Chapter 304: How to Win Friends and Influence Warlords

I was seething internally, walking next to Glasha as she led her pony. Orc attendants rushed along the path with packs of goods, looking at me curiously. “Did you find the goliath you were looking for?” she asked calmly.

I bit down an angry retort and answered evenly. “She was among them, yes.”

Glasha nodded slowly and said more somberly, “While most warlords treat their slaves with veneration, Warlord Rhuuk is known for his proclivities with his slaves.”

My knuckles cracked as I made a fist. “What type of proclivities?” I was glad Maveith was not in my place. I assumed he would not have been able to restrain himself.

Sensing my anger, Glasha tempered her response. “He seeks to assert his dominance over them in a number of ways.” She paused as she considered her next words carefully, trying not to make me angry, but I had heard enough.

“Not for much longer. Can my companions join us?” I asked tersely.

“I have given it thought. The answer would be no …” I tensed before Glasha continued, “… but warlords are allowed their attendant slaves. With you being a First, you should qualify as well. Tarnasha can announce you as Mynasha’s First and then we can summon your companions.”

I hesitated. Would bringing Maveith here complicate things? It was his sister and he should be here. “They wouldn’t be able to leave either,” Glasha said, seeing my contemplation.

“I will write them a note and explain it to them then,” I said, coming to a decision.

“I can have it delivered when it is ready,” Glasha said. She motioned me down a narrow, winding path that led to a modest longhouse, its weathered wooden structure standing alone, devoid of any surrounding outbuildings. Unlike the bustling estates I had witnessed before, there were no slaves or orcs scurrying about outside.

“Is there a way to free Zorana without helping Mynasha?” I asked as we approached the longhouse.

Glasha stopped. I was not sure if she would tell me the truth or not. “If you had honor, you could challenge Rhuuk.”

I rolled my eyes. “How do I get honor?” I asked.

Glasha chewed her lip, her tusks showing. She snorted, in thought about how to explain it. She had tried many times during the journey, but in the end, it seemed that honor was reserved for warlords, clerics, and elites in orc culture. “Honor is earned and bestowed by others with honor. It is extremely difficult for an outsider to accumulate honor. In the short time we have, I do not see that as a feasible path,” Glasha said as she opened the squeaky door of the longhouse.

“My only recourse is to help Mynasha become the Supreme,” I said discontentedly. I was having thoughts of Warlord Rhuuk experiencing an unfortunate brain aneurysm. It was smoky inside from the wet wood burning in the center of the longhouse. Mynasha and Tarnasha were trying to cook dinner in the haze. I suspected they had been given only wet wood on purpose because I did not see a single attendant anywhere in the cavernous building.

Tarnasha stood, a bright, tusky smile on the old orc’s face. “Eryk! You have come to join us. We don’t have much to offer, but please sit.” There were no chairs, just dirty blankets spread around the fire. I folded my legs under me and sat. Mynasha was studying me, some disbelief on her face that I had come.

“Well, I am here. Catch me up,” I said, motioning to everyone. Glasha tied her pony to a rail inside with the other two horses before coming to sit with us.

Tarnasha spoke for the group. “The five Elders are waiting for Cleric Ottasha. If he confirms Mynasha’s slaying of the trolls, she will be allowed to be the sixth candidate. Ottasha may be the seventh, but he may have lost Warlord Krage’s support.”

“Of the other five candidates for the Supreme, the favored is Fioasha, and he has the support of three of the five Elders,” Glasha explained. “He is a powerful cleric with strong affinities in nature and earth. That is why the Elders chose capturing a pixie to be the first Trial.”

It made sense that the competition was rigged. “And his First?” I asked.

“Warlord Etus. He is the admiral of the northern fleet and well liked among the populace,” Glasha stated while turning over the wood. “You have already met Cleric Jhuarkasha and his First, Rhuuk. Jhuarkasha’s strongest affinity is protection. I think Rhuuk hopes to be able to control Jhuarkasha from the shadows. His spine bends with the wind.” I nodded. I had not gotten a favorable impression of either of them, and Rhuuk was destined to die if what Glasha had insinuated was true.

Tarnasha stirred his pot on the coals. Whatever type of soup he was making, it was sparse. Maybe they planned to starve Mynasha into failing. I pulled out candied nuts and handed the bags around. I had purchased them in Telha long ago, but they were still warm from the vendor I had purchased them from. My orc sponsors greedily consumed the salty-sweet treat.

“Cleric Anatasha challenged Mynasha’s claim of slaying the mountain trolls. It is likely he will be forced to withdraw his candidacy, but he does have one supporter among the Elders. The other two candidates are Cleric Nalgrasha and Cleric Sarkasha. Both are unknown factors and neither has support among the Elders,” Tarnasha supplied.

