were expected with nightfall. Scouts had already reported that they were, but for a small number, staying to the road and progressing in a fashion that seemed most slow and hesitant for Orcs, for they could have reached the settlement within the Wood several days before if they had run. Those who had confronted Marduk's Clan before believed that the delay had been caused because he waited to gather many more Orcs to him.
By evening Tsuki, Fei and Galen were in the Lord's house, near Lenaduiniel, at their work. The settled area smelled of cookfires and dinner, but many Elves were still laboring at preparations for anticipated battle. One half of each bathing pavilion had been curtained off and designated for use by those in the defense force only for their battle preparations. Beryl had gone to Caratathren's house to ask his daughter to bring out his chest containing his older armor and weapons, which she had kept for him, but she informed him that she was too busy with her duties to only play devoted daughter this time. She had chore lists to check, and the cooking of dinner for all the defense force to supervise, as those assigned to defense were excused from all other usual chores during this time, so they might both train and prepare, though, if warriors traveled from home to battle, it would be customary for them to cook their own meals.
Dale and Duma had walked with Beryl and were still with him then when he said he would look for the chest himself. "Do you wish help?" Dale asked.
"No. There are many things to sort through here. Caratathren and I are much alike, but I have time. I am undecided whether I shall go and join the preparations."
Dale nodded and looked away from the willow, in the direction of the bathing pavilion.
"What is this 'preparations'? Should we go there if we are to battle?"
Dale laughed. "It is not entirely different than what Orcs do before
battle."
"Paint each other?"
Dale laughed again and shook his head.
"There is sharing of pleasure," Beryl said calmly, in the same tone he used to instruct Duma about Elven language. "You are halfelven and though we are not part of the resident population selected for the defense of the community, we will likely have a battle of our own to fight, and they would because of this have to allow you to join them, but I do not know that you would enjoy all aspects of it."
"Because their preparations are not like spilling over a pit of being as pets…it is like what Dale and Tsuki do."
Beryl smiled and gave a nod in agreement, though Dale colored slightly and growled in annoyance. "It is not just that!" he said, "it is allowed that you do not even take part in that sort of sharing, as Elves with mates may go there. They go there all together also so they may know and learn to trust those they will fight alongside. They bathe to cleanse bodies, and as they are Elves, they perform rites of spiritual purification also to prepare their mind and soul for battle."
"Oh."
"And this includes oiling skin and prayer and sometimes also drinking together and singing," Beryl offered.
"I do not think I need to go there."
"Well enough." Dale shrugged.
"You may, if you decide otherwise, they will go there every night until battle is upon them."
"I understand. I will go to the forge now. Lenaduiniel said I could go there and help, but if the Orcs come, I will go meet with them."
"I suppose I will go sleep if I can. The counsel all insisted there was no particular task they had need for me to do."
Beryl put a hand on Dale's shoulder. "I have changed my mind. Help me look for my armor. Perhaps there is something here that will be useful to you that you may have. It is not right that we try to push others away from us only because we are afraid or hurting."
"You are afraid, Beryl?" Duma said.
"Of course. You should be as well. I am afraid for our friend Kato, that he may not live. I am afraid for other friends, that they will be harmed, or be forced to undertake terrible tasks. I am perhaps a little afraid of death, but more, I am afraid we will find that these creatures we face are Elves of a sort and that they will not make peace with us before we have kinslaying."
"Elves greatly dislike this 'kinslaying'," Duma observed.
"Dislike it greatly, Child," Beryl said gravely. "It is a terrible thing when Elves find they must choose between killing other Elves and going against their nature in some other very serious manner. Terrible, but it has happened."
"I do not think I would like to even kill Orcs, and they do kill each other as a matter of routine."
"Insures that the strongest and smartest survive to breed," Dale said sharply, "killing is not wrong. I would not approve of killing without meaning, without any reason but sport, but taking life can bring about good. To kill those who are truly evil, to kill to defend others, to kill to eat, those are good things."
"You realize you just disagreed with your own words?" Duma asked glumly. "If you kill to defend others, it goes against wishing that only the strong and smart survive, because those who are so able to survive should be able to defend their own life, or else they deserve to die, in your reasoning."
