Page 49 of The Orc's Wife

She was pale, her hands trembling, but there was a satisfied smile on her lips. It was the first time I was seeing her so confident, smug almost.

“What did you say?” I asked. I had heard her words but couldn’t understand them.

“Urgan is alive. I just saw him.”

Laya’s hand went to her mouth to muffle her gasp. I was just sitting there, my body limp, the tears I had been shedding only a minute before dripping off my chin.

Nat sat down in front of me and took my hands into hers.

“I gave him Savinia’s medicine. Her most powerful one, the one she had given me after… When I was… You know. Only, then, she gave me a few spoonsful of it. I poured the entire bottle down Urgan’s throat. I don’t know if it was enough. We have to wait.”

“You just… saw him?” I asked, still unable to comprehend her words.

She nodded, squeezing my hands.

“He’s in great pain. He was almost dead when I had come.” She bit her lip, watching me uncertainly. “I don’t know if I helped him or only made the pain worse for him. I’m sorry. But I had to try. We need him.”

I shook my head.

“Urgan’s alive? I must see him.”

I made to stand up, but Nat pushed me down with surprising strength.

“No. Right now, everyone thinks he’s dead. There are no guards by his door. His cell is open. But still, someone may see you if you go down there. And if he’s to live, he must get another dose of medicine.”

“I’ll bring it to him,” I said.

“No,” it was Laya’s turn. “We must keep up the pretense that Urzulah’s still alive. You have to stay here.”

“But I must go to him!”

I was gasping with more sobs now, hating how pleading my voice sounded. Like a child’s wheedling.

“If you’re caught, neither of you will survive,” Nat said. “And you’re with child. I saw the sprouting wheat.”

That sobered me up, and I took a heaving breath to calm myself down.

“In a few hours, Oriana will go to him with another dose of medicine,” Nat said. “We’re using up Savinia’s entire supply. If this doesn’t help him, nothing will. If the medicine works, he will be more in control of himself. She will be able to unchain him. Lead him somewhere else if needed.”

“But… if the Imperator thinks he’s dead, he will want to display Urgan’s body,” I said with a shudder. “How are we going to…”

“It doesn’t matter. Urgan’s army will be here today if they can’t be delayed, and the Festival of the Fall Moon is tomorrow. Everything will happen then. It’s been a gamble from the start, and this doesn’t change much.”

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around everything. I was so, so tired. And at the same time, my blood was fizzing with feverish excitement.

“What’s the plan?”

“Slow-acting poison,” Laya said simply. “The plan is to poison the Imperator and as much of his court as possible. But it won’t happen if Urgan’s dead.”

I shook my head. “Why?”

“Because he’s the only one who can rule orcs effectively. We can’t poison them all. Even if we killed every last orc in the capital, the conquered tribes would come and claim it. It would be the same thing, over and over again. The rebellion only makes sense if a strong ruler supported by the army emerges to enforce new laws and unite our races.”

We stayed quiet after this. My mind was full of buzzing thoughts, and I just let them buzz. I was spent. I had found out Urgan was dead, killed Urzulah, hid her death, started grieving Urgan, and then found out he was alive.

Oh, and I had also discovered I might be with child.

So I was just sitting there on the floor, looking at the fire, which Laya fed from time to time to keep it going. Finally, I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

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