Chapter 8: Ask

“Why do they want our sand?” Whelp asked his father, inquisitive. Conquer had taken a group of orcs, carrying heavy sacks of the red sand, out beyond the expanse of the Red Desert. The ground here was weird, brown, damp, and sticky. Whelp’s feet kept squishing, and he found it a source of endless amusement.

“They make things out of it.” Conquer said. He had begun to grow used to Whelp’s endless questioning, answering only when he wanted to do so. Which wasn’t very often, but on a trip this dull, he would take any distractions he could afford himself. 

“Why can’t they take it themselves?”

“We don’t allow them on our land,” Conquer said. “It’s ours.”

“And humans can’t make anything from our sand before we spin it,” interjected Scorch, walking up next to the pair. Whelp hopped over and reached up, clasping her free hand. She gripped his tight, and he felt safe.

Conquer gave her a side-eye, but she bared her tusks at him. She was one of the only orcs who stood up to Conquer, and Whelp didn’t know why his father allowed this. He was the strongest clan leader in the whole Red Desert, he deserved respect. 

“What’s spinning?” He asked.

“Separating the good from the bad,” Scorch answered. “I’ve told you of Free’s Fist.” Whelp nodded. Every orc learned about the mountain, the single giant rock in the center of the Red Desert. It was neutral territory for orc-kind, and the location of the midsummer rituals. 

“There’s an ancient artifact, carved into the Fist. The strongest orcs can use it and separate the sand, red from brown. The humans love the red sand, and they pay well for it.”

“Wow!” Exclaimed Whelp. “I want to be strong enough to spin!” To demonstrate, he let go of Scorch’s hand and spun himself in a circle, then fell to the ground, laughing. 

 

The room that the dwarves gave Learn was much nicer than he expected — but he wasn’t spending any of his time in there. Instead, he had been spending all of his time in the library.

It was like a mythical labyrinth, sprinting outward in nearly every direction, hallway after hallway after hallway. It lacked in height, causing Learn to have to slouch while he was there. Alvin was kind enough to bring him meals a couple times per day, and Learn would stop reading and talk to the young dwarf for a bit. They would swap stories of their childhoods. Learn was careful to temper his stories, hiding away the worst of them.  When he got tired, he would lie down on the ground and sleep, books piled up around him. When he woke, he would go right back to reading, asking the guards assigned to him for translations whenever there was something he didn’t understand.

His grasp on undertongue — unterrede — had grown swiftly, astoundingly so. When he was learning the Common Tongue as Whelp, he had spent years learning the dialect. Barely any time had passed! Maybe Know was finally rewarding him for his commitment to his Command.

He could not speak unterrede well, but he could read it, with some help. As it turns out, the language was actually two tongues which had grown together, twisting around one another like jungle vines and using the tension to climb higher and higher. The soft tongue and the hard tongue, each of which had a different use depending on the context, the social station of the speaker, and the outlook of the person talking.

On the fourth day, Learn was shaken out of his thoughts by Dietrich. The old dwarf walked in and stood in front of Learn, letting the orc finish his page before speaking. Learn only noticed when Dietrich began coughing, sending his long, braided mustache dusting on the polished tiles of the floor.

“It is time. I have my first question.” Dietrich said. Learn nodded and closed the book; Pater Agathe’s Seven Trials, a comprehensive guide on dwarven folklore and mythology.

“Ask.” Learn said.

“Who are you loyal to?” Dietrich’s eyes sharpened to points, drilling into Learn.

Learn opened his mouth to take a breath, and words started to flow out, beyond his control. It was a compulsion, an urge he couldn’t avoid. He had to answer the old dwarf, fully and entirely.

“Myself. My friends. People who have helped me.” Learn forced his mouth closed, but soon found that he needed to continue speaking. It was… troubling. “Loyalty for my people. For what they can be, with my help. For the potential they have. Not for what they are now, no love there. But care.”

Finally, he breathed. He felt troubled, but calm. A small part of him noted that he should be feeling more outrage, something more, but the sensation didn’t come.

Dietrich nodded. “Very well. A satisfactory answer. One done, two left to come until our deal is concluded.” Learn nodded. Yes, it made sense. He had agreed to answer three questions to the best of his ability. It made sense that he would do that, he was an orc of his word. Learn opened his book and continued to read as Dietrich left, only mildly troubled by what had transpired.

——

On the sixth day of his stay, Learn had brought a pile of dusty philosophy books, old and worn from decades of being ignored, from the library to Alvin’s quarters. He made good use of the dwarf guarding him, plopping several books into his arms without warning before swiping up the rest. If he was going to stand there and be useless, Learn would damn well give him a use.

Alvin’s ceiling was taller than both that of the library and Learn’s quarters. And when the boy was not at his apprenticeship — he had found a willing merchant and was learning the basics of the trade, though he admitted that he was not a great hand at it — he was helping Learn with his studies.