"Do not speak to your father so, Duma," Beryl said kindly, "he does not know some days if he is Elf or Orc. I think perhaps it is true to say killing does sometimes bring about something that seems positive, but the killing itself is always a terrible thing. Yet, in life, sometimes we must chose to do nothing and allow great evil to happen and doing a little evil ourselves so that a lot of good may result. Given such a choice…either way…some harm will be done."
"And there is no way to prevent the evil without killing?" Duma asked.
"Sometimes there may be, but if there were only goodness in the world and no evil, if everything were fair and just all the time, there would be no departing west for blessed isles, because this would be a blessed and perfect place, yet, we should likely not comprehend our perfect existence, we would simply be and have no appreciation for our blessed life, because we knew no evil to compare it to. The light exists so we may know darkness and the darkness exists so that we may know light. The world was created thus. Some would say it was a work of treachery and sabotage that the evils entered the world, but no perfect beings could allow such sabotage unknowing."
"Do you mean to say the gods Elves worship are not perfect or they are perfect and intended evil to exist in the world?" Duma asked.
Beryl smiled wide. "It is for you to ponder, Child."
Dale snorted and huffed. "You may as well say the Dark One was noble and sacrificing in setting himself against the gods and in becoming evil."
"But I did not say. You said. Believe as you will, only do not speak of such interpretation to Elves unless they know you well enough to be forgiving. They are strict in their interpretation of such things and may be offended if you disagree."
"Then killing is not good action, but sometimes, even good people may choose to kill, if they cannot think of any other way to cause some greater good to happen?" Duma asked.
"Yes. The killing is still a bad thing, but the person may yet be considered good, if others see that a greater good came from the death. The key there is 'greater', the goodness must be judged to outweigh the wrong, as if on a merchant's scales. To be good, you must always tip the scale toward the good side by whatever action you take, even if you sometimes make mistakes and cause the scales to waver with your wrongdoing. This is because the world is not perfect."
"And it will never be?"
"No. Yet, we can still work to make it better, even if we always fall short of perfection, there is room for improvement."
"I am good," Duma said. "A good person can get what they want better than a bad person. They do not have to be strong and take. They can ask or trade and people will give them what they desire and have no want to punish them for their action."
"Yeah, but some people won't care if you are good."
"Yes. I know that. I should still try to be good, but some people will not like me, no matter how I act toward them."
"The world is not perfect," Dale said emphatically.
"I do not wish to kill or fight, but if we find some Wizards intend to hurt or sicken Orcs, I will face them."
"I hope we find there has been some mistake, though I fear our suspicions are correct. A Wizard will likely not be easy to kill."
"Yes," Beryl agreed, "a Wizard is no easy kill. I imagine they must be stripped of power somehow, or faced by another Wizard."
"Tsuki is not really a Wizard," Dale whispered.
"Yes."
"Then do we have hope of defeating our enemies, if there be a Wizard among them?" Duma asked.
"We have hope. We must have hope. It is normal to be afraid of some things, but if we had no hope, then we should despair and that is equivalent to surrendering to our deaths. The hope that we may overcome evil is what enables us to continue, even fearing. It is natural enough to be afraid, and that is well, so long as we show courage and continue despite the fear. Hope is what enables one to take on seemingly losing battles and win."
"Then, despair and fear exist to allow us to appreciate hope and courage?"
Beryl smiled. "Enough. Go to the forge. Be of use. You may show us your courage later."
There seemed nothing left to say, and so Duma continued on to the forge, while Dale helped Beryl to look for his old armor.
The Elven settlement within the Silver Wood had one smith and several apprentices, and that most knowledgeable smith had lately been an apprentice in the Golden Wood before crossing the river to join the land reclamation. They were fortunate their smith, Mirdan, had any knowledge of arms; he was primarily a jeweler. Mirdan was an Elf of enough years that he had long ago been instructed in crafting armament in bronze, iron or steel, and later in his life learned the art of making decorative items from more precious metals. One of the apprentices had come from Elven domains past the mountains and had nearly mastered the making of armor in the Elven fashion and so here was their chief armorer, as Mirdan labored making bladed weapons, though he would have rather been crafting brooches or torcs.
Duma arrived and found there was no need to introduce himself. The Elves had not forgotten the day of the feast and their visits to his house. Mirdan simply said they would be thankful if he could help them in any way and asked if he knew how to craft anything other then jewelry.
