Page 58 of Summoning the Orc

The male sighed, gritting his teeth as he said, “It’s a witch on the edge of your woods. She appeared many months ago. She’sverypowerful. I’ve seen the magic she can do and it’s terrifying but…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “She was taken. Yesterday.”

“By who?” I barked, releasing Enka and facing Krusk instead.

“By the warlocks,” he sighed. “We saw it happen but couldn’t stop them. We heard them telling her that they were going to use her as a vessel to bear their leader’s son.” Krusk shrugged, his brow furrowed. “We tried to follow, but we lost her scent.”

“Your nose is way more sensitive than ours,” Enka interrupted, eagerness filling his expression. “She told us that she could find our mates. I don’t think she was lying, Chief Rok. She’s done miracles. I’ve seen them myself. If anyone can help us, it’s her.”

My gaze narrowed on him. “Us?” I asked, my eyebrow raising.

The male had the decency to look abashed, ducking his head. “I thought that if we rescued her, she could help us locate our mates as well.”

“Are you doing this for selfish reasons?” I questioned him, “Or do you actually think she can send me back?”

He nodded at once. “She can help you. She’s opened portals with nothing more than some basic ingredients. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The warlocks arenothingcompared to her. It’s why they’ve taken her,” he said, his voice confident and strong.

I pondered it for a moment before turning to Krusk. “I can’t take chances with this. If we rescue her and the warlocks turn against us, no amount of gold would convince them to help me. I need to be certain,” I reasoned.

He nodded, squeezing his younger brother’s shoulder. “He isn’t exaggerating. She’s stronger than they are. It took a dozen warlocks to subdue her,” he explained.

“Good,” I grunted, gesturing to the gold. “Then take this with you. You can pay her to find your mates after she sends me backto mine.”

They hesitated for only a moment before Krusk took the chest with shaking hands, starting three piles of gold coins. I left them to it, moving to my weapons. I slid my axe into the straps across my back, having removed the suit I’d been wearing, preferring the leather straps and pants that I wore for battle.

I added knives and tied multiple satchels to my back as well. I looked around my cave, a hint of melancholy echoing in my chest as I bade it farewell. I’d been raised here and it would always have a huge place in my heart.

I ran my hand over the carvings that my parents had made. I’d packed my mother’s comb, and I was going to gift it to my mate as soon as I saw her. While returning to my home hadn’t been ideal—I’d have preferred to bring my mate with me to show her where I came from—I was glad to be able to say goodbye to my old home along with my parents.

I’d taken flowers to my mother’s grave and laid my best knife on my father’s. I paid my respects as best as I could, releasing the long-held belief that I’d be buried with them. The universe had chosen something different for me, and I wouldn’t mourn the loss more than I celebrated the gain.

My mate would be my future and we would honor my parents’ memories and traditions in the way we loved each other and our younglings. The thought sent a pang of loss through my chest and I had to stop what I was doing to brace myself against the wall of my old home. Squeezing my eyes shut, I swallowed hard.

I couldn’t falter now. I needed to return to her. She was waiting for me. Even now, she could be carrying our youngling. The thought sent an icy shard of terror down my spine. Something I’d never been familiar with until I’d realized that I had something to lose.

I can’t leave her unprotected.

Moving faster, I hurried through my preparations and walkedover to the section of my cave where the three brothers were packing away the rest of the weapons. I narrowed my eyes on the males, heaving a deep breath before coming to a decision.

“I want to gift this cave and land to you,” I told them, and they turned with shock written across their faces. I would have been amused, but I was getting used to seeing that expression on their faces. “When you find your mates, bring them here,” I told them, tipping my chin toward the wall with the carvings of my family and heritage. “I’ll add you to my clan.”

The males went stock-still, staring at me in wonder. “Y-You would accept us?”

“As brothers,” I said with a nod, and a small smile. I could barely muster one without my mate, but I tried for them. “I wish I could stay to teach you more, but my mate welcomed me into her clan and I’ve sworn my fealty to my new chief.”

“A new chief?” Enka asked with wide eyes. “One that’s stronger than you?”

“The other plane doesn’t measure strength in a chief the way we do here,” I explained, shaking my head. “But he’s smarter and more cunning than any orc I’ve met. And he takes care of his clan.”

“I never thought you’d ever bow to a chief,” Krusk said in a low voice.

“He never asked me to bow,” I said with a wan smile. “He’s the kind of male youwantto follow. And he protected my mate when she didn’t have me to take care of her. They’re the clan I was missing. And his mate is the perfect matriarch for us.”

The matriarch of a clan was the most important role. Their wisdom and their ability to keep the clan going was why it was a role that needed to be filled. A chief wasn’t a real chief without his mate. The only reason I’d been considered a chief was because no one thought they could challenge me and survive.

The wistful look in the males’ eyes made me regret my words.I didn’t mean to rub in the fact that they were rudderless in this world as well. Hopefully they would find their mates and Krusk would take over as chief with his female at his side.

“I know the basic layout of the warlock stronghold,” I told them, trying to distract them from their sadness. “But nothing concrete. I don’t know anyone who’s been inside.”

Krusk nodded, looking over at Savla. He’d been quiet up until this point, but he took a step forward and moved to the stone table next to him, laying out a parchment. I moved closer, my eyebrows rising as I realized that he’d drawn a detailed sketch of the buildings and circled one in particular.

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