Page 13 of Claimed By the Orc

“Dear me, heisa big one.” Qubbins was unfazed by my looming presence, a rare trait in a slaver from my experience. Even Vaher and his crew kept their distance, but Qubbins stepped closer for a better look. I wondered what he saw through those lenses of his. “I’ve seen Orcs come and go, who in this business hasn’t? Gragash, though, you look special.”

“Should place a bet on him,” Ty’anii said. “I’ve never regretted it.”

“A bet?” The rodent-man managed to look scandalized just by the twitching of his whiskers. An impressive feat, I had to admit. “On the games I organize? Why, I’ve never been so insulted.”

Ty’anii blinked and paled, taking a step back and opening her mouth without finding words to speak. Despite the rage burning in me, or perhaps because of it, I found that incredibly amusing. Qubbins let her hang there for a count of three before continuing.

“No, no, the bookies pay me for the privilege of operating here. Winning their money as well? I don’t want to beggar them, not when they’re paying good bribes.”

His chittering laugh was high pitched, and the Prytheen joined in a beat too late to sound sincere. That just made Qubbins laugh harder, though.

“Now, if you’ll follow me, Gragash, you’ll need to hurry to get ready. Ihada room prepared for you, but there’s no time for you to rest now. Just make sure to give the quality a good show, and I’ll give you the tour afterward.”

That is the last thing I want to do,I thought.Let your damned quality fight each other if they’re so keen on violence.

I’ll fight, but not for them. I’ll fight forher.

12

ABIGAIL

Separation from Gragash hurt, and the pain filled me with guilt.I’m not with him? Tough shit. He’s being thrown into a fight to the death. That’s probably a bigger problem, right?

Did thinking that help with the pain? It did not. But how could I miss this chance to beat myself up?

I walked in a daze, paying no attention to where Vaher and his gang led me. I only noticed things had changed when I stepped through a doorway and a cool breeze cut through the stifling heat. At some point, we’d left the darkness and the bare, pitted metal of the service docks behind. The room we entered now was infinitely more comfortable. My feet sank into a soft, deep carpet, a red so dark it was almost black. A subtle pattern wove through it, silver thread only visible because of the bright lighting. The seal of the Guild.

Three of the walls were black marble. The fourth was mostly occupied by a silvery shimmer, flanked by hologram sculptures of gladiators. Faint cheers carried through the forcefield—another fight? If so, I was glad I couldn’t see.

Decadently comfortable furniture faced the shimmer. Chairs worth more than my apartment on Earth waited beside tablesholding various refreshments. Delicate scents wafted from the dishes to make my mouth water, though after a few days on maker-mush, anything that promised actual flavor would do that.

On a planet, this room would be an impressive display of wealth.

On a space station? Obscene. Importing this weight of stone, dragging it across space, just to line a room? The only purpose was to show off the wealth and power of the owners, the same wealth they hoarded by leaving their workers in the dark. In short, exactly what I expected from Lachrin Station.

The crew ofDarha’s Blessingdid their best not to show how impressed they were. Only Vaher did a reasonable job. The rest clustered near the door as though afraid they’d have to pay for anything they touched.

“Where’s the quality?” one of them whispered. My laugh escaped before I could stop it. Everyone wheeled and glared, but I’d had enough of shying away from them now. I glared right back.

“What, did you think you were going to mingle with interstellar royalty? That a Guildfather would drink with you? You’re getting to walk on their carpets and breathe their air. To these fucks, that’s honor enough for the likes of you.”

Ty’anii’s snarl showed her teeth, but it was Brish who spoke. “Careful, human. Your Orc isn’t here to protect you.”

Fuck it. Time to call some bluffs.“He doesn’t have to be. Captain Vaher knows what’ll happen if any of you hurt me.”

The Akedian lunged for me, but Ty’anii was quicker. She caught his wrist, twisting and slamming him into the wall with a heavy thud. Keeping him pinned there, arm twisted behind his back, she snarled at him.

“Idiot! Hurt her, and Gragash is done fighting for us. Kill her, and all he’ll ever think about is how to kill us as painfully as possible.”

“Yeah, well, if theslavegoes berserk, we put him down,” Brish replied. “Fucker’s getting too big for his boots, anyway.”

Vaher shook his head. “Brish, if you put me in a position where I have to kill the Orc, I’ll feed you to him first. That fucker made us ten times more than you have, and he got us in here. Make me choose between you and him. I fucking dare you.”

Brish audibly ground his teeth, then relaxed in Ty’anii’s grip. His eyes locked onto me, though, and I saw that his rage and hate were strong as ever. Stronger, maybe, since I’d embarrassed him in front of his ‘friends.’

I smiled at him. No point not leaning into it at this point, right? He’d kill me if he got the chance, might as well make him miserable until then.

“If I might suggest taking your seats, the fight is about to begin.” The voice from all around, speaking with a beautifully musical accent. Ty’anii grinned and gave Brish’s arm a last twist before turning her back on him and sliding into the chair beside Captain Vaher. The two seats shifted and merged into a couch seamlessly. I upped my already high estimate of the furniture’s value and sat as far from Brish as I could manage.

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