Page 29 of The Orc's Bride

No, not upset. Horribly guilty, more like it. Because I was actively deceiving him, and he had only offered me honesty and protection until now.

Well, not all the time. I still didn’t know why he was trying to court me, a human woman he had just met. But he had been honest when telling me it was a secret.

I had pretended from the start that I had no secrets. I had agreed to come, actually meaning to kill him if he became a hindrance to my plans. My plans, which now, after spending only a short time among orcs, seemed completely naïve and unrealistic.

I had been so sure all orcs were stupid, arrogant, and self-absorbed! They were supposed to spend their days sniffing each other’s armpits and flexing their muscles. And treat all humans with contempt, barely paying attention to them.

How mistaken I had been!

If all orcs in the capital – or even a handful of them – were as bright and suspicious as Urgan, there would be no rebellion. No secret meetings, no poisoning or killing orc masters in their sleep.

If Urgan or even some orcs half as bright as him caught any wind of humans organizing an underground movement, they would thwart it. I had no doubt about that.

They weren’t dim-witted beasts. Neither were they contemptible idiots. At least, not all orcs were.

They could be smart. They could be loyal. And they could be just.

Which meant that even if I could start my rebellion somehow, I would feel wretched killing them. For example, how was it Urgan’s fault that Tokoma males had raped women in my village? He hadn’t known about it, didn’t approve of it – and he believed they should be punished!

So, how could I kill him or any other orc, knowing full well that he might be innocent? That he might not have hurt any humans?

I was having all sorts of big revelations today. Pity they had come so late in the journey.

So, what was there for me to do? Become Urgan’s wife? I shuddered. Yes, I desired him. Yes, I liked his company and felt safe by his side. But at this rate, he would soon dig out all of my secrets, including the fact that I had agreed to come with him because I wanted to kill the Imperator.

Urgan had told me he hated being used.

He would be furious if he found out. What would he do? I didn’t know.

And besides, the thought of mating with him still filled me with fear. Desire, too. But the fear was stronger.

So, I wouldn’t marry him. My other option would be to come to the capital and become a servant in an orc household. I grimaced. Stripped of my dreams of rebellion, the vision of such a future seemed dull and humiliating.

We kept riding, and I was looking around, not really seeing the forest. Something rustled in the canopy above us, drawing my attention. And then…

My heart beat faster. I straightened, nudging Urgan.

“A bird is singing! Does it mean it’s safe?” I asked. “No ragghits nearby?”

Urgan grunted.

“Possibly. But the silence has followed us for quite some time. We still need to be cautious.”

After a moment, he spoke again: “Ragghits avoid settlements, and there is a human village nearby. If some are following us, they may have strayed farther to stay away from the village.”

My heart hammered in my chest. A village. A human village!

“How do you know there is a village?” I asked, straining to keep my voice idly curious.

“We passed a clearing not long ago. I could see smoke in the east. And I know from the maps that in this area, there are only human settlements.”

“Oh, you have maps? Of the entire Empire?” I asked to make it seem like a normal conversation.

While Urgan was telling me about the Imperator’s mapmakers, my mind was busy scheming. We were due for a stop. If there was a village nearby, there had to be a river or a stream. I supposed we should stop soon to refill the waterskins…

But if we didn’t, I would just claim I wanted to pee and demand a brief stop. It wouldn’t be as good though. I wanted the orcs to get busy with their water supplies and not pay any attention to me. This way, I would be able to escape more easily.

And then… what? March to the village? Find a place to stay?

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