The Black Heart
Chapter Two: Arrangements
"Nan always said he had an orc's black heart," the orcess said and the corners of her mouth turned up in a mysterious little smile. "None a the other Dunland men stuck around with the orc girls they 'ad kids with. They took the gold Sharky gave 'em and buggered off, but not my granddad. He were always happier wit' orcs 'n he were wit' men."
-Splint, Doors
Stretching lazily, Geth became aware of a warm softness surrounding him. Opening his eyes, he realized Bidush had rolled onto her back in her sleep and gathered him against her. His head was pillowed on one of her voluminous breasts while her long, thick forearm cradled him against her side. She was still asleep, her fanged mouth open while she snored quietly. Trapped for the moment between her strong arm and the length of her body, Geth laid his head back down on her, enjoying the pleasant, subtle odor of her skin. It was almost spicy, with a slight, sweet musk to it.
Smacking her lips, Bidush yawned and blinked awake slowly, her red eyes droopy. Grinning, Geth kissed her breast and lightly squeezed her hip. "Mind letting me up, heart?" he asked lightly. "I need to use the pot in the corner." Bidush, suddenly wide awake, looked at him as though amazed that he was still present. She nodded slowly and released him. Geth rolled to his feet easily and hurried to the chamber pot a few feet away, sighing as he relieved himself. After a few, quick shakes, Geth turned back to the orcess. Bidush had sat up, and was sitting cross legged looking at him curiously, her head cocked to the side.
She had no idea what to do. Bidush had not expected him to sleep through the night with her. Now, he was staring with a lustful gleam in his eye, approaching her slowly. A little shiver of want ran through her when he licked his lips. "Another for the road?" he said as he pushed her gently onto her back.
Bidush's heat was not completely over, though she doubted he had failed to plant a seed in her. An orcess in heat didn't need much from a male to get pregnant, and Bidush had never failed to whelp, even when the men who bred her were brief and quick to leave, but this man made her body sing in a way she had never known. Before he could go roaming, Bidush pulled him against her chest, nuzzling his furry neck with a throaty purr. She would have nipped his chin appreciatively, if she knew where to find it. What a hairy creature he was!
Geth ran his fingers along her pointed, suede soft ear. "I'll take that as a yes," he beamed.
Huffing with amusement, she smiled against his shoulder. "Akh, arauizub," she growled huskily as she petted his coarse, dark head.
Snorting, Geth ground his growing erection against her hip. "I'm your bear, am I?" he chuckled.
Bidush blinked, impressed that he knew her tongue. Smiling rakishly, she gripped his buttock in her strong hand, feeling him grow harder against her. "Arau madh," she grinned.
Frowning, Geth faltered a bit. "I don't know madh, heart," he admitted.
"Big," Bidush giggled. "Big bear for Bidush."
Geth barked out a laugh and kissed her cheek roughly. "Your language is a little different from the mountain folk up north," he told her. "You'll have to teach me it, sometime."
Frowning, Bidush turned away from him to stare up at the stony ceiling. The little light there was in her cell filtered in from a grate at the corner. "No teach," Bidush said sadly. "Geth leave, no come back."
"Now, now," he said as he rubbed slow circles on her belly. "Don't say that. You can bet I'll be back if they let me."
Bidush regarded him, hopeful, though she knew better than to anticipate such a thing. Smiling softly, she decided to push his departure out of her mind. After all, Dezek could be by any minute to drag him out. "No talk," she said, pulling him against her again.
"As you wish," Geth conceded, nudging her knees apart. He pressed into her slowly, enjoying the soft, mewling sounds she made as he buried himself deeply. She gripped him like a hot fist, and Geth had to concentrate hard so he didn't finish too quickly. He wanted to enjoy what very well might be his last time with this enticing woman. Though, he meant what he told her. If he could find a way to have her again, he most definitely would.
He finished with a hoarse shout just as the bolt on the door clicked open. Dezek stuck her head in, and Geth smirked at her. "You have good timing," he said breathlessly as he slid out of Bidush. He extended his hand to the orcess and gently pulled her to sit up. Then, he stood and grabbed his breeches from the corner. Bidush followed his movements with glazed eyes, still gasping from her own climax.
"Hurry up," Dezek hissed, a little put off by his easy bearing. The men she'd dealt with had always been quick to cover themselves around her, and she had definitely never found them still inside a girl, but this Geth acted as though her presence meant nothing.
