The Orc Ing

~I cannot thank you all for the support you have given me since starting this story. An extra big thank you goes out to Ethereal for helping me shape this chapter. Thank you!~

Chapter Six

Darkness.

Something moved in Astera's vision, hazy and dripping black, like pitch. Hands were on her. She screamed. The hissing voices were loud in her ears, and then they were crawling around her skull, claws tearing her mind. Gnawing viscously on her memories.

And they were speaking, their words all blended together.

AsteraAsteraAsteraAsteraAstera... Aster... A...

The maddening repetition turned garbled, and she lost track of its meaning.

When everything finally quieted, she opened her eyes. The world was dripping black again, and the voices rose into a cacophony of screeching. Eventually, she closed her eyes and remembered the pain well enough not to open them again. Everything wavered in and out of consciousness.

There were voices around her. Some of them seemed real, some of them not. Soarruks was the only one she recognised. Someone was shouting. If she concentrated hard enough, she might understand the words...

"Alone."

"Don't leave her alone."

There were murmurs, but she couldn't follow the words. Darkness enveloped her once again and fell back into unconsciousness.

***

Astera's eyes cracked open. She lay perfectly still, only daring to look around in the dark. She counted out the seconds in her mind.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Time seemed to crawl by. She counted to eight. Then twelve. She let out a deep breath.

No pain yet.

Her fingers trembled as she moved them. When there was no shooting pain, she slowly lifted her hand into the air. Everything felt heavy. She squeezed her hand into a fist and loosened it. The motion made her shoulder throb slightly.

Her fingers were blurry in the darkness. There was a hissing sound, it startled her briefly; too sudden and loud in the silence.

Fshh

A lantern was lit. Soft yellow light diffused the room. A lump formed in her throat. Her eyes struggled to focus as she moved her fingers in the air in front of her.

I can't see.

Panic rose in her chest. She sat up quickly, and then let out a hiss as pain shot through her temples.

A woman's voice called out, "Careful, gently now." Her tone was soothing. There was only the hint of a lilting accent.

Astera clutched her head. She looked up at the blurry figure in front of her. The orc woman's skin was greenish-grey, and her hair was pulled back into a long back braid. Her fangs were small, barely peaking out from between her lips. She might have been smiling, but Astera's vision was starting to swim. She let out a whimper as she tried to move backwards.

The woman grabbed something off a nearby table. She moved forward, her hand outstretched.

"Chew on this. It will help with the pain," she offered gently.

Astera held out her hand and something soft and fuzzy was pressed into her palm. She didn't think, only shoved whatever it was into her mouth.

They felt like leaves.

She almost spat them out, gagging on the bitter taste.

"Here, drink. It's water," the woman said, quieter this time. She handed Astera a warm cup.

She drank the contents greedily. When she handed the cup back the woman poured her another glass. She drank it slowly, staring at her nervously.

With her blurry vision Astera could only guess at what the orc woman wore, but it looked like a tight-fitting tunic and layered shawl. There were some streaks of grey in her black hair, but it was hard to judge her age without being able to see clearly.

"How is your sight?" The woman asked.

Astera swallowed. Some of the panic was receding with the pain. "Not very good."

"It will get better. Sunlight will help, but it will be painful at first."

"Where am I?"

"The Sanctuary." The orc woman paused, giving her a moment to let the words sink in. "We are in Va'Sagresh, the largest of our strongholds. I am Kaeri."

"Where is Soarruk?"

"King Volen has entrusted me with your care. I am one of the Sanctuary's healers." Kaeri bowed slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Astera looked around the room uncertainly. She was on a bed, but everything beyond that was a blurry mess. She could make out the shape of a table beside her. Kaeri had been sitting in a chair, a blanket hanging off the chair arm.

"My head is starting to feel better; I think."

Her muscles were sore, as if they'd been stuck rigid for hours. There was a faint throbbing in her left leg. She rubbed the heel of her hand against her eyes.

"Good. Do you remember why you're here?"

"Soarruk was bringing me here. To his home," she recalled slowly. "He lives... here?"

Her vision was too blurry to make out the woman's face clearly, but it looked as if her lips twitched.

