by Megg Jensen
"I was born this way." Nemia's lips formed a pout. "I promise, it's only a mark. It won't hurt you to be near me."
"Well, then, come on. I'll show you to your new mounts." He yanked open the barn doors.
The sickly-sweet smell of manure made Tace's eyes water. A deep mewling shook the walls. Tace had ridden draft horses in her youth. They didn't make noises like that.
The orc exited one of the stalls, two ropes in his hands. "You might want to go back outside. Not a lot of room in here for all of us."
Tace backed up, squinting desperately to see what she'd bought. She and Nemia stumbled out into the light again, waiting anxiously for him to emerge.
He stepped out of the barn, and behind him lumbered two of the largest saddled beasts Tace had ever seen on four legs. Long, majestic tusks stuck out of their mouths, curling up into the air. Their fur-covered bodies barely fit through the barn doors. They stood as high as a draft horse and as wide as two. Absently, Tace fingered her own tiny tusks. Compared to these animals' tusks, they were little more than baby teeth.
Nemia let go of Tace's hand, running to the smaller of the two. As it bowed its head to the ground, she flung her arms about its neck, so thick her hands couldn't reach to the other side.
"Thank you," Tace said. "Can you tell me what these creatures are called?"
"Arkai," the orc said. "Aren't they something?"
"Yeah." Tace wandered over, a bit more reluctant than Nemia. "What do they eat?"
"Oh, they like to graze on grass, leaves, whatever's available." He tickled the larger arkai until its mouth opened. He tapped the square teeth with his hand. "See, they couldn't eat meat if they wanted to. They'll eat whatever vegetation they find. Now you wait here for a moment. I'll be back with a sack of food for you and your sister."
He waved, then took off toward a nearby cottage.
"I love them. I'm naming mine Onyx." Nemia smiled as she scrambled onto the arkai's back.
There would be plenty of room for two of them to ride on one beast. Ademar and Nemia. Or Nemia and Tace. For a brief moment, Tace thought of riding with Ademar, sitting so close to him. Not long ago, it would have started a wave of revulsion.
Now? She was beginning to tolerate him. He wasn't too awful for a human.
The man returned, a worried look on his face. "You said you're headed down to Agitar?"
Tace nodded. The less she said about their plans, the better. If she made one mistake...
"I think you ought to reconsider. I know your mother is ill, but evil has befallen the city. It may not be safe." He handed a bulging burlap bag to Tace.
"Why? What's happened?" Tace looked at Nemia, who stood still with a strange look on her face.
"The king recently abdicated the throne because the beloved, most beautiful princess died," he said.
Tace knew the city was in chaos when she'd been bundled out, but she had no idea why. So the princess was dead? The princess who was pretending to be Nemia?
"Who killed her?" Tace asked.
"No one knows. They say she choked, but rumor has it she wasn't eating or drinking when she died. She just... died."
Tace bit her lower lip. "That sounds tragic." She kept her eyes solidly on him. She would question Nemia later. "But I don't see why we shouldn't travel home."
"The throne has been taken already. A raven arrived at the village hall just now with the news." He pointed to the entrance to the village where a large, round building stood.
"Which clan took the throne?" Each had its own weaknesses. Still, any of them might produce a worthy ruler.
"It's no orc." He lowered his voice as if he was afraid of being overheard. "It's a bloody elf."
"An elf on the throne?" Nemia fell off Onyx, landing on her feet with a thud.
Tace's stomach roiled. An elf? Elves were worse than humans! They pranced around, pretending like they owned the world. Until now they'd stayed out of orc business.
"No one down there knows what to do. They're paralyzed," he said.
"I know what I'd do." Tace reached for her daggers. She nearly blurted out she'd assassinate every one of them, but her occupation was a secret. No one could know, not even in a time of crisis.
"Well, I thought it best you know before you leave. You seem capable, but the elves are a tricky bunch. You can't trust them to act decently." He wished them well and returned to his barn.
"Let's get Ademar," Tace said to Nemia. She climbed on the back of her arkai, dug her heels into its side, and set off in a loping canter.