Glasha had finished her nuts and took a bowl of soup before saying, “Nalgrasha is a powerful weather mage, and Sarkasha is a skilled illusionist. The only concern I have about them is that they appear to be conspiring together.”

“And their Firsts?” I asked, crumpling up my empty bag and tossing it on the fire.

“Newly raised Warlord Batale stands with Nalgrasha, and Warlord Thaill stands with Sarkasha. Neither has earned much honor among the warlords,” Tarnasha supplied helpfully.

“Will I even be recognized if I stand as Mynasha’s First?” I asked. This seemed to be a point of contention between Tarnasha and Glasha. The three orcs looked at each other, with Mynasha looking the most uncertain.

“We will find out tomorrow evening,” Glasha finally said. “Warlord Melkos has purged the trolls and ogres. I expect Cleric Ottasha and Warlord Krage are racing here as we speak.” Glasha stood and nodded respectfully to me. “I will get your message to the Adventurers Hall.”

I nodded, pulled out some paper and a quill, and began to write. I tried to keep my words as obscure as possible so the message would not give anything away if it was intercepted. I told Maveith his sister was safe and alive. He could come only if he could restrain himself and stay unarmed. Slaves were not allowed to carry weapons.

I told Konstantin to take command of the others and start looking for passage on a ship for all of us, including two “future friends.” I rewrote the letter twice before folding it and giving it to Glasha. She left immediately to find a runner.

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Seeing that I was finished, the old man whispered to me, asking wistfully, “Do you have any more food?” I chuckled and produced some elven bread and apple-berry dungeon jam. I looked at Mynasha, who looked apprehensive and hadn’t spoken much since I had arrived. I offered her a steaming meat bun.

“What is this remarkable spread?” Tarnasha gasped, tasting it.

“Apple-berry dungeon jam,” I replied, amused by the noises he made while eating it. He must be feeling the aether-bleed effect of the dungeon food, and it was also an excellent jam. The meat bun I gave Mynasha had dungeon bear meat and potatoes in it, but she didn’t seem to realize the benefits as she ate mechanically.

Tarnasha praised me. “Your talents are wasted on the battlefield, Eryk.” I handed him one of the hot meat buns in appreciation of his praise, even though Maveith had made the jam.

I stood and started to make a place to sleep on the worn wooden floor. My earth pulse told me a massive rat nest resided under our shelter—at least thirty that I could count. I assumed it was going to be a fun night. As we all settled in, Tarnasha used his magic, weaving a complex spell form that caused all the rats and nearby creatures I could detect with my earth pulse to flee. He let out a soft chuckle, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the rats had not been there naturally.

When Glasha finally returned, it was late and unhappiness was etched clearly on her face. My heart sank at the sight, and my mind raced with concern—had she been unable to contact my companions? “Your message was sent to the Guild Hall,” she assured me, her voice steady yet tinged with exhaustion. “I’m confident your companions will receive it shortly.”

“What is the problem now?” Mynasha asked, sitting up. She had been trying to sleep, but it was clear her adrenaline wasn’t letting her.

“Nothing,” Glasha said a little too tersely. Eventually, she conceded, “It is him.” She pointed at me. “Apparently, the Elders just passed a rule that only warlords can serve as Firsts for this Choosing! That is itself against the rules, as any change requires one year to take effect!” She growled, then calmed. “I have been arguing with Elder Daccasha and Kytasha for the last three hours!”

I handed her a meat pie and a skin of elven ambrosia. Hopefully, the elven whisky would help her calm down and sleep. This was mildly good news for me, as it meant I wouldn’t have to serve as Mynasha’s First. Glasha spent an hour venting her rage aloud until the ambrosia finally knocked her out.

I remained awake most of the night, lying there prone and sending out earth pulses. A few patrols with mastiffs walked by our longhouse, but there was no excitement to be had. As dawn approached, I took the opportunity to get my few hours of rest. Glasha stormed off when she woke, and Tarnasha followed her to play politics.

That left me and the young cleric. “Where were you born?” I asked to break the silence of midmorning.

“Why do you care?” she asked calmly, giving me her attention. She looked to have fully recovered from her lightning display and the long ride.

“Curiosity. You look a little different than most of the orcs I have seen.” I was trying to gently start a conversation to see if the powerful cleric was an otherworlder like me.

“A small settlement that you have never heard of,” she said, getting comfortable on the blanket. She seemed open to talking.

“Were your parents powerful clerics as well?” I asked while stirring the coals.

