Two and One: Chapter Two

He never wanted to wake up.

His wife smiled at him, sitting outside with his children, motioning for him to join them for their evening feast. His wife, a rugged beauty named Yevna, wore the dress he made her for their anniversary of blood-bonding.

Grakdar's heart ached. He hadn't seen his children in so long. His oldest son, named Grog, was already grown. His wife held their youngest, a daughter named Torga, and their third child, a boy named Grak, was chasing the family's pet dire wolf pup around the table.

"Grak," she called. "Come and eat."

He was about to step towards her when he felt a searing pain. He looked down and saw a deep gash and fresh blood. His armor was gone, and the wound was bleeding badly.

His wife frowned. "Husband, come and eat. You must have strength. You are hurt."

He was about to speak, but suddenly, a roar filled the air. The dragon flew overhead and landed, unleashing a torrent of fire on his home.

"No!" Grakdar shouted, but the dragon's breath was too powerful. It swept over his home, and the flames consumed everything. The orcs of his village burned, and he screamed in agony.

"Why!" Grakdar screamed. "Why!"

The dragon's tail smashed into his face, and the impact was so hard that it broke his jaw.

Grakdar's dreams faded into a blur of images and pain, and he heard orcs screaming.

"Father!" Grak shouted.

Grakdar's heart broke, and his son's screams filled the air.

"Grak," Grakdar whispered, unable to speak. "No."

Grakdar opened his eyes, and his hand was wrapped around the elf cleric's neck. Laira had used the magic of the tree to heal him. She gasped for air when he eye caught the light of a spell being prepared near the cave mouth. The other elf, Hope, glared at him, her eyes aglow with magic fire.

"Let her go or die."

Grakdar blinked. He released the cleric and backed away, his mind spinning. "Why did you heal me?"

Laira coughed and rubbed her neck. "Why wouldn't we heal you? You were dying!"

"Orcs and elves are not allies. Why would you save me?"

Hope stood near the mouth of the cave, frozen in her half-casting state, ready to unleash the spell but holding back. The power of channeling the spell with so much disruption to magic caused her great strain, and Grakdar did not know if she could dissipate the magic without blowing up half of the cave or dying herself.

Grakdar motioned to Hope with a turn of his head and his eyes. Laira stared at her sister. "Stop the magic. I am safe. Let it go!"

Hope hesitated.

Grakdar's jaw clenched. He didn't want to hurt the two elven women but didn't want to die. He was a strong fighter, an experienced tracker, and the best shot in the tribe. Hope did not have the control to play with the unchecked power of the magic in this area, where the veil between worlds was breaking down and causing havoc with magic.

"Please, Hope. I will be okay. Stop the magic!"

Hope stared at him for a long time. She didn't move.

Grakdar snorted, and he turned towards the mouth of the cave. He walked slowly and carefully towards the entrance.

He stopped a few feet away and spoke softly.

"If you use the magic, it will kill you. If not, it will explode in the cave and kill us all. Let it go."

Hope didn't move.

"I will not harm your sister, and I will not harm you."

Hope didn't move.

"Hope. Please. I will not harm you. You could die if you keep holding the spell."

The elf princess stared at him, and Grakdar was sure she was going to launch the spell, but after a moment, the energy dissipated, and the magic glow faded. She collapsed to her knees and hyperventilated.

"Thank you," Grakdar said. "For not killing us."

"The magic is all wrong," Hope said through her breaths, with Laira rushing to her side to care for her. "The magic is wild, uncontrolled. The flows of reality and life are breaking down."

Grakdar turned back towards the center of the cave. "You should not have healed me. Your people and mine are enemies. I am no friend to you."

"We are not enemies," Laira said. "You were dying, and we need you!"

Grakdar grunted. "You hurt me more by healing me, tree healer."

Laira sighed and shook her head. "We would not let you die. No matter who or what you are."

"It is foolish. Orcs and elves do not aid each other. Why should we be friends?"

"We have no choice," Laira said, helping her sister sit down.

"Yes, we do," Grakdar replied. "I can leave. You two can hide in the cave. Maybe the demons will not find you. It is not certain, but the odds are better than traveling with an orc. The demons might even forget you are here."

Laira's brow furrowed. "We don't have a choice. We are coming with you. You need us to survive."

"If I was meant to die to be with my beloved wife and family," Grakdar snorted, "so be it."

