Page 43 of Obeying the Orc
“Natalee,” I said, taking her face in my hands. “Sometimes other miners try to encroach on land that doesn’t belong to them. I’m going to make sure all is well and that no one has set up a camp anywhere they shouldn’t have. Though I could sense the presence of squatters on my property, just as I can sense which animals are in the vicinity, I want to make sure no one is squatting on the edge of my land. I must also look for signs of the wendigo that’s been spotted on the mountain. I routinely hang bespelled charms to keep the creature away, and thus far, I haven’t seen any signs of him, but I must stay vigilant.”
Most of the color drained from her face. “But that sounds dangerous!”
I gave her a reassuring smile. “I assure you, all will be well. I’m not particularly worried, though this is a task I must complete from time to time.”
“You promise you’ll be back before dark?”
“I promise.”
“Good,” she said.
“Do you promise to stay close to the cabin?” I asked. “Within eyesight of it?”
“I-I promise,” she replied. Her tone was a bit too indecisive for my liking, though I soon convinced myself it was only my imagination. What need would she have to venture far away from the cabin, anyway?
I decided to visit Dalton before I rode the perimeter of my claim. I found Dalton well, with his mud cottage finally completed. To my surprise, the structure was larger than I’d expected. We caught up with each other and I invited him to dinner the following week.
“Thank you for the invitation. I’ll be there.” Dalton smiled. “I must say, I am surprised you took a wife. Looking forward to meeting the female though.”
“I’m sure she’ll enjoy meeting you. We haven’t had any guests yet.” I tried to ignore the worry that had built during the preceding days that Natalee might grow restless living so far outside of town. Life in the mountains suited me, but I was starting to have doubts about keeping a wife and raising a family so far from Faircross.
After I bid goodbye to Dalton and rode away from the mud cottage, an image of the rectory that stood empty next to the temple in Faircross flashed in my mind. At first, I didn’t understand why I’d thought of the rectory, but as I rode to the outskirts of my claim, I found myself thinking of more than living in the house that had been intended for the town priest.
I found myself thinking of what it would be like to spiritually guide the residents of Faircross. And for the first time, my thoughts on the matter weren’t negative.
I’d always refused the mayor when he asked me to start holding temple services and blessing ceremonies, but as time went on, I realized I’d been refusing out of habit. Part of me wanted to take up orating again. The people of Faircross certainly had a need.
What if guiding the people in Faircross was my calling but I hadn’t realized it yet?
But no. I’d promised Natalee I wouldn’t become the priest in Faircross. Part of the reason she’d been hesitant to marry me was because she worried her status as a siren would hold me back from becoming the town priest, should I decide to follow that path.
How would she react if she knew I was thinking of it now?
I loved the cabin, and I would never give it up, but I didn’t like the idea of raising a family so far away from town. What if one of our children needed a healer? And before that, what about when Natalee gave birth? She wasn’t with child yet, that I knew of, but I had faith that we would have many children. I felt it in my soul. What if she went into labor and I didn’t have time to fetch a midwife or the healer?
These thoughts plagued me as I guided Telrud around the outside of my claim. After I’d struck it rich, I’d had to chase a few trespassers off my land. At least today I saw no sign of anyone camping or mining on my land. Thankfully, I also saw no sign of the wendigo. Or, more precisely, Ifeltno sign of the creature. No lingering coldness of a corrupt spirit. Still, I replaced the old bespelled charms with new ones.
Hours later, once I finished making my rounds, I headed back for the cabin, anticipating my reunion with Natalee. Since we had become husband and wife, I hadn’t been away from her for so long. I missed her and couldn’t wait to spend the night holding her and loving her.
But when I entered the stable with Telrud, I found Lady missing from her stall. Had I forgotten to close the door all the way? I tethered Telrud to a post and then hurried into the cabin, a sense of foreboding darkening around me.
“Natalee! Natalee!”
I found the cabin just as empty as Lady’s stall. There was no sign of Natalee. Normally at this time of day she was busy preparing dinner, but the kitchen looked untouched. The dining room table wasn’t set either. I rushed from room to room, and I even ventured into the loft to make sure she wasn’t there.
“Natalee!” I ran outside and screamed her name. I checked the outhouse and the woodshed, but both buildings sat empty too.
In a panic, I mounted Telrud and set off to find my wife. When I discovered Lady trotting up a nearby path on the mountain, saddled as if to indicate Natalee had been riding her recently, my dread increased a hundredfold. Had she fallen off her horse? Was she lying on the ground hurt somewhere? I quieted my mind and reached out, trying to sense her presence in the surrounding forest or the roadside, but wherever she was, she wasn’t close enough.
Oh, gods. Please let me find her.
Please gods, let Natalee be all right.
CHAPTER26
NATALEE
I had been so stupid.I huddled against a tree and listened for any sign of Lady. I’d gotten off the horse to try guiding her over a fallen log in the path, only for a noise to spook her. She’d run off through the woods, and now I wondered how I would ever make it back to the cabin. My feet ached from walking so far, and I was sure every odd sound that came from the forest was a huge, hungry predator. Or that wendigo Knot had mentioned. I tried but failed to suppress a shiver.
