Page 9 of Tryggred By the Orc

Ebenattempted to ignore it and keep working, emulatingSalvi’sblithe obliviousness beside him, butKesstjust kept pacing, casting narrow glances toward him, again and again.UntilfinallyEbenhuffed a harsh, frustrated sigh, snapped his book shut, and rushed over to the stinking, filthy scullery.Wherehe dealt with the foul clogged drain himself, mucking it out until his arms ached, and his thoughts screeched with panic and misery.Hewas supposed to be keeping an eye onAlma, what ifTryggrreturned, what if he’d missed him…

Hewas nearly frantic by the time he’d washed up and raced back to the sickroom, but — he jolted to a halt in the doorway —Almastill was huddled sleeping in her bed, and there was no fresh scent ofTryggranywhere.Andfrom the workbench,Salviwas frowning atEben, with a stubborn glint in his eyes — and beforeEbencould take another step,Salvistrode over, grasped his shoulders, and steered him back out the door.

“Goodnight,”Salvicalled behind them. “Seeyou tomorrow!”

IttookEben’sexhausted brain far too long to realize what was happening — they weren’tleaving? — and he wrenched to a halt in the corridor, rubbing at his aching eyes. “Ican’t leave again!” he croaked atSalvi. “Notyet.Ineed to make sure —Ipromised —”

ButSalvionly grippedEben’sshoulders tighter, letting his claws dig in as he steered him back down the corridor. “You’vebeen in there all damned day, brother,” he snapped. “Andall day yesterday too.Yourscent smells awful, ach?Youneed rest.”

Ebenagain attempted to argue, butSalvifully ignored him, and kept marching him toward theKa-esh wing. “Also, you shouldn’t letKesstget to you like that,” he said, quieter. “Thescullery’s not your job, and that pet comment was just a stupid joke.Notworth your time, ach?”

ButEben’smisery lurched even darker at the reminder ofKesst’sjoke, because why had the joke needed to be abouthim?Whyhad it needed to strike at his softest, weakest places, before a laughing audience?Becauseno,Ebendidn’t want to be a human’s pet in the slightest, but maybe — maybe it had hurt so much because part of himdidwant something like it.Maybepart of him wanted a confident, capable companion to show up, and take him firmly in hand, and say,Noharm done.Noneed to apologize.Cometo me whenever you need…

Ebendidn’t argue again, just kept his head down asSalvisteered him through the corridors, and finally into his chilly, lonely room, deep in theKa-esh wing. “Sleep,”Salvisaid. “AndI’llsee you in a fortnight, ach?”

Right.Ebencouldn’t deny another dark flare of misery — what would it be like, to have a mate who cared enough to take you to visit alibrary— but he managed a nod, and some semblance of a farewell.Andthough it was a vague relief to finally collapse into his bed, the misery just kept marching, circling through his weary brain.Andtangling together with a distant, rising unease, something he couldn’t quite name.

Itwould be — best, for everyone, ifIgo.ItoldBaldrandDrafliIwould leave,Ipromised them, andDraflisaid —

Ebencould almost still taste the panic inAlma’svoice as she’d said it, just the same kind of panic he would have felt in her place.Almahad seemed a thoughtful, considerate human, who wanted to pay her debts, and stay well out of trouble… and what wouldEbendo, if he was in her place?Ifhe’d acquired not only the wrath ofDrafli, but of an enraged former employer, too?

Ebenshoved up in bed, staring at nothing in the darkness, as his heartbeat thudded in his chest — and then he scrambled up, yanked on his clothes, and staggered toward the door.Hejust needed to check.Justneeded to be sure.He’dpromisedTryggr, he’d sworn to take action on this, to try to trust aSkai…

Ebenrushed up through the corridors without looking, his eyes shut tight against the too-bright light of the lamps as hisbreaths dragged in, and his heartbeat thundered louder and louder through his ears.Itwas probably nothing.Ithad to be nothing.He’dget to the sickroom and findEfterarstill working, andAlmastill curled up under her fur…

Butthe instantEbenreached the corridor, he knew something was wrong.Somethingwas off in the scent.Thescent ofAlmahere, in the corridor, where it wasn’t at all supposed to be, and…

Andeven asEbenskidded into the sickroom, searching it with frantic eyes, the certainty was already there, blaring through his pounding skull.

Almawas gone.

8

Fora jolting, jangling instant,Ebenstared at the sickroom, at the handful of silent, sleeping orcs inside it.NoEfterar.NoKesst.

NoAlma.

MaybeKesstandEfterarhad takenAlmasomewhere, maybe they’d gone off together — but no, no,Ebencould followKesstandEfterar’sscents leading that way, up the mountain, toward theSkaiwing.WhileAlma’sscent went… down.Out.Away...

She’dgone.Justas she’d promised to do.

Ebenspun around, and ran.Sprintingwith all his strength toward theSkaiwing, his eyes searching in the blessedly dim light.Hisbreaths dragging in harsh and deep, desperately seeking that sweet, familiar scent.SeekingTryggr.

Andyes, yes, that wasTryggr’sscent, shimmering amidst the others, leading into theSkaiwing — andEbensprinted faster, skidding around corners, chasing the scent to its source.Deeperand deeper into theSkaiwing, into an area he’d never before dared to visit, the light fading further with every step, while a distinct, unnerving noise grew louder, and louder.Thenoise oforcs, multiple orcs, shouting and grunting and screeching, with victory, and — and with pain.With…pleasure.

Ebenslid to a stop before the source of the noise, blinking blankly through the open doorway, toward the sight before him.Towardthe… room.Andin the room was a mass of — chaos.Utterrioting chaos, teeming with shouts and bodies and hot, sweaty, bloody scents, clashing in a frenzied, clamouring mess intoEben’slungs.

Theywere… fighting?

Butyes, they were fighting, and — a distant part ofEben’swhirling brain pointed out — this had to be theSkaiarena.He’donly never imagined it like this, with so many orcs packed in at once, not only scenting ofSkai, but also dozens ofBautul, and a fewAsh-Kai, too.Andwait, over there, a grim-lookingEfterarwas crouched over a copiously bleedingBautul, whileKesststood beside him with arms crossed, his lip curled with palpable contempt.

Therewas no sign ofAlma, of course — she was probably well beyond the mountain by now — andEben’sfrantically searching eyes couldn’t seem to findTryggr, either.ButTryggr’sscent had led here, to this, and he had to be here,Ebenhad to find him, he’d promised, he’dpromised—

SoEbenedged into the room, his heart furiously thundering as he kept close to the wall, his eyes darting all around, his breaths still swarming with the mass of overwhelming scents.Pain, and triumph, and frustration, and — yes, pleasure, because thatSkaihad pinned anotherSkaidown by the hair, and was grinding against his bare, sweaty arse.AndthatSkaithere was being taken by a big burlyBautul, moaning as his hips slammed deep — and thatSkaihad anotherBautulkneeling before him, his hand clamped around theBautul’sneck, his scarredSkaiprick gouging down his throat.

Ebenwatched for an instant too long, his groin shamefully stirring — and he forced his eyes shut as he crept further against the wall, dragging in deep, searching breaths.Tryggrwas here, he had to be here, and maybe that, that, over there…

Yes, yes, that scented familiar, scented right, andEbenkept his eyes closed as he edged closer, and closer.Keepinghis body pressed flat against the stone wall, he was almost, almost there —

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