scratches here and there, and he had felled at least a dozen orcs himself. Around him some men were falling, but most were still fighting. A short distance away, he could see Balfor, rallying the troops and cutting a wide swath through the orc swarm. He did not understand the man, but he certainly respected his fighting abilities.
The battle continued for hours, and Particus found himself battling near Balfor. The two men were slashing and destroying orcs like a machine. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Particus noticed an orc with a bow. Before he could react, the arrow had been shot and it sank deep into Balfor’s chest. The general fell immediately, and his troops quickly pulled him back away from the orcs.
Particus cut down a couple more orcs and then ran to see Balfor. When he arrived behind the lines, he could see that Balfor was barely alive. Balfor’s breathing was labored, and the arrow was still stuck deep in his chest. He was trying to whisper to his troops, but was unable to shape the words with his lips.
Particus thought to himself, “How can this be? He is a much greater fighter than I. How could he leave himself exposed to the enemy like that? This man is the most knowledgeable fighter I know, and yet a simple orc can cut him down?”
In a moment, a hundred images flashed before Particus’ eyes. He imagined the huge pile of gold that would await him when the orcs were killed. He imagined all the things he could buy with that gold. He imaged what he could do and where he could go. He imagined how popular he would be among his friends and the glorious tales he could tell. Then he looked again at Balfor lying on the ground, dying.
Particus looked outside and saw the battle was starting to turn against the men. They were trying to rally, but with Balfor down, their biggest leader was missing, and the orcs were starting to push the men back. Particus thought of joining the men at the line, but he knew he didn’t have the skills to renew the men’s vigor.
He reached into his bag and fingered the ivory wand. He thought another moment while he watched the light in Balfor’s eyes fade. Without thinking again, Particus pulled the wand from the bag and lunged towards Balfor. A couple of soldiers tried to stop him, but he got close to Balfor, pointed the wand, and a beam of light flew from the end of the wand and struck Balfor square in the chest.
The land of Gonar stands today, completely devoid of orcs. The king rules the land fairly and evenly. Along the northern border stand a few guards, watching for a renegade orcs, but never finding them. In a clearing in the trees, there on that border stands a small marble monument, marking the final resting place of many a man who fought and died to preserve Gonar. Once a year, every year, before the summer celebration, there you will find a man bent over the monument, giving thanks to those who have died. There, every year, you will find King Balfor.
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About the Author:
Jeffrey Ober has been enjoying his life reading and writing for many years. His favorite genres are fantasy/sci-fi and spy dramas.
View more clips of his published works at https://ober.org/clips
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