Chapter Eight
Audrey woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and had no idea where she was. She sat up fast and looked around the plain bedroom, with its simple furniture and bare walls.
Then it all came back to her. The institute, Morgath the Skullreaper choosing her, the feast where he’d made her sit on his lap in front of his entire horde.
She felt a jolt of determination. Today, she’d start her real work. Today, she’d begin identifying the orcs one by one, until she found the one who’d killed her family.
The night before came rushing back too, and she groaned out loud as she covered her face with her hands.
Images of Morgath stroking his obscene cock flooded her mind without permission.
She’d watched him through the keyhole like some kind of pervert, and now she couldn’t stop seeing it.
She shook her head hard and shoved the memory away, making it a firm point to not think about it ever again.
It didn’t matter that he was objectively attractive, or that his body was perfect, or that his cock was ridiculously big. Nope, none of it mattered.
Audrey would control herself.
She jumped out of bed and took a quick shower, not letting herself linger under the hot water.
She got out, dried off, and pulled on jeans and a thick wool pullover, then tugged on her boots.
She looked in the bathroom mirror and tried to do something with her short red hair, but it stuck up in every direction no matter what she did.
She gave up after a minute and declared it a lost cause, running her fingers through it one last time before heading for the door.
She saw that Morgath’s bedroom door was ajar.
He wasn’t inside. The house was empty and silent, and she was glad for it, because she didn’t want to face him yet.
She steeled herself and walked through the living room to the front door, stepping out into warm sunlight that made her squint.
The early spring air felt chilly. She stood on the porch for a moment and looked at the town spread out before her, orcs moving between buildings and going about their business.
She needed to get on with her mission and get to know these orcs, all of them.
She needed to talk to them, look at their faces, and figure out which one she was looking for.
Once she identified him, she could figure out how to kill him without getting caught.
Then she could call in the Tusk Hunters to finish the job, if they decided to take care of the horde’s captain and mage, too. It was still under debate.
Audrey decided to start with the diner. She walked down the street and pushed open the door, stepping inside to find about a dozen orcs scattered at tables throughout the space.
The conversation died the moment she appeared, and every single one of them turned to stare at her.
She felt completely out of place standing in the doorway, with all those dark eyes fixed on her, but she forced herself to wave at them and smile. She had no idea what to do next.
A female orc wearing a stained apron approached her from behind the counter.
She was tall and bulky, with strong arms that looked like they could snap Audrey in half.
Her dark hair fell in thick dreadlocks down her back.
Her dark eyes were warm, though, and when she smiled, she revealed perfect teeth and sharp tusks that gleamed white against her green skin.
The tattoos on her face and neck marked her as a grunt.
“Would you like something to eat?” the orc asked.
Audrey nodded.
“I’m Zulka the Proud, and I can get you anything your heart desires,” the orc continued, gesturing toward the kitchen. “You need to put some meat on your bones.”
Audrey frowned at that. Because it was ridiculous. She was big enough for a woman. But maybe orcs saw it differently. To them, she was small and fragile, and she’d remain that way no matter what she did or how much she ate.
“I’d love a cup of coffee,” Audrey said.
“We don’t have any,” Zulka said, shaking her head with an apologetic smile. “I heard that coffee is the humans’ one true love, but we don’t like the bitter taste. I’ll be sure to put coffee on the list for when we go shopping again.”
“Tea is great too,” Audrey said quickly, not wanting to be difficult on her first morning here.
Zulka nodded and headed toward the kitchen.
Audrey went to sit at the bar, but when Zulka disappeared through the kitchen door, she felt uncomfortable with all the orcs still watching her from their tables. She made a quick decision and followed Zulka.
The kitchen was large and warm, filled with the smell of baking bread and cooking meat. Two more female orcs worked at the counters. They both looked up when Audrey entered.
The first was smaller than Zulka, rounder too, with moss green skin and pointy ears. She looked older than the others.
“I’m Maika the Nurturing,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron.
The second orc was tall and solid, all lean muscle without an ounce of softness. One of her tusks was chipped.
“Dorsha the Enduring,” she said with a nod.
“I’m Audrey,” she said, even though they obviously knew that already. “Can I help with anything?”
They were preparing food and washing dishes, and it seemed like they could use an extra pair of hands.
“There’s no need,” Maika said. “You’re the captain’s bride.”
Audrey was about to argue when something finally clicked in her mind.
The tap was running, and it struck her: the town had running water.
Of course it did, because she’d taken a shower this morning.
How had she not thought about it until now?
How was it possible when they didn’t have electricity?
She stared at the sink, where Dorsha was washing dishes.
“How do you have running water?” she asked, unable to hide her confusion. “While you have no electricity?”
Dorsha looked up with a smile.
“Electricity is not something we consider necessary. We’re used to candles and torches, and we don’t like using all the machines humans use. But we figured out early that running water is an incredible human invention, so the town has its own water tower.”
“But that’s impossible,” Audrey said. “You can’t have running water forever without electricity to pump it.”
“Morgath the Skullreaper figured out a way,” Zulka said, her voice full of pride as she handed Audrey a steaming cup of tea. “He’s the greatest mage there ever was. Instead of electricity, he used magic to keep the water running. And make it hot, too.”
Audrey felt genuinely impressed. She’d known Morgath was powerful, but using magic to replace an entire electrical system was beyond what she’d imagined any mage could do.
