Page 106 of The Orc Outcast's Miracle

“My word is the only one that?—”

The orcs tensed, eyes narrowed, and the energy in the hall turned dark. Equality had been the driving force behind Ergoth’s control.

And now it would bring his downfall.

“We do not need to bring proof into our great hall.” Ergoth changed tactics, slithering around like the disgusting serpent he was. “We have better methods. Sythcol, bring the clearing. We will hold this judgment now.”

“No.” Sythcol rose to his feet as he spoke the single, clear word. So simple and yet with such power.

“I am your chief,” Ergoth said. “You will do as I command.”

“No longer,” Sythcol said, holding his slender chin high. His posture radiated with the power that Govek had always admired. The control over his strength that Govek longed to carry within himself. “Did you think, after what happened during Maythra’s judgment, that I wouldn’t examine the methods used by the clearing? That I wouldn’t examine the herbs and magics? You should be ashamed of how you twisted our minds.”

“I did nothing,” Ergoth insisted. “And even if I had, you were the one who always used the clearing.”

“Yes, after you created it and ordered me to do so.”

Govek went very still. Ergoth had invented the clearing?

The voices of the clan rose with agreement and Ergoth’s eyes went wide before he snapped back into place, straightening his robes. “You twist my words harshly, Sythcol. I am not to blame for this. It is true negligence on your part to not look into it before implementing its use. After all, you are the lead conjurer of this clan. I am merely its leader.”

“You told me the clearing was to help concentration.”

“And that is what it does.”

“No, the combination of herbs you used strip thoughts. It doesn’t aid them. It strips them and allows anything you desire to take its place. The first words spoken are branded. I am studying it now, uncovering its depths as we speak.”

“Only now? Are you saying that after I gave it to you, you used it without bothering to even look at it?” Ergoth’s eyes gleamed. “That seems more negligence on your part than mine.”

“I trusted you,” Sythcol said loudly as he gestured wide. “We all trusted you. But no longer. I will never blindly trust again. Not you or anyone. I will ever seek to find deeper truths on my own and guide my magics with clear purpose. I will never allow any other to play on my conscience and coerce me into performing acts against my better judgment.”

“I have never wanted you to do anything less, Sythcol,” Ergoth said, his expression that perfect mix of pure pity and remorse. It socked Govek right in the gut. Ergoth lied so easily. Why had he never seen that before? “And if you were ever given the impression I did, then I apologize.”

“You have manipulated us all using this clearing. You forced us to follow your every whim.”

Ergoth’s face went slack, as if he were truly wounded by the accusation. “Of course I didn’t. You followed me of your own wills. Because of the good I have done. Tell me”—Ergoth stretched his arms wide to address the clan—“Who created the ability to vote as a group? Who implemented the storerooms? Who increased the production of crops and allowed magic to flourish? Who kept Rove Wood pure all these many years? Why, more than half the mates currently residing in this clan joined during my reign.”

Govek clutched Miranda tight, despising the insinuation that Ergoth had anything to do with her decision to stay with him. To love him.

And judging from the tension of the other mated males, they felt the same.

Iytier suddenly appeared in the door and stormed into the room. Jehvlek followed close behind. They stood at Govek’s side and his tension eased as the warmth and strength of their support humbled him.

“Ergoth, how dare you try to kill?—”

“Stand down, Iytier. This does not concern you.”

“Doesn’t concern us? Our mates were at the spring,” Jehvlek snapped. “Our children.”

“I don’t know what you think, but I would never have sent that boar. You all know how precious your sons are to me.” Ergoth insisted so vehemently that a rumble of confusion swept through the clan. “Someone has framed me for this act.”

“Framed you the same way Govek was framed for the torture of his kills?” Jehvlek asked. “Evythiken tells us Rogeth isn’t the one who did it. So, tell me, Ergoth, who is truly responsible for that heinous deception?”

Ergoth’s cheek twitched under his eye. “Are you trying to imply that I mutilated the animals?”

“You were the first to know about them, weren’t you? Govek was ordered to report all his kills directly to you as soon as he brought them in. What was your reasoning for that?” Jehvlek’s voice carried as the clan fell into a hush again.

“To ensure they could be butchered while fresh,” Ergoth said between the clench of his teeth.

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