Within a few minutes, Olorin's voice sounded in Skamos's mind:

"Force to arrive at sunset. Vrazhura very dangerous. Use extreme caution. Communes with Gruumsh. Not sure how."

As the bard repeated what he heard to Feyre and Aeldevan, the three of them exchanged concerned glances, feeling the situation become even more urgent than before. Keeping his word, Aeldevan left to go inform Dulrik and his crew about the updates from Magra and Olorin. He used his cloaking spell again, but no one was on the quiet road bathed in warm sunlight.

"Dulrik," the druid announced himself as he dropped his cover, again startling a few dwarves. "Everything is going to plan. Are you and your men ready to move soon?"

After the two exchanged their usual greeting, Dulrik replied with an affirmative nod and grunt. He turned and barked orders at his crew, and they abruptly stopped what they were doing and began breaking down their camp. "We'll be ready for them at the mines. Anything else we should know?"

Aeldevan gave Dulrik the main points, not wanting to burden the leader with unnecessary information. He paused afterwards to let the dwarf absorb everything. "I'm sure we'll run into you again soon if we're successful," he then added.

Dulrik's eyes hardened but with a gleam as his mouth curved upwards just barely into a smile. "You mean when we succeed."

Aeldevan smiled back, feeling more sure of himself with new determination. The two gave their farewells, and the half-elf made his way back to his camp, hidden once more. This time, the road was occupied by a patrol of five orcs heading south away from the city, but Aeldevan remained undetected.

When he got back, Feyre was lounging against a tree, twirling one of her knives around her fingers. Skamos was lightly playing his lute, surrounded by their animal companions. Now came the hardest part: waiting the next several hours for their turn to act. 

◊◊◊

The midafternoon sun shined through the broken windows of the tavern where Magra sat at the bar with a stein of ale in hand. She was sitting closest to the wall so that she could see anyone going into the pantry, but with most of the food gone and barrels rolled out to the bar, no one needed to go in there. The rest of the tavern wasn't bustling but had a good amount of orcs inside. Most had their own mugs and were conversing with each other, leaving Magra to silently observe.

As she lifted her cup for another sip, the tavern's door burst open. An orc of higher rank shouted so that everyone could hear, "A patrol saw an army heading this way, so it's time to pack up. We got what we need." He sneered as he said the last part, his gravelly voice dripping with satisfaction for how well their plan was going.

Immediately, the rest of the orcs began shouting. Some cheered at getting to finally leave the city while others groaned about having to be on the move again. Magra noticed a few soldiers passing coins to each other in what looked like bets that were lost and won; maybe some of them knew they'd be leaving soon anyway.

Magra took the opportunity in the commotion to grab her sending stone out of her pocket and slip it into her empty mug. Tipping it up as if she were sipping slowly, she whispered a message to Jacob, "Orcs know you're coming. Reconsider your route. May try to sneak attack you." On her last gulp, she inhaled the stone. Faking a belch, she raised her fist to her mouth and spat the stone into her hand. No one was the wiser about Magra's charade even as she placed the stone back into her pocket.

Leaving the tavern, she followed most of the other orcs since they were conveniently heading in the direction of Ru. She planned to take her friend and the youngest prisoners to help them escape under the guise of moving them to a different holding location. Before Magra turned the corner, she heard a few orcs outside the door talking about the best way to burn down the building with the prisoners inside.

Mustering up the authoritative aura she exuded the day before, Magra walked up to the three soldiers. "Vrazhura has demanded we all pack up our gear and get the horses watered for travel. The captain sent me to watch the prisoners while you take care of your personal effects."

"Fuck off," one of them replied, laughing with the other two.

Magra shook her head in annoyance and shoved past them to go inside, but the door was locked.

The same orc looked at her suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Look, I'm just trying to do what I'm told," Magra replied, backing away with her hands up. "You think I want to go into that shit house?" She let one arm drop before waving dismissively at them with the other. "You got a problem with that? Fine. I'll just take off."

As she turned around to leave, she saw one of the orcs strike a torch aflame. She released a heavy sigh before turning back to them. "Listen, I'll do a lot of dirty shit. But burning down a building full of people? That's just cheap. Even I have some morals." The soldiers merely raised an eyebrow as the one with the torch started lowering it. "It's not worth it. Put the fucking torch down, or I'll make you put it down."

As the first orc's face changed to distrust, he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. The third orc continued to find amusement, though, not noticing his chief's hand movement. "Looks like someone's lost their nerve." His nasally voice making him far less menacing than the other two.

That was the wrong thing to say, though. "You said I lost my nerve," Magra asked, her voice rising. "You said I lost my fucking nerve?" She shouted as her fists clenched and her blood boiled. "I'll show you nerve!" In a fit of rage, she charged straight through the locked door. The blast sent slivers towards the prisoners, a large one catching Ru's arm. "Hey Ru!" Magra said as she dusted herself off. "Sorry about the shrapnel."

"I'd rather have a splinter than be burned alive," Ru replied, thankful her friend showed up before the prison became an oven. Her eyes flicked to just outside the door, and Magra noticed just in time to see the three orcs had drawn their weapons. 

◊◊◊

Magra saw the poop bucket within arm's reach, almost full of waste. It must have been on its way out when the order to burn them all came in. She snickered as she grabbed the pail and threw it at the leader who was rushing inside.

The contents went flying all over him just before the bucket smashed into his face. The contents just missed blinding him, but the mess was enough to make him lose his footing and accuracy to swing wildly and miss Magra before stumbling backwards into the corner.

Having feigned being tied up with the rope Magra gave her, Ru withdrew both of the daggers hidden under her breasts and threw them at the leader. One landed in his arm while the other landed in the wall right by his head. Without missing a beat, she withdrew the hammer that had been hidden in her pants.

