Miniarc-Villains-21

He reached into his pants, pulling out a handful of seeds. Then he waved for the men to approach, who did so with varying degrees of reluctance, Ewan making sure the prince stayed a step behind him.

“This is the seed of a leafy green,” the elf explained. “Little taste, but sturdy, grows fast, and is full of nutrition.”

“How do you know so much about our plants?” the prince asked with suspicion.

“I asked another to procure something suitable. I trust their judgment. Now, watch.”

Orum knelt and moved the dirt with his fingers. Samuel watched with a deepening frown as he turned the earth and placed the seeds in the ground. “You’re not doing anything special.”

“No, I am not.” Once the small amount of seeds were planted, he climbed to his feet and brushed off his hands. “We will need water.”

“What? The fresh water situation is nearly as bad as the food. It’d be ridiculous to give this
experiment so much as cup.”

“Mm. I planned to retrieve my own after determining the growing sight.”

“How long do you expect us to
” Samuel’s complaint died as the elf’s gaze glowed with channeled magic. Ewan tensed, but Orum paid the hostility no mind. Twin disturbing growths that looked like the antennae of an insect, the flesh a dark brown, grew from his brow. They twitched and Orum turned. He opened his mouth and a large, forked tongue tasted the air before disappearing with the speed of a striking snake.

“I will return soon,” he pronounced before moving. It wasn’t simply running. Moving at such speed that you disappeared between blinks and the wind caused by your passing ruffled hair was doing something other than running, but the prince didn’t know the proper word.

Samuel swallowed past a suddenly dry throat. “Ewan?”

“Your highness?”

“Your analysis?”

“
I couldn’t stop him,” the royal knight admitted, his tone grave. “Something moving at that speed
there’s no chance of me hitting it. Of anyone hitting it. Maybe a life marker
no, they wouldn’t have the power to project a spell fast enough that it couldn’t be outrun. Nothing short of a full-scale bombardment could touch him.”

“What of Sir Telwind?” He was the strongest buffer in the order.

“He could match that speed for scant moments. Enough to give other knights an opportunity to strike but he couldn’t bring that monster down on his own. If this Orum is a representative of elven elites
” Ewan shook his head. The thought didn’t need elaborating.

“So, this is what my father has to contend with.” And Dowager too, should their father fail. Samuel didn’t envy them. “I suppose we best wait for him to return?” The last thing the prince wanted to do was anger the walking disaster in the guise of a man.

“I think that would be wise, your highness.”