I woke to find Handeln and my mother shaking me frantically. Terrified that the Elves had found us, I jumped up at once. It was not elves though that terrified my mother; looking across the water I saw something as different from the elves as could be.

I had never seen such a horror. A horror that sent a shiver racing down my back. I suppose to best describe it is to say to imagine a ship – a normal ship, but rather than wooden planks, there were bones! Bones upon bones upon bones. Fused together by some dark and dangerous magic the like of which I had never seen.

I gulped. I shivered. Sweat poured down my back.

As their ship drew closer to ours, a drumming seemed to suddenly grow from the previously eerie silence. The ship drew closer still and for the first time I glimpsed an orc. The creature scurried up the ropes to the mast – the mast of bones. I watched the orc swinging itself up the rope as its crew mates drummed louder, louder and louder still. I looked closer and saw how sinewy the orc’s arms were. Finally reaching the top of the mast-of-bones, the orc turned - rags barely clinging to its torso – and stared at me. It stared at me and there was nothing I could do but gulp in terror and stare back – completely captivated by its monstrosity. From its eyebrows, broken bones protruded. From its cheeks, broken bones protruded. From its lips, broken bones protruded, and its yellow eyes stared hungrily at me. I was only a little relived to see Handeln holding his club tightly in his hand.

Their ship drew closer still. It couldn’t be more than ten yards away from us now. I’d imagine that Handeln would have been able to leap it had he been so inclined; Handeln however seemed decidedly uninclined to leap aboard the orc ship: his hand that wasn’t holding his club was now inching towards the dagger - sheathed in his belt. I felt a hand land on my shoulder; looking up, I saw my mother stood above me, her jaw set defiantly. I let her move me behind her without protest. I crouched down to stare at the orcs through the little safety that my mother’s legs provided.

I watched as two orcs lifted a third onto their shoulders. With an astonishing grace, the third orc leapt in a great arc from their ship to ours. What happened next occurred in a flash. The orc landed without so much as thud behind me. It turned to look at me with horrifying yellow eyes. It smiled a horrible pointed-teeth smile. Broken bones punctured its skin. It took one step towards me. Handeln was between us in a flash. His club rushed violently through the sky towards the orc’s unprotected skull. But then his hand froze in mid-air. A ferocious crack had cut through the air as a shimmering emerald whip had wrapped itself around Handeln’s wrist with a cruel strength. My eyes traced the whip all the way to its handle held by none other than the hooded Manquer. As usual, I couldn’t see her face.

“Argghhhh, what are you doing?” snarled Handeln, with a rare venom in his voice.

“What am I doing,” repeated Manquer in her usual melodic voice, “saving your life, you fool. Do you think we can fight fifty orcs and live?”

“They want to eat the little one!” Handeln hissed back.

“Eat it!” Manquer laughed melodiously, “They just want to see it you fool. They’ve never seen a goblin child before.” She spoke to me now, “Child, I promise you you’re safe. Take a step forward.”

With my heart hammering, I stepped forwards. The orc did the same.

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