40
A blinding white light filled Alaesia's vision. A terrible brass chime rang in one endless tone driving deep into her ears, like the strike of a sword on stone drawn out into eternity. For a moment, the weightlessness of her body seemed like her soul had alighted on the chill night air. She floated above it all, tasting the freedom of bird's wings. Then, she struck the surface of the river.
The impact jolted her to her senses, but she could barely make out anything beyond the murky gloom that swallowed her whole. Her eyes stung from grit stirred up from the river's bottom, while above the water's, a great orange light began to grow rapidly before her gaze. Beams of light cut through the dark waters, quickly engulfing the wreckage of the slaver's ship that bobbed around her.
Shadowy, oozing chunks swept downriver alongside her, and the orange glow crawled along the surface of the water, following everything being washed away in the current. She could almost feel the creeping light growing hotter through the surface of the water, bringing back bleak, hazy memories of a tower she had once caught a glimpse of from her home near the Black Gate.
Far in the distance, atop the black, spined pillar and shrouded in a churlish smog of devilish industry, blazed a great ball of flame. Alaesia's keen, youthful eyes had locked on to it, feeling drawn in like helpless moth to a flame. She ducked quickly from the line of sight of the Tower, but it haunted her for years onwards. The evil visage of the Tower clung to her mind in nightmares as a child, like a spider wrapping its prey in a web, biting, poisoning, tugging...
She snapped back to reality as something tugged roughly at the metal ring on her neck. She had been so taken by the growing flames of the explosion above her head and the after effects of the blast she hadn't realized she was sinking deeper into the blackness, further and further from the surface. The weight of the chains on her were welcoming to the embrace of the watery silence, and yet something tugged at her tether.
A shadow passed alongside, bumping her urgently and bony hand clamped to the side of her head. An unwelcome voice pressed itself into her mind, shouting for all it could in the unspoken communication,"SWIM LASS!"
There was no doubt in Alaesia's heart that that awful invasive orc, Zathra, was thrusting his command into the very fiber of her muscles. The peace of the riverbed was just a lungful of water away, and yet she couldn't stop her limbs from obeying his forceful command. Her thin limbs cut inefficiently through the water, and her chest was beginning to burn, but inch by inch, she made her way to the surface.
Zathra and Alaesia reached the surface at the same moment, both their heads bobbing helplessly. She hacked and sputtered, gulping air to alleviate the burning sensation. Zathra snarled, doing his best to get the limp form of Barbaurak above the surface so he wouldn't drown. All around them, there wer pillars of fire, clinging to ship debri, streaming along the rivers surface, and some having even set the northern bank alight. The dead dry grasses quickly became engulfed, sending hugs plumes of smoke to join the constant haze in the sky. Any hint of stars was completely overshadowed by a ghost of ash and sparks.
"We'll 'ave ta swim fer the southern bank!" Zathra barked between dunks beneath the waves. He was just able to manage catching a large chunk of wood as it floated by, and finally slung Barbaurak half-over the make-shift raft.
As she joined Zathra in clinging to the float, Alaesia glanced back down to the dark churning waters beneath her, fighting Zathra's influence and contemplating, formulating a desperate bargain, "S-s-swear I go f-free."
The orc's eyes went wide, glinting in the firelight as he stared at the bold human woman, knowing exactly what she meant. "I can't promise anythin' of the sort lass."
"S-swear it," she mustered as much force as she could, pushing him bit by bit out of her mind, "or I d-drag us both d-down!"
"Don't be daft lass! Yer don't wanna off yerself..." Zathra snarled inwardly knowing his weakened, overburdened state was making it far harder to curtail the brazen sharlob. He reached his claws across, the plank, attempting to make a grab at her; physical contact made for much easier manipulation. But Alaesia's foot struck brutally into his nether regions, as she kicked further out of his reach.
Zathra yowled, clenching his jaw and curling up in pain, unable to stop Alaesia as she let the chain start to drag her downwards. The water to swamped over her head, red hair disappearing into the depths. Zathra lunged forward, swiping through the water to grab the chain that bound them together. Alaesia felt him hauling the line with all his might until she was forced to surface once more. The orc grabbed her by the back of the head and lifted her nose and mouth above the water. Despite having gotten ahold of the tark, he was far to preoccupied with the pain she had inflicted. He was only just able to whinge pitifully in defeat, "Alright alright!"
Alaesia coughed and gagged, making her demand once more, as if to be certain Zathra was complying. Her voice shook in disbelief, "Y-you'll let me go f-f-free?!" The taste of the word, free, melted on her tongue like butter.
Still doubled over in pain, the orc nodded, "Aye, lass, I can't drag both yer sorry carcasses... Ya win. Help me outta this river, and ya can 'ave yer freedom."
She couldn't believe it; it was unfathomable, an orc would never bargain with a human, would they? And yet, in spite all her doubts, she wanted so absolutely to believe she had just threatened an orc into obedience.
As if sensing her doubt, Zathra interrupted the downward mental spiral, "Lass, I live every death I've ever dealt, an' I ain't keen on dyin' yer death, this sod's death, an' my own all at the same time. I give ye my word, all our lives fer yer freedom."
Alaesia hesitated, trying to make sense of his words. A flicker of unbridled elation brought the threat of tears to her eyes, before she finally nodded, and began to kick with the current towards the shore alongside the orc. Hauling the unconscious Barbaurak between them on the chunk of wood was likely the only thing that kept them all from going under.
