AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for not putting out more chapters for a while. I wanted to get the words, spelling and everything perfect and went through 7 or 8 edits for each chapter and kept going back to fix little things I didn't like and ended up getting burned out with the process of editing constantly. I will finish up and only go through once or twice and publish it as is and possibly go back later and refine it. I actually have about 17 chapters already done, just needed some tweaking, so more will come out on a regular basis, if anyone is interested.

Dagger of Souls

*** Chapter 8 ***

Klenn opened his eyes and saw a warm fire burning in the rough stone hearth to his left. The modest sized room was decorated with simple but elegant pastel drapes. He wondered how he got to the healer, Hadenna's house. He saw several people laying down around him wrapped in bandages laying on a bed of hay similar to his. He felt the bandage over his forehead and wrapped around to the back of his head and could tell it was the source of the throbbing pain. The memories began to resurface of him slamming into the wall after the orc lifted him with the axe. It only served to increase the pain he felt.

Hadenna spotted him looking around and gave a small smile when he noticed her. She adjusted the bun in her auburn hair as she walked over to his makeshift bed. The farm boy stared at her for a few moments, as she approached. Her forty years had not diminished the luster in her hair or the light in her brown eyes. She was a nice lady and generous to the villagers and always had a smile and a kind word for everyone she dealt with. He felt lucky to be in her care. She sat down next to him and put her slender hand on his broad shoulder. "I'm so glad to see you awake, Klenn. You are lucky to be alive."

He nodded slowly, the headache dulling his movements. "I wasn't sure I survived. I couldn't sit by and watch them take our people. I guess it didn't do any good." His face soured as he realized how foolish he had been to fight experienced and ruthless orc warriors.

The healer studied his young face, "No, Klenn. It was very brave of you. Dalea, the young girl who was being taken forcibly is back with her family because of you. She told us how you killed one of her captors and forced the other one away from her."

He felt better at hearing those words from someone as respected as Hadenna. "So the orcs ran off without taking prisoners?"

The elder woman sighed and shook her head. "No. They took another girl, Korli from a cottage farther down from where you were. They killed her father and injured her mother." She pointed to the injured woman wrapped in bandages on the opposite side of the room. She turned back to Klenn and gave him a stern look. "But if it weren't for you they would have taken two girls or more."

Despite her praise, he felt bad that he failed to prevent another victim from being removed. He should have been killed, but now has to live with his stupidity and suffer the admonition of his mother who warned him not to get involved. "How did I survive? I was cut badly and knocked unconscious."

"You are a tough young man, Klenn. The orc left you for dead and moved on to gather the livestock and two stolen horses to carry a few goats and pigs. When they left the immediate area, Dalea and her father came out of their house and bandaged you up and her father and several other townspeople carried you here. Her father, Merle, beamed with pride and told everyone in the village of your courageous rescue of his only daughter. You had a deep cut just below your ribs, but nothing was broken. I sewed it up good, the cold snow kept it from bleeding too quickly. You had a nasty bump on your head and a minor concussion. Not too bad, all things considered."

He could only nod his head at her complimentary words. He wasn't sure how he felt about his feeble rescue attempt. He was glad for the girl, but still felt inadequate as the realization that he couldn't even best one of the green skins in a straight fight. He was only fortunate he took out one with a well thrown axe by surprise. He was sure of his skill with an axe could defeat at least one orc. They were stronger than he realized, and more cunning. He thought they were dumb as oxen, and it was a deadly mistake on his part. He felt the stitching on his stomach and the pang of hunger. He licked his dry lips as he inquired, "My head still hurts something awful. How long have I been out?"

Her brown eyes searched his as if reading his mind. "You've been out for two days straight. I have some herbs that should help with the pain. I'll bring them with some water. You must be starving. I'll have my daughter bring you some soup as well."

"Thanks ma'am." He looked at the fire as the thoughts in his mind seemed to make the headache worse. The situation seemed so hopeless. "We can't stop them, we may not have much of a village left after a few more raids," he blurted out in a somber tone. A defeated look was plastered on his young face.

Hadenna gave him a warm smile, "I forgot you haven't heard yet. A group of people from Waterdeep arrived a few hours ago with soldiers to investigate the orc raids. They have finally answered our pleas, praise be to the Great Mother."

Klenn sat upright on his elbows at the news. The searing pain shot up through him and made him lose his vision for a second. The healer gently urged him to lie back down. He complied without resistance, the pain of propping himself up was unbearable. He had hoped to see if he could arise. He wanted to meet the soldiers. After being bested by the orc, he wanted to learn from them how to fight properly so he could help. He grabbed the healer's arm urgently, "Please Ms. Hadenna. How long will it be until I can move around normally?"

She saw the eager look in his eye and lifted his shirt to inspect the wound on his stomach, and then felt the bump on the back of his head with the practiced skill of her craft. "It is hard to say for certain, but I would guess at the rate you've been healing you'll be able to move around in two to three days. But it'll be weeks before you can engage in any physical activity."

The sparkle of enthusiasm wilted in his eyes as he let out a deep sigh. He could only hope these strangers from the big city could somehow save Tarla from the orcs. She would be as good as dead in a few weeks if she wasn't already.

She saw the look of dejection on his face and put a gentle hand on his cheek. "Don't you worry Klenn. This group looks promising, I think they will be a big help. Sergeant Dural, the leader of the soldiers brought here, heard of your battle from the villagers. He was impressed at how you dispatched one orc and held your own against another with no formal combat training. He wanted to meet you when you awoke. After you get some food, I'll arrange for him to see you."

The farm boy smiled for the first time since the orc attacks. His eyes began to gloss as he felt a surge of pride he had never before experienced and best of all… hope. His headache even began to feel better. "I would very much like to meet him."