"Your wife and family?" Laira asked, surprised.

"A dragon and its human rider murdered my wife. The riders captured my children. All of them are dead. My family is no more. Your stupid tree made me relive the day. For that, I eternally hate you."

"I did not know," Laira said.

"Of course not. How would an elf ever know of an orc's pain? I will never love another again."

"I'm sorry," she said, her words genuine.

"I do not need your pity. I do not need anything from you. And you did not heal me because now, I have a new wound. A wound that will not heal. An emotional wound that will stay with me forever. Thank you for healing me."

"You were dying."

"Perhaps I was not meant to live," Grakdar said, taking his belongings and preparing to leave. "Perhaps now the wound inside my heart shall kill me once and for all."

"Where are you going?" Laira asked, standing.

"Away from you," Grakdar said.

Laira stepped forward. "No. You will not leave. We must stay together. We will all be stronger if we are together."

"No. We will not. The demons will find you. They will slaughter you. And I will be happy knowing you were not part of the world I had lost."

"But-"

"There is nothing you can say. I do not hate you, but you have hurt me, and I cannot be with you."

Laira looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry."

Grakdar snorted, and without another word, he left the cave.

The sun was not in the sky. Black clouds covered the land like a veil of night. The birds were flying away so fast many fell dead from the sky. All the animals in this area escaped hasty, leaving obvious trails everywhere.

The demons were near.

Grakdar sniffed the air.

Demons had a very particular stench. They smelled like rotting corpses, the way they were on the inside, because that is how their bodies worked. They had to consume a lot of food, but since their insides rotted and the poison spread throughout their bodies, the food was wasted and eventually rotted. This is why they had such a foul odor.

Grakdar hated the smell.

The stench of demon was everywhere. It was not just in this forest; it was in the air.

He looked over his shoulder. The elf girl Laira helped her sister along, determined to follow him. She would not give up.

She was a sound healer, a brave elf, and her skills were useful.

But he hated elves.

They had caused him so much pain, and he couldn't be with her.

"I can't be with anyone," Grakdar whispered. "I can't even be with myself."

He kept walking, and he followed one of the trails of the beasts fleeing the area. Still, Laira helped her sister follow him. He glanced back at them as if to tell them they were wasting their time. But still, they followed him.

Grakdar knew Laira wouldn't stop. Her determination to save her sister was stronger than any emotion she'd ever known.

He admired her.

He knew she wouldn't give up.

But he was determined to make her.

He stopped.

Laira was panting, her face was flushed, and her brow was sweating. She was exhausted, and her legs were shaking.

Grakdar knew that the elf was not a warrior, and her skills did not include trekking across the land. She was a healer, a cleric, and her skills lay in the ways of nature and life. She could not match his strength and endurance.

But she did not relent.

Laira looked up at him and smiled, and her smile was like a dagger to his heart.

"You are determined to follow me," Grakdar said.

Laira nodded. "I have to."

"Your sister is weak."

"She is strong," Laira said.

Grakdar sighed. He didn't know what to do.

"Why?" Grakdar asked.

"What?" Laira replied.

"Why do you care? I am an orc, and you are an elf. Why would you risk your lives for me?"

"Stupid orc," Laira narrowed her eyes. "Because I want to live. You know what happens if you die here? You turn into a demon. And you will never see your family again."

Grakdar nodded. "That is true."

"So, we have to stay alive. Together. No matter what. You're right. If you die, I die. We will have to work together. Even if we hate each other."

Grakdar grunted. "Fine."

Laira raised an eyebrow.

"But if we are going to work together, you have to listen to me. You are a healer. You do not know the dangers. So, if I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to do something, you do it. It would help if you trusted me. I am not your enemy."

"Alright," Laira said.

Grakdar nodded. "Then, let's go. Follow me."

He stopped and winced. "Give your sister to me. I shall carry her."

Laira stared at him, looked at her sister, then back at him. "Do not hurt her."

"I will not," he said, taking Hope in his arms. He brushed the hair from her delicate face. "You are brave," he said, and she looked up at him.

Hope nodded, and she closed her eyes. She was tired, and the exhaustion from the magical drain had taken its toll.

"Sleep, young one. I will protect you."

"We will protect her," Laira said, walking beside him.

Grakdar looked up at the blackened sky.

"We will try."