He laced his breeches in short order and picked up his boots in one hand. Kneeling at Bidush's side, Geth embraced her thick neck and pressed a quick, gentle kiss to her cheek. "Thank you for a lovely night, heart," he told her before striding out the door barefoot.
Dezek's gaze followed the man out before settling back on a sheepish Bidush. "Well?" Dezek asked without asking, her brow raised. Rubbing the bridge of her nose with a small, pleased smile, Bidush sighed wistfully and nodded. "Good fer you," the gobliness whispered with a gentle grin, shutting the door and bolting it behind her.
Dezek regarded Geth quietly as he pulled on his boots, half leaning against the stone wall. "I'm runnin' late t'day," she said, striding past him. "Move yer arse. Them other fuckers what come with ya are up in the dinin' hall already. If the Master finds out I let ya sleep down 'ere, I'll have the whip fer it."
She could hear Geth running to catch up to her. "Well," he said as he fell into a brisk pace behind her, "we will do our best to avoid that."
"Here," Dezek said, tossing a bundle of rolled up furs at him. "Grabbed yer shit fer ya." Geth nodded and began to put on his many layers of furs. His large, conical mace was wrapped up in his clothes. Geth dressed as they climbed the stairs, throwing the strap of his weapon over his shoulder before putting on his furry stole.
Dezek was quietly impressed with him. He had a sweet tongue, and that was always something to be wary of, but he had an ease around orcs that made her curious. "You lived wit' a tribe before, didn't ya?" she asked him suddenly as they arrived at a long hallway.
"I did, indeed," he confirmed without hesitation.
Dezek nodded, but narrowed here eyes cautiously. "Where at?" she queried. "I ain't heard a no man livin' wit' no tribe 'round here."
"Not around here," Geth clarified. "I fell in with some lads up north. Have you heard of an orc named Lorbuz?" Dezek shook her head. "Well," Geth continued as they ascended another flight of stairs, "I had the good fortune of doing a few jobs with him and his lads." He smiled roguishly at that, and Dezek returned the smile. She knew very well what orcish "jobs" consisted of. "I wintered with them that same year and ended up staying for two years besides," Geth told her. "A nice lot, but I had a falling out with Lorbuz's sister, so I haven't been back to see them in a long while."
"A fallin' out eh?" Dezek snorted. "What'd she get too clingy on ya? Started askin' ya fer sprogs?"
Geth frowned thoughtfully, chewing on his lip. "The opposite, actually," he said quietly, and his voice was bereft of the light, carefree tone Dezek had begun to associate with him.
"Got rid a it on ya, did she?" Dezek guessed.
Geth nodded subtly, his face grim as he stared ahead. "It was quite an argument," he whispered under his breath, but Dezek heard him anyway. Geth smiled brightly at her, shedding the somber air that had suddenly settled on him. "I'm better off," he said casually. "She and I fought most of the time, anyway, and what a skinny bint! All bones." He chuckled at that and Dezek chuckled with him, though she really didn't find what he'd been through all that funny.
The other Dunland men were still in the dining hall, staring listlessly at their breakfast. Dezek left Geth at the door, and he whistled merrily as he strode to his seat. Piling up his plate, Geth dug into the sunny eggs and salted ham and roasted potatoes with ravenous vigor. "Quite a night, eh lads?" he grinned. The rest of the men stared at him, dumbfounded. Their plates remained untouched, and one or two looked like they may be ill.
The gilded doors opened and the White Wizard glided in with his sallow faced servant hurrying behind him with a large box in his hands. Saruman surveyed the dark eyed men at his table somberly. "I am sure you are all eager to be on your way," he said evenly. "You may take your payment when you are ready." Saruman gestured towards Thegn, who began pulling tightly wrapped packages of gold from the wooden box. Almost every man at the table stood immediately, they filed out the door, taking their gold with them.
Thegn found himself holding a spare package, and Saruman glanced from the gold in his servant's hand to the man sitting at the far end of the table. The dark haired Dunlander was chewing noisily. He turned towards Saruman, lifting a large hunk of meat spitted on a fork in the air. "Hope you don't mind if I finish up breakfast," he said cheerily.
