Page 42 of The Orc's Bride

Everything inside me froze.

No.

If the squirrel ragghit reached Urgan, it would bite him. Urgan was defenseless, unable to move in the bear’s grip. Even if he saw the squirrel, he wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

Slowly, as if in a dream, I turned. Zadran was gone. Grikh was too far away. And the squirrel was preparing to launch itself at Urgan.

Something inside me gave, as if a coil wound up too tight finally snapped. A lightness filled me, a certainty of purpose.

“At least it’s not a bear,” I murmured, sliding down Brrthak’s side.

With a squirrel, I could fool myself that I stood a chance.

I landed hard, the impact reverberating in my heels and teeth. But I didn’t fall. And the next thing I knew, I was running, positioning myself in the squirrel’s way.

Just in time. It was already rushing at Urgan’s back, so light it was almost flying. I moved, my body painfully sluggish, my limbs as if stuck in a pool of molasses. I was too slow. The squirrel could evade me easily, and there would be nothing I could do.

But it didn’t.

As soon as it saw me, it gave a squeak and an almost girly giggle. It changed its direction effortlessly and was flying at my face, its mouth open. My outstretched hands not fast enough to grab it.

As if through a fog, I heard Urgan’s angry snarl. My name on his lips. And then… darkness.

Chapter 15

Urgan

It was so surreal it was almost impossible. A ragghit attack on one of the busiest roads of the Empire? Unheard of.

Yet, here the beasts were. Two of them. And no other travelers in sight. Urgan thought fast. It didn’t matter how unlikely it was. All that mattered was to fight and to win.

To protect Una.

When the ragghit bear emerged from the forest, Urgan let go of all unnecessary thoughts. His battle instinct took over, cataloguing his surroundings, noting the sounds, the smells, other fighters. Of the other ragghit nearing Zadran.

He grappled with the bear.

The beast stank so much worse up close, and its body didn’t allow for a proper hold. He couldn’t grip it by the fur, because it would just detach with a sickly wet noise.

And the ragghit was sticky with ichor, making Urgan’s fingers slide. It was strong, too. It took all he had to hold the bear from walking right over him.

Urgan would have had no trouble with a normal bear if it dared attack him. But this was a ragghit bear. Ten times stronger and more vicious. It pushed against him, trying to squeeze Urgan in the grip of its paws. Urgan gnashed his teeth, planting his feet more firmly against the road.

He wouldn’t let it through to Una.

Una, who had gotten off Brrthak’s back. His alert senses picked up the rustle of her clothes, her fast and shallow breathing, her smell. She was standing on the road now. Why hadn’t she listened to him? She was safest up there, out of the reach of the beast. Unless…

The air behind him moved. Another reedy giggle came from down the road.

There was a third ragghit. And Una was moving… not away from it. Was she about to fight it?

He called to her, pushing against the bear, but the mountain of putrid flesh wouldn’t budge. Time for another tactic. As Urgan registered Brrthak’s frantic neighing, he stepped back, letting the bear move forward. The beast stumbled, unprepared for the sudden lack of resistance. It gave Urgan enough time.

He unsheathed his sword and cut high, aiming for the ragghit’s throat. Black gore gushed from the wound, and the bear swayed. Urgan cut again, this time its leg. The fur on the bear’s legs was almost entirely gone, so he could see perfectly where the critical tendon was.

He severed it. The bear toppled onto the ground, bleeding quickly from its neck wound.

Urgan turned away from it. Where was Una?

---