Page 10 of X'nath

One of the older orcs—the one with scars criss crossing his face—chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “You’re a hard one, female,” he said, glancing down at the food he’d offered.

“No.” I shook my head firmly, even as my stomach churned with hunger.

The orcs exchanged uncertain looks, and for a moment, the camp fell silent. The younger women were torn between wanting to please the orcs and listening to my warnings. The air was heavy with tension, and the fire crackled loudly, but no one spoke for a long while.

How did they know so much of our language? They weren’t just picking up words from the odd trader ship, not the way they spoke. It was deliberate, rusty, as if they had learned the essentials but hadn’t had to use it in a while. The thought nagged at me, but I pushed it down for the moment.

My ears caught certain names—ones they responded to—and I started matching them to faces.

Greag, who seems to be the leader of this band, broke the silence, his voice low but still filled with a strange curiosity. “We’ll see how long that lasts,” he muttered, and turned away.

I watched them closely as they retreated, their footsteps heavy in the sand. They were still watching us, sizing us up, calculating their next move.

As the orcs began to pull away, the tension between us still palpable, I noticed a figure approaching from behind the others. X'nath, one of the orcs who had remained mostly quiet until now, stepped into the firelight with an aura of arrogance that radiated from him. His broad, naked chest puffed out slightly as he walked, and there was a glint in his eyes—a look that said he was about to make his presence known.

He stopped just beside Greag, offering the orc a quick, dismissive glance before turning his attention to me. His smile was almost too smooth, as if he’d spent hours practicing it in front of a mirror. It didn’t reach his eyes, though. I could tell that he was used to getting what he wanted, and right now, he wanted something from me.

“You have a sharp tongue, woman,” X’nath said, his voice smooth and teasing. He stepped closer, trying to get my attention. “You…you’re not as ungrateful as you pretend. You’re just... cautious.”

I didn’t answer him immediately. Instead, I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms, leaning slightly away from him. I wasn’t in the mood for any of his games, and I certainly wasn’t about to let him charm me.

Greag, still standing nearby, grumbled lowly, clearly not thrilled by X’nath’s approach. "Not the time, X'nath."

But X’nath was undeterred. He ignored Greag’s warning glance, his gaze never leaving me. His eyes were calculating, sizing me up with some sort of amusement.

"Wary… is good," he said, his tone almost coaxing now. "But you have to understand. Things are complicated, you know?”

I scoffed inwardly, but kept my face neutral. Complicated indeed. He wasn’t chained up in a ship to be sold as commodities.

“Maybe you’d like to share more about that,” I replied, my voice sharp. “Maybe I’d like to know why you’re really here. You don’t strike me as the altruistic type. What’s in it for you?”

X’nath raised an eyebrow, his grin stretching wider, bringing more youth to his face. He leaned in just a little, lowering his voice as if telling me a secret. “Ah, sharp, yes. But you know… we’re not only opportunists,” he said, dragging the words out slowly. “We’ve been in the business of... survival, for a long time. World is cruel. You’d do well to take what we give.”

I didn’t know if he was trying to charm me or threaten me, but neither sat well. His smile was all teeth, but behind it was an arrogance that made me feel discomfort. I didn’t trust him, not for a second.

Before I could reply, Greag stepped in, his chest rumbling with a low growl. "Enough, X’nath," he muttered, his voice thick with authority. "She’s not interested. We’ve got bigger things to deal with than your sweet talk."

X’nath shot a look at Greag, then back at me. The flicker of frustration was brief, but it was there. It vanished almost immediately as he straightened, that same smug grin slipping back into place.

“Very well,” he said, his tone dripping with mockery. "But remember, little female—opportunity knocks when you least expect it."

I watched him turn away, his words lingering in the air. Little female? I was probably a decade older than him, at least, judging by the way he looked next to the others.

The other orcs exchanged glances, their voices low and teasing in their harsh tongue. I couldn’t understand the words, but I could hear the tone: amused, knowing. The way they looked at X’nath—then at me—told me everything. This wasn’t just some passing interest; it was a claim, a mark. They knew, and they were watching for my reaction.

Greag's eyes flicked briefly to me, as if waiting for something, before he grumbled something under his breath. It wasn’t directed at me, but I caught the edge of it—something about how X’nath had "chosen well” and that we “were both trouble." The others snickered, clearly aware of the situation. Their casual disregard made me feel small, like I was just another piece on a board they’d already begun to play.

I refused to let them see how their words twisted in my gut. "We'll see," I muttered, though I didn’t know to whom I was speaking. X’nath wasn’t interested in me; he was interested in the power of a conquest. The orcs had a way of making their intentions clear, and they all seemed to know X’nath’s.

They weren’t stupid. They knew what he had chosen. I was just waiting to see how long they'd push it.

6

Reluctance and Resilience

X’NATH

The fire crackled in front of us as the night went on, its glow lightly illuminating the dark waters. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her. The woman—the older one, Gracie I heard the other girls call her—her eyes had a fire in them, a sharpness that piqued my interest. Most of the women were soft, fragile things, easy to read, but not her. She had a strength about her, a quiet resolve. And that only made her more enticing.

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