Dagger of Souls

*** Chapter 12 ***

The group of captured villagers huddled together in the icy darkness while heavy snowflakes dropped steadily on top of them. The wood logs they laid on were hard and uncomfortable. Even with the cloth sacks they used as makeshift bedding they could feel the rough bark. But, it kept them off the frigid, snow covered ground and that was a welcome relief. The orcs slept near the campfire, underneath a tarp made from tanned hides, with warm fur blankets. The prisoners weren't allowed to be near the fire and had only each other for warmth. Arlin looked up at the orc guards who were sitting by the fire and paying little attention to the human captives. He took the opportunity to speak with the other villagers. He whispered quietly but urgently, "We have to try to get back and warn the others to tell them of this wretched prison camp and find help. We cannot continue like this for much longer."

The prisoner next to him was short and thin. His haggard sandy blonde hair dropped from the back and sides of his bald, egg-shaped head. He frowned as he grabbed the thick rope that chaffed his neck, "How can we get back? We are tied up and guarded by savages, not to mention the fact that we have no idea how to get back home."

Arlin shook his head and patted his pants. "We can get free, Hadus. I was able to gather a sharp rock to use to cut the rope and I have kept it hidden."

The villager rubbed his hand across his bald top as he pondered. "What difference does that make? You'd be dead before you could get fifty paces away from here. Even if you somehow got past the guards you would freeze to death wandering aimlessly in the woods. It is hopeless."

"Not if we have a distraction. We can stage a fight and one of us can escape during the confusion. Those orcs seem to love fighting, I'm sure it will take their attention long enough. We have to try. That girl they brought here a couple days ago was Korli, Rulard's daughter. She is going to be taken by the black robed man soon like the others." His anger boiled and caused him to speak louder, "How many more do we have to watch go off to their fate? How long are we going to remain slaves for these pigs?"

"Shhh. Alright, but keep your voice down. How are we to find our way back? They kept our heads covered when they brought us here. We have no idea how far away Stalford is, much less in which direction."

Arlin pointed to a man in the prison group laying down a few paces away from them. "I don't know either but I bet Gansen can figure out where we are. He does a lot of fishing and hunting in the area surrounding our village. Gansen, do you think you can find your way back."

The gruff man responded in a hoarse voice, "I'm trying to get some sleep before they work us to the bones tomorrow."

Arlin was getting impatient and glowered at the other villager, though he probably couldn't see his face in the dim light of the distant campfire. "You're worried about work tomorrow? You want to rest to better help them build their fort. Are you insane or do you like these beasts?"

The hunter narrowed his dark bushy eyebrows though it was difficult to notice in the darkness. His face was covered by a thick dark beard and mustache with a fair amount of grey at the ends, which rippled as he spoke. "No, I hate these bastards as much as anyone, but I'd be crazy to try and escape. They'll probably torture and kill whoever attempts it, and beat everyone else to a pulp. It's no use."

Arlin was nearly livid at the man's complacency with their situation. He realized Gansen had no children and wasn't on the best terms with his wife. He took a calming breath and tried a different approach, the last thing they needed was to create division among the prisoners. "I understand your hesitation. But, we're already being tortured every day working our rear ends off to help them build this fort. What do you think is going to happen to us when we're done? You believe they'll keep us around for giggles? They are going to chop us to pieces and dump our bodies in the nearest stream or serve us for dinner! This may be our only chance at freedom, and we need your help."

Gansen paused for a few moments, thinking over the farmer's words carefully. He lowered his head as he responded. "I don't know what they are gonna do, but I don't want to be the one to die."

"You won't die, I have a plan."

The hunter looked up and cocked his head. "It had better be a durn good one."

Arlin scooted himself closer to Gansen so he could hear him clearly without having to raise his voice and draw attention. He motioned for the others to get closer so they could hear as well. "Next time they send out a raiding party, they'll be lacking enough guards to effectively watch us all. We will create a diversion by staging a fight over food or something. I got this sharp rock here that we can use to cut your rope most of the way. When we start the fight, you can just yank on the rope and it will break free. Hide behind the finished section of wall, there is some dense underbrush a dozen paces behind it. Follow the brush and it will keep you out of sight. Circle around to where the raiding party left camp and find their trail. You can follow it until you notice an area you recognize. Then you can work your way back to the village, or just follow them all the way."

Hadus nodded in agreement. "That's a good plan Arlin. What about it Gansen? Do you want to be free and back in the village eating real food and sleeping in a comfortable bed or out here working your tail off for scraps of slop and sleeping in the freezing snow until they decide they have no more reason to keep you alive?"

Before he could answer one of the orc guards looked over at the group and must have heard something. He walked toward them and watched them carefully. They all closed their eyes and pretended to be asleep before he got close enough to see them clearly. Arlin worried that he heard them talking and would question them at the end of the whip until they got a confession. As the guard got close the farmer pretended to be mumbling in his sleep between snores. The orc looked over at him and looked at the others. They all seemed to be in a deep slumber. He stood there for a few moments until he was satisfied that nothing was amiss and then returned to the warmth of the fire.

They waited a long time until the guard stopped peeking over at them regularly before they tried to communicate again. Arlin lowered his whisper so that it was barely audible. "Well Gansen? Do you want to keep living in this fear to even speak or will you do something about it?"

"Fine. I'll do it," the villager responded, with noticeable trepidation. "Just keep your durn voice down."

"Great. When they start to gather the raid together, I'll start to cut the rope while they are distracted. About a half hour after they leave, we'll start a fight between me and Hadus. I need the rest of you to start yelling and screaming and pulling at your collars. That'll get their attention and give him a chance to get away unnoticed."