Duma had some experience with making weapons. He did not strike out the blade's shape between hammer and anvil, but he knew how to cast and to temper and to grind to sharpness, polish or fit blades to various handles. He also knew very well how to tend a furnace. The smithies and forge fires made by Elves, abandoned by Dwarves, made by Orcs of the past or Orcs using knowledge learned from a Wizard were different but they were also very similar.
Duma set to work, and the Elves there could see that he was knowledgeable and were then very willing to work with him. They worked together, one always pounding out a bladed weapon, one a piece of armor and another casting smaller blades or arrowheads. Those who remained worked to support them, one nearest the fires doling out heated or molten steel from the furnaces to the smiths and one or two others grinding and polishing and at least one working to fit the metal with wood or leather binding, straps or handles, such as were called for.
They called loudly over the din to each other as they worked, asking for a tool to be passed or giving advice to the less experienced. Duma thought it enjoyable work. It involved no whipping, but sometimes, Duma would think to himself that he had better get the work done perfectly or the Master of the forge would soon give him lashes.
Even with little time to work, the Elves still labored to make each item they crafted not only strong but beautiful. They would not pile it upon the shelf until it was engraved with protective spells or threatening prophesies in Elvish Script. Duma asked if they were not worried they would be short of arms when battle came, and if they would not want to work faster, but Mirdan responded that heirlooms or found Mannish swords would have to serve if they produced too few weapons, because there was no point in doing the job halfway.
Duma said that a Wizard or Orcs would have made machines that could make many identical swords or arrowheads at once, but the Elves were not interested except to hear the stories. They wished to do the work by hand.
It was dark when the Orcs came to the part of the wood where the Elves built their houses; no Orcs had ventured so far into Elven territory in recent times and so some believed the Elves might live in trees like small nut-gathering creatures, but they knew the houses for what they were when they saw the platforms and railings in the trees and the stonework below.
The Orcs had come into the wood cautiously, aware that the Elves watched, watching the Elves and aware that the Elves knew they were watching. This was a new situation. No Dark Lord or Wizard had made plans for such an advance, though there had been strategies for invading an Elven wood several times in the past.
The scouts had come to Lenaduiniel where she kept watch from the high platform of her brother's house. They had reported how many across the Orcs walked and how long the line of them stretched north along the road, that was enough to estimate their number. "So many?" Lenaduiniel asked.
"They must be in the thousands," Gwindor said, "and we in the east and the Horse Lord in the west slew so many in the war."
"And we are to believe this is not their full number, but only those who could hear and respond to Marduk's summons in these past days."
"We knew they bred quickly. All the time we celebrated victory and attended coronations and made new treaties with old allies their few surviving number retreated to the mines and bred there, in those foul pits we have since learned of. Now they are in only years populous again and exhibiting new and strange characteristics."
"The various breeds are melding," Lenaduiniel noted. "Do we know for certain all those with one male or female parent will also be born or spawned male or female?"
"It is true," Ugarit said from behind, where she stooped to watch Tashmetum as she ate. The child-Orc was able to grasp small morsels in her fingers and lift them to her own mouth and even to chew. She was already unlike a baby.
"Then the rate at which they bring forth offspring will slow."
"Yes, eventually, they shall all be male or female, unless they separate out those who are genderless by some design," Gwindor whispered.
Lenaduiniel nodded slowly.
"Did you just…?" Gwindor rasped.
"Make no sudden move." Lenaduiniel gave a whistle in signal to the guards. The call seemed to echo as the signal was repeated for those farther away. In a moment the wood was filled with light as fires were stoked, lamps within the houses, hanging lanterns in the trees and arches of the public buildings and on tall stakes in the ground along the road were all lit.
The Orcs were revealed and many shielded their eyes, but the Elves, wearing cloaks of work clothes of grey or pale winter brown or undyed cloth were camouflaged in against the bare trees and dried leaves and when possible, stood in shadows cast by trees or buildings in the lantern light.
"I see you, traveling Orcs. Your greatest Chieftain will come parlay with me, as I am now mistress of this wood and will know your business here or see you leaving along the road," Lenaduiniel called in such clear slow Common Speech as she could manage.
