Page 59 of Summoning the Orc

He pointed at it, tapping it with a claw. “This is where they’ll be keeping her. It has the most guards surrounding it since she’s been taken,” he said in his low growl. “And they won’t expect anyone to be coming for her. They’re focused on keeping her in.”

I nodded, stroking my chin with my fingers as I studied the map he’d drawn. “This is incredible work. You must have been watching them for a long time,” I said to him and he ducked his head, nodding.

“I steal provisions from them when we run low,” he told me, clearing his throat and I felt my neck heat with shame.

These males had gone hungry and I hadn’t known, stocking my horde to the brim. “You’ll never need to steal provisions again,” I told him in a gruff voice. “These lands are rich with game.”

His brow pinched and he gave a nod, but he didn’t say anything in response.

“Thank you, Chief Rok,” Krusk murmured as we continued studying the map.

“We should enter through here,” Savla said, indicating the wall that was on the right of the building he’d circled. “It’ll be the easiest to make a quick escape. Plus, they don’t have as many people there. They spend most of their time in the main hall and the sleeping area.”

I grunted my approval of the plan. “How long have they had her?” I asked, wondering if we had any more time to prepare.

“Yesterday,” Enka piped up, his eyes brimming with worry. “That’s where we were coming back from. We need to get her back,” he insisted.

Savla nodded with vehemence. “I’ve seen what they do to females, Chief Rok. By the time you see them next, they’re nothing but empty husks. We’ve tried rescues in the past but we’ve failed. This time, we have you.” He was gazing at me with the type of hero worship I wasn’t sure I deserved.

“I’ll protect you all as best as I can. I’ll take on anything that comes at us. Krusk will have my back,” I said, eyeing Krusk and watching as he straightened his shoulders with pride. “And I want you both to focus on finding and getting the witch out safely,” I added, turning my gaze to the other two.

They both nodded in agreement.

“Let’s make sure we have everything before we leave. It takes almost three hours to get there and then we’ll need—” I paused as Enka looked like he wanted to speak.

I gestured toward him and he blurted,

“If we take the shortcut we discovered, we can cut down the journey by almost an hour.”

“A shortcut?” I asked, curiosity peaked. “Inmylands?”

He nodded with eagerness while Krusk and Savla looked sheepish. “Yes. We’ve been using your lands as a shortcut to get their goods out faster for years,” Enka said with pride.

He grunted as his brother shoved his elbow into his side. Then his eyes widened and he ducked his head, peeking up at me. “Sorry.”

I gave an amused huff before shaking my head. “That’s fine. It’s good that you’re learning the land already. Soon it’ll be yours and you’ll need to know its weaknesses to fortify it against trespassers,” I told them, quirking my eyebrow at them at thelast word.

They all ducked their heads again but I wasn’t as upset as I thought I should be. I was too focused on what the future outcome of this rescue would bring.

My Becca.

Just the thought of her was enough to make me want to go charging into the warlock’s land and force the witch to send me back. I reeled back the impulses eating at me and sucked in a deep breath.

“We need to go in when they least expect it,” I told the three males. “I’m hoping we don’t make too much fuss. Just in and out.”

Grunts of agreement were music to my ears. I didn’t need them trying to prove their mettle on this particular journey.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Becca

I can’t do this.

I couldn’t catch my breath. My mate was taken. They’d used the same tome I’d summoned him from and returned him to the book.

When I’d received the call from Rudgar, I hadn’t given one single thought to the dream job I’d been wishing for my entire life.

I’d left running, grabbing the first cab I saw and directing them to the home that I’d shared with my mate.

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