Chapter 7
Graz
D isturbing, to say the least.
All my food had been devoured by some creature, or perhaps many creatures, and somehow I slept through it all. Now, that human woman is standing right in front of me, her curious blue eyes searching me for clues.
Strangely, I’m pleased to see that she made the journey through contested territory without being caught.
Well, what are we waiting for? she says, planting her hands on her hips. She has a big pack on, and a familiar gun strapped to her hip. I gaze up the steps, then lift each leg a few more times to finish shaking out the stiffness in them.
Lead the way , I say, gesturing for her to go first. Her brows rise, but then she nods. Once I’ve gathered up what’s left of my belongings, she heads off up the stone stairs.
The wall has been rather neatly cut away here, leaving a staircase that’s treacherous but stable. I try my hardest as we ascend not to look off to my right, over the empty vastness below.
What’s your name? I ask after a time, my breaths coming faster as we continue upward. I need to focus on something besides the height of our climb. I really don’t like the steep fall immediately next to us.
The woman pauses, then continues on.
Vienne , she says. Never thought you’d ask.
I consider this. Vienne. I don’t know much about human names, but this seems like a good one.
And you? she asks. What do I call you, orc?
I snort. Graz. Or you can call me “orc.”
She chuckles up ahead of me, tracing the wall of the cliff with one hand as she climbs. Maybe I’ll stick with “orc.”
As we hike, I’m pleased to find my vision has cleared of haze and I can stand up straighter, and though I’m not at my full strength, I have enough in me to keep pace with her. Nothing would be more embarrassing than being shown up by a human.
Vienne hikes on ahead of me, and now that my head has cleared some, I finally grasp what’s in front of me. I’d noticed her rather big bosom when we met in the swamp, but I hadn’t gotten an eyeful of her rear like I’m getting now. With each stride up the steps, her round ass flexes, and I’m utterly mesmerized by it. Her pants are tight, revealing every curve and crease.
I rub my face, keeping one hand on the cliffside so I don’t lose my balance. I can’t be ogling a human like this—it’s completely disgusting. But even after I pause to get my head on straight, my eyes dart back to each of those two perfect globes in front of me.
Then, abruptly, Vienne slows down. We’re here.
A small platform waits at the top of the staircase, just big enough for the little human to scoot over and make room for me. Set into the stone are a few steps that lead to a doorway—blocked by a perfectly smooth, flat rock.
We both stare at it for a long time without speaking. We’ve traveled an immense distance to get here, and now we’re faced with nothing but a blank stone wall.
What do we do? Vienne asks, crossing her arms in front of the doorway. There’s no way I came out here for this.
It does appear decidedly final. There’s nowhere else to go, and no obvious way to open it.
Maybe there’s a mechanism , I suggest, already poking around the edges of the apparent door for any sign of how it might open. Like in the swamp.
Curious, Vienne leans over me, intrigued as I search the floor. But there’s no sign of any way to move the massive rock blocking our path.
Well, what if it’s done the same way? She reaches one hand out and places it flat on the door. Remember?
Right. One human hand and one trollkin hand were required. Perhaps the same will work here, too.
Instead of answering, I press my own palm to the stone beside hers. My green hand with four fingers dwarfs her tan, five-fingered one. I have a stray thought that I like her little hands with the dirty fingernails.
Then, we hear a rumbling. The stone underneath us shakes, and Vienne screeches as she loses her balance. The platform is small, and as she teeters backward, a horrible vision flashes through my mind of her stumbling off the side. I hastily reach out and grab her by the hand, tugging her forward again—which has the side effect of throwing her into me.
I stumble down the steps, into the shallow nook made by the doorway, and hold her tight so she can’t fall. All of her curves press into me, and now I am fully aware of just how she’s shaped.
Thank you , Vienne says, clinging onto me in return as the earth rumbles underneath us.
I’m about to answer that it was a split-second decision, but then beside me... the rock begins to move.
We both jerk away as the stone blocking the doorway scrapes and groans, slowly parting from the wall. Vienne reaches for her gun, as if some sort of creature inside might spring out and attack us. I’m riveted as a dark space is revealed.