"Not at all," the Wizard said, narrowing his eyes. Saruman snatched the package from Thegn's hand and jerked his head towards the door as he glared at his servant. Thegn cowered and retreated from the room, shutting the door behind him.
Keeping his eyes on his plate, Geth was aware of the Wizard rounding the table. The old man sat at the head seat to his left, placing the white paper package next to him with a metallic clunk. Geth chewed thoughtfully, eyeing up the frail looking geezer. Saruman was regarding him in kind, his long, bony fingers folded in front of him. Geth prided himself on a quick appraisal of most people, but he couldn't quite get a bead on this straight faced gentleman. All Geth knew was that the Wizard had a lot of control over the orcs in his charge. They had been organized and categorized into systematic roles in a way that Geth had never come across before. They operated more like a factory than a tribe. Then, there was the matter of his sweet Bidush, obviously foreign to this area. Geth wondered how the Wizard could call together a variety of orcs without any bloodshed happening besides. Even orc tribes within the same region weren't likely to get along.
Swallowing his mouthful, Geth looked from the package to the Wizard, running his tongue along his teeth. "Having a chat are we?" Geth asked. A mild thread of concern ran through him. Now that the Wizard was so close, Geth could sense the dubious austerity about him, and Geth wondered if the geezer could guess that he hadn't exactly followed the rules the night before. He hoped Dezek wouldn't catch trouble for it. Geth was starting to like her.
A cold, tingling feeling crept up Geth's neck, and the man scowled at the Wizard, but said nothing. Saruman smiled cooly. "I could use the services of a man such as yourself," he said.
"Is that so," Geth pursed his lips, somewhat intrigued.
"I am looking to require some women for my... program," the Wizard explained. "I have a few here already, but they fade more quickly than their orc counterparts, and I am afraid I am not well versed in the proper channels for such things." A bushy white brow rise in amusement as Saruman regarded the outlaw in front of him. "However, you seem just the type to help me with such an endeavor."
Geth leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Trading in women was risky business, but it was business he had done in the past. He knew quite a few blokes who could help him out. "What's the pay?"
Saruman told him, and Geth's brows rose into his forehead. "And you're having trouble finding lads to help?" he said, a little amazed. "That's more than what a girl will usually go for."
"I have requirements," Saruman said, raising a long finger into the air. "They must be on the taller side with broad hips, well fed and in good physical condition, and it is useful if they are of prime childbearing age."
"You're looking for dams," Geth said cooly. "Are you mixing them with orc men, like you are mixing orc women with my folk?"
Chuckling, Saruman leaned back in his chair and folded his hands primly in his lap. "There are certain advantages to both mixes," he said vaguely. "Does this bother you?"
Geth really didn't care either way what this old bastard did with a crop of women, but it made him curious as to what exactly was going on under the green grounds of Isengard. Still, it was quite a price per head, more than double what was usual. Geth wondered if he might negotiate a slightly different deal. "I'll take half of what you offer," he told Saruman, "if you could provide me with safe harbor for the cold season." If he had somewhere to go, Geth wouldn't have to go crawling back to Lorbuz and his tribe. He wasn't sure he wanted to face Grez again, not after what she put him through, and it seemed as though he would be having quite a bit of fun here.
"Among the orcs," Saruman said with an air of distaste.
Geth grinned charmingly. "I'm accustomed to them."
Resting his chin on his hand, Saruman narrowed his eyes reprovingly. "Yes," he said at length, "I can see how you would fit right in with them." A quiet moment passed between Wizard and outlaw in which Geth had the eerie feeling that Saruman could see every dark nook of his soul. "Very well," Saruman said, raising slowly. "I will see that you have accommodations here. I don't have to tell you that secrecy in this matter is of the upmost importance." Saruman cast a poignant look at Geth.
"Of course," Geth said with an easy nod.
"Good," was the Wizard's quick reply, "because if you are captured or are followed, you will have a miserable end for it." Saruman fixed Geth with a cold, baleful stare. "Do not think," the Wizard said darkly, "that you can escape my wrath."
Geth swallowed nervously and nodded again. "I understand," he said hastily, feeling thrown off his stride a bit. This frail looking man was not something to be trifled with; this Geth was absolutely certain of.
