Page 53 of Orc's Forbidden Claim

She nods, staring at the desk over which she has resumed her hunched position. Her face contorts and sweat is beading.

“Ros,” Visidion says. “You need the healer.”

“What I need…” she says through gritted teeth, panting between syllables now, not just words, “is for everyone in this damn compound to quit causing me problems.”

Something liquid splashes onto the floor. My stomach drops as my eyes widen. There is no doubt in my mind what just happened. I look at Visidion, and if the look on my face mirrors his, which it feels like it does, we’re both shocked.

“No, Rosalind, we are going,” he says and all she does is give out a long, loud groan.

He lifts her, huge belly and all, into his arms. She’s drenched in sweat and looks like a wringing wet rag doll draped across him. He nods at the door which is just enough of a nudge to break me free of the paralysis gripping me. I rush over and pull the heavy leather aside. He turns and ducks to get her out of the office while avoiding bonking her head.

There’s another one of the leather doors to the outer chamber so I rush past him and get it too. He gives me an acknowledging nod. Not knowing what else to do and feeling wrong to leave without being dismissed or something, I trail along after him.

We’re making our way through the compound. It’s early evening and the passages are full of people, humans, and Zmaj. Visidion issues orders in his deep, commanding voice telling them to make way. Most people jump to obey, and a few stand and starein confused disbelief. Those, I grab and pull to the side, so he doesn’t have to slow.

Rosalind is groaning non-stop. Visidion is moving at an almost run, fast enough it’s hard to keep up with him. I am running to not fall too far behind. We emerge from the warren of office rooms onto the arena floor where pairs of Zmaj are training. They almost always are, but as we rush onto the dirt they pause to look.

“Do you need help?” one of them calls.

“Find Addison,” Visidion yells. “And Tsi’tel.”

Four Zmaj take off in different directions to find the healers. Visidion and I continue toward the healer's quarters. Right as he steps off the dirt there is a low, long rumbling sound. I look around trying to figure out where it’s coming from when the ground beneath my foot bucks.

“Ach!” I yelp as I’m tossed into the air.

36

KHIARA

The quake continues. I strike the ground repeatedly like dried makki thrown into hot oil, bouncing up and down as it fries. My head strikes hard enough that stars dance through my head. Unable to get up, I roll onto my stomach. It’s a struggle but at last, I’m able to push onto my hands and knees.

Dirt is raining down around me then there is a loud pop overhead. A sick feeling hits my stomach as I roll to the side, acting on instinct. A large chunk of the ceiling crashes where I was.

The bells of the city are clanging. Loud enough to be heard over the rumblings and the screams of people. I keep rolling until I come up against a wall. The wall gives me the stability I need to get to my feet. Pressing against the wall, I watch as the tunnel twists and turns in ways that should be impossible.

Muda.

Muda was on his way to me. He will be in trouble. I scoot along the wall. The rumbling slows, but new cracks form in the walls and ceiling.

Right as the quake stops, I hear something else. At first, I’m not sure what it is because the sound is buried inside the general noise of the quaking but as that reaches its end, the sound continues. A rumbling that continues unaccompanied by the quake. The bells continue to clang as the grumble rises in volume.

Screams and shouts from the city are almost enough to drown it out, but not quite. Something about that sound makes my blood run as cold as one of the lizards. It draws me in. Curiosity, yes, but beneath that is fear. Fear of what could cause that sound.

I need to get Saylor out of here. The mountain will not be our home for much longer.

A thought that has never occurred to me before. The mountain has been home for generations. All my life and all the lives of dozens if not more generations before me have lived beneath the surface. Ever since our people were driven underground by the Star people bringing the Second born, the Zmaj.

Worried about that sound, I ease my way back to the opening and look out on the city. The low roar settles and stops, but there is something about it that I will never forget. Unlike anything I have ever heard before nor want to hear again.

A smell grows stronger the closer I come to the opening. It burns in my nostrils, clear into my sinuses, giving me a headache even as it makes my eyes water. The bells are ringing but now they sound with intention, not in reaction the bucking of the ground.

The city was already damaged from the last quake, but now an open wound runs through the middle of what was the marketplace. The ground has split. The newly formed crevasse glows yellow-orange with the lifeblood of Tajss. I cannot help but wonder how many lost their lives, falling into that liquid fire.

“Khiara?” Muda’s voice is muted.

I tear myself away from the wreckage that was my home and return down the tunnel looking for Muda. He’s not far. Blood runs from a cut on his scalp and he wipes it away with a furious gesture.

“Are you okay?” I ask, kneeling to inspect his wound.

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