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Looking at the trembling orc-child running to find cover from behind the females after being dropped by Qat Hadith felt a tear coming from his eye. Even if they had seldomly met orc-children in the plantation it wasn't hard for Hadith to figure out that this one was around ten. A bit younger he himself was when his mother had been executed. Was one of the two females his mother? Was one of the males in the line his father? Strong emotions were tearing Hadith apart but he stood silent as all others.
Hadith had hated orcs from as long as he could remember. They had been behind everything that was wrong and foul in this world... and they had killed his parents, they had beaten him in the plantation, they had run the place and enjoyed the human misery there. But the events of the last few days had sowed a seed that was now growing articulate enough to come forwards. What about the slavers? They are human and seem no better... maybe they are even worse as these orcs are trying to fly away from them and the plantations? Hadith had never thought of that before. Did all the orcs actually like it in the plantations? What if they were slaves as well, just in a different role? He glanced at the orc-child once again.
Any justice that condemns that child to death is no justice at all. And a justice that robs him from his parents is no better. Hadith felt a sudden urge to speak out what he had just thought but someone else got vocal first.
"Helping your mates these males were... indeed. And what then? Some throat-slitting, right? And then maybe piling up more valuables as you say?" It was Qat who was walking steadily towards the females and the child while he spoke. "We know your kind too well to fall at that."
Guilledean who was holding Zuhut at his blade joined in. "How do we know you're all here now? Your friends are dead that is? Maybe some are... but how many of you are still lurking at the thicket? Why should we believe you?" He booted Zuhut to his back forcefully sending the orc to fall flat on his face to the ground.
"How many of you are still skulking around?" Khamir asked the females in a stern voice. Many faces in the crowd started looking at the surrounding thickets uneasily. The grips on the weapons were tightened yet again.
"Now stop it! Everyone stop it!" Beloan's voice was sharp and commanding. He tried to glance sideways as to what Lindir and Aiwendil were up to but couldn't spot them from the crowd at the moment. "Now listen to me! If they had a horde of them skulking around us they wouldn't have staged this! Right? I'm willing to believe them at the moment." He looked around the crowd and frowned. "Not that it changes anything in the end..."
Suddenly there came yet another noise from the thickets and three figures emerged walking steadily forwards. Finally another one of the orcs brutally pushed the man to his knees and pricked him with the knife.
"They’ll trade me for those Orcs you’ve got," Rôg began. "They only want us to leave them be to find their own place to settle. That’s all they’re asking."
The one who had thrown Rôg down yelled some harsh words in orcish. Those were clearly addressed to her fellows.
Qat was about to run at the orcs when Beloan's call made him freeze. "No one kills anyone before this is settled!"
Qat turned to face Beloan and cursed loudly. "Don't you see! This is the way the orcs "ask" for things! In a minute there will be fifty of them and same amount of us as captives!"
"Does anyone know where the wounded and the... children are?" Khamir swallowed the rest as he realised the sudden danger.
The crowd was upset about the thought of their children being caught by yet other orcs lurking around just to rob them of their children.
This doesn't make sense anymore... Hadith was confused. He didn't know what was right or wrong any more. Just a moment ago he would have been happy to free the orcs and now all he wanted was to get rid of them and get rid of them quickly.
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