They spoke in unterrede now, almost exclusively. Learn’s grasp on the language was nearly as good as a native speaker’s, though he had to ask for the occasional translation of a difficult word. He would have to leave, soon. Even more than his Command, he had a new goal now. He would have to bring this knowledge to the Red Desert, and somehow bring them out of their backward, infighting ways. These ideas were precious, and he needed to share them with his kin.

“According to this, nothing feeling is real,” Learn said. Alvin looked up from the book he was reading, tilting his head quizzically.

“All seeing and feeling, sensing, is an illusion. A demon, being malicious, is tricking us. The only thing that we are knowing, is that we are thinking.”

“It is not being literal, Learn,” Dietrich answered from the doorway. His mustache was braided, both ends together pulled up and looped into his thick beard, kept off of the floor. Learn nodded.

“You will be asking your second question?” Learn asked. Alvin popped up from behind the massive tome on his lap, looking on curiously.

“Yes. Is there someone who is being strong enough and capable enough to take control of the entire Red Desert?”

Odd question, Learn thought. The interaction was accompanied by that same feeling, something in the back of his brain. It was clearer this time, and he could almost make out the shape of it.

B…

“I am not thinking so. The strongest orc I knew just kept his territory safe, kept his clan — my clan — free of predators. He was being strong, but not unfair.”

Apparently that answer was sufficient, for Dietrich nodded and the crackling feeling disappeared. The dwarf was curt, courteous, but he did not waste either of their time with idle chatter. Learn appreciated that about the dwarf, even if it made him more of an outcast than he would otherwise be.

“Who was the strongest orc you are knowing?” Asked Alvin when Dietrich had departed.

“My father. Conquer.” Learn answered. He tried to focus on the book in his hands, but his head was swimming. He was on the cusp of something, something large.

What was Dietrich doing, when Learn was feeling this spark. He was asking questions, sure. But that didn’t seem like it.

A step back. Why was Dietrich in charge? Not only was the old goat the head of the Dwarven Enclave, he was also the Guildmaster of the Merchant’s guild. He used his fiscal influence to ensure that the dwarves had a place to live in peace, unmolested.

Maybe… Maybe he had another gift, a spark that Know had given him. Even more than his frankly astounding grasp on langauges, maybe he could intuit when a Command was being used? It was something to test, for sure.

But not right now. Right now he had to study.

——

On the early morning of the seventh day, Learn didn’t wait for Dietrich to ask his third question, instead going to look for him. He waited outside of the old dwarf’s chambers until he came out, eyes bleary from sleep. He started upon seeing Learn, who had begun to go about without a guard. He was a known sight in the enclave, now, the people had gotten used to his presence just in time for him to leave.

Well, Learn wasn’t known for his tactfulness.

“You used your Command on me.”

Dietrich paused. It looked to Learn like he was mulling over a particularly difficult decision. Eventually, he came to a conclusion.

“Come with me, Learn. Let’s go someplace more… private, shall we?” Learn nodded, and followed the dwarf to the antechamber where he had been held, just a week earlier. Now, it felt like he was a fixture here, in this solid place. The walls made everything seem like they would last forever, and it pained Learn that it wasn’t going to be so.

It was much cooler in here with the brazier unlit. The stones of the floor had cold seeping through his shoes.

“Are you prepared to answer the final question, bringing our business to an end?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.” Dietrich stepped up close, clothed feet bouncing off of the hard stone floors. Learn backed away slightly before he could steel himself. He looked the dwarf in the eye.

“What do you want, Learn? What can you get from the Mage’s Forum, from Shrike, that you couldn’t get in the Red Desert?”

Learn felt it distinctly, this time. Dietrich’s Command pinged off of his, in a way that was as clear as if Dietrich had told him that it was in use. Learn was struck with the sensation, and could not help but imagine how utterly useful it could be. He realized that the pressure was building, and he answered.

“I want to Learn,” he said, putting emphasis on his own Command. “Enter the Mage’s Forum, continue to Learn. Bring what I learn back to my people. Help us evolve, civilize. Stop infighting.” Here he paused.

“There is more, Learn, son of Conquer,” Dietrich said. Learn didn’t even have time to question how Dietrich had gotten that information before his mouth opened and he spoke against his will. “What haven’t you told me?”

“Loyal to myself. And Celeste, and Alvin. Friends. Loyal to what my people can become. If I help them. If I show them the way.” If I lead them.

“Are you loyal to your father?” Dietrich asked.

“No.” Learn answered. He was surprised to hear the answer for himself, as he still felt the same fear, that same intimidation of his father. It had not lessened since he had left the Red Desert, all those months ago. But to lack that loyalty, that was an entirely new experience for him.

Dietrich nodded. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that.”

As the Command sensation faded, Learn started to make his way toward the exit.

“Learn,” Dietrich called. Learn turned to face him.

“I am not your enemy. I must be wary, for my people. This enclave, the dwarves throughout Shrike? They rely on me. I will not apologize for the wariness with which I have given you, but I will apologize for the coldness that necessitated.”