Chapter Twenty
He was exactly as she remembered him. He hadn’t aged a day.
Orclings grew up fast, faster than human children, but once orcs reached maturity, the aging slowed down. They lived longer than humans. Morgath looked like he was in his forties, at most.
He was tall and lean, with black hair gathered in a thick ponytail. Both his tusks were broken, the jagged edges visible when he smiled, his head thrown back in laughter. He was covered in scars on his arms, neck, and face. One ran from his eyebrow all the way down to his jaw.
Audrey’s stomach turned. She felt nauseous, her tingling skin breaking into a cold sweat. Her hands trembled against the doorframe, and she forced herself to breathe through her nose.
She turned away before anyone could notice her distress, slipped back into the kitchen, and grabbed the edge of the counter for support.
Varka the Keen appeared beside her with a fresh pot of coffee.
She glanced at Audrey but didn’t comment on her pale face or shaking hands, thinking she was upset because of the conversation they’d just had about her parents and being an orphan.
She poured more coffee into Audrey’s cup and set the pot down.
“Who is that?” Audrey asked. She nodded toward the doorway.
Varka looked through and followed Audrey’s gaze.
“That’s Jorrad the Brutal.”
“A fitting name, I presume.”
Varka’s mouth tightened.
“He is a fierce warrior. Hot headed. Doesn’t always listen to reason or even to the captain’s orders. Morgath has had trouble with him. But he’s loyal to the horde. Jorrad wanted to become one of Morgath’s raiders, but Morgath chose Raknar and Hokran instead. They are brothers.”
Audrey’s eyes widened.
“I had no idea the two raiders were brothers.”
“They’re very close, always have been.”
Audrey gripped the counter again. She took deep breaths and focused on the feel of the wood under her palms, the warmth of the coffee steam… Anything to ground herself.
“How come Morgath is both mage and captain?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of something like this before.”
“When the portals tore open, our horde was caught at a vulnerable moment. Our captain and two raiders were away at a war council, leaving us leaderless as we were ripped from our world. We materialized directly in the path of another hostile horde. It was chaos. With no captain to give orders and no raiders to lead the charge, the horde was on the verge of annihilation. It was Morgath, then serving only as the mage, who stepped up. He rallied the warriors, organized our defenses, and led us to a bloody victory. After that, we waited. A month passed. The war with the humans began to rage. It became clear we were stranded and our old leadership was gone forever. The horde chose Morgath as our new captain. He accepted, appointed two new raiders, and has led us ever since.”
“That sounds like a lot,” Audrey whispered.
“I hope the new apprentice works out. The captain needs a break. He’s been doing two jobs for too long.”
Audrey agreed, but she was distracted. Her mind was stuck on the image of Jorrad the Brutal laughing in the next room. She set down her coffee cup.
“I need to go home.”
The second she said it, she rushed to the back door and out into the fresh spring air. She filled her lungs with it, trying to ground herself before she made a decision. But the next steps were obvious now.
She rushed home and found her phone. She turned it on. Eight percent battery left. That was barely enough, so she needed to hurry. The two power banks were empty. She needed to make the best of what she had left.
Audrey almost ran to the hut in the forest. The trip that usually took her twenty minutes, took her a little over ten this time. She slowed down as she approached and checked to see if Morgath was in through the window. His workshop was empty. Morgath was somewhere else, probably testing Nezhar.
She hurried in and took pictures of all the vials on his shelf. She photographed each label carefully, then sent the pictures to Shauna with a text to translate them.
Her phone died. Audrey swore under her breath and shoved it into her pocket. But it was fine. She had the radio, and The Tusk Hunters would let her know that way. Once they translated the labels, she’d know which of the potions might come in handy.
She went to the locked door and took out the skeleton key, but she heard voices outside before she could unlock it. She gave up, knowing she wouldn’t have time, and went to look through the window.
Morgath was talking to a young orc who had distinctive human features. Smaller tusks, pointy ears, light green skin. He was shorter than Morgath and leaner, dressed in mage’s robes and a chain of linked metals around his neck.
The young mage listened to the captain with attention, nodding and asking questions. He seemed confident, standing straight and looking him in the eye when he spoke.
Audrey walked out before they could come inside and find her. She hoped she’d be less suspicious that way, showing them she had nothing to hide.
She ran to Morgath, looking as innocent as she could manage, and threw her arms around his neck.
“I wanted to see you,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. “I missed you.”
Morgath laughed. He kissed the top of her head but didn’t get more intimate than that. He pulled back and gestured to the young orc.
“This is Nezhar the Sharp. My new apprentice.”
Nezhar bowed his head.
“It’s an honor to meet the captain’s mate.”
“It’s great to meet you too,” she said.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Morgath said, squeezing her arm gently. “How are you feeling? Better?”
“Oh, yes. Much. I think we can remove the bandages.”
“I’ll do it later.”
“No worries, I can do it myself. I’ll ask the girls for help.”
Morgath nodded and added that he needed to test Nezhar some more, so he would be busy all day. She kissed him again, rising up on her toes, then watched him and his apprentice disappear into the hut.
As she walked back to town, Audrey thought of her plan.
She wanted to slit Jorrad’s throat herself.
Maybe with a magic infused blade. She would need to find one, though.
Maybe Morgath kept the weapons he was infusing with magic in the locked room.
That made sense, right? Or maybe, if his vials contained poison, she could poison Jorrad, then slit his throat with one of her daggers.
Either way, she was getting this done. Then she was out of here. She would put it all behind her. Maybe even retire from the Tusk Hunters.