Conquest Preview

The first chapter of Orc Dominion: Conquest is done!  It's in proofreading right now, but I figured I would share a brief preview :)  The plan is for this story to be 4 chapter and will setup the final story, Orc Dominion: Triumph.  I hope to have the first chapter edited and posted next Friday.  Enjoy!

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Rosalind woke as rays from the early morning sun poked through the gaps in-between the boards of her hovel.  Rosalind groaned as she crawled out of her sleeping pack and straightened out her stiff back.  She pulled her long red hair out of her face and tied it behind her bed, and then stuck her head out to breathe the morning air.

The ground was still frosty, even as spring began to dawn.  It always lasted late into the year up in the Hill lands.  All around the Lainaird’s Tribe’s small encampment the bustle of daily life was beginning.  Shepherds were rounding up their sheep, either to take out to the grazing lands or to pass off to the drovers who would take them down into Thesta to trade in the markets there.

Others were seeing to the other livestock, cattle, pigs, and goats.  It was still too early in the year to begin planting, so they would have to rely on animals and whatever food they could hunt or gather from the countryside to subside on.

“Good morning Auntie Rosalind!”  Melinda’s cheery voice rang out from across the way.  The bright young woman stepped out into the crisp morning and stretched her arms out.

“Morning, Mellie.” Rosalind smiled back, hoping she wasn’t blushing too badly.  Her niece Melinda was the daughter of her brother Garic, the former chief of their tribe, and Sarah.  Already a young woman, she looked just like her mother did at that age, which made Rosalind ever more uncomfortable. 

When Garic and his sons died of the Sweltering Sickness two years ago, Rosalind became the acting chief until either she or Melinda had a son who came of age.  “How you sleep last night?  I hope Cuthbert didn’t keep you up too late.”

Cuthbert Korlick was the son of one of their neighboring tribes.  He had been courting Melinda, and if they wed and had children it would unite them into one.  Such alliances were more important than ever these days.  The northern Hestens were getting restless under Zentaran rule, and whenever that happened they started looking to the Hills for conquest. 

“Oh no, not too late.  He was a perfect gentleman.”  Melinda beamed a smile at her.  “But then, he’d have to be if he wanted to survive the night in the middle of this lot.”  She laughed and gestured to the rest of the tribe as they went about their business.  “Wouldn’t do to have a Korlick disrespect the old chief’s daughter.  They’d skin him alive!”

Rosalind smiled at that, knowing it was true.  Just as well though, she didn’t want Melinda getting taken in and deflowered too soon, especially if an honorable marriage wasn’t going to come out of it.  Though on the other hand, that might be just the thing that would make marriage inescapable. 

“I’m sure they would, and should!  You’re a fair lass and a good woman.  You should be treated with respect!  Not how they treat their ladies down there in Heste.  Or Zentara, or whatever they call themselves these days!”  While the Zentaran conquest of Heste had brought a new era of peace between the northern Hesten Lords and the Catabrian Tribes, the stories that began filtering through about the alliance between orc and man, or rather, orc and women were troubling.  “Especially if you’re going to be giving the Tribe its new Chief.”

“It could still be you, Aunt Ros.  You’re still young enough.”

It was true, that at around thirty years old she was still young enough to have a child, but it wasn’t likely.  She just wasn’t ever interested in finding a man and marrying.  “Maybe, but I think that ship has sailed.  No one will want a slice of old Rosalind when Pretty Mellie is still on the table.”  

Rosalind smiled at her niece.  She wasn’t bitter, it was the truth.  Melinda was considered a great beauty with her copper colored hair and fair skin.  Rosalind knew that she was also attractive, but she was already past her prime.  Her looks were setting, while Mellie’s were still rising.

Her niece blushed at the compliment.  “Even still, there’s still time for you to find a man if you want one.  Any one of these brutes would be lucky to have you!”

“Ros!  Ros!  The beacon fires!  The beacon fires are lit!”  Black Pete, her father’s closest friend, came running up to her.  “Korlick is signaling a Hesten army invading!”

“By the Abyss, so soon? It’s not even properly spring yet!”  She had hoped that they’d have at least a couple more years before this happened.

Melinda paled at the news.  “What are we going to do?  I have to tell Cuthbert!”

Rosalinda placed her hand on Melinda’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.  “Yes, do that.  He’ll need to get back to his Tribe.  After that it’s just like we always planned.  I’ll get the men and move into the Rothge Forest, you get the rest of the tribe and the livestock higher up in the hills.”  She smiled.  “You can do this.  Leave the damn Hestens to me.”

Melinda smiled and ran off, leaving Ros with Black Pete.  The old retainer looked grim.  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this one, Ros.  This ain’t gonna be some summer raid for booty and glory.  I’m betting they’ll be looking to try and conquer us again.”

“They’ve been trying that for hundreds of years to no success.  We drove them out before and we’ll do it again.”

“Aye, but this time we may not be getting any help from Thesta. They’ve got a treaty with the Zentaran Queen, and her son is the King of Heste.  What if they don’t come?”

Rosalind didn’t want to entertain that possibility.  With Thestan help they could probably drive the the Hestens out in a year.  Without it, it could be a decade long war of attrition.  “They’ll come, they have to.  But hopefully it won’t come to that.  More than one invasion has died in the Rothge Forest, we just have to make sure this one does to.”

The Rothge Forest was dense with trees and the only approach from Heste into the Hills.  A narrow road cut through it, making it a great ambush spot for the Tribes to raid the Hestens whenever they invaded.  The first battle of any conflict was invariably fought there. 

“Yeah, that’ll do Ros.  I’ll get the men rounded up.”

“Good man.  We’ll meet with the Korlicks and the Brannogs at Tillburg and move out from there.  Oh, and be sure to send a riders to Thesta.  I hope it won’t come to it, but we still need to ask.”

Pete nodded.  “Will do Ros. We’ll stop them!  We’ve never let them dogs put a boot on us before.  I’ll be damned to the Abyss if I’m the one who finally lets them get a hold of the Hills.”

As Pete left, Rosalind returned to her hut.  She grabbed her bow and spear, as well as her leather shirt and vest.  Her people were never as well armed or armored as the Hestens, but that had never stopped them before, and it wouldn’t stop them now.