4
Harruq hurried down the road, doing his best to pretend he knew what he was doing. Most of his bruises had already faded, hidden beneath the gray hue of his skin. He drew many glances, however, and he did his best to ignore them. The people of Woodhaven accepted him but still viewed his blood in bad regard. Elves and humans held little love for the orcish kind and had ever since their creation. That distaste suited Harruq just fine. Deep down, Harruq felt he deserved their ire.
He stopped by Maggie’s Place, not bothering to go inside. It was early morning and anyone already drinking would hardly be useful. Instead, he stopped the first random passerby that appeared to be a kindly person.
“Do you know of a woman named Aurelia?” he asked, butchering the pronunciation. The passerby, an elderly woman, sneered at him.
“Have fun finding that forest slut,” she said before walking on. Harruq shrugged, deciding his ability to pick kindly people wasn’t very impressive. He tried again, this time with a tired man trudging down the street.
“Never heard of her,” the man said. A few more unsuccessful attempts sent Harruq away from Singhelm and further into Celed. There the reception toward him took a significant turn for the worse. Many refused to meet his eye or acknowledge his question. The half-orc’s frustration grew.
“That’s it,” he muttered to himself. “Just one more and I’m going home. To the abyss with all this.” An elf approached. He had long brown hair, walnut eyes, and an elaborate bow slung on his back. The hardened look on his face gave Harruq little hope.
“Do you know of a woman named Aurelia?” he asked anyway.
“Aurelia?” the elf asked. “Why in all of Dezrel would you be looking for her?”
“She, um, I kind of…” The half-orc faltered. “I owe her a favor.”
The elf smiled as if trying to appear amused, but it faltered miserably.
“You are looking in the wrong place,” he said. “Search the woods just outside town. Call her name a couple times. She’ll hear you.”
“Thank you,” Harruq said, grateful even though his insides churned. He had faced many men in battle, and yet here he was, his heart skipping beats at the thought of meeting this mysterious Aurelia. What was wrong with him?
“You are welcome, half-orc,” the elf said before moving on, the bow still hung comfortably on his back. Harruq watched him go, staring longer than he felt he should. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being led into a trap.
“So be it,” he said. He would not be afraid of meeting an elf in battle. Grumbling, he stormed off for the forest.
“Aurelia!”
No answer.
“Aurelia! It’s me, from last night! Can you hear me?”
Only the calm, scattered sounds of the forest returned his call.
“Damn elf,” Harruq grumbled, crossing his arms and looking all about. “She’s probably not here. He just sent me out here to look stupid yelling at trees.”
“And what elf would that be?” asked a familiar voice from behind. Harruq whirled, his heart jumping as Aurelia stepped out from behind a tree.
To his eyes, she was even more beautiful in the streaming daylight. Long auburn hair trailed past her shoulders, curled, and ended in several thin braids. Her face and eyes were small, the curve of her bones soft and elegant. She had small lips locked in a frown as she stood cross-armed, as if waiting on him. Her ears, upturned at the peak, were tiny even for her race. She wore a long green dress bound by a golden sash.
“Well? Who sent you here?” she asked. “Was it some mean man trying to toy with you?”
“I’m sorry,” Harruq said before resuming his slack-jawed staring. Aurelia uncrossed her arms, those same soft features turning remarkably fierce as she glared at him.
“Stop that. If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m turning you into a toad.”
He shut his mouth.
“So why are you here?” she asked.
“I was just, um, I never got a chance to thank you.” Harruq felt his face flush. This was the most awful thing he had ever done. He’d prefer to face a dragon in unarmed combat. He’d have better odds surviving, too, based on Aurelia’s cold, steeled look.
“You came all the way out here to thank me? Hardly sounds like an orcish thing to do.”
One would not have thought gray skin could turn so red, but it did.
“Well, I still want to repay you.” Harruq held out a small bag containing copper coins. “It’s all I have. Please, take it.”
Aurelia glanced at the bag. “No,” she said.
“But why?”
The elf shook her head. “Your swords. Where are they?”
Harruq glanced at his waist. “They’re at my home,” he said.
“Are you any good with them?”
The half-orc shrugged. “Better than most. So yeah.”
The elf looked him up and down, sending chills roaring along his spine. It seemed so strange that she had saved his life, since at that moment he felt like all she wanted was to see him dead.
“Come tomorrow with swords to spar,” she said at last, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “You can train me to wield my staff in melee combat.”
“I don’t see a staff,” Harruq said.
“I don’t see any swords either,” she shot back.
“Fine. When?”
“Tomorrow,” Aurelia said. “Early morning.”
Harruq nodded, his whole body fidgeting. Now that he’d found her he wanted nothing more than to escape. He was supposed to thank her and go, not be mocked and ordered around.
“Go on home,” Aurelia said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
He did as commanded, and that fact disturbed him greatly. Qurrah was awake when he returned.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
“I went out to train,” Harruq said.
“Without them?” Qurrah pointed to Harruq’s swords stacked in the corner. The larger half-orc shrugged.
“Didn’t need them.”
Harruq went to the other side of the house and started punching holes in the walls. Qurrah might have inquired further but he was lost in his own secret. The night didn’t come soon enough for either of the two brothers.