Chapter 36
The Bautul were waiting together in a cozy, rounded room, in what felt like the heart of the mountain.
Svein had remained in the schoolroom with Rosa and Daisy and the other children, a plan Raye had only reluctantly agreed to.
But Svein had begged to stay longer, and Kalfr and Gaelfr had both supported it, too.
Expecting, perhaps, that this meeting would include subjects they would prefer their young son not to hear.
But as Raye stepped inside the door of the Bautul’s warm, firelit room, she suddenly understood another reason they’d left Svein behind.
Because while this room was perhaps the most welcoming room she’d seen here yet, with its multiple benches and furs circled around a lovely stone furnace, it was also occupied by multiple orcs and humans, and many of them were…
cavorting. Touching each other, tasting each other, taking each other.
Raye stilled at the sight, her eyes catching on where a huge nearby orc was stroking inside another orc’s trousers, spurting white onto both their bare heaving bellies.
While another huge orc knelt on the floor between a human man’s thighs, bobbing his head over his groin, as the man’s brown hands fluttered in his hair.
And on a large, fur-covered platform before the fire, one fully naked orc was on his knees behind another, slamming into him with hard, rhythmic strokes, while they both gasped and moaned.
“We will leave you here, then,” cut in a distant voice — Rathgarr, who together with Kesst had escorted them down here, and was now smiling at them from beside the door.
“Be assured that we will take good care with your precious son until you are finished here. And if there is aught else we can help with, please only speak this.”
Raye nodded in return, though with everything still happening before her eyes in this shocking room, she scarcely heard Gaelfr’s curt reply.
But after a brief bow, Rathgarr headed off up the corridor with Kesst again, leaving Raye and Kalfr and Gaelfr behind, with…
this. This room. But surely this wasn’t where they would be meeting the Bautul leaders… was it?
“Shouldn’t we go somewhere more… private, for a serious discussion like this?” Raye managed toward Gaelfr beside her. “Maybe one of those meeting rooms we saw earlier?”
But Gaelfr shook his head, his eyes fixed straight ahead. “There are no secrets amongst the Bautul,” he muttered back. “Matters of war and battle are shared between us all, as are matters of peace and pleasure, also.”
Raye swallowed, and glanced back toward Kalfr, who had slightly fallen behind them. And though he didn’t look surprised by Gaelfr’s claim, or by the goings-on in this room, he also looked… wary. Uneasy. Grim.
It was a look he’d borne since they’d left the schoolroom, enough that Raye had wondered if he’d heard some of their earlier conversation in the corridor, or perhaps scented the gist of it.
But maybe… maybe his reluctance had been more about this.
About this meeting. About the question they’d come to ask.
About him potentially risking his clanmates’ lives, along with his own.
Raye exchanged a glance with Gaelfr, and then, as if in silent accord, they both eased back beside Kalfr.
Flanking him, standing side by side with him, settling their hands together against the warm, sweaty skin of his back.
And perhaps it was helping, because Kalfr took a breath, and strode forward into the room.
Straight toward where a massive, heavily scarred orc was sitting sprawled on a bench, with a plump, pale, pretty woman curled up against him.
They’d been deep in conversation with another couple on the bench — a tall, shaggy-haired orc, and a slim, dark-haired woman.
But upon Kalfr’s approach, both couples stopped speaking, and stood up to greet him.
Both of the women cautiously smiled, glancing curiously between Raye and Gaelfr, while the shaggy-haired orc looked decidedly smug.
All in stark contrast to the huge scarred orc, who viciously frowned as he came a menacing step toward them.
“Brothers,” he said, in a deep, gravelly voice, raising his big fist to his heart. “You have finally seen fit to come home, then.”
His beady eyes glinted particularly on Gaelfr, who betrayed an unmistakable grimace as he returned the orc’s gesture, his fist bumping against his heart. “Ach, Captain,” he replied, with a bow of his head. “I am most sorry for any grief or loss my absence has wrought upon our kin.”
It sounded surprisingly genuine, enough that Raye grimaced, too, and gulped down a bracing breath. “But — Gaelfr didn’t have a choice, about leaving,” she broke in. “You can’t — blame him for his absence, all these years. Because it was due to — my demands on him. On Kalfr.”
