Beyond the Dragon’s Teeth
Copyright© 2026 by Asa Strong
Chapter 14
We followed behind the horde of orcs for the rest of the day. After we made a cold camp for the evening, Saraid and Gait asked if they could try and find out how far ahead of us the orcs were.
“You need to be careful,” I said, “we don’t need to get into a fight we can’t win.”
Saraid nodded her head, and then she and Gait set out to scout the orc encampment.
Torg, Dan’ar, and I managed to prepare a meal of smoked venison and some raw vegetables that Torg had found. We had no idea how close we were to where the orcs had stopped for the evening. A campfire was out of the question, since the smoke might alert them to our presence.
Gait and Saraid returned a couple of hours later. After Dan’ar brought them some of the venison and vegetables we’d save for them, they reported what they’d found.
“We found the orc camp,” Saraid said.
Gait finished chewing on a piece of venison and then said, “It looks like there are several hundred of them. They are camped next to a river about three miles further on.”
Both were quiet for a moment, and then Saraid said, “I’m trying to figure out why there are so many orcs in the forest; especially this far from the plains.”
Dan’ar then asked, “What’s around here? They have to be heading towards some kind of goal.”
Saraid’s face took on a look of concentration for a few minutes, and then she said, “It has to be Tamara! It’s the only thing anywhere near here!”
“Tamara?” I asked.
Saraid took a deep breath, “Tamara is where the young elves learn about the history of the different clans. It’s also where they start their weapons training.”
Dan’ar then asked, “So where is this place located?”
Saraid thought for a moment, and then said, “It’s a good day’s march past where the orcs are now camped.”
“You think that the orcs are headed that way?” Gait asked.
She nodded her head, and then said, “We have to find them first. There are only children and a few of the elders there. The orcs will massacre them.”
“Can we go around the orc camp, without being seen?” I asked.
She thought for a moment, “I don’t see how. On the east side of the river is a large cliff and the orcs are camped on the west side. It would be difficult to get past them without being heard.”
Gait shook his head, “No, I think we can get by them if we stay close to the river. They are camped about fifty yards away from the river. If we are quiet, we can sneak past them.”
Torg spoke for the first time, “They will have guards out. Orcs may not be able to see well in the dark, but there is nothing wrong with their hearing.”
“We can take them out,” Saraid said.
Gait nodded his head, and then Dan’ar spoke.
“If we pad the mule’s hooves, we shouldn’t make much noise.”
We all quieted down, and the rest were looking for me to make a decision. I thought for a moment, and then said, “OK, we don’t have any choice. We can’t let them kill the children. Gait, you and Saraid will have to take care of the guards. The rest of us will lead the mules as close as we can to the riverbank.”
We quickly sat about loading the mules and breaking camp. Dan’ar and Torg took care of padding the mule’s hooves. When we finally set out, the moon was low on the western night sky, and there was very little light filtering through the trees.
When we reached the small clearing where the orcs were camped, I could see the two guards about halfway between the camp and the river. Both were together, sitting on a rock and appeared to be talking to one another.
The area between them and the river was clear, and it would be almost impossible to sneak by them without being seen.
Gait and Saraid worked their way to the edge of the clearing and then on hands and knees started towards the two orc sentinels. After a few moments, we could see neither of them as they were lost from our sight in the tall grass.
We waited for what seemed a very long time, and then suddenly, both orcs were no longer sitting on the rock. We had not even heard or seen anything of what may have happened.
Shortly thereafter, Gait and Saraid were seen crawling in the grass, close to the treeline.
“Everything go OK?” I asked.
Gait nodded his head and then said, “We should be able to make it now. There is a slight hill behind where the orcs were sitting. Unless they look closely, they will not be able to see us pass.
Slowly, we left the cover of the treeline and started down towards the river. To me, the sound of the mule’s saddles creaking was very loud. I was sure the orcs would hear them. When I glanced toward the orc camp, I could see the glow from the fires, but not one orc silhouette was visible. Hopefully, the sound of our passage would not reach them.
We slowly worked our way down the riverbank and then started away from the river towards where the trail entered the treeline on the far side. We had almost made it to the safety of the trees when a mule stumbled and let out with a loud bray.
We quickly made our way into the trees, and as I looked back towards the orc camp, I could hear them rousing. One of them must have heard the mule.
I made my way to the front, where Gait and Saraid were. I caught my breath, and then said, “How much further until we reach Tamara?”
Saraid answered, “It is a good three hours, if I run.”
“Go then, warn them of the orcs. We will follow as fast as the mules can travel. Hopefully, the orcs will not move until daylight. That should give us a good three or four hour start on them.”
I then asked, “Will this trail lead us to Tamara?”
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