Page 3 of Claimed By Stone
Taking a deep breath, I tried to organize my thoughts. Then my eyes were drawn to the statue that stood like a beautiful marble guard of our war room. It had sat in the corner overlooking the round table below for as long as I could remember. Yet something made me decide to move it closer to my desk a few days ago. I’m not sure why, but I liked having it near.
This statue is quite possibly my favorite thing in this room, maybe even in the world, as strange as that seems. There was just something about her that always drew me in. This mysterious woman was etched so beautifully into the marble. Whoever she was, the artist must have loved her. That was the only answer for how they were able to imbue her with such beauty. I loved the soft, round, supple curves of her body draped in flowing fabric. As I gazed upon her, I often wondered what was wrong. Why was her expression so haunted?
After I got out my journal, I made a note of everything that had changed since last night. Even if it was only that Khuldruk has been gone for a week, and that the crystal now glows. That was more than I'd known before.
Although there was one thing that had been different last night, it wasn't something I needed to make note of in this journal. No, I did not need to make a note of the fact that last night this statue came to me in a dream.
What was wrong with me? Was the thought of my brother finding his mate making me think of finding my own? It must be.
Even so, my mate is definitely not a statue. Even if the statue is quite possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. Just the thought of the things I did to her in my dream last night has my cock twitching to life.
Perhaps I should leave my notes and try to spend some time with an actual orc. But even as I thought about that, I couldn't seem to keep my gaze from the beautiful marble woman in front of me.
Chapter 2
Unknown
The light streamed through a window impossibly high in the ceiling, shining a beam of light onto a purple crystal on the table. I felt as if I was waking from a dream, yet I was not awake. Not really. I had no true sense of who or where I was, only that I saw a glowing crystal beneath me.
It was a bizarre feeling to know I was present in a room, but I felt like I was underwater. It was as if there was a weight holding me stone still and a haze covering everything, keeping me from seeing and hearing correctly.
Yet I knew a sense of purpose I couldn’t explain.
How any of this was possible, I couldn't say.
Yet as quickly as the light in this room appeared, it went away and sank back into nothingness.
Chapter 3
Thavros
October 28th,
Khuldruk has returned with his mate. Her name is Callie, and he has brought her to our mountain from the human realm, though she does appear to have some siren lineage.
The crystal glows bright.
The night they arrived, we performed a private handfasting ceremony before they went into the mating dens to complete the bond. With so much still unknown, we decided to keep the mating secret until we know the bond is complete and the magic is stable. Our clan has been through so much. We do not wish to raise their hopes before we are certain.
Upon his return, he reported an attack made against him and Callie in a neighboring inn. Three orcs from the Westerly Clan attacked them. Callie had defeated them with her siren song.
While they have been in the mating dens, the crystal’s light has remained steady and strong.
The strength of our warriors grows, and the skills of our healers are returning every day.
I still have many questions, but I must wait until Khuldruk returns from the mating dens to ask them.
It had been a week since Khuldruk’s return. With the return of the magic and the first fated pair in our clan in over a decade, I was still at a loss for what direction to take my research. Maybe when I could finally have a long talk with Khuldruk, I would get a lead. But right now, I was just as lost as I had always been, but I was hopeful, and that was a change I would take gladly.
I only wish I knew when Khuldruk might return. When couples completed the mating bond, it involved a rut and an intense need to be near their mate. Because of that, pairs would stay in the dens for weeks to months. I hoped Khuldruk would not stay quite that long, given that so many questions remained unanswered.
Before the crystal went dark, the clan had thrived, finding mating pairs both in the mountain, in other orc clans, and even in the fellow creatures of the realm. It had filled their mountain with magic for years, keeping their warriors and healers strong.
In the past decade, the warriors had lost their orc strength. Once, our clan’s warriors had been filled with immense shield-splitting strength. It kept us safe. Now they relied on the strength of their own bodies, which was still stronger than many species, but nowhere near the strength when our crystal glowed bright. And our healers had lost their magic, too. In the old days, they could heal with energy and touch. But now they have turned to the ways of humans and other creatures who used herbal remedies. While this had been enough to get them by, the loss of their magic was no longer going unnoticed by outsiders.
So, I sat once again, with my journal, making note of everything I've learned since the crystals' glow and Khuldruk's return. There were even more questions than before, but many new avenues for research.
Yet, even as I sat there with so many unanswered questions, I still couldn't take my eyes off the statue before me. I took off my glasses and rubbed the bridge of my nose. Focus had never been a problem for me before, not like this. I should be researching, but all I was doing was staring at a statue.
