Page 22 of Agor the Merciless
“And if I don’t accept those terms?”
“There are no other terms.”
“You said I could do whatever I wanted.”
“I changed my mind.” He reached for her. “This is for the best.”
She shifted away and gestured to the cave that now felt like a prison. “I need more than this!”
“There is nothing more. I will give you everything. Food. Safety. Pleasure.”
“Everything except freedom.”
“Freedom to what? To work in filth? To risk injury?” His gaze dropped to her arm where the lift accident scar was still visible. He hadn’t said anything about it, but it was clear to her now that he’d noticed it and it was bothering him. “Never.”
Arguing changed nothing. He controlled everything here. It was his physical strength, his position, and that stupid magic cream that betrayed her will. Words meant nothing against such power, and she had no way to fight him.
She turned away, wrapping herself in the pelts, not caring if he stayed longer or fucked off wherever orc captains fucked off during the day. After a few minutes, she heard him leave.
***
Later that day, Zoe stepped out of the cave into harsh sunlight. She squinted until her eyes adjusted. The settlement bustled with morning activity. Orcs moved about their tasks – carrying water, stoking fires, sharpening blades – while she stood apart, constrained by rules they couldn’t see. She took a deep breath and decided to walk around. After the night she’d had, the light exercise would make her feel better. She hoped, at least.
She passed the tanning racks, where hides stretched in the sun, past the hunting station where arrowheads waited, then wandered without purpose, replaying the morning’s confrontation with Agor in her head. Yesterday, she’d believed she’d found a place where her strength was valued, where her skills could contribute something meaningful, where her knowledge wasn’t an inconvenience but an asset. Instead, she’d become an ornament. A possession. Beautiful, he’d said. Cared for. To be more exact, useless.
The garage sat at the edge of the clearing, its makeshift walls now forbidden territory. Inside, engines waited, metal parts needed assembly, problems remained unsolved. She missed the weight of a socket wrench, the triumph of hearing an engine roar to life.
Maybe coming here was a mistake. Maybe she should demand to be returned to the institute. From there, she could start over somewhere new. Find a different garage. Build a life where no one reduced her to decoration.
The central fire pit dominated the settlement’s heart. Smoke rose from cooking meat, and Pira knelt beside it, grinding something with a stone mortar. Zana sat nearby, working aneedle through leather. Their heads bent close together, voices low. As Zoe approached, Pira looked up. The conversation stopped. Both female orcs straightened, their expressions shifting to neutrality.
They’d been talking about her.
Of course they had. Everyone had witnessed her humiliation, seen her dragged from the garage, heard the captain’s anger echo through the cave. The entire horde knew of her punishment, of the boundaries set around her like a fence around livestock. She pushed down her reaction. These women weren’t her enemies, so Zoe stopped before them.
“Pira. Zana.”
“Zoe! You are... well this morning?” asked Pira.
“I’m fine. What are you working on today?”
Zana held up a leather tunic with a jagged tear down one side.
“Mending. Roric was careless with a blade. Again.”
“Must be the third time this month.” Pira kept her eyes on Zoe. “Always testing the sharpness on fabric, but at least he didn’t cut himself this time.”
“Fool man.” Zana’s needle pierced the leather with newfound intensity.
Pira lifted a bundle of dried plants. “I’m preparing these for the evening meal. They will make the stew taste better.” She extended the bundle toward Zoe. “Would you like to smell?”
Zoe leaned forward, inhaling the spicy-sweet aroma. “That’s nice.”
“From the northern slopes,” Pira said. “Where the sun hits most of the day.”
Silence fell between them. The female orc cleared her throat.
“How do you find our forest home? So different from human buildings, yes?”
