Page 49 of Orc's Mate

The devastation on Odik’s face hit me in the chest like a hammer. “He’s . . .” He strode to the house and stepped inside. I followed, entering the tidy living area almost empty of furniture. “Trilden?” Odik continued to the small kitchen along the back right wall where his friend stood with his back to us, loading items into a wooden crate. “You’re leaving too?”

“Just for the tempest,” Trilden said, not turning to face Odik. “I’m sure I’ll be back.”

“When? After the storm or . . .” Odik sucked in a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “Or when you’re too old to care about working any longer?”

“It’s nothing you’ve done, Odik,” Trilden said softly, finally facing his caedos. “But there are more opportunities in the city. We’re half-starving here. You know that. Frankly, you should consider moving as well.”

“What would I do in the city?”

“Whatever the rest of us will do. Take a job making steel panels for the buildings. Fight off the dresalods. Or travel far into the mountains where the storms won’t reach us.”

“I can’t control the sky or the sea.” Defeat tinged Odik’s voice, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him everything would be alright. But I couldn’t fix this.

“You’re the best caedos this clan has seen.” The honesty in Trilden’s voice made me ache for both males. “If there was a way to increase crop growth, to bring livestock who could survive drinking salt water, I’d not only stay, but I’d recruit others to move here from the mainland. But we rely too heavily on inconsistent rain for anything like that.”

Odik drew himself up stiffly. “I understand. Know we’ll welcome you back if you change your mind.”

“Thank you, friend.” With that, Trilden turned back to his packing.

As he passed me, Odik took my hand, leading me from the small home.

“At this rate, we’ll soon be alone on the island.” He said nothing further as we distributed the rest of the fish to the villagers. He also said nothing as we walked home with our empty totes.

His steps were slow. He must feel as if the weight of the entire world rested on his shoulders.

Chapter25

Odik

As I made sure our home could withstand the tempest, I did all I could to remove the idea of Trilden leaving from my mind. How many did that leave on the island now? I didn’t need to count in my mind. Three left the day my mate arrived. Now Trilden. Just twenty-six. How long until only me, my mate, and Madine remained?

When I entered our home, Eleri greeted me with a smile. “I’ve prepared a good meal for you, mate.” She gestured to the table.

It almost broke me to see she’d prepared my favorite dish. A small jar holding a scant bit of water and flowers sat in the center of the table.

“Eleri,” I groaned, lifting her up for a kiss that went on so long, I contemplated taking her to the bedroom before we ate. No, where I could eat her. But she’d worked hard to prepare something she thought would make me happy, and I wanted to savor each bite.

She slid down my front and sashayed over to the table, sending me a shy smile. “I collected wild greens to go with the meal and found some tubers I roasted in butter you keep in the cool box. I assume that comes from the mainland?”

“As Trilden pointed out, we don’t have enough fresh water to keep milk-producing beasts to make our own butter.”

“If we had more water, would we have enough land to support them?”

“Definitely. Despite our crops not growing well, we’ve maintained a balance of open fields and forest.”

“Why do you do that when you don’t have enough water?”

“Sometimes, we see frequent rain. Then our crops flourish. We’re always prepared for it to happen.”

We sat, and I dug in, groaning at how wonderfully she’d seasoned the fish.

“I used herbs I collected in the woods beside the house,” she said with a smile. “I suspect this land has everything we need to sustain life for many more than the few who choose to live here.”

“If only it rained enough to keep our barrels full all the time.”

Her smile widened. “It’s raining now and that will refill the barrels. We can bathe in salt water.”

“And boil it for drinking water.”

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