Page 8 of The Widow and the Orcs

Louisafought the urge to scream, and to perhaps hurl the offending stone out the window whereKillikhad gone — but instead she squeezed her eyes shut, and shoved onto her side.Shedid not want an orc in her bed.Shedid not wantKillik’spayment, or his pity, or most of all his mockery.Shedidn’t.Shewas refusing his preposterous proposal, and that was all.

Buteven once she somehow managed to fall asleep, her dreams were fitful and broken, swarmed with smug orc faces, with powerful orc bodies, with gigantic orc… well.Andworst of all, with visions of sweet, painful pleasure, of raw rippling ecstasy, of solid strength filling her very core…

Shefinally dragged herself out of bed at dawn, frowning as she pulled on a shabby work dress, and then stomped downstairs to the kitchen.Towhere — her shaky hands gripped at the door — a fresh cut of venison was lying innocuously on the counter, together with a handful of mushrooms, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

Louisa’sgroan was almost a growl, and she whirled around, and stalked for the side door.Whereshe yanked on her sturdy, too-large boots — they’d once belonged to the now-retired gardener — and then snatched up her longbow and quiver.She’dmade a point of teaching herself how to hunt these past years, and after multiple initial difficulties, she’d become somewhat passable at it, at least enough to bring in some small game each week.Andalong with providing a little extra for the household, hunting had proven to be a rewarding pastime, too.AcquaintingLouisawith the earth and her land on a deep and intimate level, and allowing her time and space to be quiet, to breathe, to think through the constant stream of problems that kept plaguing her existence.

Soof course, the morning’s hunting efforts soon proved to be entirely futile.Notonly didLouisafail to catch sight of a single actual target, but she even foolishly shot at a misshapen stump, and therefore bent one of her costly arrows.Andher cursed brain seemed even more full of orcs than before, now circling again and again aroundKillik’soffer, his taunts, his promises.

Ishall pay your debts.Grantyou these lands, for all the rest of your days.

Louisafinally gave it up as a waste of a morning, and trudged back to the house, where she was met by her baleful-looking head groomJoan, her thick black brows drawn together. “Sorryto tell you,Lou,” she said flatly, “but the well’s gone dry.Needsto be dug up again,Ifear.We’llhave to haul water from the creek until then.”

Louisastared atJoan’sbrown face with rapidly rising dismay, as the distant ache in her skull pounded closer.Haulingwater was a tedious, time-consuming chore, and they didn’t have time, they didn’t have the bodies, gods curse it.AndJoanknew it too, grimacing regretfully towardLouisa, and running both hands over her close-cropped black curls. “Hateto say this too,” she added, “but we’re out of oats for the horses, and they really should be reshoed, too.Doyou want me to set it up, or…?”

Louisadragged in a shaky breath, and again silently cursed her entire existence.She’dbeen desperately putting off selling her last two horses, becauseMaxandMaywere the sweetest creatures, and didn’t deserve to be parted after so many years.Notonly that, butJoanhad been born and raised on the property — she was the daughter ofLordScall’snow-deceased stable master, anEziranequestrian prodigy — and she had made it clear that she had no interest whatsoever in leaving the horses, or the land she’d always considered her home.

I’llnever get another post like this,Lou, she’d toldLouisain her usual blunt, matter-of-fact way.Noother rich landowner in the province is going to put me in charge of their stables, are they?I’mhere until the end.

Butperhaps the end was closer than any of them wanted to admit, andLouisarubbed at her aching temples, and fought fruitlessly for an answer. “Canthis all wait until tomorrow?” she asked, her voice wooden. “Ihave a meeting withBycroftin town this afternoon, and perhaps…”

Mr.BycroftwasLouisa’slongtime banker, and perhaps he could find a way, somehow.Perhapshe could give her another loan.Perhapsshe could lease out some of her land to someone who wouldn’t instantly turn and lease it toLordRikard.Someonewho wouldn’t take offense to the orcs, and to them continuing to single-handedly feedLouisa’sentire household…

ButLouisa’strip to town soon proved to be just as frustrating as the rest of her day, andMr.Bycroft’sproposed solutions were even more enraging thanKillik’shad been. “Whydon’t you just rent toLordRikard?”BycroftaskedLouisa, with an air of puzzled bemusement. “Oreven sellRikardthe old place entirely?He’salready your only legal heir, and he’s made multiple offers now, several of them very generous — more than enough to set you up on your own here in town, as long as you practice careful economy.I’veeven gotten the impression thatRikardwould welcome your hand inmarriage,LadyScall, were you so inclined.”

