Foundation of Smoke and Steel

Chapter 167

DanielThe scout stopped a careful distance from the pavilion.

He did not lower the white banner until he was certain he had been seen, and even then his posture remained guarded rather than submissive. He was smaller than the warriors Daniel had watched on the ridges, leaner, with armor worn thin from use rather than ornament. His eyes never stopped moving.

Then he spoke.

It was Orcish—the fluent, clipped, and unmistakably native language of the Iron Tide.

Daniel guessed, because he had never heard Orcish in his life.

He snorted at that thought. He wondered idly if Tolkien had secretly been from here.

The scout’s tusks twitched in what might have been amusement or disdain; it was hard to tell. He said something else, sharper this time, his tone edged with more intensity. Daniel didn’t need to understand the words to recognize the intent.

Ethan leaned slightly closer, his voice low. “He is talking too fast. I don’t know what this guy is saying, but I can sense he’s being a dick. He’s not even trying Imperial Common.”

Daniel nodded. “Caught that, did you? Not super surprising. I doubt there’s much of an exchange program.”

He studied the scout more closely. This wasn’t a messenger sent to negotiate terms. This was someone sent to observe a reaction.

Why send a scout who only speaks Orcish?

The answer became obvious: because the commander wanted to know something specific.

Daniel’s mind turned it over quickly. If the humans truly wanted to talk, they would need to meet the Iron Tide on its own terms. Language was the first test. Not of intelligence, but of preparation and respect.

Or of arrogance.

Daniel smiled in spite of himself. Clever. Very clever.

“This feels deliberate,” Ethan said internally.

“It is,” Daniel replied. “This is clearly a test of design.”

The scout spoke again.

This time more slowly, as if indulging them. His gaze swept across the pavilion, lingering on the kettle, the cups, the deliberate calm of the setup. His mouth twisted faintly. Then he gestured back toward the ridges where the Iron Tide waited, pointed at Ethan, and finally at the fortress behind them.

Then he folded his arms and waited.

It was then that Daniel realized something.

He understood every word, but not in the way one understands a learned language. He understood immediately, instinctively, as if the sounds had always carried meaning for him. The Orcish was rough and clipped, each syllable heavy with judgment that did not need interpretation.

“You dress weakness as order,” the scout said. “You drink hot leaves and mistake stillness for courage. You shelter behind stone and send a man without our words to face the Tide.”

It was not a threat.

It was a weighing.

The orc struck his chest once. “I am Urdek of the Wolfhide. I speak for the Tide. You will answer to me so that I know you speak the Language, to be allowed audience with Karguk Vorlack.”

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Urdek decided at that point it was time to insult them thoroughly, in a very colorful way. It was almost entertaining.

Daniel felt something settle into place inside him.

Ethan mentally leaned closer, his voice barely more than breath. “You’re quiet.”

Daniel didn’t look away from Urdek. “Because he’s insulting us.”

A pause.

“He is?” Ethan asked.

“Yes,” Daniel replied. “Quite thoroughly.”

Another pause, longer this time.

“You understood that,” Ethan said slowly.

Daniel hesitated, just for a moment, then let his awareness shift inward, toward the place where their thoughts touched.

“Yeah. I had an inkling I might,” he admitted. “That whatever pulled me here and allowed you and me to talk might be some sort of universal skill.”

Ethan went still. “Give me a second. I want to try something.”

Daniel exhaled, some tension easing that he hadn’t realized he was carrying.

The orc was still insulting them. Something about Ethan’s mother.

Funny on Earth. Funny here, apparently.

“Yeah, I caught that one. And if it wouldn’t potentially start a war, I would have you stab him.”

Daniel tried not to laugh.

The scout’s eyes narrowed as Daniel continued to meet his gaze without confusion or delay. Something flickered across the orc’s expression. Surprise, maybe. Or recalculation.

“You understand the tongue of the Tide,” Urdek said slowly. “Then perhaps you are not as dull as you appear.”

Daniel inclined his head, just enough to acknowledge the statement without yielding ground.

“And you’re definitely not as dumb as you look,” Daniel said, answering in fluent Orcish. “So I assume you want us to speak with your leader.”

Urdek’s tusks showed as he finished speaking, the white banner resting loosely against his shoulder. Daniel ignored the looks of those around him. They clearly were not expecting him to speak Orcish.

Which tracked. Daniel had an inkling that he could, and it still surprised him.

“Yes,” he said in Orcish, his voice flat with certainty. “The great Karguk awaits your visit, human. You will accompany me so that we can avoid mutual destruction.”

The words landed like a blade laid gently against a throat. This guy had all the tact of a sledgehammer.

Daniel could tell that Ethan was considering the scout.

he asked quietly.

Daniel studied Urdek’s posture. The orc was not braced the way someone expecting violence would be. His weight was centered, balanced, alert, but not coiled.

“Language was the first test,” Daniel said to both Ethan and the others. “This is the second. Refusing is probably an automatic failure—and an attack by a very large number of angry orcs.”

Ethan was silent for a heartbeat.

“Then it’s a carefully constructed one,” Daniel replied. “But if they wanted us dead, they wouldn’t bother with this. They wouldn’t bother with language.”

Urdek cleared his throat, irritation creeping into his stance. “Make your choice, human,” he said. “I do not have all day to wait.”

Nathan snorted. “I don’t like the way this guy is looking at you, brother-in-law. Maybe I should stab him and we can ask for a new messenger.”

Vivian spun on him. “Don’t you dare, Nathan. We are trying to survive this, not turn it into another battle.”

Nathan opened his mouth to argue, thought better of it, and shut it again, scowling at the scout.

“He wants us to come back with him,” Daniel said, turning to the group. “To speak with their commander.”

That was all it took.

“No,” Vivian said immediately.

Sophie stepped forward, her face pale but determined. “Absolutely not. This is exactly how people disappear.”

Gavin folded his arms, his jaw tight. “If we go, we go with enough force that they understand we’re not prey.”

“And that,” Daniel said evenly, “is exactly what they’re testing us for.”

Lucas shook his head. “You can’t seriously be considering this. Standing out here in force is one thing. Walking into an orc war host with no leverage is another thing entirely.”

“We do have leverage,” Daniel replied. “We’re alive. The Reds aren’t. And they know why.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t kill you anyway,” Vivian said, her voice sharp.

Daniel met her gaze. “Which is why I’m the only one who can go.”

That stopped them.

“What?” Sophie said.

“I’m the only one who speaks their language,” Daniel continued. “And we can’t bring enough people to matter without turning this into a show of force. If I go alone, then only I’m at risk. If they kill me, you attack in force while their leadership is distracted. If I go with others, they read it as fear or threat.”

Nathan stared at him. “You’re saying if they kill you, we get to flatten them.”

Daniel didn’t smile. “Not exactly how I would put it. But in a word…”

Vivian’s hands clenched at her sides. “That’s not acceptable.”

“It’s the least bad option,” Daniel said quietly.

Vivian looked like she wanted to hit him. Her eyes flicked to his mouth.

Daniel gave her a soft smile. “If we fail this test, there won’t be another one.”

Silence stretched, heavy and brittle.

Urdek shifted his weight, impatience no longer concealed. His gaze flicked briefly toward the ridges, then back to Daniel.

“Well?” the scout demanded.

Daniel looked at him steadily. “I am Ethan Zhou of the Li House of the Empire. I will accompany you, Urdek of the Wolfhide Clan.”

He held the scout’s gaze.

“I will accompany you to meet your leaders.”