Page 20 of Orc's Claim
And he barely accepts his own nephew.
“Why do you think the humans will survive?” Sojek asks. “Our grak says they are weak.”
“None of the five species here will survive if we do not learn to get along. We all lack resources the others have.” In our case, females.
The very reason my grak has been meeting with the humans. To trade for the females we need. If he could request Lily to be among those given to my people… Vekk, why didn’t I think of that when my grak announced his plan to his top warriors?
Because he ordered us not to discuss it with anyone, including one another. He only informed us so we would be aware how crucial it is that we not start any fights in Pen’Kesh, no matter how justified or tempted we may be. If even a single human is killed, it could end the negotiations.
I toss the blanket from my gorja’s back to Sojek. “Finish tending to my gorja,” I order and start walking toward the markets before he can ask more questions. “And stay out of trouble.”
Sojek has a few hours of deliveries to make before he’ll be ready to leave Pen’Kesh. He does not need me to watch over him as if he’s a three-year-old youngling. My time is better spent in the sectors, weaving between stalls, hiding in the shadows, and gleaning any intel I can before slipping away unnoticed to meet my Lily.
Tonight, when we return to Mount Racha, I will confront my grak and ask if I can take Lily as my mate. There is no more time to waste, as Atox will reach a deal with the humans soon. And he plans to assign me a human female… one that is not Lily.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LILY
“Don’t take another long break,” Paloma warns when I stand up from the crate I use as a chair and neatly fold the pants I’ve been sewing.
“What do you mean?” I casually ask as I tuck my knife into my waistband. I take very few breaks during the day, and I make them super short, running to the women’s latrine and back without stopping to talk to anyone or grab a snack. That way, when I take a little longer break mid-day, hopefully no one will notice or care. They don’t know where I’m going, that I’m meeting up with Ryko.
But Paloma is sharp. She doesn’t miss much. She’s also discreet and not the nosey type. Just the same, I haven’t told her about Ryko. He’s my secret, one I wish I didn’t need to keep. If I could, I’d shout to the world all about the wonderful guy I met. But my people—and his—would not react well.
“Yesterday, Owen came by looking for you after you took that vint’s order. Not once, butthreetimes, Lily.”
Between dealing with Owen and the vint, I’m not sure whichis worse. The vint, the same trouble-maker from weeks ago, placed an order for a harness and told me to usemybody for the measurements. I don’t plan on making anything for him, even if he pays in advance, which he didn’t.
“Owen needs to mind his own business,” I reply, not wanting to think about him, either. “How did you get rid of him?” I ask, out of caution. We need to keep our stories straight.
“I said you were having female troubles. That shut him up, but I’m sure he’ll be back today. I guess smoking and playing cards off by the animal pens gets boring after a few hours.”
“The men make afternoon rounds because that’s when the sun makes the smells in that section rather ripe.”
“The animals or the men’s?” she asks, and we both burst out laughing.
“That would be hard to determine, wouldn’t it?”
She quickly covers her mouth, to contain her laughter. It’s slightly after noon, meaning the men might already be within earshot.
“Look, Lily, I’ll cover for you as much as possible,” she whispers. “But don’t anger Owen if you can avoid it. He has a nasty streak. And come up with a good excuse for where you’ve been going because he’ll confront you at some point.”
“I’m taking my usual walks. To stretch after sitting so much.” It’s the truth. Mostly.
I stretch my arms high above my head to emphasize my point.
“Walks. Got it,” she says, with a slight shake of her head. “Just watch yourself.”
“I will. And thanks, Paloma. Someday, I’ll return the favor.”
“Go, sunshine. Enjoy yourwalksand be careful.”
I stroll to the edge of the market and enter the woods as if I’m going for a simple walk. Moving casually takes discipline as the urge to run and look for Ryko tempts me. Instead, I use the time to practice walking as quietly as I can, just like Ryko showed me.
With Pen’Kesh getting smaller the farther I walk, my moodlightens. All worries about the scary vints and creepy Owen fade away, especially as I envision seeing my sweet orc again.
While the past few weeks of clandestine meetings by the river have been full of wonder and discovery, worry taints our time together. Last week, I didn’t see him for four consecutive days. A reminder that at any moment his grak could prevent him from traveling here.
