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Prologue
Tor Arquin stood gazing down at the celebrations in the quadrangle below.
Grasping a glass of aged brandy in one big green hand, a satisfied smile shaped his lips. Who would have believed twelve years ago, when he left Motham, a downtrodden orc, that he would now own the most successful mineral exploration company this side of the mountain ranges.
In recent months his team had found the largest seam of Plutark ever to be discovered. The rare and precious mineral was vital for every piece of technology, from computer chips to rocket ships.
There was no stopping him now.
Simply put, Tor Arquin was a billionaire.
It felt so damn good rolling that fact around inside his skull while he watched his management team and investors celebrating the win. Soon he would join them, but first he wanted to savor his own quiet celebration in the privacy of his office.
Suddenly his cell phone rang.
A frown tugged at Tor’s brow as he recognized the ringtone.
Katrina. His sister.
Putting down his drink, he hesitated before answering. He was expected at the party; he should let the call go through to message bank. But a tiny sliver of unease made him press the green icon.
“Dad fell off a ladder,” Katrina’s voice blurted. Tor felt his chest tighten.
“Is he okay?”
“Not really. He’s broken his leg and he’s concussed. He’s in hospital, under obs. And Mom’s a complete mess, you know how she gets.” Tor stayed silent, digesting. “You need to come home and see them, Tor.”
“I know, I know.” Guilt grabbed at his gut. “It’s just not good timing?—”
“I’ll tell Dad to choose a better time to fall off a ladder, shall I? One that suits your schedule?”
Tor compressed his lips. She was right, he was being a self-centered prick.
“Mom keeps asking if you’re coming home, but she won’t call, she doesn’t want to bother you.”
Tor curled his hand into a fist by his side, searching for words.
“They’ll be dead before you get your sorry green ass back here and then you’ll regret it.” Katrina didn’t pull her punches. She had no interest in money—in her book, family always came first. “Tor, say something, you butt-head.”
Even now, his younger sister’s habit of insulting him at every opportunity made Tor’s lips twitch.
“Okay—okay.” He sighed. “I’ve got a few things to tie up here, but I should be able to get back very soon. There’s been some big wins for Arquin Enterprises recently.”
“Really. What?”
Tor snorted. Katrina wouldn’t care if he’d gone to explore the outer galaxies for stardust. “Nothing, sis, don’t worry about it. How’s things with you though?” Another slug of guilt hit him, knowing he should have phoned her weeks ago. She’d left him messages enough.
“Work’s been full-on since I got promoted.” She paused. “And me and Lucia have started our insemination program. So that’s exciting, and stressful. Please, Tor, come home.” Her tone was almost plaintive, a note rarely heard in his tough sister’s voice.
Tor promised, yes, he would be there in a couple of days.
Striding back to the floor-to-ceiling windows of his offices, he no longer felt so triumphant about the party kicking off downstairs. On top of the worry about his dad’s health, the idea of setting foot in Motham again cast a pall over his victory.
Twelve years ago, Tor had packed a rucksack of his worldly belongings, slung it on his back and scaled the city wall on the edge of East Motham. Traveling at night to avoid detection, he’d taken a path through the mountains toward the hope of a better life. After weeks of dodging human troops and ogre rebel gangs in the highlands, he’d finally made it to the other side of the mountain range—to freedom.
And eventually, to a prosperity his younger self would never have believed possible.
Tor huffed a sigh. Motham City held too many shit memories to want to go back. All those years of working down coal mines. The punishing hours spent below ground, the suffocatingly dark, dank tunnels with only a headtorch for light; the harsh treatment he and the other orcs endured at the hands of the human managers.
