Page 48 of Orc's Possession
My face is on fire, worse than my ass had been from Atox’s hand. Her anger leaves a heaviness in my heart. It seems as if I can do nothing right.
Ossa’s still yelling at me, even as Sojek speaks calmly to her. He holds her back from striking me again. I can see it in his eyes. He doesn’t blame me, not like Ossa.
My anger boils to the top at once. “It’s not my fault. I don’t control Atox. No one does. I don’t want to be here. I never asked to be here, and as soon as I can figure out how to leave, I will, so stay the fuck away from me!”
Ossa backs up, stunned and speechless. It had to have beenmy tone, because Atox told me only his warriors have language chips. Either way, it’s time to make my exit, before she remembers she has dozens of orcs nearby to back her up.
That’s when the ground shakes. An earthquake? Dirt kicks into the air, forming giant dust clouds too quick for me to fathom what’s happening. The pounding of hooves against the ground rip through the area seconds before the first yengas emerge. The Kovos version of wild boars with foot-long horns stampede into the clearing. Yengas are nasty creatures that will impale anyone in their path. And they run in herds, like now!
Screams from orcs running in all directions fill the area, adding to an already confusing situation. My instincts kick in and I climb a nearby tree that’s wide with deep roots and likely to survive the stampede. The lower branches spiral out like rungs of a ladder, making the climb easy. I just have to get high enough to avoid the yengas’ horns.
Most of the orcs make it to the tunnel while the guard there uses his broadsword to turn several of the charging yengas. If one of those yengas makes it into the tunnels, it will kill everyone in its path.
“Evve!” Ossa shouts above the thunderous hooves. The fear in her voice shakes me and immediately I start looking for the little girl.
I have a fairly good vantage point from my tree, but I don’t see Evve in the crowd of orcs running to the tunnels. Then I remember she’d followed me into the woods earlier but never emerged. As I venture onto a branch to see deeper into the woods, the branch creaks beneath my weight.
As I’m about to back up, I spot the little girl. Evve’s crouching at the base of a tree too small to protect her. I’ve seen areas decimated by a yenga stampede. They leave very little standing in their wake, full-grown trees included. If the hoard turns, she’ll be crushed to death.
“Evve!” I shout and point in her direction, but none of the orcs can hear me over the thunderous pounding of hooves.
To my horror, the hoard begins to turn with the natural curve of the mountain.
Heart racing with fear, I scramble down the tree and run for Evve.
I glance over my shoulder. A dozen or more yengas have turned and are heading straight toward us.
With all my energy, I run toward the cowering little girl. Her eyes, wide with fear, don’t move from the yengas. I’m not sure she even sees me.
“Evve!” I yell, hoping she’ll run toward me, but she’s frozen in fear.
My heart’s pumping hard and I’ve all but tuned out the sound of the yengas as I snag Evve by her tunic and hoist her against my chest. Her little arms wrap around my neck super tight, her fear adding to my own.
The sound of yengas snorting suddenly fill my ears. They’re close!
Branches whip at Evve’s back and my arms, but I don’t register the sting as I race through the trees.
Evve’s deathly quiet. She’s in shock.
There’s no way I can outrun the deadly beasts, but I cannot fail this little girl.
My eyes scan for a tree with low branches that we can climb. I’m breathing heavily, not sure I have the energy to run much farther. Not a single tree here with low branches!
The river…
Yengas can’t swim.
Snorting echoes through the trees from all angles. Dear God… They’re surrounding us!
“Yar, yar, yar!” Evve shouts, her voice filled with terror.
Keep running!
The water!
My lungs are ready to burst as I race down the hill, all while praying I don’t lose my footing. If I fall, we’ll be trampled to death.
The ground finally levels out, but there’s no river here. I’m lost.
