Dorothy and the Monster 2

Chapter One

Vorgath

THE URGENT SOUND OF HORSES' hooves hitting hard against the ground is the only thing keeping me composed as I ride with my soldiers. Our journey is toward battle, and I am furious at the circumstances that warrant this mission.

A few days ago, my scouts sent word to me about their recent discovery. They had learned that a number of villagers from my kingdom were being held captive at a large prison facility belonging to one of my enemies.

Over the past few months, the sudden disappearances of villagers were being increasingly brought to my attention. These villagers included men, women, and even little children from all over the kingdom.

Throughout the course of the investigation, some of my advisers had suggested that an evil spirit was probably responsible for the mysterious happenings. But now, we truly know where all of those missing orcs are being taken. And it is certainly not because of any evil spirits. Rather, the evil sorcerer, Zorak himself, is responsible for all this.

I'm no stranger to how much he hates my kind, but he has not made such a significant move up till now. And now that he has, I'm ready to bring upon him what he deserves.

"Three klicks away!" announces Grimgar, the eldest of my brothers and commander of my personal army.. He glances at me from his position atop his horse, determination set in his eyes. Of my three brothers, he is one of two that I have allowed to ride with me on this rescue mission. My youngest brother, Throgg, is charged with holding the castle while we go to war.

I acknowledge Grimgar with a firm nod. We end everything today, I say to myself, setting my eyes back on the road ahead.

Everything is completely silent as we approach a final clearing near the prison grounds. I sense a presence around us, so I signal a slowdown. The silence is broken by a rustling sound coming from the bushes up ahead.

I raise my hand, signaling my men to hold. My other brother, Grommash, turns to look at me with hasty eyes.

I send him an order, "Eyes ahead," and he nods.

Just then, I spot the distinguishable blue colors of my army emerging through the thicket of green leaves . "These are my men," I mutter to myself.

"Hold!" I announce to my arrowheads, who, as expected, have fallen into a ready position to strike with their arrows.

The men behind the woods make themselves visible when they hear my voice. It is the scouts. They have been watching Zorak's home of terror for the past couple of days. They sprint forward to meet up with us.

"Greetings, my lordship," one of them, named Zarr, says as he approaches my horse.

"I greet you, Zarr," I reply quickly, with no attempt to hide my impatience. "What is the current situation? What have you learned so far?" I ask.

There are eight guards stationed around the gates. Four of them rotate shifts every hour. Two out of the four give aerial support, but our arrowheads can take them down," Zarr lists out. If he has any doubts or fears about our chances in the coming battle, he hides it well. But the three other men behind him reek of fear.

"There's an entry around the back, but we won't make it before they find us out," Zarr continues.

"So, the only option is to force our entry through the main gates," I conclude.

"Yes, my lord," Zarr responds, "But there is one other thing, my lord," he adds quickly, a sign of the previously absent fear suddenly appearing on his face.

"Go on," I say to him, looking around as I sense the tension swiftly rising among the men behind me.

Zarr sighs briefly before speaking, "The past few hours have been oddly silent. I don't understand what they are up to in there,"