Page 17 of The Goddesses' Gifts

He glanced around the tunnel, as though appraising the squat mountain by its roots and sighed impassively. “Alright, Zelfek.” He pursed his lips and gave me a level look. “I’ll check with my spies. Let you know if we have any word on our guest’s arrival. And I’ll do what I can to keep an eye on your cum-catcher. Best believe if you’re interfering with Dulanzo’s, he might just do something to yours.”

“I’ve considered it,” I answered as calmly as I could though my stomach lurched at the thought. “There isn’t any place I can keep him safe.”

He gave me an inscrutable look. “I’ll talk to the female that Grelmuh has been humping. She might keep him for a day or two. Least she can do considering we haven’t chased her out of our territory.”

I was a little taken aback by Dourlak’s suggestion, not that I let him see. Of course, I knew the young elf, Grelmuh, was screwing a renegade half-orc that had taken up residence just outside our patrols. It was too dangerous for the males of her clan to approach, but a single female wasn’t enough of a threat as long as she stayed outside the perimeter. It was risky for her, obviously, but it had kept her from the interference of her orcish kinsmen. Surely whatever method she was using to avoid attention could hide my idiot for a day.

I nodded. “Offer her recompence.”

“The only thing Imgo wants is safety.” He paused thoughtfully. “And maybe Grelmuh’s cock. I can’t decide if she’s just using him or not.”

I waved off his concern. “Her safety is a simple matter if this works out.”

“I’ll make sure Rhemvile is hidden away by the end of his patrol.” Dourlak nodded, and then smiled. “I’ll have Lirraco see to the halfie in the prison. I’ll tell him he needs to protect his unborn sibling. Ha! He definitely wouldn’t touch the woman knowing she belongs to his father.”

Dourlak’s unusual show of amusement was telling. I’d never suspected he’d find sedition to be fun. He didn’t bother to say anything in parting, though. Just turned and started up to the commissary to pick up his day’s rations.

I nodded and dispelled the silence. There was time to catch Rhemvile before he left for patrol. He always picked up his rations the night before, so he didn’t have to rush in the mornings. There was every chance I wouldn’t survive the coming days and I couldn’t let the disaster of our last encounter be the way he remembered me. Though I couldn’t understand why that mattered all of a sudden.

I was almost to the living level when Dulanzo cornered me. He was watching the entrance, waiting for me it seemed. I gave him a flat look and braced myself for whatever he wanted. No doubt he had some form of retribution in mind for what I’d just done.

There was always a careful dance of defiance between a subcommander and his commander. It was the nature of our kind to seek opportunities to seize more power by screwing over the next person up the command chain. While I’d been a pain in Dulanzo’s ass at times, I’d never challenged his position before. He was probably livid beneath the cocksure grin on his face.

“I have a job for you, subcommander,” he said, motioning for me to join him inside the entrance to the living level.

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

“I need you to kill the two older of Lobikno’s boys,” he said, almost absently. “My younger brothers should be here soon; I can’t have them both arriving with their feet under them.”

The older boys … killing them would be an incredible waste! They’d survived the miserable gauntlet he’d set them on. They were on the very cusp of adulthood and destined to be excellent soldiers, something I’d seen to personally. He’d denied them names time and time again out of spite. Perhaps it was with this vicious plan in mind. There wouldn’t be any more offspring to torment his younger brother with after these three … at least until Ozanna had her baby.

“What of the youngest?” I asked, only just unclenching my jaws enough to speak. “He’s got more magic than the older two combined.”

Dulanzo nodded. “Oh, I had thought about putting him down too, but Vakrill reminded me of the boy’s potential.” He sighed and his false smile turned sharp, almost brittle. “No, I’m giving him to the woman instead.”

Shit.

If my instinct about Ozanna was correct, she wouldn’t be able to stand by and let anything bad happen to the boy.

“Have the scouts detected my brother’s presence yet?”

“No.” I shook my head all but seething on the inside. “But it may be difficult to detect them. They know this place as well as any of us. Its few weaknesses have always been outside these walls. We may not know they’re here until they’re at the gates.” I caught Rhemvile’s curly mop of hair in my peripheral vision, but I didn’t dare draw attention to him. “I’ve already added bodies to the patrols, so those weaknesses are closely monitored. All the scouts will be on a field rotation for the next two days.”

“Even mine?” Dulanzo asked, a slight challenge in his tone.

“Yes, commander,” I answered. “Even their positions are on a rotation, so nobody gets preferential treatment.” It was true, but Dourlak and his people had arranged for positions to overlap. It was quite likely that not all of Dulanzo’s scouts would be returning.

Rhemvile’s head turned to look at me as he and the other soldiers in his patrol passed us by, heading up the tunnel I’d only just come from. I didn’t miss Dulanzo’s eyes flick toward the man, though his expression gave nothing of his thoughts away.

“Now, go see about destroying the boys,” Dulanzo said, and almost casually slid an arm around my shoulders. He leaned in close and said with a snarl in his words, “Make it hurt, make them fear, make it bring Lobikno to his knees. I’ll know it’s done when I can no longer detect their bonds.” He took a deep inhale and arched an eyebrow at me. “You took the woman? I didn’t think you had it in you to get it up for pussy any longer.”

He knew I’d find every word distasteful, so I didn’t bother hiding my disgust. I narrowed my eyes and stared back at him before shrugging off his arm.

My first instinct was to hide the boys, but I quickly dismissed the notion, though not because of what Dulanzo said. If Lobikno were to arrive and issue a challenge, any hostages would have to be presented. Lobikno would know the boys were alive and demand to see them. But, the power Dulanzo had over this place … the way it was part of him … it made sense that he might sense even those delicate threads of magic. Regardless, Dulanzo and Lobikno both had to think the boys were dead.

But I hadn’t taken them under my wing to throw them away either!

“Consider it done,” I sneered and turned away, not even acknowledging his jibe at my alleged preferences. Dulanzo had a way of making the most mundane, natural things sound shameful, but knowing it was part of his game meant I was mostly immune to it.

---