Aya and the Orc
By Leif G.S. Notae
The orc stumbled
and clutched his chest, attempting to stop the spray of blood that spilled through his fingers. The creature fell to the ground with a pitiful rasp. The armored man who killed the orc turned to deflect the second attacker's club. He dropped to his right knee and swung his sword up through the leg, severing it clean from the body. The green-skinned creature fell to the ground and howled once before his essence dissipated from his dying frame.
A third orc swung at the dragon's neck with his rusty and chipped broadsword. The armored man moved in front of the attack and thrust his weapon into the arc to deflect the blow. He growled under his helmet's visor and lashed out at the orc with his boot. The orc hopped back while trying to keep his sword in place. The armored man twisted his body and sliced the orc's head clean off his body. The corpse fell back and sprayed blood on the creatures behind them.
The dragon swung her head and slammed her snout against a nearby orc as it attempted to crush her head with a large metal hammer. The creature screamed in terror as it sailed over the circle and disappeared over the nearby hills. The dragon turned to the armored man and shook her head in dismay. Bright light radiated from her body as her form shifted and changed. She appeared as an awkward and lanky looking woman with shimmering golden hair spilling over her thin shoulders and simple white dress. She took a step back as one of the orcs swiped at her with a broken long sword. “I do not believe we can last much longer without assistance, Sir Roderick.”
Roderick slashed at another orc; severing the arm from the body. The hot blood splashed against his armor and coated his legs in gore. He shook his left leg as he turned to the transformed dragon. “Do not fear, Lady Aya. You will survive this assault. I will take you to see the Regent. His daughter may have abandoned you, but I am certain he will not.”
Aya yelped and moved to her right to avoid an attack with a large rusty scythe. She brought her hands up and pointed them at the orc as she spoke words no one could understand. A heartbeat later, the orc erupted in flames. His screams dissolved to a whimper as the creature crumbled to the ground. “She never abandoned us; I demanded she should leave for her safety. She is too valuable to the stability of this nation, no matter what happens to us.”
“You were a fool to believe in her. She comes from a wealthy family, one with privilege. She only answers to the Princess, and it does not help she is close friends with her.” Roderick growled as he swiped at another orc.
Before Aya could answer, a horn blew behind the orcs. The sound was loud enough to make Aya crumble to her knees and stagger Roderick for a moment. The group dissipated near Roderick, allowing a large, scarred orc with stringy brown hair and a fractured tusk jutting from his jaw to strut toward the knight. The clatter of human skulls draped over his neck as trophies and the jangle of armor the creature salvaged from various battles made the orcs to fall to their knees and bow at his feet. Roderick turned and leveled his sword at the approaching warrior. “You shall not come any closer, traitor.”
The large orc howled with laughter, causing the surrounding orcs to follow in kind. He lifted his clawed hand to stop the laughter as he moved closer to the sword. The point pushed against his green skin and drew blood. “You dare to call me a traitor? You are the one who stayed behind and adopted elf ways.”
“I never adopted the elf ways. It was a human that taught me the ability to be kind and do more with my life than to mindlessly kill and destroy. When I die, I will ascend to my god and sit by his side. What will happen when you die? Tragor will rape your daughters and take your throne. You will rot in the ground and will be remembered as a stain on the world instead of a great warlord.”
The orc warlord pushed harder on the point. The blade slipped through his muscles and pressed against his ribs. He growled as his eyes flickered with the fire of insanity. He brought his hand to Roderick's face and flipped the visor open. Roderick's green orc face stared back at him, his black eyes awash with terror and confusion as he took a step away. The warlord moved with him, driving the sword deeper. “You have one chance, Roar. You will turn this dragon over to us and be a part of my army when we force the elves from this island as retribution for what they did to us.”
“I shall not surrender my friend.” Roderick replied.
Roderick pushed forward and slid the blade deeper. He attempted to twist his hand and press the blade through the orc warlord's heart. The orc grabbed his arm and laughed, twisting hard enough to force the knight to release the blade. Blood pumped from the wound before a dull red glow washed over his shoulder and sealed the sword in his body. “I have learned some things while you were away. Never forget to bring healers.”
The orc warlord snapped Roderick's forearm with a quick twist. The armor bent and ruptured as it dug into the knight's arm. Roderick fell to his knees and screamed in agony as the orc warlord laughed. He turned to his men and shouted in his language, “You will leave my brother to me. Take the dragon and do what you will. Leave her heart; I will need it to acquire her magic and courage.”
Aya watched in horror as the orcs closed tighter around her. She reverted to her dragon form and lashed at her attackers with her tail once more. Her strength flagged as she kept lashing out and missing. As her tail swung past an orc, it grabbed the tip and buried the blade through the tail. Aya cried in pain as she turned to bite at her attacker. A large hammer skipped off her skull, forcing her to crumble to the ground. She moaned as blood trickled from her mouth and her snout. Her glassy eyes stared at Roderick as she started to weep. “I am sorry, Sir Roderick. Please forgive me.”
Roderick shook his head as he gripped his brother's hand to stop the pressure applied to his decimated arm. “There is nothing to forgive. We will find happiness in the heavens soon.”
The orcs howled in victory and charged at Aya. She tried one last attempt with her tail, but it was skewered by many swords and knives that they pinned her to the ground. She felt the first clawed hands scrape against her flank. Tears fell down her golden cheekbones as she watched the large orc warlord remove a massive curved sword from the makeshift sheath around his waist. He swung back and laughed as his eyes never left his brother's face. He brought the sword down, aiming for Roderick's neck. Aya screamed.
An explosion near the warlord caused him to tumble and lose his grip on the sword and his brother. The orcs attacking Aya yelled guttural commands at one another before they were cut off by electricity coursing through their bodies. The smell of burning hair and flesh assaulted her nose. She turned her glassy eye to see a panicked orc charging at her with his sword, intent on burying it in her skull. A bright white blur flash zipped past her and ripped through the orc. The creature blinked and fell to his side as a fountain of blood sprayed from its wound.
She heard footsteps near her and felt hands on her head. A familiar voice spoke in her ear as pure light covered her as a blanket. “Don't move, please. You are big, but that doesn't mean you can't hurt yourself if you do something foolish.”
Aya's voice sounded distant as her head swam in pain, “Jessica?”
“Did you really think I would abandon you, even if you told me you never wanted to see me again? Come on, we have to work together to save Roderick.”
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Leif G.S. Notae is a hobby writer of flash fiction, short stories, micro fiction and dark poetry. He also writes serial flash fiction on his website, http://www.leifgsnotae.com where he fleshes out the world for his manuscripts. He was published in Six Minute Magazine under his real name as well as local magazines and newspapers in the Santa Cruz area. He maintains daily entries in his blog while working with green technology in the county.
