Traitor

Chapter One

"Do you know how the Orcs came to be?"

A deep breath was taken in through dirty lips, yellow eyes wide open to its surroundings as its consciousness flared into existence. It sat up and stretched its new, powerful limbs and felt blood flowing through them.

"They were Elves once."

It was roughly outfitted with crude iron armor and given a long spear. Then, it was selected to go up and see a glorious White Wizard.

"Taken by the dark powers and transformed into wretched beings, perfect for my growing army."

The tower it climbed was built of shining black stone, and as it ascended the jagged steps it caught sight of its reflection. It stopped.

A pair of heavily lidded yellow eyes set into a narrow, angular grey face stared back at it through the mirror of smooth obsidian. It was a she. She had a tall, muscular body and long, shaggy black hair from which long grey ears stuck like pointed shards of stone. She continued climbing after a moment, shaken by the ugliness of her own face.

Now Eskhadrau looked out from a window at the top of the high black tower, the White Wizard looming beside her. He told her of the beginnings of the Orcs, and she found herself disgusted. Her fanged mouth formed new and unfamiliar words, and her voice cracked as she used it for the first time. "Elves?"

The Wizard did not turn to face her as he said, "Yes, Elves. Tall and fair people—you are to kill them without mercy. They oppose the will of my master, Sauron."

She shuddered at that name. "Why?" she asked; she was not sure she wanted to kill Elves if she came from them.

Now the Wizard did turn towards her. "Do you not wish to see the blood of your enemies spilt before you?" he asked, as if that was the most natural thing in the world to want. "Do you not wish to see your race and your master reign supreme? An Uruk-Hai such as yourself is fit to be at the head of a great army."

"Who is my master?" Eskhadrau asked, her brow furrowing with confusion. "Why should I have to fight?" What am I fighting for? she thought as she stared down at the cruel-looking spear in her hand.

"You will fight because you were bred for it. If you do not aid us in the War, you will be deemed imperfect and useless; thus, unfit to live." The Wizard's voice was like ice on stone. She hated it.

She turned back towards the stairwell, and in a split second decided she hated the whole ordeal. She ran down the cold steps, the spear still in her hand. She could hear the Wizard commanding from above: "Kill the traitor!"

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, a small group of Orcs blocked her exit, their hideous, sneering faces alight with malice. One of them jabbed at her with his sword, but she sent the shaft of her spear through his throat—it was so long it impaled another Orc behind him.

Eskhadrau pulled the spear loose and swung it in a wide circle, striking the remaining Orcs and knocking them off their feet. The door was clear. She barreled through it, her energy boundless and her legs tireless. Instinct drove her in one direction: East.

»»————-　➴　————-««

After running for many miles, Eskhadrau stopped, her energy finally spent. Panting heavily, she sat down on a nearby rock and examined her surroundings, relieved that she could no longer see the black tower of Orthanc. Pale grass stretched to the horizon, scattered with jagged white rocks and the occasional tree. The sky above was blue but smattered with soft grey clouds that threatened rain.

Momentarily, a great many sounds came from behind her: the clamoring of armor, guttural voices of Orcs, and torn howls of Wargs alerted her to the approach of an ambush team from Isengard. She knew she could not outrun them without being seen. So, she stood up and turned to face the oncoming horde, gripping her spear tightly. It was a large group of at least two dozen Orcs astride huge Wargs growling for meat.