Orcus has a long history of turning somebody else's desperation into something he can use. That runs through his earlier rule in Myst and his work for the Dark Horde. He can lea…

Orcus has a long history of turning somebody else's desperation into something he can use. That runs through his earlier rule in Myst and his work for the Dark Horde. He can lead an army, but he's just as willing to make an offer that puts frightened people in a terrible position. His older connection to Shang begins with the story of a farmer and his daughters. Orcus and his queen rule Myst, and the farmer is desperate for a successful harvest. The bargain offered to him sounds simple: a flower each year for seven years. The meaning turns out to be his daughters, whose lives are taken to increase Orcus's power. Shang becomes involved when the last daughter is threatened. The souls of the daughters have been connected to seven ravens, and they help him confront the rulers. The daughters are restored, and the youngest, Allexa, becomes Shang's wife. Orcus is therefore tied to a part of Shang's life that reaches much further back than the current war around Sela. Later, Orcus is one of the Dark One's important generals. He has his own interest in regaining control of Myst, and that makes his work for the Horde more than taking orders from somebody else's throne. He knows the place they're fighting over, and he has reasons of his own to want power there again. The attack on Tallus is one of the clearest examples of his methods. He offers to spare the city's children if the people hand over Sela, Blake, and Bolder. It forces the people inside to think about surrendering their possible defenders to protect their families. He's trying to make fear do part of the work before the army attacks. He also has Gruel serving him. Giving Gruel the Shadow Dragon Claw puts a much bigger threat into that battle, allowing him to transform into a shadow dragon. Orcus is using a follower's abilities and giving him a weapon that makes him more dangerous. It takes the efforts of Sela and her allies to bring that creature down. Even the aftermath has another act of cruelty waiting in it. Orcus takes one of Blake's arrows and uses its magic against King William. A weapon that belonged to one of the defenders becomes the means of killing someone on their side. Winning the immediate confrontation doesn't stop him from looking for another opening. His role in Belinda's past is just as important. He's the one who took her baby on the Dark One's orders. That action helps shape years of harm for somebody who doesn't know the truth of what happened. Orcus can damage a person's life in a way that keeps working long after he's left the scene. Then there's his mission to help restore the Dark Queen. While Blake and Bolder are trying to rebuild the council, Orcus is pursuing something that could make the opposition even stronger. His part in the story keeps crossing from old personal history into the larger conflict. Shang and Belinda have reasons to hate him that have nothing to do with merely standing on the other side of a battlefield.