The beast's body moved up and down and up and down in a soothing rhythm, but it couldn't take her mind off of what she'd heard.
Nemia rode behind, quiet. Tace had plenty of questions to ask the young orc, but they would have to wait until they were back in the woods with Ademar. She particularly wanted to know if Nemia had any knowledge of the strange circumstances surrounding the princess' death.
When they arrived at the clearing, Tace tied the arkai’s leads to a tree. There was plenty of greenery for them to feed on. They began eating right away, bending their thick necks toward the ground, their mouths grabbing whatever grass they could reach.
Tace motioned for Nemia to follow, but the girl hung back, petting Onyx's silky mane.
"Nemia?"
"What are you going to tell him?" she snapped, glaring at Tace.
"Only the truth, and I'm hoping you have something to add to what we heard." Tace crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you kill the princess?"
Nemia's hands balled up. Tears hovered at her lower eyelids. "I didn't touch her!"
"Nemia..." Tace was no stranger to death. She'd lost count of her victims long ago. She also knew what Nemia was capable of. "Nothing you say will shock me."
"Fine!" Nemia stomped toward Tace. "I killed her. I did it with my mind. I wanted her dead, and she died!" Nemia burst into tears.
Tace knelt, taking the young orc into her arms. "I have a feeling you didn't realize what you were doing. Am I right?"
Nemia nodded, rubbing her wet nose into Tace's chest.
"Then it was an accident."
Nemia pulled back. "What do you know of killing? You're meant to be the savior of all the orcs. You will bring life to all of us." Her eyes flashed, angry. "Helping you is my penance. I will only get forgiveness from Drothu if I help you. Sabniss's death was dishonorable. It was selfish. I am doomed!"
Ademar emerged from the forest, a bundle of firewood in his arms, Raseri flying behind him. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"
"No. We're fine. Nemia's just... tired." Tace reached out, wiping the tears from Nemia's face with her thumb. She glanced at Ademar, surprised at how happy she was to see him. "She needs a nap. I think we all do."
Ademar looked at her strangely, obviously not convinced. Still, he kept his mouth shut, until he looked over and saw the arkai. "What are those?"
"Our mounts. Silly human, don't you know anything? Those are arkai." Tace winked at Nemia, who dissolved into a fit of giggles.
"Mine is named Onyx. Tace hasn't named the other one yet," Nemia said.
"I think Ademar should name it." Nemia smiled at the human.
"They're impressive beasts! I’ll call him Levi, short for leviathan. Now let's get this fire started before darkness falls. It's going to get chilly soon," Ademar said.
Tace had a long night ahead. Even though Nemia believed Tace could save the world by heading north toward some shadowy destiny, Tace knew she'd be of more use in Agitar, fighting. Maybe it was time to head home.
Chapter 38
A quiet snap woke Ademar. He looked around in the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He sat up, yanking on his boots.
He crept to the outskirts of their camp. Tace was saddling her arkai. "What you doing?" he asked.
Tace climbed up on the saddle. "I'm leaving."
"You're what?" Ademar asked in disbelief. Just when he thought he was getting to know Tace, she had to pull something like this. "I thought we wer
e committed to heading north."
"For what?" she hissed. "I left Agitar to get away from the Consecrated after my mother’s murder. End of story. Since then, I've been prancing around the forest like a fool, touching carved stones, and pretending it means something."
Ademar's shoulders tightened. "I know it sounds ridiculous."
"You don't believe it anymore than I do! Admit it!" Tace glared at him in the dappled moonlight.
Ademar said nothing. His whole life he'd believed in things no one else could see. Faith was the core of religion. He'd come to Agitar to learn about the orc's beliefs. But Tace had a point.
"I knew it. You and I? We're cowards." Tace slid off the arkai. "We're both running away from our lives because they went to shit. When that orc told Nemia and me what's happening in Agitar, I couldn't get it out of my head. I should be down there, fighting for my city. Not up here on a fool's errand."
