The Hunt by M G Fox

Author:M G Fox [Fox, M G]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783950491715
Published: 2020-03-08T22:00:00+00:00

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When the troop of soldiers, the captive orcs in tow, passed through the main gate, Isolde was waiting for them on the stairway landing, rocking back and forth impatiently on her feet. She had asked for military support to return the captive orcs. She wore a heavy, black-bear cloak that covered her entire body draped across her shoulders. Only the end of her staff appeared between the ends of the hides. Her foster mother, sovereign of the dark lands, had just joined her. The wind whipped at both women’s hair and Isolde was reminded of the days when the magical abilities she had learned were being evaluated. But today, other things were at stake.

“I see you went to the trouble of capturing them?”

The young sorceress said nothing. She had not succeeded in capturing all of the escapees. She had had to kill three of them. On her return journey, she had thought for a long time about whether she’d had an alternative.

“You know what to do to subjugate them once and for all?”

Isolde shook her head. No doubt that was something she had learned at some point in the past—the customs and traditions of other races and countries had occupied many hours of her studies. Her mother leaned close and whispered in her ear.

The orcs had already been directed by the soldiers to stand in one line. They were shackled to each other with leg-irons and chains and arranged in order of height. Isolde took a step forward.

“Serve me and live!” she called in the direction of the prisoners.

She was not certain whether the orcs could understand her, but within a few moments, one after the other, they knelt before her. Her mother stepped up beside her and whispered to her again: “Kill the strongest half of them. That will mark your superiority and will prevent any pointless escape attempts in the future.”

Isolde swallowed hard. She did not want to accept the necessity of such an execution, but her foster mother’s advice had always been right before.

A moment’s hesitation, then the young sorceress focused all of her concentration on the spell. She pushed back the folds of her cloak and raised her staff, and after a brief pause she let the magic do its job. Lightning shot from the end of the staff, first striking the two largest orcs and then, in turn, the two smallest. Desperate panic spread among the remaining orcs, and the soldiers had difficulty keeping them under control with the chains.

The regent looked at her daughter in surprise. Isolde’s face was as hard as iron. “What purpose would it serve to waste all of the strongest? The others should not believe that their weakness protects them.”

Her foster mother, satisfied, turned away from the sorceress and began to make her way back inside the castle. Isolde stayed a few moments longer, observing the bodies of the orcs at her feet. The creases engraved in her forehead were the only visible sign of her unease. She hoped that the chill she felt spreading in her heart could be ascribed to the weather.

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