"Not in the Sanctuary, but here in Va'Sagresh, yes. You've been asleep for two days. Luaya smiles upon us, that King Volen got here so quickly."

It took her a moment to understand the orc woman's meaning. Her memories had holes in them. She had been hurt, somehow. There was the forest, and the horses...

The hunters!

It came flooding back all at once.

She had argued with Soarruk. And when they confronted the hunters, they had been attacked. The monster's form flashed through her mind.

Her fingertips traced over her temples gingerly. There were no wounds there, but her lack of sight was proof she'd really been attacked.

"Is- Is everyone-?" She let the sentence hang, unsure how to ask. Unsure if she wanted to know the truth.

"No one else was hurt during the attack," Kaeri confirmed.

Astera relaxed a little.

"You ought to speak to King Volen of this, but I was advised that the group of twisted fae that attacked you have all been destroyed."

The twisted fae.

Astera let out a shaking laugh, hollow with disbelief. "I-I can't believe that nightmare really happened."

When she had met the humans in Thelfare, they had not described what the twisted fae looked like. '

We lost our house in an explosion... the fog from their magic ruined my sight

...' The magic had left most of them blind. The fae hadn't just attacked them, but ruined their lives, murdered their families. They had endured far worse suffering. She curled up slightly with the memory, shame and fear hanging over her.

"Am I going to be blind forever?"

Kaeri's warm hand enveloped hers, giving it a comforting squeeze. "The poultice I made reverses the effects of felshi. You weren't exposed to their magic for very long. King Volen believes it was only a few seconds. I have never treated a human before, but you seem receptive to our medicine." She stepped closer, grasping Astera's chin between her fingers, turning her head left and right. Her grip was firm, clinical. "Usually, they don't attack with their claws..."

"They were in my head," Astera murmured.

When the room fell silent, she could still hear the whispers in the back of her mind. A cold chill crawled down her spine. Had they truly left? Voices whispering that they were hungry, that they wanted

out

. The ghost of sensation was still there under her skin, echoes of pain from where the claws had wormed into her neck. It didn't feel like it had only been a few seconds. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Kaeri murmured something in her own language. "It will get better with time. I'd like you to stay here until the effects wear off."

"How long will that be?" Astera asked.

Kaeri frowned thoughtfully. "We shall see in the morning. You are under my care for now. I will bring you something to eat. In the morning, I will have a hot bath arranged and fresh clothes brought."

She stepped away from Astera, gesturing around the room, "The wash basin and cloths are there."

She pointed to a blurry table, lit softly by candlelight. Thankfully, perhaps intentionally, two more soft glowing lights were placed beside two doors on opposite sides of the room, "That door to the left leads out into the rest of the Sanctuary, and the door to the right leads to the gardens. The gardens are only accessible from this room, so if you decide to go for a walk, you will not be bothered by anyone else. There isn't much space, but you should walk around the courtyard before you fall back asleep. It will help you gather your strength."

"Thank you," Astera said.

It was a little nerve wracking to be left alone, but Kaeri gave her a comforting smile. Once she was satisfied Astera was okay, she brought her a meal and left for the night.

Astera had no appetite for soup or bread. The broth turned cold as she became familiar with her injuries. Her fingers traced over her skin. Her veins were black, the poison still working through her system. The sight made her stomach squirm.

Moving gingerly, she shifted her weight to the edge of the bed and stood. The throbbing grew a little stronger in her leg but wasn't unbearable. She forced herself to move, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. It kept her from thinking too much about the strange noises and whispering voices.

The room was plain. Its sparse furnishings were cloaked in a soft golden glow from the oil lamp.

The cold from the stone tile leeched past her slippers and into her feet as she wadded across the room. Despite the blurriness the room had a faint warmth to it. Maybe it was her blurry vision, or the feeling of relief she had survived the attack.

The door to the courtyard was surprisingly heavy, but she managed to wedge it open and slip through. The sun was setting, the sky a deep shade of purple. Astera titled her head up, letting the last bits of daylight wash over her skin. Even staring up at the sliver of light hurt her eyes, so she kept them squeezed shut until the sun was fully set.

The night air was clear and cool. She was thankful for the blanket. The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by buildings, made of the same continuous sleet-grey stone.