Maika cracked eggs into a pan and started scrambling them, the smell making Audrey’s mouth water.
“The bread will soon be ready,” she said.
Audrey sipped her tea and watched them work. They didn’t seem to be bothered by her presence.
“Could you please tell me about the orcs in there?” She motioned toward the main room. “I want to meet everyone, but I’m too shy to just go up and introduce myself.”
Dorsha laughed at that. She wiped her hands on a towel and moved to the door, pointing through it at the orcs sitting at the tables.
“That one there is Hokran the Distant. He’s the second raider. The first raider, Raknar the Steadfast, is with the captain now. I believe you’ve met him. And that’s Brakus the Immovable. He’s in charge of the krags. The one in the corner is Morgrim the Brooding. He’s a great hunter.”
She kept pointing and naming orcs, but Audrey could barely remember all the names as they piled up one after another.
There was an orc who worked with wood, and another who made weapons, and several more whose names and roles all blurred together in her mind.
She nodded along and tried to pay attention, but all she could think about was that the one she was looking for wasn’t there.
She studied each face carefully while Dorsha talked, and none of them matched the image burned into her memory.
Maika slid a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her and added thick slices of freshly baked bread still warm from the oven.
Audrey ate quickly, hungrier than she’d realized. The food was better than she’d expected. When she finished, she thanked them and asked if it would be okay to walk around town.
“Do you think the orcs will mind?” she asked, suddenly uncertain about how much freedom she actually had here.
“You should go and not be scared,” Dorsha said. “They will get used to you.”
“Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.”
Audrey left the diner and started exploring, taking the buildings in order.
She ended up at the smithy first, where she found three orcs working on weapons.
The heat from the forge hit her like a wall when she stepped inside.
She introduced herself over the ringing of metal on metal.
They nodded at her but didn’t pay her much attention.
She watched them work for a while, trying to be polite, but none of them were the orc she was looking for.
When it became too awkward, she waved goodbye and left.
She found the wood workshop next. Four orcs were building heavy chairs and tables scaled to their proportions, and the smell of fresh-cut wood filled the air.
The orcs acknowledged her presence with nods but continued their work without stopping.
She stood there for several minutes, examining each face before moving on.
It was interesting how when they were in close quarters, only her with only a few of them, they weren’t staring at her so openly and brazenly. It was a very human behavior.
Audrey found a female orc tending a large communal garden, with a few other orcs scattered among the rows of vegetables. The female looked up and smiled when Audrey approached. Her black hair was gathered in a high bun. She was young and beautiful, maybe the youngest female in the horde.
“Hi! I’m Audrey. I just thought I’d come and introduce myself.”
“I’m Varka the Keen,” she said, straightening up from where she’d been pulling weeds. “I’m happy to meet you.”
She told Audrey about the vegetables she was growing, pointing out the different rows and explaining how each one needed tending every day.
Audrey nodded and listened. Varka’s enthusiasm was genuine, and her pride obvious.
But none of the orcs working in the garden matched the description etched into her mind, and she soon got bored of plant talk.
She thanked Varka and moved on, eventually finding what used to be a school. The building stood untouched and empty, the orcs having no use for it, apparently. But on the sports field behind it, she found several orcs training with swords and daggers.
A female orc broke away from the group and walked toward Audrey when she noticed her. Her dreadlocks were gathered in a high ponytail, and she wore leather training gear that showed off her muscular frame. One of her tusks was almost entirely broken. Her expression was cold and unwelcoming.
“Hi there. I don’t mean to disturb you. I… um… I’m Audrey.”
“Brumis the Bold,” she said. “You have no business here. It’s better to stay away. It’s dangerous for you.”
Audrey felt the urge to show Brumis exactly what she could do. If anything, out of all the places she’d seen today, this was where she actually belonged. But she stopped herself. Everyone needed to think she was helpless, believe she was just a soft human who couldn’t defend herself.
“I was just looking around,” Audrey said.
Before Brumis could respond, a deep voice cut through the air.
“Get back to your training.”
Audrey turned to find Morgath standing behind her, his massive frame blocking out the sun. Brumis inclined her head and retreated without a word.
Morgath looked her up and down, his dark eyes barely visible through the skull’s eye sockets. She could feel the weight of his disapproval.
“What are you wearing?” he asked, annoyed. “You should at least pretend you’re desirable, not dress in these drab clothes.”
Audrey sneered at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yesterday, you didn’t seem to be bothered.”
“Yesterday, I thought those were your traveling clothes,” he said, shifting his weight and crossing his own arms. “Go change into a dress or something.”
“You don’t tell me what to wear,” Audrey said, making to walk past him.
He grabbed her arm harshly and pulled her back, his grip like an iron band around her biceps.
“I will tell you what to wear, and you will listen.”
She felt her face flush hot with anger and embarrassment, but she met his gaze through that horrible skull helmet and refused to back down.
“If I wear a dress, I’m afraid you’ll get hard again. And then you’ll have to spill all over yourself like last night.”
He released her immediately. She saw his whole body go tense. He towered over her, and she could tell he was furious, but he didn’t say anything. She hated that stupid skull he wore all the time. She couldn’t see his face and read what he was thinking.
Audrey smirked in triumph and walked past him, feeling victorious. She’d won this round and he knew it.