Page 57 of The Widow and the Orcs

“Thatis vile,Rikard,”Louisahissed, and suddenly she was so furious she was shaking with it. “Yousaid your traps were snares, not steel!Thatis disgustingly inhumane, and a shockingly disproportionate punishment for a minor petty crime!Andfor the three of you to chase him all the way here, with weapons?!He’sbadly injured, and he’s not even of age!Whatthefuck!”

ButRikardonly bristled and glowered at her, his lip viciously curling. “Yourlanguage is unbefitting for a lady,Louisa.Andhe’s nothuman, he looks full-grown to me,andhe was trespassing!Howis itmydoing if he learned the consequences of his own illegal actions!Andwedideven kindly untangle him, but” — he shot another vicious glare toward the orc — “then heassaultedus, andran!”

Louisa’sglance backwards found the young orc even paler than before, his head slightly shaking.Anddamn it,Louisacould easily envision how this had gone, and she squared her shoulders, glared back atRikard’sred face. “Heassaulted you, or he fought you off so he could escape?” she demanded. “Whatwere you going to do, extort a fine for his return?”

Buteven as she said it, she knew it was far too rational, especially with that familiar petulant look inRikard’sbeady eyes. “Or,” she continued, clipped, “you were going to keep him confined?Traphim in a dark cellar or a shed somewhere, until he told you every incriminating thing you wanted to hear, so you could use it against me, and try to force the orcs off my land?Or” — more comprehension flashed across her thoughts — “to try to forcemeoff my land?”

Therewas a horrible moment’s silence, in whichRikard’spouting face betrayed all of that as truth, damn him. “Itold you, the orcs need to go,Louisa,” he replied, his voice hard. “Theyhave no right to be here!”

Louisagritted her teeth and glared back, her hands clenched tight at her sides. “Theyhave every right to be here,” she retorted. “Thisis stillmyland,Rikard, andI’mallowed to share it with whoeverIplease!Andorcs are people under the law, just like you, so legally, there isnothingyou can do about them!”

Rikard’ssnarl was more like a roar, and he furiously waved toward the young orc again. “Thereis,” he drawled, “when they’re trespassing on my property!Whenthey’re breaking thelaw!Atthat point,Ican do whatever the hellIwant!”

Acold chill flared upLouisa’sback, but she drew herself up taller, drew up strength from the solid floor beneath her feet. “Rikard, he’s not of age,” she shot back. “Itwas a mistake, and it won’t happen again.Andbesides” — she shot a glance back at the pale, still-bleeding orc — “he now needs urgent medical care, because of you!Youought to be grateful he escaped you and came here, because if he’d died in your custody, due toyourinhumane treatment, his kin would have every right to accuse you of murder!SoIsuggest you leave this at once, and get the hell offmyproperty!”

Rikardhuffed and sneered, puffing out his chest. “Atthis rate, it won’t be your property for long,Louisa,” he hissed. “You’llbe hearing from me again very soon!”

Itfired another sharp chill upLouisa’sback, but she gave a cold, furious smile as she reached for the door. “Howunfortunate for us both,” she said, her voice hard. “Nowhave a good day, gentlemen.Goodbye!”

Withthat, she slammed the door in their faces, and snapped the locking bar down into place.Andthen she spun and sagged back against the closed door, her heart still pounding too fast, her breaths still thin and shallow.Waitingfor more shouting, more demands, maybe forRikardto try to break down the door — but wait, thank the gods, they were leaving.Crunchingloudly down the lane, grumbling and clattering as they went.

ItleftLouisafinally alone with the young orc, who was now clutching at her counter, gazing warily toward her, and drawing in slow, gulping breaths.Breathingall the way to his uninjured foot, feeling the earth through it, letting it out…

Somethinghitched inLouisa’schest, and for an instant, she could only seem to stare back at him.Athis breaths.Hissoft leather boots.Andhis bound-up hair, which — she swallowed — had a slim, gleaming dagger stuck through it.Justthe same wayKillikalways wore his hair, and the sight of it joltedLouisa’ssuspicion higher, into something much like certainty…

“I—I’mLouisa,” she said, into the stilted silence. “Andyou are…?”

Theorc didn’t reply, only drew in another slow, deep breath, and stared at her with flinty, defiant eyes.Buthe didn’t even need to say it, because the truth of it was shouting between them, like a shuddering drumbeat inLouisa’schest.

ItwasSune.KillikandUlfarr’sson.

28

KillikandUlfarr’sson was here.Here, inLouisa’skitchen.

Itwas takingLouisa’sstuttering brain far too long to follow it, especially with the way he kept looking at her, with that open defiance still flashing in his dark eyes.Andfor an instant,Louisawas starkly reminded ofKillik, strong enough that her mouth twitched — but damn it,KillikandUlfarr’sson was here, he was injured, he was bleeding all over her kitchen.Andshe needed to think, needed to focus, to help.

“CanI— canIlook at your leg, then, sweetheart?” she said, still a little shaky. “Perhapswe can try to stop the bleeding?”

Theorc —Sune— twitched a nod, and with a grimace and a shove of his hands, he hopped up backwards to sit onLouisa’scounter.AndonceLouisahad fetched a clean cloth and a bowl of water, she knelt to inspect his wounded leg, still dripping blood onto her floor.

Gods, it was ghastly.Thosethick wire-cuts had gone viciously deep, to the point where she could even catch a glimpse of white bone beneath — andLouisa’sfirst, tentative touch of the wet cloth at one of the smaller scratches sent a sharp, visceral shudder throughSune’sleg, his breaths panting, his eyes bright with unshed tears.AndwhenLouisagritted her teeth, tried again, he choked a thin yelping sound, and leapt off the counter, staggering toward the door.

“Wait!”Louisagasped, throwing the cloth aside, and raising both hands. “Wait, don’t go.Youcan’t walk like this, what if — what if you —”

Whatif you collapse and die, she wanted to say,what ifRikardfinds you again— but she bit her lip just in time, and shook her head. “It’snot safe for you to go out alone and wounded like this,” she said, as firmly as she could. “Yourfathers would have my head, all right?”

Sune’seyes snapped up at that mention of his fathers, something twisting on his mouth.Andfor the first time in this mess,Louisa’sjolting brain wondered — where the hellwereKillikandUlfarr, anyway?Theycouldn’t knowSunewas here, right?EspeciallysinceUlfarrhad made it clear he hadn’t wantedSuneto meetLouisayet?

Butmaybe — maybe they might follow him here, somehow, and a sudden hopefulness lurched inLouisa’schest. “Isthere any chanceKillikandUlfarrmight be following you, or searching for you?Orthat they might be — nearby?Maybestill at the camp?”

Sune’smouth twisted again, his eyes now fixed blankly beyondLouisa’shead, and he jerked a firm shake of his head.Becauseno, wait, of course,Killikhad said last night that they were returning toOrcMountaintoday, right?Andthat they would be away working for the next week?

“Isthere any chanceKillikandUlfarrmight still be at your mountain, then?”Louisaventured. “Perhapswe could — send for them?”

ButSunetwitched another shake of his head, and then made a walking motion with his fingers that first went south, and then east.Clearlysuggesting the directionKillikandUlfarrhad gone, and damn it, ifSuneknew that, why was he here?Hadhe waited for them to be away, on purpose?Hadhe come here to spy on her?Tospeak to her?

Buthe still wasn’t meeting her eyes, andLouisa’sgaze darted again to his wounded leg, to where the blood was pooling dark and unnerving over his boot. “Thenwould you be willing to allow me to call a physician?” she asked, tentative. “Confidentially, of course?”

---