Page 52 of Mountain Orc Daddy

The wall collapses. I yell at everyone to do what I instructed them. Without asking more questions, Jade casts the invisibility spell on half our army.

Remus casts the mirror illusion. The orcs prepare themselves to charge ahead. My parents took off with a group of orcs to sneak them inside the enemy army. Rogar and I stay with the rest of the orcs.

“Earth and stone,” he says.

“Stone and Uzul,” I reply.

The enemies appear in the blink of an eye. I can’t find Aisling as I hide behind Rogar while he takes down minions with his other weapon. I use fallen daggers to defend myself. I need to get out of this mess to find Aisling.

The disguised orcs make their way into the numbers. They take down witches and minions from behind and as fast as they can. The real ones stare in confusion but before they can realize what’s happening, my parents disguise some invisible orcs as rogues.

Once the rogues figure out the disguise trick, Jade removes her cast and lets the orcs show themselves. Using the element of surprise, the orcs run through the enemy like bulldozers. Suddenly, we’re hit by one of Aisling’s powerful blows.

She takes down our numbers immensely. Jade didn’t have time to create another spell. She herself begins to use illusion spells.

She disguises herself as an orc and slays them one by one. She sends my siblings flying with a wave of her hand. They fall almost ten feet down to the ground. In the chaos she’s creating, she looks as happy as a child.

“AISLING!” I scream across the battlefield.

She turns around before she attacks again. Thankfully, one of my family members is on time to create the illusionary magic. My fists glow white, to show the “purest” form of magic: cleansing a soul. Aisling cackles at the sight.

She stalks towards me. She maneuvers her hands to form the largest “fireball” I’ve seen so far. I shake on my feet, waiting for her to get closer.

“You really thought that cheap illusion trick would work on me?” she taunts.

“I wanted to surprise you, actually. I can use magic,” I retort.

“How stupidly pathetic. It’ll be boring to kill you now.”

Behind her, the fight gets bloodier. From the corner of my eye, I can see my family creating a spell. I don’t know what since I didn’t plan this ahead. We got weak but we’re not losing.

Aisling stands a meter from me. She lifts her hand up. I look behind her. My mom looks in my direction, pointing a finger at us.

I close my eyes. Aisling’s not in front of me anymore. Mom moved me at the starting point. Rogar took my place as planned.

Aisling looks around for me, confused and pissed off. She loses the magic ball in her hand. Rogar extends his large arms back. With every strength an orc has, he strikes her right on her chest.

“FOR UZUL!”

32

UZUL

“Ow…” It’s not the most original thing I’ve ever said. But fuck me does it fit. Or, did I even say? Or did I just think it? I can’t focus enough to tell.

My entire body is on fire with pain. Every single one of my muscles and joints have this terrible ache. I can’t move. I can’t do anything other than lay here and suffer.

I must be dead. That is the only explanation. The last thing I remember is taking that blast of magic for Blair, saving her life. She was about to be killed and I changed that. If that’s how my story ends, I’m satisfied. I must be dead then.

But is death supposed to hurt this much? I fell in battle. We orcs were taught that if we died fighting, we would join our warrior ancestors in an afterlife. An afterlife full of celebration for battles fought and won. We’d be honored for fighting to the very end.

The only problem is that this doesn’t seem like the stories. I see no ancestors or celebrations, only darkness. I also still feel the pain of what killed me. Is this what death is? Or… Am I not dead… Yet?

Maybe I can still fight. If I’m not dead yet, I could fight against this pain and get back on my feet. I try to move, I try to even open my eyes, but nothing. I’m still surrounded by darkness, feeling excruciating pain.

I try to focus on anything but the pain. Maybe I can see something beyond this darkness? Maybe I can feel the grass beneath me. Maybe I can-? I can hear!

The sounds of the battle ring out around me. It’s chaotic and loud. But it means that I’m actually alive, which is good. Very good.

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