The Weight of Blood (Half-Orcs Book 1) by David Dalglish Read Free Book Online Page A

“Your swords. Where are they?”
    Harruq glanced at his waist. “They’re at my home,” he said.
    “Are you any good with them?”
    The half-orc shrugged. “Better than most. So yeah.”
    The elf looked him up and down, sending chills roaring along his spine. It seemed so strange that she had saved his life, since at that moment he felt like all she wanted was to see him dead.
    “Come tomorrow with swords to spar,” she said at last, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “You can train me to wield my staff in melee combat.”
    “I don’t see a staff,” Harruq said.
    “I don’t see any swords either,” she shot back.
    “Fine. When?”
    “Tomorrow,” Aurelia said. “Early morning.”
    Harruq nodded, his whole body fidgeting. Now that he’d found her he wanted nothing more than to escape. He was supposed to thank her and go, not be mocked and ordered around.
    “Go on home,” Aurelia said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
    He did as commanded, and that fact disturbed him greatly. Qurrah was awake when he returned.
    “Where have you been?” he asked.
    “I went out to train,” Harruq said.
    “Without them?” Qurrah pointed to Harruq’s swords stacked in the corner. The larger half-orc shrugged.
    “Didn’t need them.”
    Harruq went to the other side of the house and started punching holes in the walls. Qurrah might have inquired further but he was lost in his own secret. The night didn’t come soon enough for either of the two brothers.

    T he air was cold, a sudden chill from the north chasing away the heat of the day. Qurrah wrapped himself best he could as he climbed the hill. He spotted the small fire, and beside it Velixar bathed in its red glow. The fledgling necromancer took his seat across from the man in black.
    “Are you ready to listen?” Velixar asked. Qurrah nodded. “Good. The story of this world’s gods is not lengthy, nor complicated, but it is a story that you must learn.
    “Celestia created the rock, the grass, and the water. Her hand formed the wildlife, and to tend her creation she created elves. The goddess gave them long life and abundant land so quarrels within their race were of the petty sort. Then the brother gods came. Ashhur of Justice, Karak of Order. There are many worlds beyond our own, Qurrah. I have seen fleeting glimpses of them in my dreams. Karak and Ashhur came from one of those worlds, and Celestia welcomed them. To them she gave the grasslands and rolling hills.
    “These brother gods did not make their own creation. Instead, they made man, much the same as man existed in their former world. They wanted to make a paradise, one of justice and order. The world they came from was full of chaos, death, and murder. This world, this land of Dezrel, would be different.”
    Both men shared a soft laugh, Velixar’s far bitterer than Qurrah’s.
    “What caused their failure?” Qurrah asked.
    “Karak and Ashhur spoiled their creations. Crops grew bountiful and healthy. A single prayer cured all sickness and disease. Mankind spread across the land with remarkable speed, forming two kingdoms. East of the Rigon River was Neldar, ruled by Karak. To the west was Mordan, governed by Ashhur. However, there was a delta at the end of the river controlled by none. Within were a few small villages with no government, no ruler. Karak brought his troops to establish order. Ashhur was quick to defend it, and in turn, claim it as his own.”
    “You speak of centuries ago,” Qurrah interrupted. “Yet you claim to be one of Karak’s first.”
    “I was his high priest, half-orc,” Velixar said, his eyes narrowing. “He blessed me so I would never die of sickness, age, or blade. I have watched the world evolve, and I have watched gods make war. Do not accuse me of having a lying tongue. The truth is always enough, even for those who walk in the darkness.”
    “Forgive me, master,” Qurrah said, bowing. His teeth chattered in the cold.
    Velixar waved a hand. The