Undercover - In China - Book 7

Part 18 - Orcs

Three bored looking guards, wearing strange uniforms with hats like turbans, lounged around a wooden shed near the bridge. Odd looking spears were propped against the shed. Two of the guards pushed through the crowd toward us slapping at people with bamboo rods. The first guard, a skinny young man with a flimsy beard, planted himself in front of me, waved his rod in my face and spoke sharply. I smiled at him and held out both hands in a gesture of peace. I tried to look casual but my knees were trembling. 

 Miguel and Licia stood very close on either side of me. We were quickly surrounded by a mob of curious bystanders, completely blocking the narrow street. Those at the back bobbed about trying to get a better view. Those nearest to us, shouted over their shoulders as if they were providing a commentary on the entertainment. The guard looked at us with a mixture of curiosity and contempt as he spoke again. 

 'I don't understand,' I replied. 'Do you speak English?'

'Parlez vous Français?' Miguel asked. '¿Abla Usted Espagnol?' 

And, when this evoked no response, he asked, 'Sprechen Sie Deutsch?' The guards stared at Miguel as if he had uttered an obscenity. 

 Miguel grimace at me. 'Do you know any Orcish?' 

 'I didn't know you spoke German,' Licia said.

'I don't,' Miguel muttered irritably. 'Why don't you try Chinese? Try Aiya or something.' 

 Licia spoke nervously in Mandarin Chinese. The guards looked at her contemptuously. Some people in the crowd shouted impatiently. The guards debated what to do as the crowd began to squeezes around a nearby cart loaded with elongated cabbages. The bearded guard suddenly snatched Licia's glasses off her face and, as she instinctively put her hands up, he hit her across the head with his stick, sending her staggering into the barrow. He raised his stick again but I threw myself in front of Licia, grabbed his wrist and wrenched the stick from his hand. He swung a fist at me but Licia intercepted his arm, twisted it over her shoulder and threw him against the barrow. Meanwhile, Miguel was shoulder checking the second guard who was flailing around trying to hit something with his rod. Licia grabbed the second the guard by his wrist and tossing him into the first guard, who was just getting up with a look of murderous rage on his face. Both of them crashed into the cart, which tipped over, dumping its load onto the road. Miguel grabbed Licia's arm. 'Let's go!' Suddenly the crowd decided to move and we were picked up by the laughing spectators and swept through the gate into the city. I looked over my shoulder as something zinged over my head. 

 'They're shooting at us!' I gasped. 

 'Orcs!' Miguel exclaimed urgently, pointing, 'with crossbows!'

A second group of guards, in front of us, was pushing through the crowd so we ran back toward the gate. There was a lot of shouting and people started disappearing into the houses lining the street. The gate was blocked with people. 'We're trapped,' Licia panted in disgust. The only way out was a scaffold on one side of the gate. 'Up! I shouted. We made it to the top of the wall, gasping for air, but an excited mob of guards was waiting for us. They were all waving crossbows. I was terrified one of them would fire accidentally. We raised our arms in a gesture of surrender. 

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