Page 25 of Mountain Orc Daddy

The bounty hunter, or Gideon, is visibly excited by his plan. He starts whistling a happy tune as he returns to sharpening his knife. Fuck.

I can’t believe it. Twenty-four years as the only non-magic member of my family and the reason a bounty hunter finally targets me is because of my relationship to an orc. Gideon doesn’t even care about witches or magic. Most bounty hunters would love a shot to take down powerful witches like my family.

But his eyes are on the orcs. Anxiety spreads through my body as the reason why he took me full sets in. I’m the bait.

I struggle against the ropes tying me to the chair. They don’t even budge as Gideon laughs at me. I need to get out of this now. He’s using me to lure Uzul out into the open out of the city. Gideon is using me to kill him.

The worst part is, he’s right. The moment I’m gone for too long, Uzul will come looking for me. I’m sure Gideon even left an obvious trail right here. Uzul will be walking right into a trap and I can’t do anything to stop it.

16

UZUL

Blair left quite some time ago. The sun has already set and the moon is almost at its peak. Is ‘grocery shopping’ supposed to take this long?

I have a fairly good idea of what it entails. Blair mentioned that it can be a hassle sometimes; depending on various factors. The people, the costs, and the quality. When I hunt, I just have to worry about the amount and size of the prey.

She didn’t seem like she wanted me to accompany her. I wanted to offer but decided against it. I would make people uncomfortable anyway.

I haven’t left the room since she left. She told me to wait for her and I shall do so. But there’s this urgent feeling in my gut. It tells me to go look out for her.

“How would I even find a grocery?” I say to myself.

I shake off the nagging thoughts. I sit down on a chair to organize my thoughts. This must be an attachment growing. I’m starting to care for her.

She’s able to handle herself. I might become a burden to her more than I already am. I’m afraid to push her away.

It feels a bit selfish at the same time. The Morgans try to hide it, but their treatment towards Blair differs from their other children. From the start, I can see it. I never want her to think that my opinion on her depends if she uses magic or not.

This is all overwhelming for the both of us. It's a drastic change that’ll affect anyone. My orcs were struggling during the period we had a drought. Then that time there was a shortage of animals to hunt.

Blair’s getting used to my presence here. She needs some space and I’ll give it to her. Besides, it’s not so bad taking a rest from my duties. I can use this time to take in what I learned so far.

But being by myself doesn’t help my itching doubts. Every sound that comes from outside, I think it can be her. Ever since I got that weird feeling while we were in the city, I…

Curses. I just realized why I’ve been so uneasy. That particular feeling has to do with Blair’s extended absence. The two just connect, I know it.

I look out the window. It’s getting darker by the minute.

“To hell with this. I need to go find her.”

I stand up abruptly and take my wooden club. I know I just said I don’t want to be a burden. I would rather be that than have her in potential danger.

I try not to make any noise when leaving the room. The house is deadly silent. Even though it’s just us reading, it feels quieter. I can hear the drops of water from the faucets. Not even the insects outside make a shrill.

I stomp around the house until I reach the entrance. When I open the door, the knob breaks off its hinges. That’s a problem that can wait. I leave the door semi-open.

I go out into the night and look around my surroundings. I sniff the air in an effort to find her scent. Alas, tracking isn’t my forte.

Where do I go? How should I get there? I observed the way Phineas guided the vehicle, but I don’t feel confident in trying it myself. I look at what’s called the garage.

Wait, Blair’s car. Of course! How could I not notice it at first? She’s supposed to be using it.

“Blair?” I call out to her.

There’s no response.

If her car’s here that should mean she is too. I don’t see her inside of it. I listen intently for any noise from the garage. Still nothing.

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