Chapter 19
Dawn came before Nargol was ready for it. It appeared too soft for a world that had shifted so violently the previous night. She welcomed it. Seeing a new day brought her closer to the moment she’d be able to leave this place and take her mate home.
Light filtered through slits of the hollowed tree in pale strands of gold. Dust motes drifted lazily in the beams. The forest beyond grew alive with the waking life—birds calling, leaves stirring in the wind, the distant rush of water over stone while nature began its day.
Nargol was awake long before the sunbeams graced her face.
She had not truly slept. A little here and there. Her arms were wrapped around Orlena, and she had not loosened them once. She lay still now, watching her mate.
Orlena was curled against her chest, one hand fisted Nargol’s shirt as if she were afraid she might disappear. Her mate would never have to worry about them being separated again. A faint crease marred Orlena’s brow even in sleep.
It had taken her a while to drift off into a restful sleep last night, but then her soft voice had broken through the darkness.
“I love you.”
The words replayed in Nargol’s mind for the thousandth time.
Nargol wasn’t sure if she was supposed to have heard it, but those words, even though soft, had sounded like a beacon through a storm.
It had swelled her chest with pride. This was deep. Her mate loved her.
Her.
After everything they had been through, her mate still loved her.
An orc.
It wasn’t that long ago when Orlena had tried to explain the ways of Soza and how Nargol shouldn’t compliment her beauty.
Well, um…humans keep to themselves and orcs do the same.
This orc refused to stay away from her human. She may be an orc raised on tradition and a warrior shaped by duty, but she knew what the goddess above had presented to her.
Her mate.
Nargol lowered her head and brushed her lips gently over Orlena’s hair.
“I will not fail you,” she murmured against the soft strands.
This was one promise she was not going to fail. She could not. Her and Orlena’s safety depended on it.
She just prayed that her sister and father were marching toward Soza with their army. With Grat on the loose, he was likely scheming in the shadows.
And with the threat of Rujin…she certainly couldn’t fail. If Rujin stepped foot in Aghon, there would be war.
And this time, it would not end in exile and wandering.
It possibly could end in annihilation.
Orlena stirred in her embrace. Nargol’s arm instinctively tightened around her, then she relaxed her hold. Orlena blinked up at her with sleep-filled eyes.
“Why are you staring at me?” Orlena murmured.
“Because I can,” Nargol replied quietly.
A faint smile tugged at Orlena’s lips. She shook her head as a soft snort escaped her.
“Did you sleep at all?” Orlena asked.
“Enough,” she replied. It was the truth. She didn’t require much sleep. Especially when she had a very precious person in her arms who needed to be protected.
Silence fell between them. Orlena reached up and touched Nargol’s jaw.
“I never thanked you for saving me,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to.” Nargol didn’t want her thanks. She had all the payment she would ever need by Orlena loving her. She covered Orlena’s hand with hers. “But you never should have been in danger in the first place. I should have—”
“You didn’t know. I didn’t know. Yambul fooled the both of us. I have always thought him to be a grouchy old orc who had little respect for me as a human. I never would have thought he was involved in something as crazy as this,” Orlena said. She pushed up and brushed her hair from her face.
Nargol couldn’t help but stare at her. In the morning sunshine rays, she was the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen.
“You love me,” Nargol blurted out.
Orlena’s lips lifted into a soft smile. She glanced down shyly.
“You heard me,” she whispered.
“Was I not supposed to?” Nargol tipped her chin upward so she could see her eyes.
“Yes. I wanted you to know, if we should die—”
“We will not,” Nargol said immediately. She was going to do everything in her power to ensure her mate would be able to do all of the things she had dreamed about.
“I understand that going to see Cardu is dangerous. Maybe more so than what we’ve just survived, but I wanted to let you know my true feelings. I’ve known for a while. I just didn’t know it,” she admitted.
Emotions swelled so suddenly and violently inside Nargol that it stole her breath. She drew Orlena into a fierce kiss where she poured all of her feelings into it. Her mate may not be an orc who would feel the pull from a mating bond, but that didn’t matter.
She loved Nargol.
Orlena’s arms wrapped around Nargol’s neck as she returned the kiss with the same heated passion.
When they finally parted, Nargol rested her forehead against Orlena’s.
“I love you, too, mate,” Nargol whispered.
