Page 11 of The Orc's Oath

"I think it would be impossible."

He froze, and his eyes narrowed.

"You doubt my strength?"

"To get out of this place with all the guards and barred doorways? Yes, it would be impossible for anyone, Zesh."

As soon as I spoke, I knew I had fucked up. He was obviously very proud of how strong he was. But brute-forcing your way out of prison seemed ridiculous. His eyes narrowed. My stomach turned, and a wave of cold washed over me.

"I just mean…"

He reached out and took Bloodletter back.

"I will return to my cell now."

"Oh, okay."

I wanted to make it right, but he reached out and pressed my button to summon the guards before I could put my thoughts in order. I had offended him. Deeply. My gut twisted as he tucked the small bird back into his red sash. While the guards wandered in, shackled him and took him away, he barely looked at me. His face was downcast. Now I felt like I was the monster.

Chapter 9

Orzesh

My Uk'lah doubted me. Sleeplessness plagued me that night. Bloodletter snuggled into me and pressed his face to mine, sensing my distress. My mind turned what she had said repeatedly. There was only one thing to do. Prove myself.

I watched the minotaur as he left the cell block, the next morning probably to his own therapy appointment. I got the sense he would keep to himself unless pushed. He would be an excellent test of my strength. I likely wouldn't be able to bring him down unarmed. But if I could survive a scrap with him, that would be a good show of my toughness. No one could win every fight. But surviving against a bigger opponent was viewed in my tribe as a respectable thing. Surely my Uk'lah would appreciate it too. As I watched, a shimmer of black moved at the edge of my vision. I turned calmly to face the shadow demon who had been here for longer than any of us.

"Yeah?"

"You are planning something."

"Aye."

He was always like this. Never getting to the point. Always assessing people. I'd heard he could see the future, but maybe he was just good at reading people and speaking cleverly.

"Wait till tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Today would be a better day to show your mate some culture. The fight will go better tomorrow."

"Better for who?"

"Everyone."

"Vague."

The shadow demon let out a laugh.

"Okay, then I'll make a deal with you. Wait until tomorrow and I'll get your axe to you."

My heart hammered in my chest. My axe was the one object in all the world that had meaning for me. It wasn't just a weapon, it was a part of me. Given to me as a boy, I could swing it as easily as I moved my own body. I'd brought my tribe to victory with it, time and time again. Having to give it up when I surrendered to the human authorities had been my darkest time.

"How?"

"Like this."

The shadow demon disappeared.

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