The other prisoners just watched as all five combatants began whirling axes, hammers, and swords at each other, everyone dealing equal blows. Smoke started wafting into the building, indicating that the torch the orc had dropped had actually set the building on fire anyway. Although the flames weren't out of control yet, the smoke they created provided enough cover from anyone outside to see what was happening and assist their fellow soldiers.

One of the orcs spat at Ru in his native tongue, but she just gave him the finger before hurling her hammer into his leg with a loud crack. Magra's new adamantine breastplate came in handy as she felt blows that should have knocked her down were instead lessened considerably.

With the front of the building now an inferno, Ru shoved one of the orcs out into the fire where he screamed at the searing pain. Ru turned around and made eye contact with the second soldier who's bloody face looked frightened of her. She charged and killed him instantly with one hit of her hammer to the sternum.

The flaming orc ran back into the building, waving his arms wildly. Magra and the leader were locked in battle, but she found the time to kick the burning soldier back into the fire where he fell and succumbed to the flames.

"You filthy half blood!" the leader shouted at Magra. "I'll make you wish you died in these flames!"

"You mean the flames that you're also trapped in?" she mocked.

"And don't forget you're men were bested by a dwarf, too!" Ru exclaimed as she ran around Magra and rammed into the chief, trying to send him through the compromised wall into the fire outside it.

His bloody mouth snarled at her with disdain as he braced himself, but the wall held and only creaked. "Nice try, you little -"

"Shut it, poop face," Ru snapped as she whirled her hammer with both hands, letting go with one at the last moment so that she could twist her body just enough to make the hammer's head smash through the orc's temple. His body slid down the wooden wall before landing with a thud on the floor, him never finishing his sentence.

While she was there, Ru grabbed her daggers and cut the chief's coin purse off his belt. Through his torn shirt, she noticed the mark of Gruumsh tattooed on his chest. "This looks interesting," she said cheerfully as she carved off his skin with one of her daggers, leaving the mark fully intact.

◊◊◊

"I think it's time we get out of here," Magra announced as she stood up from grabbing coins from the other soldier Ru slayed. The fire was billowing inside now, and the other prisoners were still held in place by thick rope.

"There's a door at the back, but you'll need to move stuff out of the way," Ru informed Magra. "I'll start cutting everyone free."

Adrenaline still racing through her body, Magra tossed the barrels to the side within moments. She tried opening the door, but this one had also been locked. She backed away, pumping her arms and chest. She barely heard Ru call out that she had a lockpick before charging at the door full force, blowing it off its hinges into the wall of a neighboring building. Luckily it was only a few feet away, so no one had seen.

As Magra checked outside to see if the coast was clear, Ru spoke from behind. "When I overheard soldiers saying they were getting ready to move out, I thought we could try to blow up the city's entrance to slow them down, but I think getting these people to the mines is more important right now."

Magra nodded in agreement. "I need to go get Jorvik, so I'll meet you at the shed."

"Right," Ru replied, "see you there." The two tried to perform a chest bump, but Ru's chest bounced off Magra's pelvis instead. As Magra headed the other way to a connecting alley, Ru addressed the prisoners still waiting in the doorway, the heat from the fire becoming more uncomfortable. "Everyone, we're going to escape into the mines through the old shed entrance. Let's stick together, stay low, and stay quiet. The orcs are leaving the city, but I don't know what we'll come across. If any of you feel the need to go out fighting, please feel free." Ru motioned for everyone to step outside and form a line.

A grizzled dwarf who Ru came to know as Jerome stepped outside last, carrying one of the dead orc's axes on his beefy shoulder. "I'll be the distraction you'll need," he offered. Ru gave him an appreciative bow as Dulrik taught her, and he returned one quickly before running off in the direction Ru would be taking the others.

Not too long after, the group crossed a barren street except for Jerome who in the distance stood over the lifeless body of an orc. The rest of the way was surprisingly uneventful besides the shouts and screams throughout the city. "Most of the orcs must have already left by now," Ru thought, feeling sorry for the other people she couldn't save. She shook her head and reminded herself that she was still saving some, which was better than none.

Meanwhile, Magra had made it to the tavern without encountering more than a few orcs jogging by with packed bags. The Red Eye was up in flames like many of the other surrounding buildings, but Magra barged through the front door anyway. Before she could get very far, the pantry door burst open as Jorvik ran out. He acknowledged Magra but didn't stop as he headed out the door of the burning tavern. Magra grabbed the back of his collar as he passed and hoisted him over her shoulder. He made a yelp of surprise but didn't protest as Magra ran towards the mine shed, her long strides covering more ground than he'd be able to.

The two of them made it to the shed as Ru was helping the last of the prisoners inside, its rotting red door barely hanging on to its squeaky hinges. As Magra and Ru turned to make sure there were no other people nearby that needed help, they heard the war horn of their allies from the south. They hoped their friends were safe back at camp and silently wished them good luck, knowing it was coming up on their turn in the plan.

From their still hidden campsite, Skamos, Aeldevan, and Feyre had noticed the sounds of hammers in the city's forges had stopped earlier, and now there was a lot of smoke billowing into the sky like they had seen a few days ago.

Feyre whistled to a cardinal in a nearby tree for it to come over to her, which it obliged. "My feathered friend, would you please let me know if the city has changed since yesterday and if a robed woman orc is visible?" The cardinal cocked its head to the side, wondering what was in it for him. "I'll give you a chunk of meat and some of my hair for your nest." The bird lifted a wing to scratch an itch with its beak. It wasn't interested in Feyre's offerings. 

"Tell him I'll give him some good berries," Aeldevan directed. 

Once Feyre repeated the offer, the cardinal nodded and flew off over to the city. Only a few minutes later did it come back with a simple message, "There's movement out west."