More than once, Zathra uttered a short command as fire crawled along the river's face towards them, "Don't let it touch ya lass, the stuffs we use sticks ta skin an' no amount of water'll douse the flames. It'll burn cling and burn til it and yer lovely skin is gone."
"H-horrible..." Alaesia had to duck under the water multiple times to let the burning slick pass over her. "Y-you're all m-monsters."
"Yah, well, ya do what ya gotta ta survive lass. We can't make a livin' iffin we kills every snaga we've caught. This bonfire is juss the butt end of a turf war between our captain and that swamp-assed waterdog. Orders is orders when yer told to get rid of the competition." Zathra yanked Barbaurak out of the path of another piece of wood as it floated by on fire, "Slavers is usually the nicest of any orc ye'll meet. Least ways if ya are a slave."
She scowled incredulously, "Y-you expect me to be g-grateful t-to be a slave?"
"There's a lot worse things ya can end up as lass. Things even death can't free ya from." the orc's cool reply, or maybe the cold water, made Alaesia shiver. They were about halfway to the shore now, both feeling the wearying effect of swimming for their lives.
"I'd r-rather be d-dead," Alaesia uttered darkly, trying to catch her breath, "th-than held p-prisoner, by m-murderous orcs..."
"Murderous?" She could hear the incredulity behind his snort, "Tuka ain't never harmed ya, an' you went 'n' stuck him in 'is gob. Sure yer were defendin' yerself, but yer hands ain't clean there either, lass."
Alaesia's mind went back the moment she had shoved Ar-Tashk's shortsword through an orc's jaw, making her frown and fall silent. That was different. I never wanted to kill anyone... I'm not a monster.
Zathra's feet finally felt a hint of the water starting to grow shallow under him, and he pushed forward with eager exhaustion, "All's I'm saying lass, is don't go pointin' fingers if ya can't look at yer own reflection."
"Y-you killed that t-tattooed orc-" she started to protest as her feet touched a large boulder near the edge of the river.
"Ta save yer sorry arse!" He interrupted, his irritation growing as he clawed his way out of the water, dragging Barbaurak roughly by his shackles. "'Ow's that any different? I saw and felt 'is death as if it were my own, but I still did it ta spare ya the vile things he was planning on doin' to ya. A fine thank you being called a monster fer me troubles!"
Alaesia was taken aback, having never considered that Mordor's monsters might be more complex than she had imagined. She let herself fall into the rocky shore in exhaustion and looked up to catch Zathra doing the same, facing upright towards the smoke-filled night sky as his chest heaved up and down.
When he had caught his breath, Zathra continued, "Tarks, you mannish lot, kill us just as much as we kill you. A lot of shataz-hai are vile things that deserve it... on both sides. I ain't blaming ya at all fer fighting back. I just don't think that's what makes a monster. An' I ain't tryin' ta be a monster. I don't think you are either."
When no retort came, Zathra propped himself on one elbow to look at the sharlob curiously. She had sat bolt upright, now staring back at the roaring fire raging on the other side of the river, feeling its heat even from their distance. As more of the foliage on the distant bank caught alight, its intensity grew ever stronger. The wall of flame was an impressive sight to behold, like a beacon cast across the land, but that wasn't what had caught her eye.
In spite of his depleted condition, he could still sense a growing trepidation growing in the human woman's heart; not through his mental connection, but he could detect the rank stench of fear rolled from her throat with each heartbeat. As Zathra turned his gaze to follow her line of sight, Alaesia dragged herself backwards with her hands, as far from the river as her chains would let her go.
Across the vast river, among the throes and coils of flames, an unmistakable silhouette emerged. The massive form cut through the flames, shrugging away smoldering ash that fell on its black-maned shoulders.
Alaesia's mouth parted in a caged whisper hissed between her teeth, "It's h-him..."
Zathra leered his light sensitive eyes towards the figure, unable to make out any discernable features beyond the thing's great size that cast a shadow half as long as the river was wide, but he understood what she mean, "Skai... That's yer mor dagalur, is it lass? The Reaper you sez was huntin' you?"
"I c-can't stay here!" Her voice began to raise in panic, "He'll c-catch me. I c-can't go b-back! Please! L-let me go!"
"Quit your whinging," a snarl cut Alaesia off, as a semi-conscious Barbaurak had forced himself upright from where Zathra had dumped his limp form. Alaesia had little warning as his gnarled hand swung out with cat-like speed. She barely had time to flinch when he clipped the top of her head with a sharp blow of a rock gripped in his fist. Zathra subdued his temptation to lunge forward to stop his leader, though the effort would have been a second too late anyways.
Barbaurak's target dropped to the ground, knocked out cold. He sneered through hooded eyes down at her still form, "This lil detour was fun 'n' all, but you're not goin' anywhere 'cept the pits!"
The orc's voice started to trail off, as the lingering effects his own head injury made him sway, then collapse once more to the ground. Zathra looked over the both of them with peevish wonder, thoroughly cussing out Barbaurak under his breath, "Bloody stupid piece of caragor shrakh! 'Ow the blazes am I supposed ta drag two wastes of flesh outta 'ere all by meself!"
As he tried rousing his companion with a swift backhand, Zathra glanced back across the river warily, hoping against hope that the wind wouldn't carry the trio's scents to the olog stalking the shoreline.
***** Translations *****
Sharlob - Human (female)
Snaga - Slave
Tark - Human
Shataz-hai - Brutes (brutish folks)
Skai - Damn
Mor dagalur - Black / dark demon
Shrakh - Shit