“No,” she said slowly, studying me. “Neither of my parents could use aether.”

“Isn’t that unusual? With you being so powerful?” I probed.

“I was adopted when I was a babe. I was found in a field of cabbage,” she admitted.

My mind was racing. Were infants also pulled into this world? I genuinely believed Mynasha was an otherworlder because of her rare convergence affinity. I kept the conversation going, asking about her childhood and how she had discovered her magic. She probably thought I was just trying to get to know her and was very open. In reality, I was searching for clues.

I gave her lunch from my dimensional space, and before I knew it, I was also answering her questions, albeit with more obscurity. Mynasha was very interested in my own magic, but I didn’t reveal anything that she hadn’t already seen.

It was late afternoon when a thundering procession could be heard outside. We both went see the source of the commotion, and dozens of riders were headed to the center of the valley. “I have to go and meet with the Elders,” Mynasha said. I made to join her, but she shook her head. “No, you need to remain here until you are recognized as my First.” Mynasha grabbed her small pack and raced down the path to join the others.

Left to my own devices, I took care of the three horses, cleaning the floor and walking them around the building for a little exercise before watering them and staking them to graze. Even though I was fairly confident I was not being spied on with the help of the obfuscation sphere and my earth speak, I only took magebane from my space to practice. It was well past sunset when my trio of orcs returned.

They were not alone. A smiling but anxious Maveith was leading his large black horse and Ginger. His smile creased his face, but he kept turning and searching as if his sister was about to jump out and surprise him. He looked odd to me without his unstrung bow on his back or the heavy hammer swinging from his hip.

We shook wrists, but Maveith pulled me in for a hug that squeezed the air from my lungs. “Don’t kill me or this will be harder than it needs to be.”

Maveith released me, beaming. “I thought you were tougher than that.”

“Let’s not test the limits of my body. You came, so I am assuming you understand.” Maveith nodded, but I hoped he would not forget when he saw Zorana.

I looked at the orcs. From the smiles on their faces, I assumed it had gone well. I didn’t even have to ask before Mynasha barked happily, “You are to be my First!”

This was no time for jokes or innuendos, so I just nodded. “How did it happen?” I asked while handing out food.

“It was a master display of guile and deceit!” Tarnasha said happily.

“Not so!” Glasha joked. “They were just ignorant of our human friend’s prowess.” She saluted me with her waterskin. “Warlord Krage spoke to Mynasha’s killing of the trolls. He then offered his support to serve as her First!”

“What? I am confused. I thought he was supporting Ottasha, and if he offered, why am I still Mynasha’s First?” I felt I wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Ottasha withdrew his candidacy. I think it was because Krage didn’t want to risk his honor supporting him,” Mynasha said excitedly.

“Eryk is a much better option,” Maveith said in support. I frowned.

“Cleric Anatasha also withdrew after his challenge to Mynasha’s honor was proven to be without merit!” Tarnasha added jovially. “Two candidates have already fallen from consideration!”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” I said, my voice tinged with irritation. I leaned forward, my voice tense. “Why isn’t Warlord Krage standing as Mynasha’s First?” My eyes narrowed. I was eager for clarification as the weight of the title hung on me, unwanted.

Glasha’s excitement dimmed as she explained, “When Warlord Krage offered to stand with Mynasha, the Elders panicked. He is a highly respected warrior and his support would have lent her candidacy far too much legitimacy. They pivoted. Fast. Suddenly, the human being as her First was no longer controversial, and they formalized the decision on the spot.” She gave me a wicked smile. “Little do they know just how dangerous this human really is.”

Maveith laughed with them. I was glad to see my friend could at least see the humor in this. “Great,” I offered with sarcasm.

“The first Trial begins at first light tomorrow. You two must be seen by the Elders leaving the grounds so they know you did not depart earlier. With five candidates, only the first three to return with a live pixie will be allowed to continue,” Glasha said excitedly.

“Can Maveith come with us?” I asked, drawing the goliath’s attention.

The two orcs looked at Tarnasha, who was the expert, having once been a member of the Elders. “It would be frowned upon but permitted, as long as he does not assist.”

“I wish to remain here,” Maveith said resolutely.

“Can you two keep him out of trouble?” I asked Glasha and Tarnasha seriously.

They both looked over at the towering goliath, who tried to look as innocent as possible. I knew he was going to try to see his sister. I was having doubts about the wisdom of bringing him here.

Glasha slowly smiled. “I can come up with a few things to keep him busy. He can carry my things while we spend the day gathering support for Mynasha among the warlords and clerics.”

One thing was for sure: I hated orc politics.

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