Chapter 19 Thavros
Thavros
Isat in the meeting with Frema and Khuldruk, taking notes as Frema shared what had happened on their travels.
While I was able to pay more attention than I had at the last war room meeting, I still found my thoughts wandering, though this time they didn’t wander to the woman trapped in stone above us …
No, they were drifting to a real flesh and blood woman somewhere nearby, yet too far away.
“What do you think, Brother?” Khuldruk asked.
I shook my head, hating to have to again admit I hadn’t been listening. “Could you repeat the question?”
“The Westerly Clan has gone silent, but the scouts from the pack and from the Elven village have yet to return. What do you think?”
I chewed on my lip for a moment before giving my head a little shake.
“It doesn’t make any sense. They have been brazenly attacking villages for years now. Then, after they attack you and your mate, they vanish. They are up to something.”
“I agree,” said Khuldruk, and Ragnor and Frema both nodded along with him.
“What do you think we should do?” I asked Frema.
“I would suggest a mission to get close, but with the vanishing of scouts, it doesn’t seem wise,” I said.
“No,” Khuldruk said firmly. “We do not have enough information to send any of our warriors. We need to lure them out.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?” asked Ragnor.
I looked over at him, the same question in my mind.
“Perhaps we have another mating ceremony and invite even more of the neighboring clans and villages. They might not be able to resist.”
My eyes shot to him. What was he playing at?
“While it is a good idea, there is one problem I see,” Frema said.
“What is that?” asked Khuldruk.
“Well … Don’t we need another mated couple to plan a mating ceremony?”
My heart thumped in my chest. I knew he was talking about me, but I wasn’t even sure she was my mate. I thought she was, but I should know. Orcs know.
“Thavros, thoughts?” Khuldruk asked, biting back a grin.
I glared at him while Frema looked between us in confusion.
“I'm missing something.”
“Well,” Khuldruk said, leaning back in his chair. “Let’s reconvene in a week and look for more updates and ideas. Until then, let’s just enjoy the return of our magic.”
The sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room as the orcs all stood, preparing to leave.
“Frema, Thavros, a word,” Khuldruk said before I could leave.
I knew I needed to talk to them about what was going on, but all I wanted to do was find Seraphina. I needed to make sure she was cared for and happy.
The rest of the warriors cleared out, and I turned to face my brother and sister.
“What’s going on?” Frema asked.
Khuldruk nodded over to me, and Frema turned to face me with questioning eyes.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Tell Frema why we need another mating ceremony.”
Frema’s gaze flew to meet mine; her eyes danced with anticipation. “Have you found someone? Was it Varka? I thought she might do it for you. I’m so glad–”
“No.” Khuldruk just crossed his arms over his chest and waited for me to continue.
“And I’m not even certain she’s my mate. Plus, there is still so much to figure out before we announce anything.”
“Will someone please tell me what is going on?” Frema demanded.
“It’s kind of a long story,” I said as I sat back down at the table. “But it is one, I suppose, I will tell you both. I only ask …” I paused, uncertain of how to proceed. “I only ask that you keep an open mind.”
They both sat down and watched me carefully, waiting for me to proceed. My gaze wandered up to the empty marble base that used to be where Seraphina lived, but now she was real, and I was just about to tell them the whole story.
“So… I suppose you heard about the woman who was in here the night of the feast.”
“Yes, Khuldruk said you knew her.”
I nodded.
“Wait, is she your mate?”
“No … I mean … Maybe.. I don’t know.”
“It all started a few weeks ago when I started having strange dreams.”
“Is this why you’ve been holing yourself up here?”
I nodded. There was no other way to say it but to just say it.
“The woman found here the night of the Yule Feast was a woman who was previously trapped in a statue. She’d been coming to life at night, and I’d been helping her try to figure out why.
But now she is here permanently, and we don’t know why. ”
“What?” Frema asked. While Khuldruk didn’t know the whole story, he’d had the bare bones and had been leaving me alone about it, but it looked like that was coming to an end.
I just shrugged.
“Was it the woman I saw in the hall earlier with Callie?”
I nodded.
“And she was a statue?”
I gestured to the statueless base on the floor above us.
Frema’s mouth dropped open, and Khuldruk’s brow furrowed.
“Only you could find a mate holed up in your study,” Frema said, amused. Khulkdruk let out a hearty laugh, seemingly amused as well.
“And you still don’t know anything about her origins or the magic that kept her trapped there?” she asked.
“We are working on it?” I said. “We’ve found some Godling magic that would be able to trap someone in stone, but we’ve yet to find out the specifics.”
“What does she have to say about it?” She asked.
“Well, she doesn’t remember much. It wasn’t until the feast that she didn’t return to stone in the morning, but it was also the night she finally remembered her name. Please just give us some time.”
Frema nodded as her brow furrowed in thought. “And you trust her?”
“I do.”
She turned to Khuldruk, as if he had the final say, and it made anger flare inside of me. No one would hurt her, I knew for sure of that.
“I do have questions … but –”
“Wait!” Frema exclaimed. “Is she your mate? Is that why you said that about the ceremony?”
Both of their eyes snapped to me. My mouth dropped as I searched for words. Was she my mate? I didn’t know. I was beginning to believe it, but there was still so much we didn't know. So many unanswered questions.
“Brother,” Khuldruk said gently. “Is she your mate?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know. I thought once you found your mate, you knew at once. How can you not know?”
“Well, I’m sorry if it doesn't make sense to you. Believe it or not, I’m struggling with that too,” I snapped at her before standing to pace.
“In all of these books,” I growled and gestured to the books that lined the upper level, “there is nothing on what to do if a statue comes to life, let alone if you think that statue might be your mate. So, I’m sorry if I need some time to wrap my head around all of this. ”
“You’re right,” Frema said quietly. “We’re here for you, brother. Whatever you need.” She cleared her throat. “I’m going to go speak with Ragnor about the possibility of training a spy.”
She gave them each a slight nod and turned on her heel and headed out of the room, leaving him alone with Khuldruk.
“Don’t say it,” I said. I knew he wanted to talk about the possibility of her being my mate, but I just wasn’t ready.
“I won’t. But I will say that mate or not, we need to know what kind of magic did this,” he said in a calm tone.
“In that we are agreed.”
“Good. I will leave you to your books.”
With a sigh of relief, I turned to make my way to the stairs.
“But, Thavros, please be open to the possibility.”
As I turned back to him, our eyes connected before I dipped my head in a slight nod. He returned the nod before turning to leave.
When the door shut behind him, I let out a long breath. She was my mate. I was almost sure of it, but what that meant for us, I wasn’t sure yet. With so many unknowns, I wasn’t certain what our next move should be.
The only thing I was certain of was that I would protect her with my life. And that was enough for now.