Too late, she clamped her mouth shut, while the huge orc’s frown deepened, his eyes glittering with disapproval. “We well know of your demands, woman,” he said coldly. “You would be wise to refrain from making more of them, most of all to your captain.”
Raye twitched, her face burning — gods, what had she been thinking, to throw herself into the middle of this, with a dangerous-looking orc who was apparently their captain?
But beside the orc, the plump woman twitched too, and when she squeezed a hand at his massive scarred bicep, his expression briefly softened into something almost fond as he glanced toward her.
“But also, we’re so glad you’ve come,” the woman said, thrusting out her hand toward Raye.
“You must be Raye, right? I’m Stella of Clan Bautul, and this is my mate, Captain Silfast. And this” — she nodded toward the smug orc and the slim woman — “is Joarr, our mountain’s Chief Scout, and his mate Gwyn, our midwife. ”
Orc Mountain had a midwife? Raye blinked, but this Gwyn nodded and smiled back, and shook Raye’s hand, too. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said. “And if I can ever offer you my services as a midwife — any pregnancy planning or prevention, that kind of thing — I’d be happy to help.”
Raye’s face unaccountably burned hotter, but she attempted a smile back, and shook her head. “I’m sure we’re fine for now, thank you,” she said thickly. “And I know we came here today to discuss — other matters. Right?”
She shot a helpless glance toward Kalfr and Gaelfr, who both were looking back at her with odd expressions on their faces — but then Gaelfr harrumphed, and nodded. “This is truth,” he said flatly. “Ach, ástin mín?”
Raye could feel Gaelfr’s hand still stroking Kalfr’s back, encouraging him, and Kalfr nodded. “I have come to you today, Captain,” he said toward Silfast, “as the voreur of the Fyrsta Byrgie. I wish to make a request of you, and all our kin.”
The room around them had gone noticeably quieter than before, but Kalfr held his gaze to Silfast. Waiting, stiff and unmoving, until Silfast inclined his head. “We shall hear your plea, voreur,” he replied. “Speak this.”
Kalfr squared his shoulders, and took a breath. “I seek a war-band,” he said, his voice carrying low and clear through the room. “I seek a band of strong Bautul orcs to stand beside me. I wish them to help me guard my home and my kin from the threats that have arisen against them.”
If Raye wasn’t mistaken, that was a flicker of relief in this Silfast’s eyes, and in Stella and Gwyn’s exchanged glance, too.
But before any of them could reply, Kalfr drew himself straighter, his eyes flinty on Silfast’s face.
“And if aught befalls me,” he continued, “I wish you to swear that this war-band will stay with Gaelfr after me. I wish you to swear that it will guard my mate and my son, even well beyond my death.”
Wait. That hadn’t been part of what they’d agreed to ask for…
had it? But no, Gaelfr surely hadn’t expected it either, his eyes angling narrow toward Kalfr, and then toward Raye.
Holding on her with something like accusation, but Raye gave a minute shake of her head, and watched his jaw flex in his cheek, his gaze narrowing back on Kalfr again.
“And,” Kalfr continued, his own eyes still fixed on Silfast, “if aught befalls Gaelfr or my war-band, I yet wish you and the clan to swear to guard my mate and son. You will grant them safe refuge, and offer them your help. You will treat them with no judgement or shame. And when Svein comes of age” — his voice hardened — “you will keep him from seeking any vengeance in my stead. You will keep him safe.”
Damn it. Raye’s eyes closed, her stomach dropping, because curse Kalfr, this wasn’t him planning to use the band to help him find a way to defend against Sybil and her men, was it?
No, this was… this was his exact same plan from before.
This was him saying, shouting, that he would still sacrifice himself for this.
He was still planning to offer himself up to Sybil. He was still planning his death.
But now — surely based on their conversation from the night before — he was seeking to keep Svein guarded and safe. He was seeking to gain a guarantee of protection for him, with this war-band. And gods, was that the only reason Kalfr had agreed to come here today, and make this request?
And — Raye’s stomach plunged deeper — was that also why Kalfr had kept publicly calling her their mate, this entire damned visit? Had he been preparing for this? Had he wanted his kin to believe it, wanted this entire mountain to believe it, so they would help her? So they would help Svein?