Tace stalked over to Ademar, standing only a breath away, her chest nearly touching his. "We should go home. Both of us. Me to Agitar. You to Soleth."
Ademar was taken aback. Soleth? "There's nothing for me in Soleth. Not anymore. Everything I want is here." He gulped, aware he'd said something he hadn't meant to say aloud.
The last few days with Tace had changed him. He'd seen more of the world, and he’d finally tasted life for the first time. It was glorious.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Ademar said quietly.
"Is this what you want?" Tace grabbed his shoulders, pulling his face toward hers. Her lips landed on his, in a furious hunger. One of her tusks pierced his skin as he.
As quickly as it started, Tace broke it off, pushing him backward. "I'm sorry. You're a virgin. You've committed your life to something I don't understand. I respect you enough not to push you any further."
Ademar stood speechless. He wanted her to do it again. And show him more. He knew how sex worked, he wasn't completely uneducated on the subject, but this orc had stirred feelings he didn't know he was capable of experiencing.
"I'm leaving." Tace climbed back on the arkai.
"No," Ademar said. "Hear me out first. Please."
"Fine. But only because I kissed you, and I can see you want more. I at least owe you my ear for leaving you hungering so deeply," Tace said with a wink.
Ademar blushed furiously. He was glad a cloud had taken that moment to pass lazily over the moon. "We've come this far. Nemia is with us now. She seems to have some insight on what we're supposed to be doing in the Frozen Wastelands."
"I understand, but my home is under attack. By elves! Humans are one thing, but elves are far more concerning," Tace argued.
"And what difference will you make? One orc against them all?" Ademar challenged her. "You weren't in the military. What good will you be?"
Tace jumped off the arkai, her finger shaking in his face. "Me? You know nothing of me! You've only seen what's on the exterior. You have no idea what I've done. What I'm capable of!"
"Then why don't you tell me?" Ademar asked softly. "You know about me. You know I've studied religion my whole life. That I've turned away from the pleasures of this world to better focus and serve my god. You know what I've done with my days and how I've contributed. Tell me, please, tell me what you did before I stumbled upon you at Hugh's death. Why were you really there?"
"I was there to kill your beloved Hugh. Except he killed himself before I had the chance."
Ademar took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, as he attempted to calm his heart.
"I am an assassin," she hissed in his ear. "I'm a killer."
“I know. But have you ever killed anyone for fun or sport? Was all of it done as an assignment?”
Tace hesitated. “I only killed those I was ordered to kill.”
Ademar balled his hands into fists. "Why?"
"I did as I was told. I was ordered to kill Hugh." Tace crossed her arms over her chest. "It was an assignment. That's it."
“But why, Tace? Why would you choose to become an assassin?”
Darkness spread across Tace’s expression, so Ademar changed course. "Did you often kill humans?"
Tace opened her mouth, then hesitated. "No. He was to be my first."
"You weren't running because your mother died, not at first, were you?" Hugh reached out, placing a tentative hand on Tace's shoulder. "You left Agitar because you told your guild master you'd assassinated a man, when in reality he killed himself. If he'd found out you failed—”
"Just as you haven't told the humans about Hugh's true demise." Tace's face softened, understanding emanating from her eyes. "We both have been hiding the same secret, needing to atone for it."
"Going back now won't get us what we seek," Ademar said. "But going north might. If what Nemia says is true..."
"Then there is a chance for both of us to be right with our gods."
"And maybe help the orcs in the process."
"What about your human brethren?" Tace asked.
Ademar shook his head. When he'd left Soleth with Hugh, he'd left for good—in body and mind. The orcs had shown themselves to be a kind race. He appreciated their way of life, identifying with it more than his own heritage. "I will always be a human in body, but in my heart, I wish I had been born an orc."
He pressed his lips together, knowing he’d said too much. In the moonlight, he could see the expression on Tace’s face change. The walls she’d kept up around him had been replaced by a strange expression of longing.
Tace reached up, tracing Hugh's face with a fingertip. "If you were an orc, I would find you worthy. I would give myself to you."