Finally, the doorway is fully exposed, and the shaking ceases. On the other side is a dark stone tunnel, leading deeper into the cliffside. Vienne points her gun inside and, before I can say a word, steps in front of me, as if whatever we might encounter, she’s more equipped to handle it than I am.
What are you afraid of? I ask her with a chuckle. A flesh-eating mummy?
She leads the way, clicking off the safety on her gun. You never know what’s behind a locked door.
* * *
Vienne
Snakes, spiders, scorpions—they’re all just as likely of threats as booby traps are. I’ve encountered looters and treasure hunters in old tombs, and I’ve been forced to defend myself. This guy clearly hasn’t been inside that many dark, ancient ruins if he’s not more afraid right now.
There’s a rustling behind me, and I find Graz kneeling on the ground, rifling through his bag. He withdraws the lamp I saw him carrying last time, and he lights it with a fire starter.
Ready, he says, holding it up.
Nice gadget.
His face flushes a dark green. Thanks. Made it myself.
I suppose we’re doing this after all, and we’re doing it together. I just hope I don’t have to hurt him to do what I set out to do here.
At least I’m the one with the gun.
With the additional light, I can make out the shape of a hallway carved into the stone that leads directly into the mountain. As we go deeper, I make out writing along the walls that now looks familiar to me.
I took all the etchings to my Mom to see if she could make sense of it , I say as we walk along the hallway, trailing my fingers over the black markings.
Your mother?
She’s an archivist , I say. She loves this kind of stuff, like figuring out dead languages.
So far, this place is empty, not a single skittering beetle to be found. We must be deep in the mountain as we progress.
Sounds like an interesting woman. Graz pauses. Wait. Look.
Up ahead, there’s light—faint purple light. A very familiar purple light.
Magic.
We both hurry our steps, and I don’t know if it’s because we’re both excited or if we’re racing to see who can get there first. But Graz’s legs are longer than mine, and he makes it to the end of the hallway before I do.
He comes to a sudden stop, and I fall in place beside him when I see it, too.
Spread out below us is a huge open cavern, with a waterfall on the opposite side flowing down into a pool at the bottom. The purple glow emanates from carvings all over the walls, the grooves filled with magic. Jackpot.
I could just jump for joy that my trip here has paid off. I didn’t come all this way for nothing. But then I remember what Mom and I talked about, and my blood cools. What will this orc do with it now that we’ve found it? This is a great and terrible power. Our peoples might be at a truce right now, but this discovery could lead to incredible bloodshed.
Wow , Graz says with wonder in his voice as he gazes around us at the glowing carvings. What is this place?
Moss and vines hang down from overhead, as if somewhere high above there’s sunlight. In the center of the huge cavern stands a tall pedestal with a broad stone top. It appears to be the only feature besides the glowing carvings—which are all surprisingly familiar.
There are two faces, just like before. On one wall, a human and a trollkin gaze at one another, their hands clasped. On the other side of the waterfall, though, there’s more. A small human body is pictured alongside a larger, trollkin one, their limbs tangled up together.
What are they supposed to be doing?
Some kind of ritual site, maybe? I ask as we look down over the cavern. I’ve never seen anything like this.
Graz nods. You might be right. I wonder what sort of ritual.
I start down the stone steps toward the floor, still holding my gun.
What about the rest of your group? Graz asks, making me pause. Where are they?
It takes a moment to register what he means. He’s asking about Raiden and the others, who I left behind without even telling them where I was headed.
They’re not here. It’s just me. I spread my arms wide. So if you want to kill me, no one will know where to look, and no one will find my body.
I mean it as a joke, but it’s certainly possible he’ll just push me off the stairs and call it good. I’ve probably made a mistake in trusting him so far, but as usual, I’ve let my curiosity get the better of me.
Graz narrows his eyes, like he’s suspicious of my motives, too. And I suppose he has no reason to trust me, given who we are and where we come from. Just like I worry he’ll hand over the source of magic to the Grand Chieftain, which would rain down hell on his human enemies, wiping out my entire civilization—he could very well be dreading the same thing.
If the King got his hands on this, he would eviscerate the trollkin. Wipe them off the face of the land.
The orc studies me, and I can’t figure out what he’s thinking behind those yellow eyes with the amber irises. Perhaps he is weighing the scales, too.
All right , he says at last, gesturing for me to head down the stairs. You go first.