Chapter 2

  The Shadow

  Arv grunted as he swung himself over the railing of the small fishing boat. He hit the dock with a thump; the wood creaking and groaning underneath him. A smaller thump followed and soon a small hand clapped his lower back with a surprisingly strong whack.

  “Ya did good today, lad,” he said, “even if you were a bit late.”

  Arv smiled down at his father. Adelard Tallfellow was tall in every single way but in his actual stature. Strong and selfless, he was everything that Arv respected in people. An auburn mustache crinkled above his lip as he smiled warmly up at his son. Very far up at his son. He sighed and rubbed his temple with worn, calloused hands. His hair was thinning there from the habit. Arv could tell that he was trying his hardest not to let the fatigue and worry show, but the creases between Adelard’s eyebrows gave him away. Those hushed whispers he had shared with the other fishers at the docks were suspicious. Something was up, Arv was sure of it. If only he could figure out what.

  Despite the troublesome thoughts, Arv puffed out his chest and gave his father a large toothy grin, basking in the compliment.

  “Now go run along! I’ve a council meeting at the town hall tonight. I’ll be a while still. You go find your sisters. I’m sure they’re expecting you. Now go!”

  He waved dismissively, sensing Arv’s trepidation. Arv excused himself as a fellow fisherman walked up and began talking to his father. His ears pricked at the word “soothsayer” among the frantic whispers. What would they be talking about a soothsayer for? he wondered as he made his way through the bustling docks district. The area was abuzz with frantic activity. Today’s haul had been abysmal, and Arv could only assume it had been the same on other vessels. Everyone was packing up early. Sailors shouted at each other from atop rigging, and the smells of fish, salt, and tar permeated the air. He took care as he walked, making sure he didn’t step on or bump anyone. Thankfully, most of the citizens of Piria knew to give him a wide berth. He wasn’t sure if he appreciated that, or if he resented it.

  Arv Tallfellow was indeed a tall fellow. He was also the only orc in the entire village of Piria. And, even though he was still quite young, he was as tall or taller than most of the humans in their community. To say ‘he felt out of place sometimes’ would have been an understatement. The only time Arv didn’t feel out of place was when he was home with his family. Every time he walked outside of that sanctuary, he was reminded of just how acutely different he was from everyone else.

  Sure, most Pirians loved and appreciated his strength, but only when it was beneficial to them. They liked his help with fishing, stone cutting, or raising new homes. What they didn’t like was when he danced with their daughters on festival days, or when he let the village children ride on his shoulders. Sometimes he would lay awake at night and wonder just what kind of future he had here in Piria. Nobody ever said it outright, but he could tell that his strength frightened them, and he wasn’t even done growing yet!

  Arv raised his chin and tried to fight those feelings down. He was quite lucky, all things considered. Yes, he wasn’t quite sure what his future looked like, but at least he knew it would be alongside his family. His family.

  Arv’s birth parents could have put him on some other porch all those years ago. Instead, they found the one porch in town with the best family in all the mortal realms. Well-meaning folk always asked him if he wished he knew his ‘real’ parents. Arv hated the question. As far as he was concerned, his ‘real’ parents were right there. Adelard and Danya Tallfellow. And they were the only parents he ever needed to know. Arv took comfort in that fact as he jogged off towards the cliffs, an unsettling icy breeze following his every step.

  It didn’t take long for his long legs to carry him to where he needed to go. The village kids spent most evenings by the cliffs. And sure enough, as he rounded the bend, he found his sisters and Shamil sitting on the large rocks. However, they were alone. None of the other village youths lounged about as they usually did. And instead of the typical laughs and shouts filling the air, he heard only hushed, serious tones. Shamil looked up from her lap, holding what appeared to be a mess of leather straps and buckles. She nudged Neyra, who quickly helped her stuff the straps into a bag before Arv could get a closer look.

  “Arv!” Neyra said, “How was the catch today?”

  “Good enough, I suppose,” Arv said, forgetting the straps and flopping backwards into the tall grass. He stretched out his long limbs. The familiar, salty scent of seawater filled his nostrils and the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs helped calm his frazzled nerves.

  “Oh, come on. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?” Elivera asked as she laid down next to Arv, the blades of grass engulfing her much more than her brother. She nudged Arv with her elbow.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. Bad luck lately is all.” Arv sighed, “More fish will come…we’ll–we’ll be okay.”

  He was a terrible liar, and he knew it. But Elivera and the others seemed to let it rest, turning to other matters. Neyra smiled down at him from atop her rocky perch. He could tell that she was worried. They all were. Perhaps Neyra most of all. She usually did all the worrying for them. He sat up and crawled towards Neyra’s rock, eventually turning to sit. He hugged his knees up to his chest.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “You’ve gone and made a mess of Elle’s work this morning,” Neyra said as she took the braids out of his thick black hair. While cropped short at the sides and back, the hair on the crown of his head hung long. He would’ve shaved it all short years ago, but he knew his sisters loved to braid it. And who was he to deny them that?

