Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 3: Broken Bones For Broken Laws

"Hold." Donrin glanced up at the same time she barely lifted her chin off the ground to see, panting for breath, the world still tipping. It looked like a small band of orcs, not of this clan, were standing around them. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Gru, this is none of your concern," Nukbrik came striding their way. He opened his mouth to speak again when a second orc lifted his weapon, a massive war hammer, and moved towards him. Nukbrik stiffened and set his hand on his sword.

"I don't recommend that." He motioned his head towards Nukbrik's hand.

"Nukbrik, stand down!" Ghresh abruptly gasped. "That's Cold Hammer." She'd heard the name, knew the tales, and as she gained a little more focus she tried to look at him, but he was facing away from her, looking at Nukbrik. Cold Hammer was one of the orcs' most brutal warriors. He'd fought in three wars, he was second to the Great Chieftain, Lohke, the orc whose authority overrode all clans and chiefs. Not to mention Cold Hammer was an orc you didn't want to mess with lest you wanted to meet your end by his hammer.

She couldn't see much with his back turned towards her, but she could see that the sides of his head were shaved, leaving a strip of hair directly in the center that was pulled into a braid, tight against his scalp. It broke into several smaller braids at his nape, each small braid decorated with beads and bones denoting his victories in battle.

"Yes, that is Cold Hammer, so I advise you to step back." The orc that initially spoke stepped closer. "It is not Cold Hammer you should be concerned with, but the anger of the Great Chieftain." He was quite possibly the biggest orc she'd ever seen in her life, making his words all the more threatening. His tusks seemed just as large, protruding from his mouth. She'd hate to see him in a fight in Everfen. She'd seen some orcs actually use their tusks in battle and it'd happened to her a time or two and it left a mark.

As he looked down at her, pity shined in his eyes. She almost thought there was a hint of sympathy in them. There was a tenseness in the air as he looked around at all of them and said, "Now, would one of you like to tell me why this human has a collar on it?"

He was met with silence so one of the orcs with him called out, "Is it not known that Great Chieftain Lohke banned the keeping of slaves?" No one answered. "Is it not known?!" He demanded louder.

"It is known." Ghresh finally spoke up, bowing his head in a submissive gesture.

The orc standing over her and Donrin curled his lip and looked down at them, "Let her up."

Donrin backed off of her and she unfolded her hands from behind her back. They ached, like he'd nearly dislocated them from their sockets. Her back was screaming from the welts Nukbrik had given her this morning. This was turning out to be an eventful day.

She pushed up on her hands, glancing at Donrin over her shoulder, but he was hunched over, still on the ground. She frowned and faced forward to find the orc half a step away. She nearly shrank away from him, but her pride would never allow her to, so instead she lifted her chin.

"Come, on your feet." He offered his hand and she didn't know what to make of it, but she took his hand. He hoisted her to her feet and then brushed the dirt off her. Her shirt was crooked and partially ripped at the neck of it from Donrin attempting to remove it and she saw the orc in front of her narrow his eyes, tugging at the back of her shirt as he looked down her back. Fury whipped through his eyes before he straightened her shirt for her. "Set?"

She didn't speak, just gave him a slight nod and he glared at Donrin, "Is she your slave?" He demanded and Donrin trembled on the ground.

"No, no, she's not mine." He pointed out Nukbrik quickly and the orc whirled and motioned to her.

"There are welts and bruises covering this woman's back. Your name. Now!"

"Chief Nukbrik of Bloodfang."

He hissed with rage, "Is this how a chief behaves amongst my people? I will not abide by this. You are not to present yourself to your clan as such, as a breaker of the law." His people? She frowned and realized everything that had been said already, the way they submitted to him...this was Great Chieftain Lohke...

She looked up at him again with that new revelation in her mind. No wonder they were so scared. Not only were they breaking his laws, but he was massive. His warrior skills were renowned, no one made it to the position of Great Chieftain without great skill, but as she looked again, she noticed he had two sets of tusks, not just one. She usually only saw that on older orcs, but he was young. She had a feeling he could wipe the floor with Nukbrik, Donrin, and Ghresh all at the same time.

Silence followed his words for a long moment before Nukbrik spoke. "My clan has long been foe to humans, your rules won't change that!" Cold Hammer swung the weapon in his hands without hesitation and knocked Nukbrik off his feet. For the first time she noticed it for what it was, the reason he had such a compelling warrior's name, he carried a massive war hammer.

"You will not speak to our leader in that way!"

Blood poured from a wound on his head as he bared his teeth in a grimace. "You fought alongside his father, Cold Hammer, in that first war. You know the hatred that comes from humans. As his father did."

Lohke snarled, "My father tried to make peace with the humans."

"The day a Killerfrost became Great Chief was the day our people perished! You are too soft, Lohke!"

"Enough!" Cold Hammer lifted his hammer once again but Lohke called out for him to stop. He lowered his weapon slowly, eyes spitting fire at Nukbrik. She'd yet to say a word, but as she stood silently, Lohke seemed to make a decision.

"The law requires broken bones for broken laws. Crush his hand." Cold Hammer swung and his weapon dropped on Nukbrik's hand and the male roared with pain. Erinne wanted to enjoy this, but she was too uncertain about her current future to. Lohke took a breath, "The law requires broken bones for selling or trading a human in any form."

"I did not sell her or buy her!" Nukbrik gasped, his face a half snarl of pain and anger. "I stole her."

"Stole her?" He snorted. "Fine, but were you not selling her body to him?" Nukbrik's jaw went a little slack. "Break his arm." Cold Hammer dropped his weapon and surged towards him, breaking his arm faster than she could've imagined and she took a half step back. This band of orcs was a little terrifying. If they all moved with the extreme predator's grace that Cold Hammer did she stood little chance of ever fighting against them if she needed to. "And break his hand for trying to buy her body." He grabbed his hammer as he walked by it and easily reached Donrin, breaking his hand quickly. "The law requires any coin used in these acts be forfeit." Cold Hammer collected the coin pouch and moved to Lohke's side. "If I catch either of you in such an act again, your life will be the next thing forfeit. The human is coming with me."

He lifted his hand, palm up, and held it out to her and she stared at it. She didn't know what to do. What she'd just witnessed was brutal, but he was saving her, right? She didn't understand. No one had ever interfered with Nukbrik when it came to her and her well being. No one had ever cared enough.

"Come, little human." This time he spoke in the human tongue. She'd yet to say a word so it only made sense Lohke believed she spoke only the human language. "I will keep you safe." She didn't know if she believed him, but leaving now with him was better than getting raped by Donrin because he'd paid off her master to let him do so. She set her hand in his and didn't look back.

***Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! There will be a new chapter posted every Monday! Stay tuned for more Rise of the Warrior of Everfen***