Page 10 of The Orc Outcast's Conquest

When he was with Karthoc and his warriors on their journey to Clairton a season ago, he’d been able to ignore the pain by concentrating on the looming dread of Tavggol’s disappearance. He’d focused on finding his brother. Rescuing him.

Govek balled his fists.

It had been warm then, midsummer heat baked the land. Now it was icy cold as winter steadily crept in.

The easy chatter of Karthoc’s warriors had helped, too. Leaving Rove Wood made their heads turn foggy and muddled, as if the Fades themselves rebelled against orc kind leaving their blessed woods. For half a day, the warriors’ ability to perceive threats, smell them on the air, hear them in the distance, had diminished, but with a group of twenty, it hardly mattered. They took care of each other.

Now, Govek was alone, and he could not help but turn irritable at the relentless throbbing in his muscles.

He knew he would grow accustomed to being outside the realm of the Rove Woods by nightfall, but until then, he would suffer.

He paused at a river. The roar of the current and glistening water beckoning him. Govek washed his face and neck in the icy current, considering the option of setting up camp for the rest of the day and letting the pain of leaving Rove Wood run its course. However, with naught but the flickering of firelight before him, Govek was certain his thoughts would turn dark.

A harsh squeal cut through his senses.

Govek whirled, claws instantly extended, and teeth bared. His eyes found the predator right off the bank.

A great boar. Slick brown fur, flat dripping nose, and beady black eyes. It was small for its kind, but still taller than he was by half a head. Its body was larger than that of three human horses. Its arched back and muscular body staggered toward him.

The boar was sick. Its thick hide was patchy, mouth foamed, and its eyes were clouded. It swayed as it took in Govek, as if drunk.

It had the blight.

The beast lunged toward him, and Govek dodged, storming into the river. Icy water raged around his legs. He wanted to cull the boar quickly, painlessly. It need not suffer any more than it already had. It squealed at him, charging. Govek leaped to the side. Its huge tusks nearly grazed him as it hurtled into deeper water. They were as long as his arm. They could stick him right through.

It lunged again, and Govek swung around, working to get to its jugular. He unhinged his jaw, gaping his maw. Cool air rushed into his throat as he readied to strike.

The animal slid on the slick rocks, its legs knocking and buckling. It went down.

Govek seized his opportunity and pounced. He raked his jaws into the boar’s flesh, dragging his fangs across its neck, and speared deep to find its vein.

Thick blood spewed into his mouth, tasting of metal and rot. Govek jerked away and spat the blighted liquid into the river. He couldn’t catch the blight from it, but it would make him sick to his stomach.

The animal squealed and its life slowly ebbed away. Its death spasms dwindled. The water ran red, and Govek stepped away, watching, waiting for it to finally go still.

When it had, he rinsed his mouth out, washing the tainted blood away. Then went for a better look.

The tusks were altered—bound by spikes and sharpened to points.

His gut twisted. Humans. It had to be. None but humans of the Waking Order would stoop so low as to deform and bind one of the Fades great beasts to use for war.

But to use one that was clearly blighted? It seemed like folly. Judging from the boar’s condition, it had been suffering from the curse for at least two seasons, but the rope looked fresh.

Perhaps the humans who had captured this boar were too dense to realize it had been tainted by blight?

Govek raked a hand through his hair, tugging at the short strands which brought clarity. Something wasn’t right about this. Humans could be thickskulled, but using a boar like this was madness.

His hands came down to cut the leather straps away from the boar’s tusks so it might journey to the Fades unaltered.

A disconcerting and very familiar scent wafted up. Something he knew but could not place. His mind was still too muddled from leaving Rove Wood. He leaned in for a better whiff and at the same moment the boar jerked up and skewered him with the spikes.

Right in his gut.

Govek roared, scrambling back, but it was too late. The current snagged him, caught his feet out from under his weight and dragged him into the water.

The rapids were quick and jagged with debris. He was bashed into rocks and hurtled into logs. It took all his energy to keep his pack with him and hold his head above the water.

Damn the Fades for the part they played in this.

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