Page 5 of Claimed By Stone
Iwoke up again, and while I still felt like I was underwater, I felt a little closer to the surface.
This time, I was able to take in more of my surroundings. I still had no sense of who I was or how I got here. I could at least see where here was.
I appeared to be in a large room with an ornately carved table with a glowing crystal in the middle. To the left of the table was a grand staircase that led to the upper level. It was the same place I’d awoken last night.
In front of me, I saw a table with scrolls and journals strewn about. Beside me were books upon books in shelves that went up impossibly high. Though it would have been impossible for them to go all the way up to the ceiling, as I looked up, it was as if I were looking endlessly up to the top of the shelves, where I could see the tiniest pin prick of sky.
Where was I?
Then a noise startled me. It was the deep rumble of a great snoring beast. I searched to find the source of the sound. It was the rumble of something, alright, but not a great beast. Rather, the rumble of a snoring orc who had fallen asleep at one of the tables on a mess of scrolls and maps.
There was something about him that called to me. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but I couldn't seem to pull my gaze away from him. There was something about his mossy green complexion and the way his tusks stuck out of his mouth as he lay with his head down, drooling on a map.
While he was still an enormous orc, he didn't have the massive frame of the warriors I'd seen before. His hair was pulled back in a neat braid, revealing the piercing on his pointy ears. And the way his tunic fell loosely around his shoulders revealed the bare skin of his appealing chest. A hint of a black tattoo covered his chest, and I found myself wanting to slide the tunic down further to show it to me in its entirety. Then maybe I could see the broad expanse of his muscular chest.
Why was I thinking like that?
Yet as much as I wanted to go to this orc, I was still stuck. I still felt weighed down and couldn't move. These wakeful moments had grown longer. This one felt even more vivid. I felt more alive than I'd felt in a long time, if I'd ever been truly alive.
What was happening to me? A panic started to rise, but then the sinking feeling came back, and I began to sink under water.
Chapter 5
Thavros
"Thavros," a voice called as I lifted my head from my desk.
Squinting, I blinked my eyes open. A groan escaped my mouth as I rolled my neck.
"Where are you?" my sister called as she started up the stairs. "Did you sleep in here?"
"It would appear so," I said as I tried to rub the crick out of my neck.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm taking some of the warriors on an overnight training round. And perhaps a scouting mission on the Westerly Clan."
"Do you think that is wise?"
"Nothing too risky. I just want to scout some trails and see if I can get some sense of the coming and goings of their mountain. After the attack on Khuldruk and his mate at the inn, I want to see if we can tell what they are up to,” she said as she leaned against the table, thumbing through some of his maps.
"I don't think you should go far." Calling on the ire of the Westerly Clan when things were still so uncertain didn’t seem wise.
"Brother, we won't go far, but with our strength returning, we must prepare to make a stand. We need our warriors strong and well-trained."
He nodded and let out a long breath.
"When will you return?" he asked, mulling it over.
"In a week's time. We’ll leave once they have packed up camp. And brother, perhaps you should get out and take in some fresh air. When was the last time you left this room?"
I sat back in my chair and stretched my legs out under the desk. She might have a point. I had only briefly left this room since Khuldruk's departure for his mate. Which, when I stopped to think about it, had now been nearly a fortnight.
"Perhaps you are right, a stroll outside might do me some good."
"Right, well, I'll see you when we return. Hopefully by then, Khuldruk will be back," Frema said before wrapping her arms around me. Then she pressed her forehead to mine in a way that was customary to our clan before she turned to leave.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched her make her way down the stairs and turn to the door. She was right, I did need to get out of here and feel the fresh air. This place was my home. Surrounded by all my books and research is where I truly feel at home, which is different from most orcs. We are social creatures, but I have always been prone to solitude. I forget I need to leave this space from time to time.
Yet as I stood and began to straighten my table, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful statue before me. The graceful slope of marble and the woman's luscious body were the stuff dreams were made of, quite literally. My sister had woken me from a dream.