There were no windows, the tall grey walls imposing and secure. Noises carried into the courtyard from somewhere beyond, distant laughter and clinking dishes. There were other people in the Sanctuary too. Astera trailed a hand along the cold stone as she moved slowly. Her attention was drawn to the garden in the centre of the yard.

The plants swayed gently in the evening breeze. Knee high herbs and taller feathery white stalks. Towering palms arched overhead, casting shadows on the colourfull stone pathways.

Pine trees lined the back of the courtyard, their silver-tipped needles glinting faintly. The air beneath their boughts was darker, cooler. The scent of resin was thick in the air. Her steps faltered as she reached the edge of the moonlit path.

The darkness made her feel uneasy. The walking hadn't eased the churning in her stomach. The voices came to life suddenly, hissing quietly. She froze. Her entire body went rigid, barely aware of the throbbing pain it caused in her leg and shoulder.

Memories flashed in her mind. Monstrous claws shooting out of the tree branches to snatch her off the warhorse. She stared up at the trees, eyes wide with fear.

It's in your head. Just keep walking

. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

Slowly, she loosened each muscle until she could take another step forward. The wind whistled around her.

Don't think about the forest. Its just the wind

.

Her stomach plummeted. She waited three heartbeats, listening to every groan and rustle in the branches. The noises slowly began to fade.

She took another step forward until she was under the shade of the biggest pine. Her eyes darted through the branches, chasing after every noise, looking for the source. But her vision was too blurry to make out more than large blobs of branches. Darkness surrounded her.

Relax. Just relax

.

A few more steps...

Her eyes were wide as she took another step. The breeze blew again, and when the leafy plants rustled, she could hear it. The snarling voices were coming from within the huge leafy plants, not just in her thoughts. The hissing and scraping of claws as they moved closer, waiting, stalking, ready to pounce-

There was a scuttling noise, and a small brown blur darted across the ground.

Astera screamed, bolting for the door across the garden. She could almost feel the black wisps of felshi racing after her, the claws reaching for her ankles, scraping against her skin. Her field of vision was a murky mess when she finally slammed the door shut behind her. Her screams dissolved into sobs as she began panicking, searching for a weapon.

Sometime later, Kaeri found her hidden in the corner of the room, the wooden soup spoon gripped like a knife between her fingers.

After a full cup of sleep medicine, the healer finally convinced her to get into bed, but she refused to give up her makeshift weapon.

Astera slept restlessly all night, plagued by nightmares of twisted black felshi with long dark claws that wanted to tear her apart. Each nightmare ended when a figure covered in glowing symbols ripped the monsters apart, eating their flesh and drinking their blood.

***

Astera sank down until the bath water was up to her chin. She had scrubbed her skin raw, soaking in the too-hot water until all the steam was gone. She kept her eyes closed. Beside her Zalthara, another orc handmaiden, was humming a tune she didn't recognize.

When she opened her eyes it took them a moment to adjust, but she could see everything as clearly as she could before the attack in the woods. She let out a small sigh of relief. Kaeri had been right about the medicine working. Some of the tension left her muscles.

Zalthara had placed a large crate beside the bathtub and was currently rummaging through to the bottom. Occasionally she came up with a gown, frowned at it and tossed it aside. Like most of the orcs she had black hair, but hers had a dark red tint. Her black curls were braided in intricate, yet not quite symmetrical designs, decorated with gold clasps. When she wrinkled her nose at the next dress, her brown freckles pinched across her face.

Kaeri had introduced Zalthara as her assistant, a healer in training. She was much younger than Kaeri. Even though she seemed lithe and narrow by orc standards, she still stood a head taller than Astera.

"I think there might be something shorter here," Zalthara murmured as she searched.

Her accent was much softer than Soarruks. Both orc women spoke with careful enunciation. They reminded her of the daughters of the gentry she'd met back home in the palace.

Do orcs have royal houses and bloodlines too?

She wondered about where they were from, but she held back the questions.

Zalthara held up a sparkling red gown expectantly.

"No that's definitely too short." Astera had to hold back a balk of laughter at the tiny dress. Zalthara shrugged and tossed it back into the crate.

Astera leaned back in the tub. Some of the exhaustion that had plagued her in the forest was gone, but not much.

