Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found here!
Part 98
The process of setting up the camp was fairly quick and involved a lot of sneaky use of magical skill. Gorma simultaneously admired the trio of magic users in the way they went about it, felt that it was a bit of a cheat and felt like she did not have a lot to do to be useful.
Adiran had managed to almost conjure their tents and sleeping bags from the pack horses. At least he had left Gorma's packs alone in this. Meanwhile, Tiberos was setting up wards around the perimeter of the camp that would give them a warning if there were intruders.
"Gorma." Adrian said. "If you could collect firewood and set up some stones for the fire.
"Would fire not alert others of our position? Not a lot of cover here." She remarked, pointing at the flat landscape. Adrian smiled at her impishly and she rolled her eyes. "Of course, you will use magic to hide the fire."
Adiran set about watering and feeding the horses and Marrok. He chuckled but managed to look a little bit hurt at the same time. "Hey, you say that as though it is a bad thing!"
"No." She refuted adamantly. "Not bad... lazy maybe. What happens when you cannot rely on your magics?"
"I am trained to do it the normal way... I was following Adiran's lead."
The older wizard had heard the interchange. "She's right, you know. When we draw nearer to the Seventeen, we will not be able to rely on our magic to set up camp like this or else alert them to our presence and location. Tonight, we are merely a day's ride from home. No need to be overtly cautious. Save our strength for the rest of the journey."
Gorma nodded at Adiran. "I understand. So, when a mage uses magic, you can feel them doing so?"
Tiberos had just arrived back at the centre of the camp. "Indeed! That is what drew me to Adiran and Adrian recently. I found it peculiar that someone who had previously not shown much power now had more power than the entire Mage Guild of Dragonshold combined... and twice! Once for each of these two!" He pointed at Adiran and Adrian.
Gorma looked at Adrian with a proud smile on her face. "Really? Is he that talented?"
"Well... we both are..."
"Not just talented!" Tiberos interjected. "Powerful! What the two of them were doing in Adiran's tower was making everyone sweat from tension! And..." The old man glances at Adiran, who smiles wanly. "What drew me to confront this man and demand explanations. Some answers which I sort of wish I did not have to know now."
"You wanted the truth..." Adrian said quietly. The four of them sat down around the fire. A ward was cast to mask their smoke and light, and the cooking began.
Tiberos rounded on the Orc woman. "By the way, are you aware that these two...?" He pointed at each with a finger.
"Are they the same?" Gorma asked. "Yes. I do. They are the same but not the same... the elder comes from another vein of time."
Tiberos' bushy eyebrows rose. "You understand the concept of timelines?"
Gorma shrugged. "I do not expect humans of this age to know this of Orcs or the Tribes of the Mawlands, but this concept is part of the mythology and culture of the Tribes. We are taught that every warrior or kin makes their choices good or bad, that when we make them, we live in the world that those choices generate, and that another version of ourselves lives in a world where we made a different choice. It is how we handle the concept of destiny and loss. Some lives are worse, some are better, but we need to be thankful for the realities that we helped shape and that we ourselves exist in."
Adrian had been staring at the Orc woman in admiration. This was a far more advanced belief system than most of the belief systems that human nations currently had, save perhaps for those of the secretive isles of Kai.
They made eye contact and realized that this also meant that whatever was going on between the two of them is also a result of his choices and her choices together. That is what she believes and that there exists realities where both of them had made other choices than they had. Perhaps they would not be so... interested in each other if they had made other choices.
Gorma seemed to realize something similar and her dark green blush and his reddened face were quickly turned to look at the fire.
Adiran and Tiberos were staring at the fire and the food. Either they were oblivious to young romance or they chose to ignore it and let the youngsters be.
"I see." Adiran said. "This is the first timeline I have been in where the Orcs of the Mawlands have been set free and the first time I have learned of this ethos they carry. It is a great gift!" He looks at Tiberos while he continues. "It means that some of the truth of the world of old has now been revealed. The invader Gods. The natural order. Intelligent non-humans who were are peace with Kingdoms like Loghaven and perhaps Dragonshold too."
"Was the nation of Dragonshold named something else in the past?" Gorma asked.
Adrian nodded. "I have heard Mortis and his sister speak of it. Drakenspoort."
Groma's eyes widened. "Mortis has a sister?! Drakenspoort?!" She jumped up to her feet. "You cannot be serious!"
"What's the matter?" Adrian asked.
Adiran shurgged. "Even I don't know what happened three thousand years ago. No doubt Mortis... King Magnus by his actual name, would know more about it."
Tiberos grunted. "Is that who he is? Why am I not even surprised anymore?"
Meanwhile, Magna looked even more stricken. "King Magnus!" She breathed and then just as suddenly, she slapped her forehead and sat down laughing. The two older men looked at her, alarmed, wondering if she had lost her mind. Adiran thought she looked cute in the firelight, her little tusks were showing as she laughed.
"Why was I so blind! King Magnus. Princess Magna the Thunderhead! That revenant stood by her side the whole time, like her... tutor... her acestor guide! Wow! Yes... Yes, I know of Drakenspoort!"
"Did the Tribes of the Mawland have good relations with them?" Adrian asked, hoping that they were not some sort of mortal enemies.
Gorma had calmed down and looked at Adrian seriously. She shrugged. "As far as I can tell... the Tribes avoided your Kingdom. We were not at war or in disagreement. We had some mutual allies, but generally, to be honest, the Tribes were afraid to go there."
"Why?" The three humans said at nearly the same time.
Gorma looked stunned. "Wh... has it been forgotten as well... Well, I suppose I saw little evidence of it at the castle. We stayed away because the Tribes were afraid of the Dragons!"
Over to you Lex!
Thank you for reading!
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