Ademar swallowed, overwhelmed by her boldness. He knew what he wanted, but his inexperience held him hostage.
"Are you afraid of me?" Tace asked.
Ademar shook his head. Fear had never crossed his mind. Awe, perhaps, was a better way to describe how he felt. But he couldn't open his mouth and tell her.
"Will you come with me into the forest? Away from Nemia?" Tace asked. She ran her fingers down his arm, taking his hand in hers.
Ademar squeezed her hand. It was the same size as his. Strong and sturdy. It embodied everything he admired about her character.
"I can show you how it's done, if you want to learn." Tace leaned in, whispering into Ademar's ear.
His cheeks flushed pink again at her suggestion. "Yes," he managed to squeak out.
Tace smiled, her tusks glinting in the moonlight. "You'll like it. I promise to be gentle, but you have to tell me if anything I do hurts."
Tace led him into a darker part of the forest, finding a small clearing. She let go of his hand, then reached up and removed her top. Taking his hand again, she hovered his palm above her breast. "Touch me."
Ademar dropped his last bit of resistance. He touched her breast, marveling at the softness of it. Everything about Tace was hard, from her muscles to her resolve. This was a pleasant surprise.
"When orcs have sex, it can be rough. We aren't gentle creatures," Tace said between gasps as Ademar's hands explored her body.
"I trust you." Ademar reached down, unlacing her breeches.
“I hope you brought extra clothing.” Tace grabbed his shirt, tearing it down the middle. She ripped it off his chest. Her hands squeezed his shoulders as she slammed him to the ground.
Ademar landed, the wind knocked out of him.
"Are you okay?" Tace asked, smiling.
"Yes," he barely managed to get out. He was more than okay. His manhood strained at his own breeches, demanding release.
"Tomorrow we will continue north and take a chance on Nemia's visions," Tace said, "but tonight, you're mine."
She pulled off Ademar's breeches and lowered herself onto him.
Ademar gave in fully, throwing away his vows and taking on a new life.
Chapter 39
It had been two days since Brax and his army passed through the orc village of Gunder. Except for one orc female who remained behind, the village was completely abandoned. He h
ad argued with Queen Lissa for the orc’s life, insisted she be kept as a prisoner, possibly used as leverage, but the queen refused.
She claimed the orc had killed Damor, and while it might have done them a favor to remove a man whose motives were questionable, the old orc deserved to die.
The orc had been beheaded at dawn.
Brax refused to attend. Instead, he remained in his tent, wondering what he was doing.
Once again, he considered deserting. His hand found his throat, and he swallowed hard, knowing what would happen if he were caught.
And where would he go? The humans wouldn't have him. It was unlikely any orcs would take pity on him. The elves across the Orianna Sea weren't a good option, either.
Brax had nowhere to go except forward with his army and his queen. They were camped one day's march from Agitar. Soon, their armies would descend upon the orc capital.
Queen Lissa was certain of their victory. The defeat at the pass and the empty orc village had given her confidence. The ease of the wins had only added to Brax's discomfort. Something wasn't right, and without Damor's farsight, Brax had no inkling of what awaited them. His scouts were useless on the grassy plain. They had nowhere to hide.
Brax wouldn't say he missed Damor, but the mage had been useful in some ways. He had often wondered if Damor was as powerful as he claimed. Now he would never find out.
Brax left his tent, stretching. He turned around, offering a hand to the maiden who'd shared his tent last night. He'd given up dalliances long ago due to Ghrol's presence in his cellar, but now his brother was gone. Brax hadn't been able to fight the fluttering eyelashes of the girl who'd come to him, telling him how strong he was.
Nella slipped her soft hand into his and emerged from the tent. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him full on the lips, not caring who saw. "Again tonight, Captain?" she asked with a smile.
Brax rested his palm on her cheek, running his thumb over her lips. "Yes, please."
Nella skipped away with one final teasing glance over her shoulder.
A strong hand clapped Brax on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're back in the swing of things. It's been a long time since you've had a female companion," Jedd said. He held a bowl of porridge in his other hand.