A week of straight sleep, maybe that would be enough...

Her eyes caught on the doorway that led to the gardens, and she sank further into the cooling water.

Every time her thoughts began to wander, memories of the night before sprang back up. Kaeri had tried to reassure her, saying something about how the poison had to work through her system... She gritted her teeth.

Easy for her to say. She doesn't hear anything following her around.

Astera shuddered.

At least my head doesn't hurt anymore.

"How about gold, mistress?" Zalthara asked, breaking her train of thought.

Astera didn't even glance at the dress. "Sure," she murmured.

"The waters getting cold. Would you like more hot water brought?"

Astera sighed. "No, I'll get out."

Gripping the edge of the too-large tub, she stood. Zalthara handed her a towel to dry off. She helped tie her into the gold silk gown and braid her hair. Astera looked around the room with wide, curious eyes. Despite her sour mood, questions were flooding her thoughts.

This was the orc's infamous stronghold. During the previous orc king's rule, her father and grandfather had sought out its location, the name of which they hadn't even known existed.

Va'Sagresh.

Soarruk's home.

Her eyes drifted upwards, from the parchment coloured walls to the ceiling. Moss dangled down from cracks in the plaster as if nature was trying to take over the space again.

Once she was tied into the dress Zalthara held up a small mirror. Her stomach churned seeing her reflection. She barely recognized herself.

It looked like the colour had been sucked from her eyes, the irises a pale grey colour. Dark shadows lined her eyes. Beneath her skin, her veins were a faded black. She traced the thin silvery scars along her hairline, where the demon's claws had penetrated her skull.

Monstrous

. She swallowed, turning away quickly from the mirror.

"They'll fade with time," Zalthara assured her. She continued, giving her a comforting smile, "Would you like to see the rest of the Sanctuary?"

"Sure."

Anything to get out of this room.

"I'll show you some my favorite places. Theres the amphitheater, library, the dining halls..." Zalthara's eyes were bright as she rambled on.

"Are you coming?" Zalthara called. She was holding open the door that led further into the stronghold.

Astera stood, following her. When she reached the doorway, she hesitated. The arched ceilings of the hall towered overhead. She felt small, standing in the grand space.

This must be a fortress.

Nature was taking over hallway too. Green vines, pulsing with light crawled up towards the ceiling. It gave the cavernous hall a strange, ethereal glow. It looked as if the floor had been cut from one solid rock, carved swirling designs snaking up the pathway.

And there were trees. Growing out of the walls, their twirling branches covered in soft green leaves. Their trunks disappeared further up into the ceiling, impossibly tall and solid.

Zalthara grinned at her. "The Sanctuary is the heart of Va'Sagresh. When our ancestors built it, there was a great forest here."

The elves.

It was hard to believe that a city could really be that old.

Astera took her first few tentative steps out of the room and into the hall. She kept her hand on the wall, her fingertips moving from the smooth plaster to the rough bark of the tree beside her. There was no fear now. She took a deep breath. No whispers or darkness chasing her. She dropped her hand and stepped into the hallway, following after Zalthara.

The hallway curved. Zalthara's explanation continued as they walked, "The Sanctuary is the largest part of our stronghold. There are hundreds of rooms."

The hallway opened up to a large atrium. Astera paused in surprise. The room was divided in two by a large river, the floor splitting at the mouth of the room and closing back up at the other side. The sounds of rushing water thrummed quietly.

The rivers edge was lined with various sized rocks, from the size of pebbles to waist-high boulders. She could almost feel the vibrations of the water through the stone under her feet. Spongy moss grew at the rivers edges and spotted the wide stone walkways.

The room was full of orc women, sitting on benches and at stone tables. They all briefly glanced to Zalthara and Astera. All eyes rested on her. She felt embarrassed. The only human in the room, and she looked monstrous, wearing the silk-spun gold dress.

Around her and Zaltahra, the orc women wore casual clothing, wide legged trousers and tunics. Some had on fur lined vests or dresses cut with intricate designs. They were spread out in groups throughout the hall, returning to whatever business they had been up to before they had opened the doors. Some were braiding long flat pieces of leaves together as they spoke, others debating over documents and writing. Their words were lost to her, only occasional sentences spoken in the common tongue.