Page 89 of Orc's Possession
“Our graka is important,” Duvik, Ossa’s sixteen-year-old son, says.
Ossa cups the back of her son’s head. “Yes, she is. And she will learn how to remove the hood from your uncle’s head.”
“Hood?” I ask.
“When a male doesn’t listen to his female, we say he’s wearing a hood… like those used to train gorjas. The hood remains on the gorja until it learns to trust that rider. A trained gorja will jump on command, even with the hood on, because it has learned to trust its rider.”
I smile. “Being mated takes getting used to. Are there any responsibilities that come with being a graka?”
“Officially, pleasing and supporting the grak,” Ossa says.
“And unofficially?”
“That is up to you. You hold more power than you realize here, Graka. You control our Grak, as much as he can be controlled that is.”
“I never sought power.”
“And yet you have it.”
There’s expectation in those few words. To make her and their…our… people proud.
No wonder Atox is so decisive, so fierce. He has the responsibility of all his people on his shoulders. How does he not collapse under the strain of leadership?
Sojek hands me a folded piece of paper, taking me out of my thoughts. The smooth surface of parchment makes me wonder who can afford such a luxury to contact me like this. I never appreciated paper back on Earth but there are no paper mills here. We own a few datapads for record keeping and teaching the kids born in New Earth, but that’s it.
“Who gave this to you?”
“A male in Pen’Kesh asked if I know where to find the human female among our people. He paid me to deliver this note to you.”
When I open the note, I recognize Camila’s handwriting immediately, including the little smiley face over the ‘i’ in her name.
Dear Pom-Pom, we all miss you, especially me! Ha! I get to say that because I’m writing the letter, so you know Marta will roll her eyes at me when she reads this over.
God, I miss them so much. Just reading Cami’s nickname for me strikes deep, a part of me that I walled off when I was sold. I thought they didn’t care but they do. They were as powerless as I was to stop my father from selling me.
“It’s from my sister Camila. She misses me.”
“My younglings have been fortunate to be together. I haven’t seen my younger brother Baxen since before we fled Orcos.”
“Atox said the cendagi programmed their ships to take everyone to Kovos. Are you saying they may have sent your brother’s ship elsewhere?”
“It’s a possibility. Like Atox, I don’t trust the cendagi. Baxen is resilient. If he is alive, he will come. Even if it takes him a lifetime.”
For Ossa’s and Atox’s sake, I hope he’s alive.
“Read the rest of your letter,” Ossa says.
This feels like some old-fashioned war movie where the soldiers read their letters aloud to one another in a fox hole. “It says… oh! Cami is going to be working in Pen’Kesh five days from now and hopes I can meet her there.” I press the letter to my heart. “Sojek, when are you going to Pen’Kesh again? And please tell me you’re going in five days.”
He looks to his mother.
“Do not lie to the graka,” Ossa warns.
Sojek’s eyes meet mine. “I can return anytime this week, but I do not have permission to take you.”
“Can I go on my own then? I think I remember the route.” That’s a total lie, but I can’t miss this opportunity to see Cami.
“Not without an escort,” Sojek answers.
