Queen's Shadow Queen of the Orcs

One Dar walked alone down a mountain path, bent beneath a load of Firewood. The trail she followed hugged steep rocky walls that blocked the morning sun, so the air and ground still held the night's chill. Nevertheless, she walked barefoot and wore only a tattered, sleeveless shift with a rag to cushion her shoulders. Dar moved quickly to keep warm, but the sound of a distant horse stopped her short. None of her neighbors owned one, nor did anyone in the tiny village beyond the far ridge. Only strangers rode horses, and strangers often brought trouble. Dar listened. When the hoofbeats died away, leaving only the sound of wind in bare branches, she continued homeward and arrived at a hollow devoid of trees. Its stony ground had been prepared for spring planting. At the far side of the hollow lay the only buildinga rude hut, built of rocks and roofed with turf. The horse was tied nearby. Dar was considering leaving when her father's wife emerged from the low building with a rare smile on her face. The older woman called out. "You have visitors." The smile heightened Dar's wariness. "What kind of visitors?" Dar's stepmother didn't respond, except to smile more broadly. She moved aside, and six armed men stepped from the dark hut followed by the village headman, whose air of self-importance was subdued by the soldiers' presence. Dar's father came after him. Last emerged Dar's two little half sisters, looking frightened. All watched Dar carry her load over to the woodpile. She set it down, then asked her stepmother again, "Thess, who are these men?" "King's soldiers," replied Thess. "Why are they here?" "There's a levy for the army," said the headman. "Our village must provide two." "Then they've come to the wrong place," said Dar. "My brothers are dead, and Father's too old." "It's not men they want," said Thess. "I'm no Fighter," said Dar. Thess laughed humorlessly. "Then you've fooled me." "Not all who serve the king need Fight," said the headman. He turned to one of the soldiers. "She's the one." "Father, what's going on?" asked Dar, already guessing the answer. Her father looked away. "This was his idea," said the headman. "It's for the best," said Dar's father, his eyes still elsewhere. "Best forher," said Dar, casting her stepmother a resentful look. "She'll be pleased enough to have me gone." "I'll be glad for some peace," retorted Thess. "Always the proud one, you." "Unlikesome, who'd tup a man for a space by his Fire." "You'd be a wife, too, if you weren't so willful." "She's best suited for the army," said the headman. "I'lldetermine that," said the soldier in charge. Though he was the youngest, his helmet and arms were Finely made, and his armor was metal, not leather. "Murdant, see if the girl's Fit." The murdant, a man half again the age of his ofFicer, slowly circled Dar, taking in her sturdy grace. He thought her old to be unmarried, perhaps two dozen winters. Though unkempt, she hadHowell, Morgan is the author of 'Queen's Shadow Queen of the Orcs', published 2007 under ISBN 9780345496508 and ISBN 0345496507.