Page 9 of The Orc's Oath

"The shortening of names is acceptable by close friends, family and Uk'lahs."

"Okay, Zesh. Please have a seat."

The seat creaked as I thudded into it. My tribe's craftworkers would never tolerate such work. My mate shifted in her seat. Her body language was still uneasy.

"What is wrong, Uk'lah?"

"Nothing."

She was lying, but I didn't know why.

"Zesh, why don't we start with you telling me about your home. What's it like?"

It made sense that she would want to know about the place she would end up living with me.

"My tribe lives in the forests of Umbaria. My clan is right in the middle. We sleep surrounded by the sounds of jaguars and korkesh birds."

Her eyes lit up, and it pushed me to keep talking.

"We forage and hunt during the day. But only as much as we need. We also trade with other tribes so we don't take too much from the forest. That keeps the forest spirits content with us."

"The forest spirits? Orcs believe in that sort of thing?"

"Of course! You can't not believe in them when you live amongst the forest. We sing and dance at night to please them and to give thanks for letting us live in their place."

She was leaning forward now, her chin resting on her hands. She almost looked surprised.

"You did not expect this?"

"Well, no. I don't really know much about orc culture. Other than you really enjoy fighting. So I didn't expect that you would believe in spiritual sorts of things."

"We fight because we have always had to."

"What do you mean?"

"Our history is brutal. Tribes warred for land. Good fertile places full of animals are difficult to find in the west. We bred like rabbits and there wasn't enough for everyone. It was kill or be killed. Even now, there are too many of us for the space we have. We've tried to have diplomats who talk to each other. To trade and work together. Sometimes it works. But the rift ripped open between the worlds; now other races come and try to take what we have. We fight to survive, and I am proud that I have protected my people and our land."

My Uk'lah paused for a moment, thinking through what I had said. Her finger ran over her lips, and then she pressed them together. I wondered if it would be inappropriate to lean forward and bite them.

"It sounds like orcs adapted to the situation they were in, and they did it well. And so did you. I respect that."

Respect. The word rang through my brain. Respect from my Uk'lah. I sat up straighter. It felt like I was the biggest creature in the world.

Chapter 8

Serena

My mind was buzzing with the new information that Orzesh was giving me about orcs. They sang and had diplomats and respected forest spirits. I wanted to know more. I let him talk for longer about the songs they sang and the feasts they had. It was fascinating, and it sounded like orcs had a lot of fun. He was so full of joy when he talked about his home and his tribe. His hands flailed about as he talked with the love and excitement he had for his tribe and family. He talked fondly about his parents and siblings, and seemed to miss them terribly. It was like he was a flower opening up to me. A very big, scarred, aggressive flower. As much as I enjoyed listening to him, I had a job to do. I had to understand his problems in the past few months. He was talking freely, so I hoped he trusted me enough to go deeper now.

"I appreciate why you had to fight back home. But you've also been in a lot of fights recently here. By all accounts, you were doing well and minding your own business. But the past few months have seen an escalation in the amount of trouble you are in. What's going on, Zesh? Share with me."

He watched me intently, back straight. It felt like he was sizing me up. I got a sense of what it must be like facing someone of his size on the battlefield. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance. His focus alone made me lean back in my seat.

"To answer this question requires a great deal of trust, Uk'lah. I ask you straight. Can I trust you completely?"

The answer fell out of me on pure instinct before I could engage my brain.

"Yes."

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