"The Elf wishes to bargain, My Chieftain," Gorghash-Leader whispered.
Marduk punched Goghash in the arm with his fist. "I know what this 'parlay' is, fool. I know this Yellow-hair. Other Elves do not wear rings in the ears."
Gorgash laughed. He had recently joined the Clan and did not know Lenaduiniel was the Elf female that had marked Sarpanit. Sarpanit knew, of course and growled where she stood behind Marduk.
"The Elves with talk instead of prove their strength in battle." Marduk called out to the Orcs near him. "They think they are smarter than Orcs and can trick us! We Orcs are very smart! We will show these elves we are strong soon enough, but we will talk to them now and show we are also smart!"
The Orcs grunted their approval.
"I see you Marduk-Chieftain," Lenaduiniel said. "You may bring a small embassy with you."
Alqua, who Marduk did not know, stood beside Lenaduiniel and whispered to her.
"You may bring whatever slaves or supporters you wish," Lenaduiniel said.
Marduk was certain that 'embassy' meant the ones you brought with you to parlay. He turned and spoke in a secretive tone to the Orcs closest. "Sarpanit, you will not go where yellow-hair is. Gorghash, you come with me. And…"
"I will go," Ufthak the Easterner said.
"No." He was too eager, Marduk thought. Not a good supporter. "Aladima. Lucky, you will not go, but stay with these others and keep them in line."
"Aladima?" Sarpanit hissed.
"The Yellow-hair is female-Chieftain of these Elves and I will not have you and she near each other. I will take one female with me, Aladima has no male to claim her, and so I can order her to go."
"Tell them we want Ugarit back. Ask them where Duma is."
Marduk roared at Sarpanit, and wary of the noise, several Elves in the trees drew their bows and arrows upon them and prepared to shoot. Sarpanit dropped to a stoop and lowered her eyes. "You are strong and you bear my young, but that does not give you right to command. You have no whip!"
"I will obey," Sarpanit whispered.
Aladima stood near Lucky's female, Shala, as she often shared chores with the other female and avoided Sarpanit now. She came when Marduk beckoned. Gorghash came proudly. He could have been Sarpanit's pit mate, for he was both Northern and Western breed and seemed of a similar age and told of being spawned farther north. He looked more alike to Ugarit, who was of the same mix, being slender and strong and having large ears, but his coloring was dark and marbled, like some Westerners. Aladima was part Mine-dweller but spawned in the east; the other females mocked her size and Razh-razh had used her badly, but Marduk yet had confidence that the female was useful. She had strong arms and had learned to wield a battle axe. She was a good supporter.
"Yellow-hair! If you are here giving orders then Death-shadow and his spawn must be near. Where are my Orcs? Send my Orcs to me before we talk."
"They are in this very house now and free to join you. Step around to the ladder and you will see them."
Marduk stepped onto the paving stones and walked around the mounded earth. There was a fire there and he saw Galadhiel there, the female that dressed as male. She was crafting arrows and did not so much as pause in her work, though her eyes flicked toward the Orcs for a moment.
Marduk saw the ladder and went to it. Orcs were not made to climb trees, but…Marduk's first task as a newly spawned Orc had been making siege ladders. This one was well made, entirely of wood, with mortise and tenon joints between rungs and risers and twine wrapping the rungs and some part of the rise to provide traction and added strength. It would hold two large Orcs at one time, or many Elves.
Marduk climbed the ladder.
Ugarit felt small and weak again when she saw Marduk, and just uncomfortable that Duma was breathing so heavily and standing so close to her. He and Dale had run to the house and made it up the ladder in the time since Lenaduiniel's whistle and would not have been here to see Marduk arrive if he had not taken so long in gathering supporters and shouting demands from the road.
Marduk would not admit to fear, but he did not feel entirely confident about entering an Elf house. He had never been up in a tree, though he had climbed many high ladders and even a few siege towers. He was purely Western breed and just old enough to remember the war and some period of training and preparation before its battles.
