Arriving at the Castle.

"Beautiful." I smiled looking out over the beach along the cliffs below. I wondered how it would look at sun rise with the sun rising out over the water.

"You act like you never seen the ocean before." Araseli teased.

"Only on a boat, not the same." I shook my head. It was beautiful some days but it didn't have the same appeal when their was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see.

"No I suppose not." Araseli nodded.

"I might have to come back here one day. Bring the others."

"I don't know how you do it. Personally I am thinking about starting a betting pool on which one you marry first." She teased and gave me a look. "Works for the gnomes."

"Looks like we better get a move on." I nodded toward some rain moving in from the south. She nodded and we picked up speed. It was coming down pretty good by the time we reached the castle that sat on a hill overlooking the beach below. We rode hard into the castle court.

"Not much of a welcome." I yelled over the rain looking around. It was raining but their still should have been someone here.

"Something isn't right here." Araseli nodded and drew her blade.

"Orcs." Someone shouted as they poured out a door off the courtyard.

"Defend the carriage." Araseli yelled.

"Terra celer harenae." I said turning the ground between us to quicksand. It wasn't very deep sadly but enough for them to sink up to their waist and make them easy pickings for the knights. I put arrows in the ones smart enough to stop.

"Get to the gate. Get the princesses out of here." Araseli ordered.

"Shit. More on the right." Someone yelled. One came out of nowhere with a great sword. I grabbed my arrows and rolled backwards off of the other side of my horse and put an arrow through the Orcs knee then came around and finished him off. I fired at two more as I fell back toward the gate to clear a path.
All of the other knights did the same to cover the carriage as we formed a circle. The carriage driver had the carriage turn around and was heading for the gate when the portcullis came down.

"Fuck. You got to be kidding me." Araseli yelled.

"Terra obice murus." I said thrusting my hand at the ground. The earth began to move as a large rock came out of the ground and began to raise the portcullis as well. I didn't think it would actually work.

"Get the girls out and under." Araseli said and went to the carriage. Seren and Cassandra got out and the girls moved toward the gate. Seren went under first with Araseli.

"Okay Cassandra..." Araseli took an arrow to the back. She turned and took two more to the chest as Orcs came out of the woods towards her and Seren.

"Araseli." I yelled. I went to go under just as the rock gave out closing the way. "Seren." I said trying to raise the portcoluis with magic and muscle. "Seren go." I yelled.

"Seren go." Cassandra said. Seren gave her a look.

"I'll comeback." Seren put her hand through.

"I know you will sister." Cassandra nodded. Seren nodded back and vanished.

"Cassandra. Get in the carriage." I pointed and grabbed her arm. If we died maybe they would want her alive. She got back in as I let go of her and fired an arrow at one that got through the line. We were losing knights fast. I opened fire on orcs on the wall with crossbows taking out their archers but even for every two or three we killed we lost a man. When I was out of arrows I joined into the fray. I cut ones throat open and threw my ax into the skull of another. A large one blindsided me as a maul hit me in the chest and sent me flying against a wall taking my breath away making me drop my sword. He charged at me yelling at the top of his lungs. I just barely dodged having my head pounded into the wall. Stone and mortar breaking apart.

"Ad manus mea." I yelled and my knife came out of my boot and into hand. I thrust it up into his chin and turned the blade. I flipped the blade over and threw it into the eye socket of the next one I saw. I grabbed my sword off the ground and blocked the next one who came at me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark elf woman draw an arrow and aim at me. I grabbed the orc and moved behind him. An arrow went through the back of his skull and out his eye socket stopping an inch from my face. I grabbed the arrow and pulled it through and dove as another arrow grazed by me. I grabbed my by and nocked her arrow and fired back at her. She dodged as it whistled by her cheek. A small trail of blood slowly appearing a second later as a smile crossed her lips.

"Fulgur egrediens amet." She said as she held up her hand an lightening sparked between her fingers. I dove out of the way but still the lightening hit me sending me flying through the air into darkness. My eyes slowly opened as I saw the dim flicker of torch light on the ceiling. Their where noises, whispers. I slowly sat up making my all ready sore head feel even worst.

