Chapter Eleven
For the next few days, Audrey had nothing to do but fall into the routine she had created for herself.
She spent her mornings and afternoons in the diner’s kitchen with Maika, Zulka, and Dorsha, watching them cook and listening to their stories. Varka the Keen came in often to help and bring vegetables from the communal garden. It also turned out she was the best at baking bread.
The female orcs were not offended at all when Audrey called them girls. They happily adopted the name, which amused Audrey greatly.
Brumis the Bold never came into the kitchen at all, spending all her time training. The girls said she was a warrior through and through, and a complete disaster in the kitchen.
Audrey sometimes walked around town and talked to the other orcs, who had gotten used to her presence by now. Some nodded at her when she passed, and a few even stopped to make small talk.
This was how she found out that the weapons the orcs made at the smithy were not yet infused with magic.
They took them to the captain afterward, and he chanted over them to fill them with power.
She realized that if she wanted to steal a dagger, she’d have to find it in Morgath’s hut or figure out where the orcs kept them when they were ready.
She didn’t want to ask about that outright for fear of raising suspicion, so she filed the information away and kept her questions casual.
She tried to bring lunch to Morgath a second time, hoping to get another look at his workshop, but he took the basket from her at the door, and kicked her out before she could even step inside.
His tone was sharp and annoyed, like he was reaching the end of his patience with her attempts to invade his space.
At night, he always locked her bedroom door, and Audrey was forced to listen to him as he found release in the next room. She touched herself, telling herself it meant nothing. They were two adults who had needs but couldn’t use each other.
It was only normal and healthy to release tension after long days of pretending and driving herself up the walls. She only thought about him because it was convenient, and he was just there, his deep groans filtering through the wall and making her body respond with or without her permission.
She grew more and more convinced that he wasn’t thinking about her at all when he stroked himself. The thought left a strange, hollow feeling in her chest that she refused to examine.
At dinner, he stopped pulling her into his lap. She had her own seat next to him now. He also stopped feeding her, letting her serve herself like everyone else.
Not that any orcs had gone to visit an institute yet, but it seemed that Morgath didn’t want to put on a show for them anymore.
Audrey was intrigued by the change and didn’t know what to think about it. She watched him from the corner of her eye during meals, but he never looked at her or acknowledged her beyond the occasional grunt when she asked him to pass something.
This was how two weeks passed without much happening, and Audrey grew more frustrated each day. She felt like she was spinning her wheels.
Until one night, something finally happened.
Morgath didn’t lock her bedroom door. In fact, he didn’t come home at all.
Audrey didn’t think much of it at first. She went to sleep, woke up in the morning, and went about her day as usual, spending time with the girls in the kitchen. But Morgath was not at dinner either, and his absence felt strange after two weeks of sitting next to him every evening.
Audrey took a seat between Maika and Dorsha since the captain wasn’t there.
“Where’s Morgath?” she asked.
The female orcs exchanged glances, and Maika shifted in her seat. Dorsha looked down at her plate and didn’t answer right away.
“What?” Audrey pressed. “Where is he?”
“Something went wrong,” Zulka said, her voice quiet. “With one of the potions he’s been working on.”
“What do you mean something went wrong?”
“He’s locked up in his hut,” Maika said. “I brought him food this morning, but he left it untouched at the door.”
Dorsha leaned closer. “I heard him making sounds. Grunts and keens of pain. Something bad happened.”
“Did you try to go in?” Audrey asked.
“I knocked and asked if he needed help. He howled at me to go away and never return. He sounded angry and in agony at the same time.”
The girls started speculating, leaning in and speaking in hushed tones about what could have gone wrong. Zulka thought maybe he’d inhaled something toxic. Dorsha wondered if a spell had backfired. Varka suggested that perhaps he’d been testing something on himself and it hadn’t gone as planned.
Raknar the Steadfast joined the conversation, pulling up a chair across from Audrey.
“I am worried too,” he said. “I tried to talk to the captain this afternoon. He sent me away with orders to mind the horde for a few days.”
“Did he say what was wrong?” Audrey asked.
“He would not speak to me through the door. He only shouted that he had it under control and that I should leave him alone.”
“He has it under control,” Zulka said quickly, as if trying to reassure herself. “He’s our captain and our mage. He knows what he’s doing.”
“I hope so,” Raknar said. “We need him. Both as a captain and a mage.”
Audrey listened to all of this with growing intrigue. She’d spent two weeks trying to find a way back into that hut, and now Morgath was locked inside and clearly vulnerable. This might be the opportunity she’d been waiting for.
After dinner, instead of going back to the house, she slipped away from the others and made her way through the darkening forest toward the hut. The walk felt longer, and the sounds of the forest louder. Owls hooted in the trees above her, and something small rustled in the underbrush to her left.
When she reached the clearing, she saw the warm glow of candlelight flickering in the windows. She crept closer and crouched low as she approached one of the windows. She rose up slowly and peered inside.
In the soft candlelight, she saw Morgath’s face for the first time.
Audrey covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes traced over his handsome features.
He had a straight nose and high cheekbones, full lips, and a strong, square jaw.
His tusks poked out of his mouth, long, sharp, and perfect, and his black hair fell loose around his shoulders.
He was the most ruggedly handsome man she’d ever seen.
The sight of him made her breath catch in her throat.
Then she noticed that his skin was covered in sweat. He was straining as if in pain, his fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. He stood rigid in the center of the room, breathing heavily. His whole body trembled with the effort of staying upright.
He was shirtless, he had no pants on, and he was barefoot. It seemed he was suffering from a fever and couldn’t stand clothes anymore. He wore only briefs that were tented by his massive, pulsating erection. His green skin looked darker than usual, flushed with heat and exertion.
Audrey’s eyes widened. Her heart picked up its pace. She pressed closer to the window, unable to look away.
He let out a long, keening moan.
Her body quivered.