There were several whispers of agreement among the half dozen prisoners as they passed along Arlin's words to those out of earshot. Their escape plan was in place and now they could rest with a new feeling of hope.

Several days passed and there weren't any raiding parties at all. The orcs continued to work the slaves hard. Arlin began to get very worried. He wondered if the orcs had already gathered enough prisoners and supplies to satisfy them. But that also meant they may never escape, not with the plan as it was and he couldn't think of another one. He had mixed emotions of relief and disappointment for the lack of raids. On one hand, it would spare his wife and all the other villagers from enduring the pain they suffered as captives. But on the other hand it meant that they may never be freed, at least not alive. Arlin and the other prisoners started their regular day's work sawing logs from the trees the orcs cut down for the walls of the orc fort. At least the pig faced brutes didn't have them cut down the trees. He guessed they didn't want to give the prisoners large axes to wield. He wished they would give him one, and it wouldn't be a tree he'd cut down. He noticed that the orc chieftain stepped out of his tent and began to call out in their crude language to the others.

Arlin scratched at his graying beard as he watched the orcs gather and form up around their leader. They began to grunt while chanting and waving their weapons in the air. He couldn't understand their chants, but he knew all too well what their display meant. They were going on the hunt, the culling of his villagers and the theft of their goods.

He pulled the small rock out from its hiding place in his torn pants and touched Gansen lightly on the shoulder. "It's time." The hunter nodded as Arlin began to saw at the rope that kept him bound with three other prisoners, while the orcs were busy with their pre-battle rituals. He hated them, celebrating in excitement over attacking poor farmers, women and children. He would kill them all if he had the chance. Arlin only left a few threads of the rope connected so the guards wouldn't notice he wasn't secure as they moved. He spoke with the group of prisoners quietly. "We'll wait until the orcs have gone far enough not to hear an alarm if there is one. Gansen you'll have to move quickly when they figure out you've gone they may well come for you."

The villager gave him a weary eye, but reluctantly nodded in agreement. As they began to work their assignments Arlin noticed that something was different this time with the raiding party. This was by far the largest group of warriors being sent out since they were captured. He counted fifteen warriors, including the big, nasty orc that was thought to be the second in command, based on his frequent visits with the orc chieftain. "Sho'Varg" the other orcs said when they called to him. Arlin watched as the raiding party marched out of the encampment. He began to worry that they might not be going to their village with the increased number of warriors. Perhaps they were going to another town this time. No, that did make any sense either. The only other town anywhere nearby was Red Larch and they had over a thousand soldiers and guardsmen. But he still couldn't figure out why the big change this time. He and the other three men bound to him went about their work, lifting another log into place along the wall as he contemplated the information. He turned to the other three when the guards weren't paying close attention. "The soldiers from Waterdeep must have arrived. That's why they are sending so many warriors."

Hadus who was tied together with Arlin's group shrugged his shoulders, "The orcs didn't look worried about it. If you're right they probably ain't got enough men to stop 'em or they are maybe they're just sending more green skins to capture and kill the rest of the village."

Arlin flashed the balding man a scowl and started to argue, but he couldn't think of anything rational to counter his statement. It was very possible, and troubling. He only hoped the orcs were just stupid and making a mistake. But if Hadus was right, the village was in terrible danger. They could be in serious trouble either way. "We've got to start our plan earlier. Gansen will have to find a way to take a shortcut and get ahead of the orcs and warn the village."

The orc guard spotted them talking and stalked toward them with a sneer, making his black lips curl around his yellow stained tusks. He pulled out his beaded whip and struck Arlin hard across his face and neck. The farmer reeled backward tripping on the ropes and falling to the dirty snow. His cheek and neck started to bleed steadily. He began to panic. This could ruin everything. He could be taken and beaten or the guards might stay near them to keep closer watch and escape would be virtually impossible. Arlin tried to think quickly, his life and the lives of his family and neighbors could be at stake. He climbed back up to his feet and grabbed a hold of Hadus and shook him hard. "This is your fault. You got me in trouble for talking!" Arlin pushed the balding villager backwards.

Hadus looked confused and wasn't quite sure if this was the plan or if the farmer was really upset at him. The elder man was very convincing if it was an act. He got back up and shoved Arlin past the orc guard. The green skin humanoid started yelling at both of them. The farmer yelled back as he moved around the orc and toward Hadus. "You troublemaker! Now Gansen has to go," he yelled furiously. The ropes binding the prisoner wrapped around the guard, yanking him off balance. The other villagers understood what was going on from his cryptic phases and they started yelling and pulling at their ropes, making a ruckus. Arlin couldn't be too direct in his message because he knew the orc chieftain understood human language fairly well, but he didn't think he would be able to figure out what they were talking about. The other guard left Gansen's group and came over to help with the trouble. He yelled again another message while pretending it was directed at his opponent, "The hunter had better beat them home or we'll fail!" He continued to wrestle with Hadus and they spun around getting the orc more tangled. The other guard stepped in and started whacking them with his whip and yelling heatedly at them in their harsh, guttural language. They couldn't understand him and didn't really care. They had to keep up the act to give the hunter time to get away. Five other orcs ran toward the scuffle with their axes out. The two villagers had no choice but to stop or they would be killed. They couldn't risk watching to see if the hunter broke free for fear of drawing attention to him. The orcs got them under control and forced them to the ground on their stomachs. The two guards started to beat them mercilessly with their horrid whips. Between the painful lashings Arlin prayed to the Great Mother, goddess of all nature, that Gansen escaped and that he and Hadus would survive the guards' wrath.