Withgreat effort,Louisarefrained from shouting that she would rather starve to death than marryLordRikard, or even sell him her land, for that matter.Itwas her land, it was her house, she’d paid through theteethto gain it from her vile lord husband, andRikardwas not taking it from her until she was cold in the ground.Hewasnot.

Louisawas in a truly foul temper when she finally returned home, andElise’stasty supper of roasted herbed venison and mushrooms tasted like ash in her mouth.Noteven a round of playing ball in the yard with the children helped, and finally she put up her hands and pleaded exhaustion, before she could end up inadvertently hollering at them, and ruining their day, too.

Throughoutit all, she’d been desperately fighting not to think ofKillik, of his ludicrous offer.Butas she finally dragged herself up to her bedroom, her steps heavy on the stairs, she couldn’t seem to deny it anymore.Couldn’tstop those tempting, taunting words from shouting and shuddering through her tired, aching head.

Ishall pay your debts.Grantyou these lands, for all the rest of your days.

AndwhenLouisabanged open the door of her room, blinking into the lamplit darkness,Killikwas there.Ofcourse he was there.Sittingcalmly in the same place as before, flipping his dagger in his fingers, and watching her.Waitingfor her.Waitingfor her answer…

“Fine,”Louisasnapped, her voice a bitter croak. “Fine.I’lldo it.”

6

I’lldo it.I’lldo it.

Theywere her own words, spoken by her own voice — but somehow, they still didn’t seem real.Theyseemed like someone else’s words, someone else’s choices, someone else’s life.

AndperhapsKillikfelt it too, because his dagger stilled in his hand, his eyes black and empty in the lamplight. “You… shall do it,” he repeated, his voice as blank as his eyes. “Youshall accept.Withall my terms.”

Louisaswallowed, and then belatedly shut the door behind her, fastening the latch for good measure, while distantly thanking the gods that all her staffers’ bedrooms were on the first floor. “Yes,” she said, as decisively as she could. “Yourterms were fair, and you were right.Thecamp is already there, my bed is already empty, andI…”

Hervoice cracked, her mouth crumpling, and she strode with shaky steps toward the bed, and sank her exhausted body down onto it. “Ineed the help,” she said, rasping, toward her clammy hands in her lap. “Idon’t want to sell the property.Ican’t bear forRikardto win, after everything my husband — well.AndIcan’t bear the thought of being trapped indoors in a tiny town apartment for the rest of my days, mending clothes and counting every copper, and pretending not to notice my wealthy former friends when they pass me on the street.I’dratherstarve.”

Hervoice broke again, and she swiped at her foolishly leaking eyes, and glared towardKillikwith as much determination as she could muster. “Soyes,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “Iaccept.”

Butto her surprise — and her rapidly rising foreboding —Killikdidn’t look pleased.Orsmug, or mocking, or triumphant, or any of the other responsesLouisahad expected.Instead, he looked — uneasy.Uncomfortable.Hislean body shifting on his chair, his long fingers rigid around his dagger-hilt.

“What?”Louisademanded at him, because gods, she already couldn’t bear it, she already wanted to weep beneath the shame. “Issomething wrong?Haveyou changed your mind?”

Shefelt rigid all over now too, gripping her hands together, waiting in taut silence forKillik’sanswer.Buthe wasn’t answering, andLouisawas struck by a sudden, overpowering urge to run over to that window, to jump straight out of it, just like he had…

“Ionly did not wish you to think,”Killikfinally replied, slow, as if he were weighing every word, “that we would leave you to…starve, should you not accept.”

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