Page 26 of Lost to the Orcs

A knock on the wall makes me squeak. I wrap a sheet around me when fast feet fly into the room. “Lady!”

Oh. Ys’ari. “Hello, Yesari.” He giggles and sniffs around the room. “Let me get dressed. Go to the table.” He grins his tiny sharp toothed grin and toddles off.

I pull on one of Jaedason’s shirts and a pair of U’snar’s pants tied with a leather strap tightly around my hips. I look kind of over dressed for breakfast with a toddler and nearly swathed in too much extra cloth but it’s just a baby visiting.

I exit the room and stop mid-step. Standing by the table is Ys’ari’s older brother and another male Orc. He’s got dark brown hair, white temples, and bright purple eyes. His skin is as dark as the older brothers. The only thing that is different is that he wears a collar around his neck and is peppered with strips of lighter colors. Scars.

“Oh. H-hello.” The older Orc smiles before turning with a flourish of his left arm at the small feast on the table. Jaedason must have cleared it of his work when I wasn’t looking because the table is clean. “Thank you.”

I sit in my chair and the three stand at attention before me. I choke back my gasp when I notice the unidentified Orc is missing an arm. One part of me wishes to ask if he’s okay, the other realizes that it’s long healed. A wound that likely happened less than 10 years ago. I clear my throat and wave at the other seats. “Aren’t any of you going to join me?” Ys’ari’s eyes widen as he tries his best not to dance in place with his excitement. The teen has a passive look on his face as if he is bored and doesn’t care. But I saw his leg twitch. The old Orc shakes his head. “Why not? There’s plenty here.”

“Shalk is trying not to disrespect the mate of our chief.” The teen says.

“Shallk. Hmm. And what is your name?”

The teen visibly balks as he glowers at me in irritation. “Why would I tell you?” Shalk smacks the back of the boy’s head. I’m so surprised I let the gasp free before catching it. “I’msorry, my lady.” He bows low before standing at attention and staring at the far wall. “We will not be joining you for your meal.” Out of the corner of my eye I see Ys’ari visibly deflate. Oh no. They are not doing this to me.

“No.” All three of their eyes fall to me. One confused and hesitating. Another openly hostile. And the last hopeful. “You will not put this on me. Either you eat with me or I won’t eat at all and I’m pretty sure the punishment for not giving me my food is far greater than eating with me.” Shalk snorts before pushing the teen towards a chair and scooping up Ys’ari to seat him as well. He stays standing. Fine. This is more than I thought I’d be getting from him. So, I shallconcede. Shalk gestures for the boys to wait for me.

I roll my eyes at this and stand to serve the boys before me. “Eat.” I tell them, as I lay their plates full of one of everything before them before making one and setting it aside and then my own.

Most everything on the plate are things that I know of. Or at least I think I know of them. A couple of mushrooms sautéed in some sauce with some chicken, green beans? And maybe some sweet potatoes? I’m not sure it’s purplish in color so. I shrug and take a bite. It tastes exactly like candied sweet potatoes without marshmallows or sugar.

My famished stomach demands I inhale everything. I honestly don’t taste much until the second plate and that is when the savoring and questions begin. The meat is definitely not chicken. But it’s white like cooked chicken. The meat is tougher and strange on my tongue. But not gross. Those ‘green beans’ are also not green beans. They outwardly look like green beans but they have a sponge center. And the mushrooms. Are mushrooms. I wonder if that changes from one world to the next.

“Will you ever tell me your name?” I ask of the boy seated across from me. The boy arches a brow at me and points to his full mouth. Which causes me to laugh. I honestly wasn’t expecting that. Maybe the middle finger but I guess since Shalk is here, he won’t be doing that any time soon. I wonder if they know about the middle finger? “I’ll take that as a never.” I turn to Ys’ari. “Hello, you sweetie.” He beams at me. A mouth full of not chicken. Gross but gosh who could be mad at that face. Still, I add, “Gotta close your mouth so no food falls out.” He nods at my wisdom and firmly closes his teeth and lips. “Now, gentleman, what brought you to bring me this feast?”

“Chief Jaedason instructed us on what to prepare you. I heard him say you were whining about food from your home.” The boy rolls his eyes. As if saying he would never go to such lengths for a woman. Especially not a human one.

I blush. I remember vaguely murmuring about how much I was craving a burger and then describing to the men what that was. That I was really wishing I could get my hands on some creamy chicken marsala. I guess, this would be close to what I described. I forgot to tell them that it was slathered with butter and cream of mushroom soup. Ugh I don’t want to think about how I’ll probably never get my hands on some parmesan cheese again. God, can’t I have like my ownpersonal portal? I’ll gladly bring over some of the good stuff.

“You talk differently than the others.” The boy stares at me, his eyes wide and a little fearful. “I just meant that you sounded more like me or a teen from where I come from than well... oh I’m just putting my foot in my mouth.”

“Your foot?” He looks at my bare feet on the ground, his brows meeting and his mouth slanting. “You aren’t—

“It’s a figure of speech kiddo.” The confusion only rises. So, I shake my head. “Don’t try to analyze it. It won’t make sense even if I try to explain it. English is one of the dumbest languages on Earth.”

“Hearth?” Ys’ari interjects, wanting to be included. His plate is empty.

“Yes, Earth.” I smile. And fill his plate with the foods he’s looking at longingly. He seems to favor the green beans. They don’t exactly taste like them as they have a crunch like a carrot but more watery like Jícama but they’re a close second. “It’s where I came from. What do you call it?”

“Home.” The boy answers for his brother. I guess he wouldn’t understand what I meant.

I hum, thinking of how to describe it. “The things in the air at night. The big round one. And the tiny one. I call them moons. The bright ball in the sky is the sun. The land,” I make a circle with my hands, “is Earth.”

“Your human language is strange.” The boy scrunches his nose in quasi-annoyance. Shalk swats him again. “Sorry.”

“No, it is weird.” I reassure him. “So, you’re okay.”

“The Twins.” I nod. Makes sense. I’m pretty sure before technology or mass communications noteveryonewas calling them moons. “Solist. And the Here.”

“The here? Why do you call it ‘here’?”

“Because when you die, you go to the After.” He shrugs. As if that would make sense. But it really doesn’t. I just nod though and thank him. He nods solemnly.

“I remember being your age.”

The boy snorts. “I am 23 seasons.” I choke on my drink. Shalk pats my back fiercely.

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