Chapter 18
A strong metallic scent clung to the air. Orlena could taste it at the back of her throat. It was everywhere. In the wind. In the dirt beneath her boots.
She stumbled over something.
A small scream tore from her throat.
A body.
She caught herself before she fell. She glanced down and swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise. It was one of the orcs who had been sitting around the fire, his thick braids matted with blood. His throat had been slit from one side to the other.
Her stomach twisted again.
She glanced around and took in the scene. It was a slaughter field. Her gaze landed on Nargol who walked through it like nothing had ever happened here. Orlena scurried to catch up to her. Fear wrapped itself around her.
The moonlight shifted and landed on Nargol. Blood had dried in sharp lines across her cheekbone. Her braids were loosened, and the hair hung casually down her back. Her shoulders rose and fell steadily as though she had merely finished splitting wood or something.
Orlena’s heart thudded so violently she thought she might faint. She moved closer to Nargol. The silence that surrounded them was eerie. It would appear even nature had ceased all movements and had fallen quiet.
They paused near the edge of the camp. Nargol turned and scrutinized the area. Orlena stared at her, unable to believe that one person had caused this. Just not long ago, these same orcs had sat around a fire laughing and talking about their future. They’d even boasted how they would be rewarded.
Now there was no future for them.
At least, not in this realm.
“You did all of this?” Orlena whispered in disbelief.
How could one person do this type of destruction? Those orcs had been large and fierce. They’d said that Nargol was a spy…a warrior. What kind of warrior would be able to take on all of these orcs and walk away with only minor scratches and a bruise or two?
Her breath hitched as a thought hit her. She spun toward the cave, panic suddenly setting in. She took a step then paused when she saw the area where she and the women had been held was empty. “Where are the women?”
Nargol turned to face her. Something in her eyes softened at the question.
“I freed them and gave them directions to a nearby shelter. They should be safe for a day or two until we can send someone for them,” Nargol said.
Relief crashed into Orlena so hard her knees nearly buckled.
Alive.
The women were alive.
She nodded, though her hands shook. So much had transpired in such a short amount of time. She hadn’t had a chance to learn all of their names, but she hoped they would all be okay. If Nargol said that they would be safe, then she had to trust her.
A shudder rippled through her. She couldn’t stop staring at the bodies. At what Nargol had done.
This proved what her orc was capable of.
“Stop looking,” Nargol murmured. She pulled Orlena close to her and shielded her from what had taken place here.
She lifted Orlena’s chin so their eyes could meet.
“Those orcs were not honorable. They were going to give you and the other women to the trolls. They are starting a war. If they get their way, many will die. Now me and my family will finish what they started.”
Her voice ended on a growl. She glanced up and looked around. She took Orlena by the hand. “We need to move. Now.”
They headed down the mountain path. Gravel shifted under her tread, and she stumbled. Nargol was sure-footed as she led the way. She tightened her grip on Orlena’s hand to help steady her. Night wrapped around them in a thick silence. The forest felt different now.
Every snap of a twig made Orlena flinch and jerk. Every gust of wind felt like a whisper of something hunting them. Orlena checked behind them and saw nothing but darkness and shadows. The hairs on the back of her neck rose to attention. It felt as if something was watching them.
Her mind just wouldn’t settle. It spun and collided with itself. She glanced at the orc walking ahead of her.
Spy.
Warrior.
Protector.
Lover.
“Was it true?” She swallowed hard. The question had tumbled from her lips before she could stop it breaking the silence between them. She just had to know. So much had been said about Nargol, yet she had barely said anything at all to Orlena.
“Was what true?” Nargol slowed.
“That you were sent to Soza as a spy.” The words felt even weird to say. She had believed that Bula—Nargol—was exactly what she’d said she was. A nomad. A drifter. A person with no ties to any home.
Now it would appear she did have ties.
The daughter of the chieftain. A fierce warrior. Someone who was strong enough to eliminate a group of orcs all by herself.
“I was sent to gather information. To find the ones responsible for a resurrection against my father, the kingdom. It is my responsibility to bring those people to justice,” Nargol admitted.
“Someone planned an attack against my parents in front of the public. They were trying to get a rise out of orcs to go against the royal family. We will not stand for it. I was sent to find the enemy.”
