Page 7 of Summoning the Orc

My lips moved with the words on the page before I could stop myself. I heard noises in the background. A strange chanting that couldn’t be something happening in my reality, but everything seemed soft and fuzzy around me as I continued reading what was on the pages.

I didn’t even know how I could be reading it. It wasn’t in any language that I knew or understood. Yet I was stuck here, almost in a trance, as I finished it.

“W-wait!” Jun called, his voice filled with horror, but I couldn’t look away from the pages of the book, my lips still moving even though I couldn’t hear myself speaking. When the words were done, the chanting stopped and there was a sudden silence all around me.

What the hell just happened?

Jun hurried over, pulling me away from the book. “Didn’t you read the welcome pamphlet?” he squawked and heat rushed to my face.

“I browsed it,” I defended, biting my lip. “Why?”

“Browsed it! No,” he gasped, backing away from me and the book. All around us, the room started rumbling, a loud clatter of shelves all around, a wind picking up and swirling on the floor, taking the pages of the book with it. It fluttered madly, a bright,spinning purple light circling around it.

“This is why!” Jun wailed. “That’s a summoning tome! You can’t just read out of it, you nitwit! All manner of nasty creatures come out of these books. That’s why there’s a rule!”

I was too busy staring in awe at the light show happening above the book, the room taking on a shimmering quality as the pages continued to flutter like mad in front of me.

“Summoning?” I asked when his words finally penetrated my mind. “Wait, what’s going to come out?”

“Who knows!” Jun shouted, moving away from me and the tome. “Demon? Dragon? Succubus? Could be anything.” He tossed the keycard to the ground at my feet. “Don’t forget to lock up!”

“What? You’re not going to help me?” I asked, stepping away from the book, wondering if I should be planning my exit strategy as well, fear thrumming through me.

“Rule number two,” he scoffed. “If you summon it, you return it. Good luck.”

Out of the shimmering lights above the book, I spotted a form manifesting. I squinted, struggling to see it clearly, and I reached back, grabbing Jun’s hand to keep him there.

“Please, I don’t know what it is!” I told him. He squawked, trying to pull away from me, but I clung to him. When the outline was formed, I narrowed my eyes. “I think… It looks like an orc.”

Relief swept through me and I onlyjuststopped myself from rolling my eyes. Had he been scaring me for nothing?

The orc became clearer and my jaw dropped in shock. He didn’t look like a typical orc that I knew. He was much bigger than any I’d ever seen before, his hair loose and flowing down his back in a cascade of dark silk. His chest was bare except for leather straps creating an “X”, leading to a metal plate over the center of his chest, protecting his heart, and then I saw a hugeaxe peeking over his shoulder where it was secured on his back along with a leather satchel.

He had swirling tattoos across his chest and bulging arms, more leather straps wrapping around his huge bicep and then down his forearms. He wore leather pants and as he became clearer, I had to look away, because those pants didnothingto hide what made this male amale. His brow was furrowed and his expression was fierce as he became fully formed. My heart was pounding, and I lost my breath at the sight of him. His gaze swung around before landing on me.

His eyes went wide with shock, just as something inside me tugged with a sharp pang of pain. I gasped, my hand going to my chest, the ache of longing so painful, my head spun. I watched the male’s hand go to his chest as well, clinging to the metal plate. His intense, dark brown eyes narrowed on me, a chuff of breath leaving him before he saw Jun behind me, my hand connected to the birdman’s.

His head tipped back as a roar left him and I released Jun’s hand, covering my face and dropping low, cowering in terror at the loud noise. I heard Jun scramble away, releasing a loud screech, the sharp nails of his talons clacking against the floor as he ran. The thunderous sound of the orc chasing him sounded in my ears and I whimpered, hiding behind my arms.

After a few moments, I uncovered my eyes, wondering if I was dreaming. Instead, I saw a clump of red feathers in front of my face. Confused, I pulled away, landing on my ass.

It’s him.

The orc was in front of me, squatted low so he was at my level, his curious chocolatey eyes focused on me in a way that no one ever had before. He chuffed out a breath, offering me the fistful of red feathers again and my eyes widened as I realized where they’d come from.

Jun’s tail.

Oh my Gods, this male had plucked the feathers from Jun and was now giving them to me.

What. The. Fuck.

Chapter Five

Rok

It’s her.

I’d been on the hunt for a wild boar when my world had begun spinning. The odd swirl of magic had made me think I was under attack, but then it’d brought me here. I wasn’t sure where I was, but I’d caught her scent right away.

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