Orlena’s small hand came to rest on her cheek. Just in that moment, she wished they could stay hidden there forever, but unfortunately, they could not.
She drew back. “We must move.”
It would be dangerous to take Orlena with her, but it would be more dangerous to leave her. At this moment, there was no one Nargol trusted. Makhel was gone, but hopefully she would return soon with the army.
That could be days away.
Nargol didn’t have days.
She quickly repacked her bag and led Orlena outside into the cool morning air. Mist clung to the blades of grass that surrounded the large trees. Torch grazed a short distance away. He lifted his massive head and glanced their way, then returned to his morning meal.
“Come. We can wash up before we leave.” Nargol took Orlena’s hand and led her toward the small creek that was nearby.
“Is there any way you can call for backup before we go to the clan leader?” Orlena asked.
“Backup is already on the way. We just don’t have time,” Nargol said.
They reached the creek. The water ran clear over smooth stones. Nargol knelt and splashed water over her face, scrubbing away dried blood and dirt. Orlena joined her and washed her hands.
It wasn’t much, but at least it was something.
“This Rujin, he will take over Aghon?” Orlena asked.
Nargol took a towel out of her bag and quickly dried her face and hands. She then passed it to Orlena.
“He will decimate everything in his path,” Nargol said. The old stories came to mind. Fires, blackened valleys flickering. The exhale. The humiliation her people had faced. “We were nearly destroyed once. My ancestors wandered for generations because of troll conquest. We cannot return to that.”
“He must be stopped then,” Orlena said, so matter-of-factly. She turned back to the water and continued washing the dirt and grime from her exposed skin.
Nargol didn’t want to take her with her. Orlena shouldn’t have to see any of this. She should be back home in Udenia in the stronghold, where she would be safe.
Once they were done, she whistled for Torch. Now they would need to ride to see the clan leader.
The stronghold rose from the edge of Soza like a stone tooth forced up through the earth. It was not as grand as Angarth Keep—nothing could rival the sweeping battlements and towering spires of her father’s hall—but in a village as small as Soza, Cardu’s show of power was imposing.
Built from the dark-gray mountain stone, each block had been cut and stacked with brutal precision. Thick outer walls sloped slightly inward, designed to resist battering. Narrow lit windows punctured the upper levels positioned for archers rather than light.
A watchtower rose from the western corner, and banners bearing Soza’s insignia hung limp in the air.
Everything was too still.
Nargol slowed Torch with a subtle shift of her weight. She studied the scenery.
It should have felt alive. A stronghold always carried movement with guards rotating, servants scurrying across the courtyard, villagers visiting, children running around…
This felt off. Where were the people who should be here?
Orlena shifted in front of Nargol and glanced over her shoulder at her.
“What is it?” she whispered.
Nargol shook her head. Her gaze landed on the guards stationed near the entrance. There were six visible. Two flanking the main doors, two on the elevated walkway above, and two positioned near the center of the courtyard.
The energy was all wrong.
They each stood rigid, muscles tense, their eyes sharp. When they noticed Nargol approaching, they looked at each other first.
A flicker of uncertainty shared between them that sent alarms blaring inside Nargol.
Torch’s heavy steps thudded against the packed earth as they drew closer. The scent hit Nargol next. She picked up on the faint metallic hint in the air.
Blood.
She scoped the area and didn’t see any signs of it. One of the guards stepped forward.
“Turn around and go back to where you come from!” he shouted.
“No.” Nargol’s single response garnered the same reaction as before.
The guards eyed each other again.
She brought Torch forward to a few feet away from the entrance. She leaned close to Orlena’s ear. “Stay on Torch for now.”
Orlena gave a slight nod. Nargol slid from Torch in one smooth motion. Her boots struck the ground softly. Her hand came to rest on the hilt of her dagger. She was adorned with her weapons. She wouldn’t dare come here and not be armed.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked boldly.
The guard’s gaze zipped to Orlena, then back to her. It was easy to read that he did not recognize her.
Behind him, another guard adjusted his grip on his sword. Nargol lifted her chin and scented the air again.
Yes, she picked up the hint of blood, but where was it coming from?
“Who commands within?” she demanded.
“Cardu, of course. State your business.” The second guard strode forward.
The tension heightened. This one was bold to think he would be able to keep her from going inside the building.
“My business is my own. I demand to seek out Cardu,” she said.
“You will do no such thing—”