Orlena paused. She tried to concentrate on where she was walking. The mountain path dipped sharply. Nargol reached back without looking and jerked Orlena to her to keep her from falling.
Her hardened body revealed the muscles. She was toned, and Orlena had assumed it was from living off the land.
Not training as a lethal warrior. She breathed in the familiar scent of the female she’d come to trust. In the shadows underneath the trees, she could see Nargol staring at her. Nargol’s hand came up to cup her cheek.
“I may have been sent here for a mission, but I found something else. Someone who I will fight for. Someone who completes me.”
Orlena’s heart pounded. She held Nargol’s gaze. Her expression was raw and unguarded. Deep inside, Orlena knew Nargol was being truthful.
“And who is that?” she whispered.
“I found you.”
The world seemed to narrow to that space between them.
Orlena thought of how Nargol always looked at her as if she were something precious. Or how she cared for her. How Nargol’s kisses and touches made her feel.
None of that had been faked.
She felt it to her bones that everything between them had been real. The last thin thread of doubt inside her snapped.
“You had no choice but to lie to me about who you really are,” Orlena said softly.
“No.” Nargol’s jaw flexed. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Orlena’s forehead. “That will be the last time a lie will ever spill from my lips to you.”
She entwined their fingers and continued their journey down the mountain. They walked in a silence after that. Nargol was still on guard. The way her body tensed at the slightest sounds alerted Orlena to the fact that they could still be in potential danger.
The trees thinned on their descent. The mountain gave way to dense forest at its base. The darkness deepened there, swallowing the moonlight. Orlena blinked, trying to wait for her eyes to adjust.
Orlena’s pulse spiked at how dark it had got around them. In the low light, she could barely see Nargol’s form in front of her. It was darker than any night she had known in the village.
No lanterns.
No rays from the moon.
Only endless trees.
She instinctively moved closer to Nargol who gave her hand a squeeze.
“You are safe with me,” Nargol said quietly.
Flashes from the camp and the bodies that lay around the dying fire came to mind.
Orlena believed her.
They reached the bottom of the mountain where the air felt heavier and damp. The earth was softer beneath her boots. They finally stepped outside of the thick forest where the moonlight was once again shining down on them.
Nargol paused and lifted two fingers to her mouth and gave a piercing whistle. Orlena glanced around, unsure of why she was whistling.
Soon it became known why.
The sound cut clean through the forest. The ground trembled. Orlena stiffened. From between the trees burst a massive shape, running at full speed toward them.
A shukan.
Its thick fur fluttered in the wind as it ran. Its eyes were fixed on Nargol. It slowed down and came to a stop. If huffed once then nudged Nargol with its head.
“Miss me?” Nargol asked. She gave the shukan a pat on its shoulder. Nargol mounted the beast then reached down for her.
Orlena hesitated for only a second, placing her hand in Nargol’s. Strong fingers wrapped around hers and pulled her up effortlessly. She settled against Nargol’s chest, acutely aware of the solid warmth behind her.
Nargol gave a sharp command, and the shukan launched forward. Everything became a blur. Wind tore at Orlena’s hair, but she barely noticed. She clutched Nargol’s forearm, and they rode deeper into the wild.
It felt like hours had passed since they’d taken off from the mountain. Eventually, the shukan slowed down to a trot. It pushed through a grove of ancient trees whose trunks were so wide it would take five men to encircle one.
Nargol guided the creature toward one in particular. Orlena glanced around, unfamiliar with the area.
“We aren’t going back to Soza?” she asked.
“No, we are not going to the village. It would be too dangerous for the both of us,” Nargol murmured near her ear.
Orlena nodded. She didn’t want to go to Soza now anyway.
She didn’t want to face the aftermath of everything that had happened.
Yambul had marched her through the village, and no one had dared step in to help.
Her cries had gone ignored. They had literally turned their backs to her when she’d begged and screamed for help.
Nargol stopped in front of a tree. It had been hollowed out by time, its center burned out long ago. The opening was tall enough for Nargol to step inside without having to bend down.
Orlena stared at it. Surely, Nargol wasn’t planning for them to use this as shelter.
“We are sleeping in there?” Orlena asked.