Page 52 of Orc's Promise
This group of homes, five small adobe dwellings, lies on the edge of the colony, roughly an hour’s walk from the denselypopulated areas, and there are only a handful of males here. Their isolation and small numbers give us the advantage, should the humans discover our presence. Though it’s also possible these humans are armed with blasters.
When we raided New Earth two months ago, the humans had blasters, a formidable and rare weapon on Kovos. Before that, the humans had asked for our help in protecting them from the vints. Now it appears they’ve been trading with the vints all along. We were deceived.
Kodex returns from checking the human dwellings along the riverbank. “The last home is unoccupied. Twenty-two humans spread throughout the other four homes. Six males linger between the third and fourth home smoking and talking,” he reports.
“And inside the second home?”
“One female and two younglings. Both male, similar in age.”
“You’re sure this is the correct youngling?”
“I followed the female with the two younglings from the main area of the colony. He has golden hair, and his mother called him Ethan.”
“She is not his mother,” I say with a growl. “This youngling belongs to Tansey, no other.”
“Understood, Neld. How do we separate him from the others?”
“We wait until they’re asleep. Then we enter quickly. In and out, unseen.”
Kodex eyes the structure made of wood and mud. Small entry, small home. They may sleep in the same room. Stealth is required, as is a willingness to slay anyone who gets in our way. But I will strive to spare the youngling any trauma. And we do not kill younglings or women. Not even males, not without cause.
“He may scream when we take him and alert the others.”
“Cause a distraction along the river to draw the adults away from the homes. I will enter and take the youngling.”
With a nod, Kodex leaves me, heading down the tree line to get into position and wait for the cover of darkness.
The empty homeexplodes in a ball of fire. I’ve been around fire my entire life, but large fires throw me back to the war that destroyed Orcos. Kodex chose a good distraction, as the home is far enough from the woods that the fire won’t spread even if the wind picks up.
“Fire!” the lone male patrolling the area screams. Within seconds, males, females, and older younglings race from their homes and form a line to the river, passing buckets along in a futile attempt to douse the fire.
I sneak into the second home and see two male younglings sleeping through the commotion outside, as only younglings can. Once, I carried Veeya in my arms while I rode my gorja through an area decimated by a storm on Orcos. Even when my gorja jumped over fallen trees, she never woke. Younglings can sleep through anything.
Two younglings. One with golden hair, the other with dark. Even without the golden hair, the smaller youngling reminds me of Tansey. It’s the round face.
The golden hair covers his forehead and eyes. I cannot help myself. I sweep his hair aside to see his features. I never thought a human youngling would appear so innocent. Perhaps it is the toy he clutches as he sleeps. It mimics an animal I do not recognize from Kovos, so it’s likely from his home world. Two black eyes and a triangular nose, small, rounded ears atop its head, not the sides, and two arms and legs, all covered in a soft light brown fabric.
The moment I place my hand over his mouth, his eyes spring open, and the toy falls from his arms. Terror fills his eyes.
“Are you Ethan?”
He shakes his head. Vekk, I’ve woken the wrong one.
I look at the other youngling with dark hair. Kodex is a good scout. He is not one to guess. If he had not been sure which was which, he would have told me.
“Is he Ethan?” I ask, pointing to the other youngling.
Again, the boy shakes his head. He thinks if he answers no, then I’ll leave him and the other youngling alone. I cannot keep my lip from curling back to show my tusks as I admire his strategy. He is definitely born of Tansey. But I need proof that this is the right youngling. I will not steal a youngling from his family.
“It is a shame then,” I say, my hand still covering his mouth. “I wish to bring the boy named Ethan to his mother. The female named Tansey misses her youngling and wishes to see him. Can you tell me where to find the youngling called Ethan?”
At the mention of his mother, his eyes light, as I thought they would, and he nods eagerly, despite my hand covering his mouth.
“I will remove my hand, but if you yell out, then I will have to leave without the son Tansey misses.”
Slowly, I ease my hand away and step back from the bed. He doesn’t yell. In fact, he slides from his bed and walks up to me. This youngling is small—he only reaches my thigh—but he has his mother’s courage. He tilts his head back and motions for me to bend down. When I squat before him, meeting him face to face, he cups his hand over my ear.
May the gods help me. I’m falling for this youngling as easily as I did his mother.
