Page 123 of The Widow and the Orcs

“Ach,Idid,” cameKillik’scool reply. “Youought to be gladIdid not stab the other one to match.”

Rurikgave an irritated huff, but his brow was furrowed in concentration, both his hands pressed overRikard’sface.Asif — wait.WasRurik—healinghim?

Louisashot a wide-eyed, questioning glance towardUlfarr, but he’d now shifted down beside her, his gaze focused and intent on her ankle.Onthat damned horrible trap, still cutting through the leather of her boot, sinking painfully into her skin.

“IgullandElgr,”Ulfarrcalled over his shoulder, his voice deep and decisive, even as his eyes stayed fixed on the trap. “Youtwo seek for any scents of blood, and cover this as best you can.RagniandKoriandFasti, you cover the tracks, most of all the ones fromLouisa’sland.Halthorr, you stand watch, and scent for any men.AndSune, you come help me with this.”

Louisatwitched, twisted around, stared — because wait, they were all here, too.AllofUlfarr’sfaithful former pack, fanning out into the trees, following his orders.IgullandElgrwere already pacing around them, scenting for the blood, andRagniandKoriandFastiwere jogging back towardLouisa’sland, asHalthorrheaded towardRikard’s.WhileSuneslipped from behind a nearby tree, and strode over toUlfarrandLouisa.Hishands signing atUlfarras he knelt, and then together they gripped the trap onLouisa’sankle, and yanked it open.

Therelief was sudden and staggering, shuddering throughLouisa’saching body.Andshe twitched again at the feel ofUlfarrtearing her boot further open, and then — the warm, shocking sensation of his mouth.Gentlykissing and licking the ragged wound the trap had left behind, as his soft eyes metLouisa’s. “Youshall be well again soon,” he murmured. “Thisshall help you heal, ach?”

Itwould?ButUlfarr’seyes were still so steady, so certain, even as his hand signed something else towardSune.Somethingabout cleaning the trap, and… setting it again?

Butyes, yes, of course, that made sense.Theywanted to leave the scene just how they’d found it.Andthen… and then…

Adistant, jangling hope was whispering inLouisa’sbelly, even as her thoughts kept streaming with questions, with uncertainty, with the wondering wheeling disbelief.Theycouldn’t truly get away with this… could they?Whateverthe hell it was?

“Sowhat,” she gasped, between her shallow breaths, “what are you planning here, exactly?”

Ulfarr’sglance toward her was warm, and he gave another gentle kiss to her stinging ankle. “AsKilliksaid,” he murmured, “it would not be wisest to kill this man here, so close to your lands, and so close to where his uncle died, also.Soinstead” — he nodded towardKillikandRurik— “we shall heal his outward wounds, and take him home to his bed, and wait for him to meet his death there.”

Louisablinked at him — they could really do that? — andUlfarrnodded, gave her ankle another careful kiss. “Rurikis a clever healer, ach?” he said. “Iken this man shall not wake again, but it shall look as though he died in his sleep.Hearttrouble, mayhap.”

Louisa’sbreath caught, her eyes darting back toRikard’ssprawled, unconscious body. “But— how will you even get him back home?Hehas staff, right?Andmen?Guards?”

ButUlfarr’smouth quirked up, his head shaking. “Iken one ofFilak’snew tunnels now near reaches his house, and that shall be a great help,” he replied. “Andas for his guards,Iken they are yet patrolling the rest of his border, and keeping watch for you.Theyhave been doing this each night for many days now, and oft crossing onto your lands seeking you, also.”

Right.JustasKillikhad said, too.AndLouisastared atUlfarrfor a long, unseeing moment, as her thoughts whirled and churned.Rikardhad been stalking her, and trying tomurderher, andKillikandUlfarrhadknown, and…

“Butwhy didn’t you tell me before?” she demanded, and curse it, that was too much hurt in her voice, in her eyes. “Ifyou knew that, all this time?”