He saw Duma and Death-shadow were there, and the Wizard and the other Easterling Man. Greencloak was not among them, Marduk noticed, nor the witch or Halfling, and they had left the other Elf below. This female's brother, as Men called such relations, was also missing. Dog, Ugarit and Tashmetum were all present as promised, along with three Elves Marduk did not know, one he had seen near Lenaduiniel from below and two who seemed male. Orcs could usually tell male from female in Elves by scent if not sight, but the males often did not appear strong but rather slight, even if they had strength for battle, unlike Men who could grow larger.
Dog held an armload of Elven arrows and looked hopefully at Marduk. He looked alive at least, Marduk thought, and so the Wizard must have saved his life with healing works known to him, and Marduk did not wish to accept a debt to the Wizard for restoring his pet, but to reject Dog as his only seemed unintelligent. Ugarit and Tashmetum both were grown. Tashmetum would probably walk soon, like Shala's little one did. There was no question now Marduk would have to find some male to give Ugarit to. Sarpanit sometimes caused trouble, but she was still strong and useful and Marduk did not wish for another female of his own, and so he could not continue to keep Ugarit now. She seemed full grown, and also, strangely un-Orcish in her shortened highlander kilt and altered Elven blouse. Dog also wore some rather Elvish garments.
"I see you chose two. Excellent. Sit at my table, if you like. I will also have two sit with me."
Marduk saw the two strange male Elves sit with Lenaduiniel and he also saw that Dale, Tsuki and Duma sat elsewhere at the table. "Why do they sit?"
Lenaduiniel spoke to Ugarit quietly, to say it was time to speak. They had arranged this in advance, and so Ugarit approached Marduk, though she was afraid of what he would think of her or decide. "Marduk-Chieftain, My Chieftain," she said, "allow me to inform you, as one of your Clan who is loyal, that I have made an agreement with this Elf, Lady Lena, believing that it is for the good of the clan."
"What is this agreement?" Marduk asked.
"My Chieftain, much has been done and learned since any of last saw you or spoke to you. All of us here think it in all our interests to share what we know with you, if you will also share what you may know with us. I think, Chieftain, we should work with Elves."
Marduk laughed.
Ugarit stooped lower and she could feel Duma staring at her and was sure he thought it wrong for her to stoop to Marduk, and as strangely good as that felt, she could not make herself straighten. "I know that it seems strange and maybe wrong and you, even being a smart Chieftain, have not learned of the things that make us know we should work together and so I beg that you hear the things Dale-Chieftain and…"
"Dale-Chieftain?" Marduk barked.
"I am your Orc, but it is correct that I call Death-shadow this, as it is the name his Clan recognizes. I am told to call him 'Dale-Chieftain'. He and these Elves wish to speak with you, but it is rare Elves and Orcs can trust each other or understand the accents with which we speak to hold counsel together and so I have agreed to serve Lady Lena as a representative of Orcs and to inform her truthfully of all Orc customs and to make any translations that I can. TO be fair, you will have an Elf. She is to serve you…"
"A female?" Marduk looked to the Alqua and Alqua lowered her gaze and stooped slightly in Orchish fashion.
"She is not to be touched by Orcs, as I will not be touched by elves, but while I continue to serve Lena, this one, Alqua…"
"It is an ugly Elvish name."
"Yes," Ugarit agreed. "It means in the Common Speech 'swan'. You may call her 'Swan' or whatever you like, she will serve you. You see I have selected her for you myself and instructed her on how to seem pleasing to Orcs. She has sworn to serve and obey, so long as she is treated fairly as I will be by the Elves. If you wish food, she will fetch it. If you wish to know any secrets of Elves, she must tell you what she knows. If you wish to know the meaning of an Elf word, she must tell you honestly what it means. She will stay with you and be your guide and translator until you leave this place or I am returned to you, which ever is to come first."
"And you have been instructed in how to please Elves?" Marduk demanded.
"Not instructed, My Chieftain, I learned from watching them. Since I was separated from you I have encountered Dale-Chieftain and his company several times and now been several days in this place. I must serve Lady Lena's interests for now, but later, if you ask it of me, I will tell you all I have learned of the Elves, if you wish it."
There were sounds of argument from below and then Galadhiel came up and announced that the Dwarves wished to join the meeting and were upset they had not been asked to participate.