Saruman grinned at him, toothy and white and far creepier than Geth would have liked. "Very good," he said. "If you require weapons or provisions, Dezek will assist you." Geth realized that the gobliness had appeared suddenly at the door, panting as if she had run the whole way and wringing her hands anxiously. "Consider him your guide while you are here." Saruman swept grandly from the room, leaving Geth alone with Dezek.
"Him?" Geth asked her, raising a brow.
Sighing wearily, the orcess walked up to his side and hopped up on a seat next to him with a tired grunt. "He don' fuckin' care to bother an' learn the difference," she said, annoyed. "He's the Master," she said with a meaningful look in Geth's direction. "He don' have ta give a care 'bout any a us. We do what 'e says an' he don' get 'is hands dirty, know what I'm sayin'?"
Geth nodded. "I have a fairly good idea," he said. "Still, with a fetching thing like yourself it should be obvious."
Snorting, Dezek swatted at his arm. "Sha, jus' finish yer breakfast an' let me get ya what ya need. I got enough shit ta do t'day without lookin' after some arsehole."
Geth chuckled and rose from his seat. "I'm ready to go now," he told her. "Unless you would like some breakfast as well?"
Dezek looked tempted, but she shook her head. "Nar," she hissed. "It'll be my arse if I'm caught lazin' off." The little goblin hopped down from the seat and put her hands on her hips as she stared up at Geth. "So," she said sharply, "what do ya need?"
A wide smile bloomed across Geth's face. "Let's see the armory," he said brightly.
Isengard's forge was a large room with a low ceiling that opened up on one side to a great cavern being excavated by hundreds of smaller orcs. The air was hot and heavy and the room was lit by the bright red fires in the furnaces along the far wall. Several dozen goblins of various sizes were hammering out long pipes, or pouring liquid hot metal into moulds for beams. There were some swords being fashioned, but for the most part, they were making building materials. Dezek led him through this room to an adjacent nook where a larger goblin was hunched over a paper strewn desk. He was crouched on a tall stool, his rodent-like feet gripping the seat as he poured over the large sheet of paper in front of him. Strait edges and compasses and a number of other measuring instruments Geth did not recognize were peppered over the table. The orc was making notes with neat, angular marks on what looked like extensively revised blueprints.
As Geth and Dezek approached the orc, Geth realized he looked nothing like the local goblins. His skin was an even black, scarred extensively with wielding silver scars and raised bite marks, but lacking the mottled patterns of Dezek and her comrades. The orc's face was rounder than the angular faces of the Misty Mountain folk, giving him a younger look, despite the fact that his eyes were creased with lines. Geth would guess him about middle age.
"Oi, Gijakzi," Dezek called to him anxiously, though she didn't approach him. Geth made a mental note of that. It meant this goblin held some authority, or at least, more authority that Dezek. "Gijakzi," Dezek hissed again when he didn't bother to look up at them.
"Wot," the orc growled in a gravely voice as he reached his long arm across the table to dip his pen. He was a wiry fellow, but his arms were cut with hard muscle, and Geth imagined he was much stronger than he looked.
"Master wants this lad looked after," Dezek said, thrusting her thumb at Geth.
Gijakzi still did not look up at them, and continued to make neat, tiny notes. "I don't got no time ta deal with fucking tarks," Gijakzi said.
"Then I am fortunate that I am a shara," Geth said casually to the goblin's back.
Gijakzi looked up at him then, his bright yellow eyes flashing as he wrinkled his wide, flat nose. A long, white bone was poked through the space between his wide nostrils, and it tilted as the goblin sneered at Geth, bearing his sharp, narrow teeth and black gums. "Yer all tarks ta me," he said menacingly.
A little taken aback, Geth kept calm. He had never met a goblin this hostile for no reason, skeptical and foul tempered and prone to rages definitely, but not with the murderous pinpricks Geth saw in Gijakzi's eyes. Normally, the folk he had dealt with were more than happy to let a lad join them, as long as he was up for the type of escapades orcs were prone to. This orc looked at him as though he had elvish ancestry. "I don't intend to take up much of your time," Geth assured him evenly, dropping his normal, placating tone.
"Yuh already took up too much a it," Gijakzi growled and swung deftly from his seat to the floor. Standing tall, the smith came to Geth's chin and his shoulders were easily broader. "Tell me what yuh want an' get the fuck outta here."
"A long knife," Geth said quickly, very aware of the malice radiating off of this orc, "and a good, long length of chain, and manacles, of you have any to spare."
