Page 1 of Orc's Mate

Chapter1

Eleri

On the evening of the Monster Mate Hunt, I walked as fast as my bad leg allowed through the dimly lit streets of our village, a sack with my meager purchases banging against my thigh.

Tonight, two unfortunate women would be forced to leave the protection of our fortress walls. They’d run through the forest, hoping to hide, but it would be futile. Enormous, brutish orcs would hunt them, determined to claim them as a bride.

No one knew for sure what happened after they were caught by an orc, but the whispered, horrifying stories were enough to make women get down on bended knees to beg the fates not to be chosen.

Exhaustion threatened to drag me down onto the cobblestone street, but I’d long since learned not to show I was in pain. Weakness was either exploited or scorned here.

My leg wasn’t the only part of me that hurt, though that was a constant ache I did my best to ignore. My eyes burned from focusing on tiny stitches, and my fingertips stung from wielding the sewing needle to the point it shredded my skin.

In the forest beyond the high stone walls, a shayde shrieked. I froze much like I must’ve done when my parents abandoned me in the nearby forest when I was three; after it was clear my leg no longer worked as it should. It had been twenty-two years since that day, and I could no longer remember how I was injured. And since my parents lived in a distant village, I couldn’t ask.

If Zur hadn’t been hunting that night and heard my whimper of fear, the shaydes would’ve consumed me like they had so many of my fellow villagers who’d strayed beyond the stone fortress walls after dark.

“Hurry up there, Eleri,” Birgid called out from the open doorway of one of the wooden houses lining both sides of the street, and I scooted forward. “If you keep going at your current pace, it’ll take you all night to get home.” The cruel laughter of her friends punctuated her words. Until they’d decided it would be fun to mock me, they’d probably been gossiping about the hunt. They should be fretting about which young women would be chosen—maybe even one of them—rather than bothering with me.

From the moment I’d arrived here, three years old to their five, they’d hounded me, begging the mayor to send me back to the forest where the shaydes would finish me off.

“What a useless thing you are,” one of the other women said. “Look. She can barely move.”

Birgid hooted. Her gaze shot down the alley where my friend, Zur, waited in our tiny home. “We should shove her out the front gates tonight to placate the orcs instead of giving them one of our own.”

I am one of their own,I thought fiercely, though I bit down on my tongue to keep from speaking.

An enormous forest that went on for so many cliks surrounded my village, and no one had ever spanned the entire distance. Over a thousand human villagers hid beyond each ring of high fortress walls, relying on fierce, enormous orcs who granted us protection from the shaydes, creatures even more dangerous than themselves.

The orcs didn’t do this out of the goodness of their hearts.

In exchange, they demandedbrides.

As I left the evil women behind, their cackles stabbed through the humid air. I scurried past the alley containing my home and continued three blocks to the butcher’s shop, hoping to find a bargain on a small piece of meat. I wanted to make a hearty stew with the vegetables in my bag. Zur would enjoy it, and his warm smile would make everything all right again like it had every day since he adopted me as his own.

Once I’d made a purchase, a measly bit of fatty meat, unfortunately, I returned to the alley and hurried to the rickety home I shared with Zur.

More laughter rang out from Birgid’s friends. I wasn’t sure where Birgid was, but I’d keep a sharp watch in case she crept up behind me.

Pitiful thing, one of them said.

Useless for anything but sewing, another added.

AndToss her out the gate.

It was all I could do to keep my spine straight and my chin held high. I might not walk well, but no one would disagree that I was the best seamstress in town. Even my boss would say so, though she’d yet to pay me with enough coin to buy me and Zur more than a few skimpy meals. He hunted and I worked each day of the week, but it was all we could do to make the rent on the small hut where he’d so kindly raised me.

He was the only person I would ever trust.

The sun slid closer to the horizon, casting long shadows that whispered secrets among the cobblestones. Today had been especially grueling at the seamstress’s shop, where I’d worked tirelessly on delicate embroidery that would be taken for granted by those who donned the garment. I doubted they took even one moment to appreciate whose nimble fingers had crafted each stitch.

At least I had coins to buy our meal. I needed to remember that and not think of how badly my back ached.

As I approached the simple home where Zur and I lived, I picked up my pace to a moderate hobble. He was more than just a guardian; he’d become my father and my solace amidst the scornful gazes and whispers plaguing my every step. His warmth and wisdom provided a sanctuary within those walls, shielding me from the cruel world outside. I couldn’t wait to see his cheerful smile and share the news of our day.

Scraping sounds rang out behind me near the head of the alley. My skin flashed with goosebumps, and I spun, but I didn’t see anyone there. Even better, no rock sailed my way, ready to hit me and leave a bruise.

The light had faded, however, and with carts parked along the side and refuse strewn in between, almost anyone could be hiding.

---