Lenaduiniel sighed. She more than other Elves would tolerate Dwarves, but the three with them were no leaders or warriors among their people. Still, she supposed it fair enough. They could be witnesses to the events that would come to pass and take word of them to their people, even if they could not be of any further help. "Let them come up," she said calmly, Denelas, please draw chairs to the table for them."
"Shall I add boxes to the seats as well so they can see us?"
Lenaduiniel gestured impatiently for Denelas to carry on. Dwarves were not quite so small as Halflings; their legs were quite short in comparison to other races but not so much their torsos, yet, this table might yet be at an uncomfortable height for them, as it was Elven. Even Tsuki seemed very small against it, though he could of course see over the top. He had to lift his elbows high to work at the table.
As they took seats opposite Lenaduiniel, Alqua informed Marduk that there were presently three Dwarves staying as guests in their wood and that they were brothers and kin to one who had traveled with Gwindor and Galadhiel and been slain by Orcs near the mines.
"The pitmates of that cursed Dwarven Ranger that hewed many Orcs defending the Mines and our Precious Things are to sit with us and 'parlay'?"
"Yes, My Chieftain," Alqua said slowly, "They are no warriors or leaders among their people, only entertainers, but the Lady allows them to join us because she was fond of their brother and does not wish to dishonor Dwarves. It is true others in her family honor Dwarves and her brother who is our absent Lord is often companion to a Dwarf he befriended in the war and so Dwarves came here and helped us build many of the stone buildings."
"Absent Lord?"
"The Lord of this Wood is absent and Lenaduiniel now leads us in his stead. He is a hero of the war and is likely now visiting the King."
"An Elf, that is familiar with a Dwarf and known also to that Man-King and called 'hero' by your people?"
"And by Men."
"And he was at the Horse-boys fortress?"
"Yes, it is true he fought in that battle."
"There was only one Elf there," Marduk said.
"And one Dwarf," Bari said loudly, "You are speaking of the Dwarf-Lord that rides about on a horse with a Wood Elf? We know a few songs about them. It amuses Dwarves to hear the tale. Robi and Mori laughed.
"Strange enough that an Elf or a Dwarf rides a horse at all," Duma said.
"Strange that an Orc rides a horse as well. To be clear about things, there were two Elves at that battle," Dale said, "but I am told the other was well disguised."
"Did you know this?" Marduk demanded of Duma.
"Beryl Greencloak was in the battle at that fortress, yes."
"I mean of this Elven Archer."
Dale shrugged as if to say he did not care if Duma answered and so Duma smiled and said, "I heard only a little about it, we had the same archery instructor, and I have his cast off old bow." Duma took the bow from his shoulder and pushed it across the table so that Dog could see it. "Went through the mines."
Dog touched the bow and then nodded several times. "Yes, marked by goblin blades. There was a yellow-haired Elf that time, with the Grey Wizard. They even took down a Cave Troll."
"And that Wizard slew the fire demon," Duma whispered. He and Dog had both lived in the mines during that time, when the majority of Orcs there had been of the Mine-Dweller breed and Duma had stayed hidden and wandered tunnels when he was not keeping the fires hot.
It was that Wizard who had become White after Marduk's previous Master and then arrived at that Horse-boy fort with riders to turn the tide of battle against the Orcs. Marduk had been lucky to survive. He despised calvary, and Elven Archers and Dwarven axes and meddling Men and Riders and he especially hated those tree things. Marduk shivered thinking about them.
Duma laughed aloud, seeing the shiver. That one, Marduk thought, really had a strange sense of humor. "You Dwarves are the Kin of the Ranger who attacked the Mines? And you kin to that Elf…?"
Marduk-Chieftain," Lenaduiniel said calmly as she could, "it is about time we set aside our vengeance. Dale has slain Orcs, but so his Elven kin were slain by Orcs. I myself shot upon the Orcs guarding the road near the mines from the trees…"
"You!" Marduk had not understood before that she had been that one he heard about, one who shot at Orcs from the trees.
"And so I have also lost kin and close friends to Orcs. And yes the Dwarf who was brother to these hewed Orcs, but so have his people long been attacked by Orcs. All of here who are not Orcs have likely killed Orcs and all who are Orcs have killed those known to us others. If we allow this to stop us from speaking, then we invite others to enter the west and conquer all!"
"Other? Conquer?"
"Will you listen now?" Lenaduiniel asked.