Page 39 of Storms & Sacrifice
“Well, according to my father, Khazak Uzilag is our ancestor.”Wait, does he look embarrassed?“He is who I was named after.”
“He is? Why didn’t you tell me?” I’m asking about the play, but I’m also curious about who this other Khazak is in general.
“That was part of the surprise.”Mission accomplished?“But also, what would I have said? ‘By the way, the play we are seeing is about my great-by-many-times-over-grandfather.’” Thatdoessound a little too braggy for him.
“He was also worried that if you knew beforehand you might lie about what you thought of the play,” Ragnar adds, earning a glare from Khazak. “He cares about this stuff more than he’s letting on.”
“I did not want my connection to the story to color your impression,” Khazak defends. “I wanted your honestopinion.”
“Well, so far? I like it. Honestly.” That gets him to smile. I can tell he’s feeling defensive, and for what it’s worth, I believe him; this isexactlythe level of control freak I have come to expectfrom him.
“Well, I hope you enjoy the second half just as much.” He reaches down to squeeze my hand.
“Oh yeah, David? You might wanna be careful about looking through the crowd too much,” Nylan adds from Ragnar’s side. “A few years back, I did the same thing and locked eyes with an old teacher of mine... Things got really awkward the next time I saw him in the book shop.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”Oh god, Khazak’s parents aren’t here,are they?
The lines for the bathroom eventually thin out, and the four of us finish cleaning up (though Nylan and I remain plugged) before returning to our seats. Well, Khazak and Ragnar return to their seats, and Nylan and I return to our seats on their laps. Easier for translating, right? Sir also seems to take some pleasure in jostling the plug inside me, making me shudder.Damn, it smells like sex up here.
A few moments later, a familiar sounding bell chimes, and the action on stage resumes. The scene has shifted back to the camp. Things are similar to before with Vakesh performing menial tasks for Khazak. The difference now is that Khazak is no longer holding back his affections. He stands up for Vakesh, both to the other slaves and free orcs. Of course, this still does not earn Vakesh many friends, but at least now he can count on the protection ofhis owner.
The other slave’s behavior I understand, if only out of some form of jealousy; they may not want to fall in love with their captors, but they would certainly appreciate being handled with a little more care. But the free orcs I don’t get. Most seem to back down when their leader makes his intentions known, but Riktal, the second in command and his “best friend,” doesn’t seem to care. He’s already decided he doesn’t like Vakesh.
Things seem to come to a head one night (or day—I really have no way of telling the time in most of these scenes) when Vakesh is tending to Khazak’s weapons. Riktal starts trying to provoke him, even knocking the sword from his hands as he works. Vakesh fumes quietly but takes it all, knowing he can do nothing from hisposition.
“He is taunting him about his relationship,” Khazak tells me. “He is saying that no matter how he may feel, he will never be anything more than a slave. He also is insulting his honor, laughing at him for what he has allowed himself to become, happily turned into another orc’s bitch.”
I can see Vakesh’s rage building, and I think for a second he might actually snap, and that this play is gonna take a wild revenge turn. But no, Riktal keeps talking to him and things seem to...calm down, though the look on Riktal’s face is no less sinister. But whatever he’s saying, he’s got Vakesh’sattention.
“Riktal has concocted a plan,” Khazak translates. “Under the cover of night, he and his men will sneak into the Rageblood tribe’s camp where they will take out the enemy while they sleep. He needs Vakesh to lead them there.” The orcs on stage look very intense.
“Wow. That is a...reallystupid plan.” Sure, if everything works out perfectly, you’ve ended a battle before it starts, but if even one thing gets screwed up? You’re trapped andvastlyoutnumbered in enemyterritory.
“I agree. That is why Riktal is going behind Khazak’s back. He would not approve of this,” Khazak explains. “It is also a plan with little honor, something the tribes held in high regard at the time. Riktal is using that to his advantage, telling Vakesh that this is his opportunity to prove his loyalty to Khazak and the tribe. And Vakesh is desperate to provehimself.”
