Mastery Is Earned

Early the next morning, everyone gathered outside the inn carrying packs and bundles of all sizes.

Once Raymond confirmed that all ten were present, they went to the docks together. He paid a deposit and rented a medium-sized boat, which carried them out of Brightwater.

The boat was only considered medium-sized in comparison with small fishing boats. Carrying ten fully armed mercenaries at once still placed it under considerable strain.

Henk noticed that Derek and his men had upgraded their equipment. Instead of coarse linen clothes, they now wore arming coats, and even their weapons had been polished to a shine. They had clearly prepared thoroughly.

Raymond could not resist teasing them. “Looks like you spent a fortune this time.”

“Of course.” Derek chuckled. “We don’t want to die with money still in our pockets. Someone else would only spend it for us. And if we complete this job, what we paid for the equipment won’t matter.”

Everyone laughed softly.

Bram and Ned exchanged smiles as well. Henk glanced at them but said nothing.

The boat steered around the shallows occupied by the fishfolk and came alongside a stretch of shore on the reed island where they could land. Henk and the other three half-orcs disembarked one after another, carrying their weapons and packs with them.

Raymond pointed in the direction of the shallows. “Follow the shoreline that way and you’ll reach the shallows we saw yesterday. Wait until we’ve made it around to the other side of the island before you attack. And don’t forget to sound the horn.”

“Got it, boss.” Bram patted the pack containing the horn.

Henk nodded to Raymond and followed the other three along the shore. Raymond’s group pushed the boat away from the bank and continued around the island toward the reed beds on the far side.

“How did you end up running around with those humans?” Mara suddenly asked Henk as they walked.

Henk glanced at her. “Raymond is my friend,” he said quietly.

“A friend?” The other three half-orcs burst out laughing.

Their mockery of his friendship with Raymond irritated Henk. He tightened his grip on the strap of his pack but let nothing show on his face.

“Listen, Henk, you’re too easy for people to fool.” Ned moved closer with an air of easy familiarity. “They might call you brother now, but when the time comes to stick a knife in your back, they won’t hesitate.”

Henk thought of the many times Raymond had fought beside him and saved his life. He shook his head without answering.

Bram studied Henk’s expression closely before moving nearer. “Still, that Raymond fellow has some courage. The others aren’t much good, but I rather like him. Shame he isn’t a half-orc.”

“Why would he need to be a half-orc?” Henk asked.

“Why?” The question caught Bram off guard. “Because only our own kind can truly trust one another. I’ll always keep my guard up around humans.”

Henk fell silent again. Talking to Bram felt impossible. Bram saw everything through race. Perhaps it was because of what he had experienced in the past, but both he and Ned seemed to bear a deep grudge against humans.

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Henk was different. Humans had raised him, and he thought of half-orcs as simply another kind of human, much like northerners and southerners. The differences were merely more pronounced.

“Henk, what about your parents?” Mara asked curiously. “Were they humans, orcs, or half-orcs?”

Henk felt somewhat offended by the question. He stopped walking and looked at the three half-orcs ahead of him. They exchanged puzzled glances before Bram asked, “What’s wrong?”

After a moment’s silence, Henk resumed walking. “My mother was human. My father was an orc.”

“So one of your parents was human and the other was an orc.” Mara sounded excited. “My family is different. Both my parents are half-orcs.”

That caught Henk’s interest. “Both of them? In the Duchy of Nightraven?”

“Yes.” Mara nodded. “Everyone in our village is a half-orc. But the people at the fortress keep imposing heavy taxes on us. If we can’t pay, they force us into military service or put us to work. This spring, most of the village was taken to the fortress. Then a group of human poachers attacked. They locked me in a cage and treated me like a toy and a piece of merchandise. Bram was the one who rescued me.”

“I’m sorry,” Henk said.

“What does it have to do with you?” Mara asked, confused. “It was those damned humans.”

“That’s right. Damned humans,” Ned said. “I was sold to an arena and forced to fight other half-orcs for the amusement of human nobles. What did they think we were?”

Bram had been watching Henk’s reaction the entire time. When he saw Henk’s expression change, he cut Ned off before he could continue. “No. The past doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re together now. Right, Henk?”

Henk gave a noncommittal grunt.

“Exactly. Our people should stand together,” Ned said, then spat. “Then we can do whatever we want, and no one will be able to stop us. Humans are weak. They can’t compare to half-orcs! Henk, you should come with us. We—”

Bram quietly cut Ned off and shook his head.

*Finally, some peace and quiet.*

As far as Henk was concerned, the important thing was to kill those damned fishfolk as quickly as possible, cut off their hands, and exchange them for money. Then he would wait for Raymond and the others to return safely before sending every coin of his earnings and bounty back home. Each new payment would help his village survive a little longer.

That was what truly mattered to Henk.

He had no intention of taking anything Bram and the others said to heart.

The four followed the island’s shore until they reached an earthen rise above the shallows. Henk stopped and bent down to look over the edge.

The shallows curved inward toward the island, open to the water on one side and surrounded by steep earthen cliffs on the others. The drop beneath them was about ten feet. A large group of fishfolk had gathered below, many with their heads lowered as they dug for something in the mud. For now, none had noticed the four figures above them.

Bram adjusted the pack on his shoulder and took the axe from his back.

“Wait a little longer,” Henk whispered. “They still need time to reach the other side.”

Bram glanced at him but did not object. The four remained on the rise and watched the fishfolk below.

After another wait, Henk judged that Raymond’s group should be close to the reed beds and finally nodded.

“How about we make a wager?” Bram took his axe in hand and looked excitedly at the others.

“What kind of wager?” Ned asked.

“Whoever kills the most fishfolk wins. Each of the other three pays the winner three silver. What do you say?”

“I’m in!” Ned agreed at once.

“So am I,” Mara said.

Henk did the calculation. If he won, he would receive nine silver coins. That was no small sum. He drew the hand-and-a-half sword at his waist and nodded. “I’m in too.”

“Good!” Bram roared. Gripping his axe in both hands, he leaped straight from the earthen cliff. He landed heavily in the mud below, leaving a deep depression. The fishfolk jumped in alarm, but Bram gave them no time to react before charging.

“Whoo!” The other two leaped down after him and joined the slaughter.

*Damn it!*

Henk cursed inwardly. Bram had been so eager to strike first that he had not even sounded the horn. Raymond and the others were still waiting for the signal on the far side.

Henk hurriedly jumped down after them. As soon as he landed, he shouted after Bram. “Bram! The horn! The horn!”

Bram had already crashed into the fishfolk. The creatures barely reached his thigh and were no match for him. Most were unarmed, and the first one he reached had its head split open in a single blow.

After casually cutting down two more nearby fishfolk, Bram laughed. “Now this is fun! Easy money!” Only then did he pull the horn from his pack, draw a deep breath, and blow.

A long horn blast rose from the shallows and gradually faded. A second followed, then a third. After three blasts, the signal fell silent.

Bram chuckled, put the horn back in his pack, and shrugged at Henk. Then he tossed the pack onto the shallows and charged the other fishfolk.

Only after Bram had sounded all three blasts did Henk relax. Tightening his grip on his hand-and-a-half sword, he charged the fishfolk on the opposite side.