  Neyra’s fingers worked deftly, and he drifted off under the familiar sensation.

  “What’s that?” Shamil asked.

  Arv’s eyes shot open with a start. The tone of Shamil’s voice was one he had never heard from her lips before. She sounded…afraid? Ignoring the protests of his biggest sister, he scrambled to his feet, urgently looking at where Shamil was pointing.

  The afternoon sun continued to sink in the sky off to the East, casting warm, long shadows across the coastline. But out across the sea, filling the entire southern horizon, the sky was black. Not just the black of dark clouds that heralded the all-too-familiar storms of the coast, but black as pitch, black as the moonless night, black as death. And it was growing.

  They all stood up now, looking in earnest across the horizon. As his eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar sight, Arv noticed an undulating movement from within the blackness. It was like inky water, or the roiling ocean in the dark of night. He nearly jumped as a sudden flash of green lightning streaked across its surface, illuminating the black sky a sickly color before fading to darkness again.

  Neyra’s voice drifted into his awareness as the blackness crept ever closer.

  “We need to run. Now.”

  And, almost as if they were awaiting permission, the four leapt to their feet and ran.

  ***

  For the second time that day, Neyra’s lungs screamed, but this time there was true terror in her heart. She cursed as she tripped over a rock, crashing hard into the dirt. Arv was there in an instant, scooping her up and slinging her over his back. Shamil and Elivera already clung to his broad shoulders. Neyra scurried to her familiar spot as her brother continued to run.

  While halfling-backpack was a familiar game to them, they had never played like this, fleeing genuine danger. The straps that clanked in Samil’s bag would have been real handy right about now. But there was no time. Arv huffed furiously as he ran, arms pumping in a steady rhythm with his long legs. Neyra tried to shake off the shock of her fall as she clung to her brother, eyes squeezed shut. Pull it together, you fool, she thought, they need you. She glanced to either side of her at Shamil and Elivera. Both were looking at her with concern in their eyes. She forced a brief, strained smile at them and leaned her head closer to Arv.

  “Get us home!” She cried out, trying to make her voice carry through the din of rustling grass and cracking branches.

  “No!” Arv said between breaths, “Town needs to know!”

  Neyra opened her mouth to protest, but stopped short. Of course, Arv was right. They needed to tell someone. But where was everyone?

  Buildings flashed by in a blur as they drew closer to the town proper. She could see lights in windows and smoke puffing from chimneys, but nobody milled about on their front porches or in the village square as they usually did this time of evening.

  In record time, Arv skidded to a halt in front of the town hall. It was easily the most impressive building in the village. Though the large stone building was only one story tall, it held a common room big enough to fit most of the town's population. The doors and windows were shut tight, but Neyra could see light seeping from the cracks, and movement that cast shadows beyond that. And even through all that solid wood and stone, she could hear the sounds of shouts. What was going on in there?

  Hands on his knees, Arv panted as the three girls scurried down to the ground. Elivera gave him an appreciative pat on the way down.

  “Go!” He said, “I’ll be along. I just need to catch my breath—hey!” He yelped as Neyra used her whole (albeit very humble) weight against his arm, clinging to it with both hands as she dragged him off balance.

  “No! Catch your breath inside, you big dunderhead! I’m NOT leaving you out here alone.”

  Elivera and Shamil were already scrambling up the steps and to the heavy doors, pulling with a joint effort at the latch. Neyra’s wide, fear-filled eyes left no room for argument and Arv mustered what little energy he had left to follow the little ones into the building.

  There was a loud clunk as the door swung open to Arv’s heavy hands, but not a soul seemed to notice as every adult voice in the room was shouting out at once. The cacophony was incredible, and the tension palpable.

  “Well, there’s no chance in hells that they’ll listen now, even if we could get their attention,” Shamil snarled.

  “I don’t see Da…ours or yours,” Arv said, with a worried glance down at Shamil.

  “So what do we do?” Elivera asked, “That soothsayer has to be somewhere! Maybe he’ll listen?”

  “So there really is a soothsayer here?!” Arv asked, still sounding winded.

  “Come on,” Elivera said, taking charge as she wound her way through the sea of arguing adults.

  Ducking and weaving, the girls darted through the mess of legs and chairs with ease. Even all of Arv went completely unnoticed in the frenzy. Quickly they crept down the back hall of the building, the noise of the shouting dimming slightly as they turned the corner.

  “There,” Elivera whispered as they came to a stop. A soft candle light flickered and danced under the spare room door. Someone was inside.

  “That must be where they’re keeping him. I betcha he’ll listen!”

  They never even noticed that the council’s arguing had halted.

  Neyra had only just raised a trembling hand to the latch of the door, a polite-yet-firm inquiry on her lips when the building was rocked by a sudden, deafening explosion. A blast of hot air slammed into her back and everything went dark.