Epilogue
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Jasmine
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"I want to show you something," Cailyn says, taking off in the other direction. I shake my head and follow her.
I've gotten to know her pretty well in a very short time, and I already love her. The story of how she came to be in Kraukug when she was barely twelve years old is amazing. She grew up around Tristian, Alexander, Marquis, and all the other orcs.
I'm glad she shared her story with me.
She's blunt and beautiful and wants nothing more than to be an orc warrior. She was horrified when I asked her if she wanted to try on a new dress I made.
Yes, I'm all sorts of domesticated now. I love it. I love cooking, cleaning, gardening, and tending to household things. I love helping my orc husbands rebuild Kraukug, and already it's less dreary, less marked with despair. I don't want their legacy to be lost in the dry, barren ground. Never.
Cailyn leads the way to a cave I haven't explored before.
Inside, she shows me a shelf made out of the jutting rock. On the shelf is a line of eggs... in various colors, except they're for a much larger species.
"What are they?" I ask, sensing an aura of sacredness here.
"Our brothers are inside these eggs," Cailyn says. "The elder put them there for safekeeping, but this one..." she points to an egg, "they only have a few days to be released, or else they will disintegrate.
"It's a hopeless situation. When the elder cast a protective spell on the bloodlords of Kraukug, only one worked. Only Tristian, Alexander, Marquis, and yours worked. The rest of the bloodlords will have to remain here in these shells forever.
"When Kraukug starts to prosper and some of the clan returns, we'll be putting ourselves in danger again. Tristian, Alexander, and Marquis are fierce warriors; they can take on hundreds of the enemy, but not thousands, and they will come. Not without our brothers."
Her words hit home. She's right; there are times when they make love to me that I feel the weight of their emotions, and yet they still try to shield me from it.
"They would need a mate?" I ask Cailyn, gesturing to the eggs.
"Yes, but without a heartfire, it's impossible."
"Well, can we create a heartfire?"
"We're not elders, silly. We don't have powers; we can't cast spells."
"I have a heartfire, so that must qualify me for something," I say, excitement churning within me. What if I can save their brothers? Help to protect Kraukug. It's my home now too.
"What if I could pass it on to someone in Erthry and leave an egg with her? With instructions, obviously."
"I mean, it could work, theoretically, but who would you even give the heartfire to?" she asks. "Not everyone is like you, Jasmine."
I'm touched by her words.
"Good question," I say, but my brain explodes with ideas and then centers on one person.
"I know just the human female who'll be the perfect heartfire candidate. I just have to find a way to get it to her. There must be a way."
Francesca Rini. She's perfect.