Fenris had frowned. "Menethil… that is the name of a line of kings of this world," he had said quietly.
"Yes … it is an Alliance outpost," Ragnok had admitted. "But it is the closest port to the island."
Fenris had disliked the idea, but he supposed it could not be helped. The dragons had set them down on a stretch of hilly land close to the harbor, separated from it by a small body of water. Fenris slipped off the dragon and gazed over the dark inlet speculatively. It looked quiet, but there were lights here and there. The harbor likely would be guarded. He motioned to his warriors, pointed at the harbor, and lifted a finger to his lips. As silently as he could, Fenris slipped into the water and began to swim as the dragons, their task discharged, took to the skies. The dragons had flown as close as they dared; even those in a little town, deep in slumber, would be roused by several dragons landing right next to them.
Most of the orcs were not armored and swam quickly, but those who had bits and pieces of plate, mail, or leather armor had a harder time of it. The orcs emerged dripping and chilled. Fenris glanced at them. Their green faces loomed pale in what light there was, and he frowned. He scooped up a handful of dirt and began to smear it on his face.
"Coat yourself with mud," he instructed both Tagar and the other orcs as quietly as possible. "We will need to move quickly, quietly, and without being seen." The rest of them complied. Fenris felt a quick stab of wistful memory as he watched the faces of his companions turn brown. Once, his skin had been this color; once, all orcs had been a wholesome earth- or tree-bark brown. Had things been so bad then? Had what they'd gained since that time been worth losing their world for? Sometimes, he wondered.
He shook off the melancholy and focused his attention on his companions, nodding as he saw they were all just brown blurs in the darkness. "We only need a few boats. We'll take those three there, closest to the water's edge. Move quickly, and kill anyone who gets in your way." He glared at Tagar. “And only those in the way. Tagar, keep your warriors in line. Silent kills only — we don't want anyone to sound the alarm."
"Let them!" Tagar blustered. "We will strew the water with their bones!"
"No!" Fenris's sharp hiss cut him off. "Remember what Gorefiend said! We get in and get out, that's it!"
Tagar grumbled, but Fenris glared at him until the Bonechewer chieftain nodded.
"Good." Fenris gripped his axe, a narrow-bladed affair with a short haft and wicked edges. "Let's go."
They crept forward, moving silently across the moist earth, weapons at the ready. The first orcs had just reached the wooden piers when a dwarf walked past, clearly on patrol. He had not seen them yet, but he would any second, and Fenris nodded to the two warriors in front. One of them darted forward, grabbed the dwarf's head, and yanked his axe across the dwarf's exposed neck, severing his head completely. The body dropped with only a soft thud, the head rolling a short distance away, its expression revealing just the beginnings of surprise.
They advanced upon the boats Fenris had selected. Another guard approached, this one human, and one of Tagar's warriors dropped him with a single crushing blow to the head. Fenris nodded his approval. He'd been worried about the Bonechewer orсs, but perhaps they were not as savage and undisciplined as he had always thought. He moved on, then heard a strange crunching sound — and a short, breathy wail. Fenris whirled around. The orc was still crouched over his recent victim, and he was making the crunching sound — but not the wailing. Then, even as Fenris realized what the Bonechewer was doing, the wailing drew out and became words.
"Ah!" the guard cried, shrieking in pain. "My legs! It's eating my legs!"
A cry went up and lights were lit in buildings. Humans and dwarves poured forth from seemingly nowhere, and Fenris realized they weren't going to be able to escape without a fight. He attacked fiercely, hoping to end it quickly. His orcs rallied around him, and soon cleared the immediate area of humans. But Fenris knew the docks would be overrun before long.
"To the boats!" he shouted, raising his axe high. They clambered into the three boats, one Bonechewer dropping his victim's remains back on the pier, hacked free the anchor lines, and cast off. It was clumsy, but the orcs managed to get all three boats pushed away from the docks and out into the bay beyond. Even as they left the harbor behind, however, a beacon fire flared to light.
"This is Baradin Bay," Ragnok said, "and the fleet of Kul Tiras patrols it regularly. They will see the beacon and be here within minutes."
"Then we should be gone before they arrive," Fenris replied grimly. He pulled a pair of oars from the long case set between the benches lining the boat and tossed them to the nearest warrior. "Row!" he shouted, grabbing more oars and distributing them as well. "Row with all your might!" The other boats followed his lead, and soon they were skimming across the water, their powerful arms lending the boats speed.
But it was not enough, Fenris realized as he saw other, larger boats racing toward them. "Kul Tiras naval vessels!" Ragnok confirmed, studying their outlines. “Admiral Proudmoore hates orсs — he will stop at nothing to destroy us!"
"Can we fight them?" Fenris asked, but he knew the answer even before the death knight shook his head.
"They are trained for ship-to-ship battle. And they can outrun us as well. We do not stand a chance!"
Fenris glanced up at the star-pocked sky and nodded. "Perhaps we don't. But then again, perhaps we do. Keep rowing!"
Their boats moved quickly, but as Ragnok had predicted, their pursuit was faster. The human boats drew closer, until Fenris could make out the grim men clad all in green who stood ready at the taller ships' railings. Many of them had bows ready, while others had short swords and axes and spears in hand. He knew his warriors could defeat a larger number of humans if they were on land, but here at sea they were at a serious disadvantage.
Fortunately, they had not come alone.
Just as the first human boat came close enough for Fenris to make out the men's faces, a dark shape dropped out of the sky between them. Massive wings flapped hard enough to drive the boat back and knock the men off their feet. Then the dragon's jaws opened wide and fire shot forth, engulfing the ship's prow. The tar-coated wood caught at once, and soon the entire boat was alight. The sounds of screaming and crackling fire lifted Fenris s heart.
But the humans did not flee. Again their boats closed in, and again a black dragon intercepted it and charred timbers and crew alike. A third time the humans tried, their weapons bouncing off the dragons' tough hides, and a third boat was reduced to ash and bone. After that the human ships fell back, letting the three orс-captured boats pull away. A cheer rang out from the orсs.
"They're giving up!" Tagar cried from the prow of the boat beside them.
"They're no match for the dragons and they know it," Fenris corrected. "But I would not think they are giving up."
"Any sign of smaller fires on the other ships? Controlled ones?" asked Ragnok.
Fenris studied the retreating vessels. "Yes, I see a signal fire, and smoke," he said finally.
"They're warning the rest of their fleet," Ragnok said. "They'll be waiting for us."
Tagar laughed from the prow of the boat beside them. "The warnings will come too late," he proclaimed, licking blood from his axe blade. "By the time the humans have gathered their courage to come after us again, we will be long gone with our prize."
Fenris nodded. For the first time, he hoped that the Bonechewer was right, and that he was wrong.