Grumbling under his breath, Gijakzi snatched the lantern on his worktable and walked to a wide door on the wall nearby. The orc seemed to favor using his arms as he walked, which made his movements more graceful than the waddling, bipedal way of walking Dezek used. Most orcs were more comfortable on all fours, their longer arms made moving about in such a way easier, but many affected a loping more manlike way of walking, forcing their bowed legs to hold them upright, unless they had to move quickly. Geth always wondered at this, though he had never bothered to ask why. Gijakzi, at least, did not seem prone to this habit, rolling along easily on his knuckles.
Pulling a large ring of jangling keys from his wide belt, Gijakzi unlocked the metal door and slid it heavily to the side. "Knives're along the side wall," he told Geth. "Chain an' irons are in the back. Don' fuck around in there, and pull the door shut when yer done. It'll lock on it's own."
A loud crash sounded from the far end of the forge, and Gijakzi whirled around to glare at a small group of goblins that had dropped a load of copper pipes across the floor and onto several clay molds that were now broken open and leaking molten iron. The goblins cringed with wide eyed terror as Gijakzi approached them, pulling a long whip from his belt as he rose to his full height. "Stupid fucking mountain bastards!" Gijakzi roared over the cacophony of the forge. Pulling his arm back, the smith swung the whip with deft practice, slicing several of the goblins across the face with brutal force.
Dezek grabbed Geth by the arm and pulled him into the armory just as Gijakzi grabbed one of his underlings by the scruff and threw him against the wall with a snarl. "Get what ya need an' let's get outta here," she hissed anxiously.
Geth followed her lead and entered the armory, grabbing the lantern Gijakzi had left on the floor. He was quietly impressed with the organized rows of weapons and tools laid out in the large room before him. The armory was just as low ceilinged as the forge, but easily twice as long. Going first to the back, Geth gathered ten pairs of manacles, more than that would have been unnecessary. Traveling with too many women would be starkly obvious and hard to hide. Geth favored frequent, smaller trips that would help him keep his profile low. Grabbing a length of thinner chain, Geth went to where the knives hung on the side wall and picked a long, thin knife from the pile of various blades. Geth nodded to Dezek, who was holding several pairs of manacles and the chain, and they left hastily, shutting the armory door behind them. Geth noticed Gijakzi back at his drafting table when they left, but a good dozen of the goblins in his command were looking roughed up, covered in bloody slashes and fresh bruises, though they were hard at work cleaning up the mess.
"He's not from around here," Geth said to Dezek a good while later, as they climbed the stairs to the surface. She was leading him out the back way, the same way he was meant to bring the girls he caught in.
"Gijakzi?" she asked and Geth nodded. "Yea, he's a Mordor lad, an' a fuckin' arsehole if ya ask me. Thinks he's smarter than all a us, but he were sent up special, an' the Master likes the work 'e does, so we got ta fuckin' deal with 'im. Got a heavy hand," Dezek continued, "but 'e keeps it in the forge. Stays to 'imself otherwise, so I don' really 'ave ta deal wit' 'im much."
"Small mercies," Geth said with a grin.
Dezek snorted. "I guess."
A long, wide ramp led them out into a small clearing in the forest. A subtle trail led through the trees, and Geth realized this was where the supplies to Isengard came from. They were easily miles from the tower, and the spire was no more than a pale streak against the sky. Glancing around to get his bearings, the tower in the East and the pale blue mountains in the West, Geth nodded to Dezek with a grin.
"Well, my dear, tell Bidush I will see her soon," Geth said with a wide grin.
Shaking her head slowly, Dezek regarded him seriously. "That ain't how shit works 'round here," she informed him.
Geth pulled several gold plates from the package in his shoulder bag. Taking Dezek's hand, he placed them in her dry, coarse palm. The orcess blinked at the oval gold pieces. "Then it will be our little secret, won't it, my lovely?"
"Sure," Dezek snorted, still unsure as to what exactly this strange man was up to. If she didn't know better, she would think he was a lad smitten. Then again, maybe he was. Geth knew his way around her people, she would give him that, at least.
With a sharp not and a toothy smile, Geth walked into the dense forest, vanishing into the dark canopy of Fangorn. Dezek watched him go from the shade of the tunnel, an amused look on her face.
