Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.67T)
Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure.
It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.
Here is the first post from this series.
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Retaak knew the woods better than most Fellspawn. He still had some memories of his time in the wild. He could not remember the faces of his parents (Damn Waachear for taking that from him!) but he could still recall the words of his father, steady and strong, telling him of the plants and animals. He could also summon the voice of his mother, gentle with a core of iron, speaking of healing herbs and dangerous poisons.
He had taught everything that he knew to young Uyage; who then surpassed him in her own explorations. Infertile females were poorly treated in the Fellspawn Warrens, but once her survival was assured Uyage had used her outcast status to learn fieldcraft that rivaled the best scouts in all of the Dread Lord’s armies. He would have to take risks to catch up to her.
Searching, it did not take Retaak long to find some Shortroot and a few edible grubs. He curled his nose while eating them, even though he could almost hear his father’s voice, naming the characteristics of each. He savored that memory, fragmented as it was, instead of the sensation of crunching carapace.
Then he slung the equipment that he would need for his trek and started off on the path that would take him to the Fellspawn Warrens and Ushochhushi before Uyage could deliver Albyursia to him.
Even that thought brought a lance of pain, like being stabbed below his shoulder blade. Kaasukaak could kill, and it was best not to think of going against Ushochhushi’s will while he was under the man’s compulsion.
Retaak rushed through the woods, careful to keep himself oriented toward the looming peaks. Few forest creatures would pick a fight with an ogre, and almost all of those were easy to avoid. He was taking some risk that he might blunder into a bear with its kill, or catch the attention of a drake, but it was acceptable.
He moved swiftly and without pause, driven by thoughts of Albyursia. She did not deserve whatever grim fate Ushochhushi wanted her for. That though ended with him having to pause, overwhelmed by a sudden migraine. He shook his head, fighting against those invisible shackles until the feeling passed. Then he stood, took a deep breath and began to run again.
The sun was high overhead now, well past midday, but under the trees it was cool. Retaak kept running, trying to focus his thoughts on the task ahead, and keep them from straying to anything that might invoke the sting of his compelling.
He stopped and ate the Shortroot as the sun began to dip in the sky. He was headed up into the mountains and could see the whole of the forest he had run through stretching out below him from his perch on a rocky outcropping flanked by trees. It was a breathtaking sight.
He was taking a last look, getting ready to run until the deep night made it impossible, when he heard a thud and felt a sharp pain in his arm. He saw the shaft of an arrow there…
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