The Heavenly Host

“I’m not sure I would completely agree,” Elrose said, walking into the lounge. “The UF has walled cities and clusters of keeps to protect their eastern farmlands.”

“True, for their eastern farmlands. However, there are large sections of exposed forests where their rangers have done a very good job of keeping out undesirables,” Maelen replied. “On the other hand, Murgandy has no fortresses and even trades with the various orc tribes.”

“Yes, but have you ever been to their forests? A place only Trisfelt could find even remotely tolerable, and then only for the beer.” Elrose shook his head and continued, “A very rough and tumble, primitive region filled with more than a few unsavory rogues and brigands.”

“But they seem to have a relatively good relationship with the orcs. And given that a lot of the citizens are alfar, that’s saying quite a bit.” Maelen noted.

“Sounds like a fun place.” Gastropé said.

Elrose grinned. “Well, you’ll get a taste soon enough. We’ll be heading right by Murgatroy and then down to Murgandor, where we will be making our first stop.”

“Why are we stopping in Murgandor?” Jenn asked, apparently not liking the description of the region.

Elrose nodded understandingly. “Seamach has contacts there who can give us recent information on Murgandy, Ferundy and Noajar. None of us have been to this part of the world in a long time, so we need to get up to speed on current events in the region.”

“Yes — for example, if the rat and mouse problems have suddenly improved considerably,” Maelen said, grinning.

Gastropé shook his head, not understanding at first, and then suddenly remembered who they were looking for. He chuckled at the seer’s joke.

∼

Tal Gor gripped Schwarzenfürze’s neck harness with his left hand, his right hand tightly gripping the long-handled and very sharp scythe, hooking his right thumb under the harness. His legs squeezed the D’Warg’s shoulders tightly as they dove out of the sky with insane speed, swooping down on the gazelle that had been separated from the herd.

“Stick Vengeance!” Tal Gor screamed as the D’Warg rocked hard underneath him. With a mighty roar, the D’Warg’s long front claws grabbed the gazelle at the base of the neck, and her rear claws grabbed at the flanks. He felt the D’Warg pushing up against him as her mighty wings beat at three times their previous rate as she pulled up sharply, lifting the three of them off the ground.

Tal Gor raised his right arm and brought it down and around as he had been shown, slicing the gazelle’s neck with a dark splatter of blood. The animal’s struggles slowly ceased as it perished and Schwarzenfürze banked hard to the right while still lifting them higher into the air to return to the agreed-upon collection spot.

“Best hunt ever!” Tal Gor shouted, even though no one other than Schwarzenfürze could hear him. The others were all pursuing other herd members. They had broken up into ten teams of four, two D’Orcs and two orcs with D’Wargs, and gone in different directions to find game. Tal Gor was amazed at the speed of the D’Orcs and D’Wargs. Their ability to fly faster than an orc could run allowed them to cover an unprecedented amount of ground. When one combined the speed with the aerial vantage point of several hundred feet, locating and tracking game herds became almost too easy.

How would his tribe members ever want to go back to normal hunting again? He chuckled. The D’Orcs had been unbelievably true to their word! This was the greatest honor an orc hunter could wish for, to be able to hunt like this, to be the ultimate predator. The adrenaline rush was amazing! Tal Gor had never felt so alive in his life.

He glanced back to ensure the other group members were also returning with their kills. They were doing well; Vespa and Bor Tal both had kills. Kirak Doth Nar, the other D’Orc in their group, was going in for his kill even as he watched, swooping down and landing on the gazelle’s back as if mounting it. However, instead of grabbing the neck to hold onto, he reached his huge claws around and slit the animal’s neck with his left hand before wrapping both arms around it and clamping his legs around the flanks. He then pulled up, lifting the still-twitching gazelle into the air.

Tal Gor grinned and waved his scythe to the others in triumph. “What a glorious day!” he yelled joyfully at the top of his lungs.

They reached the designated collection point. It took quite a bit longer to get back to it than it had coming outbound. Lugging the gazelle carcasses significantly reduced speed, although not proportionately different than lugging an animal on one’s back slowed one’s march, Tal Gor suddenly realized.

They came in low and slow. Schwarzenfürze released the body and continued on, finally coming to rest about two hundred feet away. They wanted to collect all the carcasses in one spot. Vespa dropped her gazelle and flew over to where Schwarzenfürze had landed. Both Vespa and Tal Gor were grinning in pleasure.