Page 31 of Bound in Flames

A hollow laugh escaped me. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so free as I have in the last few days.”

The orcs exchanged glances, their expressions softening. Gornak, who had been listening from the front, glanced back at me, his gaze thoughtful. “Freedom.” He muttered the word, almost reverently. “It’s something we’ve all fought for. It’s something most humans don’t understand.”

The truth of his words settled deep inside me. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t being forced into a role I didn’t want. I wasn’t someone’s bargaining chip, someone’s pawn.I was free.And more than that, I was wanted. I wasn’t an outsider here. I wasn’t judged for the magic I possessed or for the choices I had made. The orcs had accepted me with little reservations, and in their world, I had found a place where I could finally be myself.

“I suppose that’s why I’m so drawn to the land,” I said, my voice quieter now. “It’s the one thing no one could control. It’s the only thing I have ever had for myself, even if I didn’t know it truly until a few days ago.”

Kaldor tilted his head, his eyes curious. “The magic in you is different from anything I’ve ever seen. The way you control the earth, the way it responds to you is special.”

The orcs fell silent, their expressions thoughtful. They had seen my magic in action, but now, they were beginning to understand that my power was something more than just a tool. It was part of me, part of who I was.

“It’s a rare gift,” Ograk muttered. “A gift that could change a lot of things.”

“If it’s as special as you say, I want to use it to help as many as I can.”

I understood why the orcs had fought so fiercely to hold this land. It wasn’t just territory; it was a piece of who they were. The forests weren’t empty of life, as so many southerners assumed. It was alive, and it remembered the orcs. But that memory wasn’t enough to heal what had been broken.

Gornak, who had been listening with a contemplative expression, nodded slowly. “You will. There’s power in the land, power that’s been lost to most of us. But you are a conduit for it. You can bring it back.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine with the weight of responsibility that came with them. I had always known there was something different about me, something that set me apart from other humans. But now, standing among the orcs, I felt it.

The back of my hand brushed against Dex’s fingers again, a quiet reminder that I wasn’t alone in this. He gave me a warm smile. “You’re already making a difference. Just by being here.”

Beyond the jagged rocks ahead was a cave entrance. A gateway to whatever awaited me in the Black Mountain’s depths. Gornak slowed, his gaze scanning the dark, jagged cliffs ahead. “This is it,” he said gruffly. “The caves will take us to the stronghold. Once we’re inside, we’ll be safe.”

Despite the chill, I felt a strange sense of comfort here, as though the earth itself was welcoming us. It felt like home.

Chapter 16

Cleo

The air in the caves grew colder as we pushed deeper into the mountain. The narrow passage widened and opened up into a vast chamber. My breath caught in my throat as I stepped forward, taking in the sheer scale of what lay before us.

The chamber swallowed us in its enormity, walls stretching into shadowed heights that seemed to brush against the mountain’s bones, its vastness humbling. But it wasn’t the size alone that left me in awe—it was the fortress built into the very rock face, its stone walls carved directly into the mountain. Massive and imposing, the stronghold seemed like a natural extension of the mountain. It was as if the orcs had communed with the mountain itself, coaxing it to form this stronghold.

To the east, the chamber opened up to a sheer drop. A sharp, biting wind howled through the gap, curling around us with a life of its own. Beyond the cliff’s edge, I could see the faint outline of the bluffs stretching into the distance, barely visible through the mist that clung to the peaks. The view was stunning, and even in the harsh wind, I could imagine how beautiful it must be at sunrise when the first rays of the sun touched the chamber, casting light over the walls.

Dex moved beside me, his golden eyes bright as he took in the scene with the quiet pride of someone who had walked these paths a thousand times. His hand brushed mine as we moved forward, his presence steady and comforting.

"This is the heart of the mountain." His voice was filled with pride. "Our stronghold. Welcome home.”

The citadel rose from the rock in perfect harmony with its surroundings. It wasn’t the towering structure of human castles, but a part of the landscape itself. The walls were thick and solid, carved with intricate designs depicting orcs with their weapons raised high as they defended their land.

To the right of their stone refuge, built into the chamber’s natural incline, was a series of terraces where crops grew in neat rows. Fruit trees reached toward the sunlight that filtered through the openings. The wind whistled through their branches, but despite the harshness of the weather, they thrived. The crops and trees were irrigated by a river that wound through the terraces, fed by a trickling waterfall that cascaded from high above, its source hidden somewhere deep in the mountain. The waterfall filled a large pond and I could see fish darting beneath the surface.

The pond spilled over into a narrow stream that flowed through the terraces, providing water to the crops. The sound of the water was a constant, soothing presence, the steady flow of life that kept the stronghold alive.

“The mountain is our lifeblood,” Dex murmured, “harsh, but fair. The cliff protects us from the east, and the stone walls keep us safe from whatever comes from below."

I moved closer to the edge, feeling the wind tug at my dress as I stared out over the terraces. I saw—grains, vegetables, and herbs. Their green leaves were a stark contrast to the grey stone of the mountain. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, their roots firmly planted in the rich soil.

“It’s… incredible.” The words were inadequate to describe the sheer scale and harmony of the stronghold. "How did you manage to grow all this up here?"

Dex smiled, his expression warm. "The orcs have always worked with the land. Even up here, in the highlands, we’ve found a way to make the earth provide for us, and in return, we protect the earth. The mountain may be unforgiving, but it’s also generous. The waterfall gives us fresh water, the terraces give us food, and the cliffs give us protection. Everything here is part of a balance."

I nodded slowly, marveling at how seamlessly the stronghold lived within the mountain, almost as if they were one. The orcs hadn’t forced the mountain to bend to their will. Instead, they had worked with it, coaxing life from the stone and the wind, creating a place where they could survive—even thrive.

“Orcs have lived here since the beginning of the war?”

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