I can see the orc on stage wrestling with his decision before he gives a curt nod, and I guess that’s that. Riktal looks pleased, though just as menacing, and the scene changes again. The orcs, Riktal’s group, are walking through the forest at night, a darkened campsite off to one side of the arena. Vakesh looks a million kinds of nervous. There’s a little talking as they walk—mostly more taunts thrown at Vakesh—but he signals for them to go silent when he sees they are approaching his tribe’s camp.
Things are quiet, a few orcs standing guard around tents, but even more asleep. Our group of infiltrators sneaks in, silently taking out the guards before they can alert the others. The plan seems to go off without a hitch, and the group converges on a large tent at the center of the camp. Vakesh steels himself as he reaches for the flap—that must be the tent of the tribe’s leader—but just as he goes to pull it back, an orc appears from the other side of the tent, holding a sword. Then all the “sleeping” orcs wake up, outnumbering our invaders are two to one. This new orc smiles evilly at Riktal and then Vakesh, saying something that has multiple orcs turning their heads.
“That is Tark’han, the leader of the Rageblood tribe,” Khazak explains. “And he just greeted Vakesh with ‘Hello, brother.’”Brother? More drama!“He is thanking him for leading the enemy into their trap.”
“Vakesh was planning this the whole time?!” Ireallymust have missed something in the translation.
“No. But Riktal and the others do not know that.” Oh shit, he’s fucked. “Watch.”
The scene shifts again (dammit) back to the Proudhunter camp. Khazak emerges from his tent looking worried, no doubt because Vakesh is missing. He begins searching the camp, noticing quickly that even more people are missing. Finally, he decides to wake one of the other orcs up to find out what’sgoing on.
As this new orc responds, I watch the rage on Khazak’s face grow. No doubt having now learned of Riktal’s plan, he begins shouting at the orc who stands there dumbly at first before snapping to action after having what I assume are orders barked at him.
“He has just ordered all available men to prepare to join him,” Khazak translates. “He worries he may be too late to catch up and fears it will be more of a rescue mission than anything else.”
Stage-Khazak turns to one of the other orc slaves, one who was disdainful of Vakesh earlier. He speaks quickly and harshly, practically interrogating him, probably for the location of the camp. Khazak’s voice gets louder, angrier, until he’s almost shouting, but still the slave remains defiant, even rolling his eyes. Finally, his tone shifts, the anger dropping into something much softer. Something that sounds worried.Thatgets the slave to open up and start talking. Sir makes to translate it for me, but I wave him off. I figured it out.
The scene shiftsbackto the Bloodrage tribe’s camp, now in the midst of battle. One that is going very poorly for Riktal and his group. As his tribe fights for their lives, he barely manages to defend himself against Tark’han. Vakesh stands at the center of it all looking on, unable and unsure of what to do or which side to help.
Tark’han’s men maintain their upper hand, and one by one, the invading Proudhunters fall to the blades of the Bloodrage orcs until only two are left, one of whom is Riktal. He’s giving it everything he has, but it’s useless, and from the look on his face, he knows it. He doesn’t look surprised when Tark’han’s sword is finally driven through his chest, but he manages to give Vakesh a final sneer as he crumples to the ground. After receiving a nod from Tark’han, the only other Bloodrage orc still in battle withdraws, allowing the surviving Proudhunter to escape.What?Vakesh begins speaking to Tark’han, likely asking the same thing I want to. As Tark’han turns to his brother, his face can only be described as full of disgust.
“He wants Khazak to think that Vakesh has betrayed him. See the orc on the right?” Sir points to an orc now standing next to Tark’han as the orc monologues at his brother. “That is the orc who escaped in the first scene. After reporting back, Tark’han sent spies to look for his brother. He has learned about Vakesh’s enslavement and is disgusted by his willing submission to an enemy tribe’s leader. Those same spies then informed him of Riktal’s plan, allowing the Bloodrage tribe to set a trap.”
