Fleas - Songs of the Gnolls I

WORLDS COLLIDE 8.7

Dannke tapped impatiently on the armrest of the throne. His ruse had been risky. Even if it hadn't worked, at least he knew the faces of his enemies. There was an abysmal difference between Fleas and the hyaenids before them. What would the one called Zeppel be like? In any case, nothing could compare to the taurid. The mere thought of his presence made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. The fact that he had a broken horn made him realize that he was not invincible - even if he had not been able to face him even in his youth - and the fact that he wore it as a necklace conveyed that he was spiteful and did not forget. Therefore, Dannke assumed that he would not accept surrender, no matter how profitable it might be.

The gates opened. The eight crossbowmen guarding him raised their weapons, but it was the knights of the wall who entered. They were no less than a score of men, dragging five creatures bound with thick ropes, gagged and with a sack on their heads. They threw them at their feet. The hyaenids struggled with impetuous rage, but could not free themselves. It had worked. Dannke gave the order and the sacks were removed. They all wore black cloaks. All except one, the second from the left, who wore a... hyaenid skin? Dannke approached her and looked into her eyes.

"You are the leader of the Wind paws, I presume."

She looked surprised. For a moment she stopped struggling with the ropes.

"Oh, yes, I know a few things about you. You snuck in when the drawbridge came down, your goal was to kill the guards and open the gates," he crouched. "Look into my eyes. I will remove your gag and we will talk. If you try anything, my men are ordered to shoot without hesitation. And even if you manage to avoid the bolts, the knights behind you will kill your companions," there was the metallic hiss of several swords emerging from their sheaths. "Nod if you understand.

Saliva soaked the gag as her eyes radiated a deadly fury. Realizing she had no choice, she blew a puff of stinking air through his nose and obeyed. Dannke pulled out the knife and cut the gag. He took a few steps away.

"Before we begin, tell me how you managed to sneak in. Because the grid was locked and the bridge was always full of guards."

The hyaenid looked down, indignant at her failure. Dannke thought she would not answer, and was pleasantly surprised when she did.

"We held on to the underside of the bridge. Just before it closed, we turned around and were on the inside. Then we climbed over the railing and slipped through the top. There is an opening very close to where the chains are attached.

"Fascinating," Dannke looked at Breist. I told you we shouldn't have made it easy. If we hadn't taken precautions, they would have assumed it was a trap. Well, to what concerns us. I imagine you won't give up despite any peace offer I might make. Am I right?" The hyaenid did not answer. Her eyes were still on him, murdering him over and over again in her mind. "You are not willing to trade information for a just death. Nor will you tell me anything with which I can entice you to accept a deal. Your eyes tell me no. Then I should kill you now."

Dannke looked up at the ceiling, at the dome beautifully painted with epic tales of heroes and magic. He sighed. He went to the throne and sat down.

"I appreciate your pride. I wish many of my warriors had half your determination. Until recently, I would have agreed with you, with your desire to exterminate the humans. For I too was offended by them. But now I believe we are on the right path. Now I have the desire to survive. Now I know that I will achieve a better future for all. I believe that time can change minds. Therefore, I will give you time," the knights looked at him in surprise. They were already enjoying the pleasure of killing her. "Take them to the dungeons. Let them gag the leader again, and let their hands be bound at all times. We do not know the extent of their abilities, and I do not intend to give them the freedom to exploit them. Give them water and raw animals to eat, always in groups of four per prisoner."

"How do you know so much about us?" She finally asked.

"I met one of your species, and he told me many interesting things."

The hyaenid's angry expression morphed into a mixture of horror and surprise.

"This can't be..." she muttered before another gag was placed on her and she was dragged away. She no longer struggled.

Dannke wondered if she knew Fleas. He massaged his forehead, exhausted.

"Thy plan is going wonderfully, Your Majesty," Yolti congratulated him.

"There is no need to be so formal with just the two of us. We still don't know anything about the rebel gnome, and that worries me. Why they haven't accepted the deal, or why the humans who escaped with him haven't betrayed him, is beyond me. I think they're waiting for something, but I don't know what."

Suddenly the door opened and a guard entered. Before he could say what was happening, he had to stop and catch his breath.

"Your Majesty, they want to see you."

"The audience will come after the conflict is resolved, knight. I had already told the nobles."

"No, he is not a human."

The rebel had finally surrendered.

"Well, send him in."

Through the door, accompanied by four guards with spears held high, entered a hooded creature who was clearly not a gnome. The being removed his hood to reveal that he was a hyaenid. Dannke frowned.

"Is it another Wind Paw? "He asked one of the guards, even though he knew it didn't make much sense. Fleas had told him that only females could fight.

"Ah, you know them," said the stranger. "Interesting. No, you could say I'm your best chance to stop the coming massacre."

Yolti and Dannke looked at each other, then turned to the stranger. Dannke asked if they had disarmed him, to which the guard replied that he didn't even have a knife. He then ordered them to stand back.

"My name is Dannke I, I am the new emperor. And this is the captain of the Imperial Guard. His name is Yolti."

"I am Huauau, and I should say that I belong to the second hyaenid tribe, but I never really felt comfortable there. If I understand correctly, you knew that they would send the Wind Paws at the slightest opportunity, and you took the occasion to capture them. That's my guess from your first question. How do you know about us?"

"That is none of your business," Yolti protested vehemently.

"You are a traitor. You are here to save your own skin."

The hyaenid sat cross-legged before answering:

"Yes and no. You see, I was born a slave. My mother gave birth to me in the Solar Kingdom, in a small territory on the outskirts. Maybe she died in childbirth, maybe she was killed. It is past already. But I grew up among you humans. I survived among you, worked for you, even fought for your amusement. That was, of course, until Helirah wiped out the village and took me into her humble tribe. It may sound utopian, but deep down I always wanted what every slave wants."

"Freedom," Dannke said.

The hyaenid began to laugh out loud. It wasn't a forced laugh, he really thought Dannke had just told him the best joke. That irritated him even more.

"No, Your Majesty. What every slave wants is to be a master. We may deceive ourselves and claim to aspire to higher values, but that is a lie."

Dannke did not know how to feel. He was surprised that his story was similar to Fleas', and yet they were such opposites. For even if it was a farce, it was a trick the little artist would never use.

"You want slaves, but I don't see what you can offer me. Believe it or not, the situation is under control. Soon the war will be over and we will have won. Then why should I submit to your whims?"

"Yes, I have no doubt that the war is over. And that is partly due to me. I have come with a gift under my arm. Let us call it an present of good faith. But to show you that I can still be useful to you, I have more surprises in store. Of course, only if you agree to my request. I want a name, a title, land and slaves."

"You talk a lot but without clarity. What is this gift?"

Huauau tilted his head and smiled. Finally, he whispered, as if it were a secret:

"How much do you know about orcs?"