Page 19 of The Orc's Wife

“I know Urgan can bake it too. He did, a couple of times, but he doesn’t have time now. I suppose they will teach you the recipe and you’ll be baking it from now on.”

I giggled, trying to imagine Urgan wearing a cook’s apron, his enormous hands covered in flour, his face scrunched up in concentration as he mixed the dough. I would love to see him like that.

And maybe I would, if we lived long enough to reach peaceful times.

“What’s Oriana like?” I asked, finally taking a bite of the bread.

“Shameless,” Mina said at once. When I almost choked at that unexpected answer, she grinned and explained: “There is nothing she won’t talk about. Childbearing, mating, the bizarre customs of the court – she holds nothing holy. But she’s careful not to get challenged to any duels, so sometimes she’ll hold back.”

“I don’t suppose she’ll be careful around me,” I said.

Mina shook her head, looking far too cheerful.

“You’re right. And I hope I can be around to listen when she visits. There is no one who can speak as colorfully as Oriana, and listening to her helps some deal with… things.”

“What things?” I asked around the morsel of meat in my mouth.

Mina fidgeted, looking at me with uncertainty. Finally, she sighed and said: “Well, it’s not easy, living as a servant. The general is a good master, and he pays us wages and treats us well. But others aren’t as good as him.”

I wondered whether I should tell her about Urgan’s plans but decided against it. Mina seemed gossipy, and any gossip now would hurt Urgan’s plans.

So, I finished eating, let her go, and fell into bed, completely exhausted. I had glanced once at the books Mina had brought form the tavern and turned my back on the small pile. I had lost interest in reading, just like I had lost interest in much anything.

If I couldn’t act on my own, what was the point of being prepared? What was the point of reading and studying?

A good wife didn’t read. A good wife waited for her husband’s orders.

That night, I dreamt about Urgan’s touch on my skin, his deft fingers, the terrifying snarls he made in the thrall of passion. But in my dreams, his face was blurred, and his touch receded as soon as I was starting to get lost in the pleasure.

When I woke up the next day, frustrated and aching all over, it was to find Mina cowering in a corner, her eyes wide with fear.

And someone else was here, too. Urzulah was in my bedroom.

Chapter 6

Urgan

He was following Durug and seething. He had known it would be difficult to spend enough time with Una after having reached the capital, but this was too much. Not even one day had passed, and already he was buried up to his ears in work.

His loins were aching with unspent seed.

But Durug had been right to come. This was an emergency, and it needed Urgan’s personal attention.

They reached Durug’s squad waiting in front of the palace gates and walked the rest of the way surrounded by soldiers. This felt ominous to Urgan. If Durug felt the need to surround himself with warriors for a short walk in the capital, it meant something had changed for the worse while Urgan had been at war.

They would have to speak privately as soon as possible.

Soon, they arrived at the barracks. The enormous, walled-off area was close to the center of the city. It had been built after the first orcs had burned down the capital and taken it for their own. The first ruler of the city, Urkur, who had ruled for just one year, wanted his warriors nearby.

They hadn’t saved him when his wife poisoned him. But the barracks stayed a stone throw’s away from the palace, marking the close relationship between the throne and the army.

That relationship was bound to become a lot closer when Urgan, the general, became the new Imperator.

Inside the heavily guarded barracks, there were large fenced off areas where orcs honed their battle skills. Urgan had helped to build some of the practice areas, turning one block into a mock village and ordering a part of the underground caves under the palace to be turned into a close-quarters battle ground.

Now, there was an axe throwing practice going on, and an endurance run with young-looking recruits. Even though it was almost evening, the place was teeming with activity. Weapons clanged, orcs shouted and cursed.

The barracks, which were made up of a few large one-story buildings, were coming alive with flickering lights in their windows, covered with oiled paper. No glazing for the army, but the warriors, who spent most of their time outside, didn’t need proper windows.

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