"Your alive." A female voice said. I was seeing triple of her but she was one of Araseli's troop. I didn't know her by name but I knew the face. Or faces at the second.

"Really wish I wasn't right now." I closed my eyes. She helped me sit up next to the wall. I noticed right away that I had shackles on my arms

"The Princesses?"

"Alive last I saw." She shook her head.

"Anyone else?"

"Most went down when the witch hit everyone with lightening. I have no clue how you survived that. I was out of the blast radius by the carriage but got hit in the head." She said. She had dried blood in her hair and on one side of her face. I saw now there where more people around us. Dozens crammed into some kind of cell.

"He is to stupid to die." A familiar voice said. I looked over to see Sura. She looked like hell. Beaten, battered and bloody. One eye swollen shut.

"Sura. What are you doing here?" I tried moving over to her but the knight had to help me.

"Same as you. We are all guest of the general. Me and my people heard about the general collecting Orcs. We thought we could free them." Sura shook her head.

"We?"

"Me and five others. Four of them gave into the general and became his slaves. The other died. He hasn't killed me or broke me yet but he will. One way or the other but not without a fight." She smiled. How she could from the way she looked was beyond me.

"How can we stop him?"

"Their is no way. Not without. He wears a ring that controls all of the orc collars. We thought if we killed him we could end it but if we killed him... We were wrong. If he dies wearing the ring all the collars will kill the orcs and only he can remove the ring. I had him. My blade at his throat and I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill them." Sura shook her head.

"It's okay." I touched her shoulder.

"He have everyone from the whole castle down here?" I looked around. There were other cells but they were all full. Some looked to be standing room only.

"Pretty much." An old timer said. "He has making the guards who fight one another for the orcs sport. Sooner or later were next once they run out of them."

"We need to get out of here." The Knight said. I nodded and fiddled with my collar.

"Debita clausum reserare." I touched my collar and turned my finger. "Fuck. Mine have writing on it?"

"Yes, dark elvish I think." She replied.

"Figures as much, they saw me using magic. Probably why they haven't killed you yet."

"Your a mage?" A voice said and a young goblin woman came through the crowd.

"Not right now."

"Good. Sit down." She said taking off her boot.

"Who are you?"

"Me. I am just visiting." She smiled.

"The castle?"

"This dungeon. I was down here about to make my escape when the orcs decided to give me all these people to talk to." She grinned and pulled out a lock pick.

"She is a thief." The old man said.

"And you shovel shit for a living. Who has the worst job?" She glanced back then picked my shackles.

"How did you end up down here?"

"Turn of bad luck, easy job in and out then they double security for some nobles visiting. I was about to make my escape right before the castle switched management. So if I can get this collar off of you then we can make our escape." She smiled undoing them. I rubbed my wrist glad to be free of them.

"You mean all of these people?" The Knight asked.

"That's your call. I just need a distraction and slip away on my own when the fireworks start. All I can do is give you a fighting chance."

"You try the door?" I looked at the prison door.

"That's plan B when it gets dark. Both of us would have better odds with a mage on our side though." She said and looked at my collar.

"Any luck?"

"The collar is dark elf but the lock looks to be gnomish made." She frowned and went to pick it.

"That your way of saying you can't do it?"

"No I can do it as long as they didn't enchant it to..." She said and got a little zap.

"Ouch. That is what I feared. Well were screwed. Plan B it is unless anyone have a spoon and a map of the castle." She grinned.

"We go company." Someone said and everyone got up. I got up and held my shackles like I was still wearing them.

"Soldiers. Day two. You will fight one another or you will die. Those who win will get to see tomorrow." One orc with a scar down his cheek said. The orcs opened their door and the castle guards were led out. I had a feeling only half would return. "Grab the orc woman as well." He said. One unlocked the door and two more came into the cell heading for Sura.

Save Sura?