Ulfarrwinced and exhaled, angling a brief glance back towardKillik. “Iwished to tell you,” he replied, slow. “But…”

Abitter laugh escapedLouisa’smouth, because he didn’t even need to say it, did he? “Letme guess,Killikdidn’t want to tell me?” she asked, too sharp. “BecauseIneeded to keep trying to impress him first?Ineeded to proveIwas good enough to know such things?Worthyenough?”

Ulfarrblinked at her, his brow slowly furrowing, butLouisacouldn’t stop now, it was all too much, too strong, too painful. “ButIwasn’t,” she breathed, pleaded, atUlfarr’seyes. “Iwasn’t good enough for him.I’venever been good enough for him, no matter whatIdid.Soheliedto me, again and again and again, and then he decided toleave!”

Hervoice scraped out around them, betraying her to all the orcs still moving around them, and she belatedly winced, shook her head.No, no, this wasn’t important, she didn’t need to bring this up now, and…

ButUlfarrjust kept looking at her like that, his forehead furrowed, the bewilderment shimmering in his eyes. “Ach, no,Louisa,” he said, as he carefully grasped her scraped hand, and brought it to his mouth.Kissingthere, too, gently trailing his tongue against the raw, stinging skin. “Killikwished to leave due tomyfailings, not yours.AndIken you have greatly pleased him, with all you have done.Ihave never seen him care for a woman, or hunger for her, as he has with you.”

What?No.Thatwas ridiculous,Killikdidn’t care about her,Killikhad tried toleave— butUlfarr’seyes looked very certain, now, his lips still softly kissing at her stinging palm. “AndKillikonly did not tell you all we knew of thisRikard’splans,” he continued, “because he had sworn this vow to guard you, and protect you.Andhe knew how deeply this man distressed you, and he did not wish to bring you more fear and worry and pain.Mostof all before thisSummit, and all that came with it.”

Louisaswallowed, shook her head, asUlfarr’smouth just kept kissing, now moving up her wrist, to the raw skin on her forearm. “Killikswore to me he would tell you after theSummit,” he said. “Butwe lost sight and scent of thisRikardfor long enough that he found you.Andthis was again our failing,Louisa, andonlyours.Notyours.”

Louisashook her head again, butUlfarr’smouth kept kissing, licking, tending. “Noneof this was your failing,Louisa.Youhave shown yourself so kind, and so brave, and so true.Youhave granted us so much help, and so much strength, and so much joy.Somuch” — he swallowed, gave her a sad little smile — “so much peace, sweetLouisa.”

Somuch peace.Itcaught inLouisa’sthroat, in her chest, because despite all this mess, they’d still given her so much peace, too.BothUlfarrandKillikhad, with their safety and their certainty and their pleasure, with the lessons and the camp and all of it, all of it.AndLouisahad tried so hard, done so much, hoped so much, but…

“But,” she gulped, on a shaky breath. “Butit wasn’t enough foryou, either.Youreally wanted a son, all that time.Morethan anything else.”

Ulfarr’seyes briefly closed, and that was genuine pain, tightening on his mouth. “Ach,” he said, heavy. “Iwill not deny thatIhave wished for a son.Ithas always seemed to me the… the height of what a strong, worthySkaiought to gain.Ason ofSkaiblood to care for, to fight beside, to carry my name beyond me.”

Louisa’seyes dropped, the ache twisting in her belly, because yes, of course, she could understand that.She’dperhaps felt the same way, for so long, until…

“Butthese past moons,”Ulfarradded, “and mayhap these past summers also,Ihave come to see… other ways.Ihave seen allIhave gained, without this.Ihave seen this camp.Ihave seen my teaching at the school.Ihave seen the sonIhave already gained.Theson who has been such a great, great gift fromSkai-kesh.”

Hiseyes had flicked toward the east, whereSune’sdark head was scarcely visible, bent over where he was still resetting the trap. “Whenwe three fought, back there on the path,”Ulfarrcontinued, quieter, “Sune… overheard this.Idid not scent him there, andIkenKillikwas too distressed to scent him, also.Butafter you left, whenSuneshowed himself, he was weeping, and he said — he said —”

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