63 THE GREY MAIDEN 5

Prince Tua don't know how long has he been out. He remembers feeling the sensation of movement while slipping in and out of consciousness, like he's being carried by someone or something, the rustling of leaves, the smell of mud, of rotting wood.

And the cold, it's like some evil force is syphoning the warm from the prince's body. His body shivering while memories flashing through his mind, like a picture slide show. The prince remembers thinking "is this how he'll dies?", he wonders how will he be remembered? Mother and father would be devastated, he thinks, especially mother, Elvas has long memory and prone to depression. He remembers the image of his mother on the raining day like this night, the image of her sitting in the gazebo in the palace's garden, the look in her eyes, so sad and melancholy, she had endured much. And now, if he… "Would mother withstand the news of the death of her only survived child?" The prince wondered. "Oh poor mother!" Prince Tua felt so guilty by the thought of putting his mother through that. And what would his father think? Will father disappointed by him? He must be. A great man he is, battling monsters, ending a hundred years long bloody conflict, brought peace to the people. A man like him must have much expectation for his son. What had Prince Tua archived so far, aside from get his hand dirty with his own father's blood? Prince Tua felt proud and shame as the same time to be his son, and to live in such gigantic shadow. To die like this must brought much shame to father, so no, he can't die like this, but should he? Someday he'll inherited the throne, will he be worthy of his father legacy? To bear such burden give shrive to his mind, maybe this a chance for him to escape.

"Drink this, it'll help." A low but warm voice spoke to the prince through the cloud of dark thoughts in his mind. Prince Tua felt a big hand gently held his head and a warm liquid slowly pouring into his mouth. Bitter to the touch of the tongue, but it had a pleasant herbal fragrant to his nose and a sweet after taste to his throat. There're crackling noises of firewood and the warm of a campfire gently enveloping him. The prince mind slowly at ease as the pain from his thigh and shoulder slowly subsided, his body heat raising back to normal, negative thoughts slowly fade, give place for sweet memories of his childhood, and soon slumber come.

Prince Tua woke up and find himself lying on a bedroll and the sound of bird chirping of a new day welcoming him, in front of his eyes was a ceiling of a cave and a still smouldering campfire next to him.

"Wajam! You've awake, prince of Varlann." A croaking voice with a heavy accent spoke to him.

"You best lie down, Highness. You'd lost quite a lot of blood." The old Orc said as the prince trying to sit up

"Wh… who're you?" Prince Tua check his shoulder and right thigh and found his wounds has healed.

"I am Kwanjobo. We've met before if you recall." The old Orc smiled

"Kwanjobo" the name does have a familiar ring to his ear. "Are… are you one of the disciples of Ochwesi that my father had met in my uncle's coup?" Prince Tua asked

"Yes, that was I, how are you felling?" Kwanjobo asked

"Uh… I… I felt fine. But where am I? how do I get here." Prince Tua asked

"You're in our hideout, my brothers had rescued you from the village last night." Kwanjobo said

"Oh… thank you very…." two figure walked into the cave interrupted the prince, covered from head to toe with veiled conical hat, Prince Tua quickly recognized the strangers he encountered in the wood yesterday. They bowed and said something in Oricish, the Orc's language, with Kwajobo.

"Wait… weren't you are…" Prince Tua sat up

"Yes, you have encountered three of my brothers and sister in the wood, and also had been here in this cave before you encounter them." Kwanjobo smiled

Prince Tua look around again and finally recognized the hideout cave, he and his bodyguards discover yesterday.

"I am apology for what happened in that encounter too, my brothers and sisters were not recognized who you are." Kwanjobo spoke as the 2 other Orcs sat down, removing their hat

"No offence taken. So… that were yours. But what do yours all doing here?" Prince Tua said

"Well, it's was a long story, but first, let me introduce you with our sister, Noxolo "the resilient", she also is the one who tend to your wounds last night." Kwanjobo introducing the Orc women with an oblong face and a cute short round nose, her hair braided into multi small, shoulder length braids. With a physique no less than her male counterpart.

"Thank you for your care, my lady." Prince Tua said

"No mention, I happy that you've recovered well." Noxolo spoke with a warm smile

"… and this is Olunwa 'strong arms'" Kwanjobo introduce a tall, muscular Orc with a quite big afro hair. "… and there was Ngbambe too, I beliefs he's on lookout duty outside."

"As for why we're here, I think, you must already aware of our mission of retrieving ancient artifacts, and the mad man name Hua Xia who's in possessing of an ancient tome of magic stolen from us. We had tracked Hua Xia all the way here to this borderland. We also had learned that Hua Xia was not along, he has another companion, a young woman only being refer as "the Grey Maiden", who Hua Xia believed to be an avatar of the Old Gods. For the past few days we had monitoring this village and found… disturbing thing has taken root in this region. Hua Xia is building a cult follower around this "Grey Maiden" here in this region, and was the reason behind the series of missing person in this village and the surrounding area for the past moths. I'm afraid… as least haft of this village had been indoctrinated by them." Kwanjobo said

"As least half? How's that possible? From my knowledge, Saida village have over 400 inhabitants, how can Hua Xia amassed that much follower in that short amount of time? Normal people don't just wake up one day and go join a cult out of the blue like that?" Prince Tua questioned

"That… I'm afraid… is true" Kwanjobo sighed "…while on surveillance, we'd discovered their hideout and gathering place, where Hua Xia with the help of this "Grey Maiden", performed some kind of indoctrinated ritual, a lethal one at that, some victim didn't survive it, but the one who did… they'll be reduced to nothing but a mindless drone, you already encountered them last night."

"My father must be informed of this, do you know where're they?" Prince Tua asked

"We had discovered their hideout north of the forest. But after our fail infiltrating attempt, Hua Xia and the Grey Maiden has relocated; we think they are now residing in a mansion north of this village, a place they had attacked and took over just a few days ago."

"The Sai estate!" Prince Tua exclaimed

"You know that place?" Kwanjobo asked

"Yes, the daughter of the master of that estate had come to the fortress I stationed asking for help. Then her father, later has come and retrieve her." Prince Tua said

"A young woman? We do see a young woman had been brought back to that estate, two or three days ago. Also before that there was a soldier too…" Kwanjobo shook his head "…I'm afraid they had all met the same fate at the other villager."

Silence reign over the prince with that information, if only he be more decisive, if only he's act quicker. But his thought remorse was cut short for another Orc rushed into the cave, who Prince Tua guessed must be Ngbambe, with an urgent voice he spoke to Kwanjobo in Oricish. The old Orc sprang up on hit foot like a cat and head out of the cave, Prince Tua follow right behind him. On the outside, at the direction Ngbambe's finger was pointing at, amidst the trees and bushes was figures moving about.

They're many, spread wide, moving in line, slowly, methodically. They're searching, every bushes, every rocks, every trees.

"They are searching for us." Prince Tua said, turned to Kwanjobo "We must leave this place, Elder Kwanjobo, please follow me to Heitei fortress, we'll be safe there."

"By your lead, then." Kwanjobo smiled.