But he was, and the look in his eyes said he was going to keep doing it, and why had he done this, what was happening, why, why,why—
Ella stumbled off him, backwards, staggering so badly she nearly fell — but then, somehow, she was running. Ducking her head as she weaved for the door, dodging the masses of huge, partying orcs. And then almost barreling straight into one, intoDammarr, and even as she physically recoiled, he was still a Grisk, he was still Natt’s guard, hisrealfriend, maybe —
“Would you please,” she gulped at him, “take me to Jule? And the Captain?Please?”
Dammarr gave a dark glance over Ella’s shoulder, and for an instant she was sure he would refuse, mock her, laugh — but finally he gave a jerky nod, and strode out of the room. Leaving Ella to follow blindly behind him into the pitch-black corridor, straining to hear his footsteps in the utter emptiness. And here was the dull realization that Natt had so rarely taken her anywhere without a lamp, she had never before had to do this, stumbling first this way and that, her hands and shoulders scraping painfully against unyielding stone.
“Ach, women,” Dammarr’s voice muttered beside her, as a warm hand clamped around her arm, and guided her down the corridor. “If my brother rails at me for placing my scent upon you, you must tell him it was your doing.”
Ella could only gulp for air, shake her head, dash at the constant surge of wetness pooling from her eyes. “He won’t care,” she gasped. “He said I wasn’t good enough. He wants to send me —away. Tomorrow. WithAlfred.”
There was a distinctive snort from Dammarr, a tightening of that hand on her arm. “You are a foolish woman,” he said, voice flat. “He ought to send you away, if you believe this as truth.”
“Idon’tbelieve him,” Ella’s wavering voice countered. “But what else am I supposed to do, I’m not a Speaker, I can’t make him tell me the truth, why has he beenlyingto me!”
Her voice was far too high-pitched, echoing in the blackness all around, and she could hear Dammarr give a harsh, impatient sigh. “You are a foolish, fickle, cosseted, selfish human,” he said. “And you are betrothed to the man who has destroyed my brother’slife.”
“I amnotbetrothed to that man,” Ella hissed back, without thinking. “No matter what happens now, I willnevermarry that man. I made a pledge toNatt!”
Dammarr’s steps seemed to falter, at perhaps the same time Ella’s had, and she blinked her unseeing eyes into the darkness. Did she mean that? Truly? She would never marry Alfred, ever, no matter what?
But yes, yes, that was true, and Ella bit her lip and waited until Dammarr started walking again, drawing her along behind him. Not speaking, not even acknowledging that she’d said anything, and she blinked at the floor, again and again, until he finally pulled her around a corner, into — light.
The light was from a little fire, in a cozy little stone room, which featured Jule lying long on a couch, her legs and lips parted, her cheeks flushed a deep pink. While her huge, hideous Captain mate knelt beside her, his head bent to her rounded belly, his hand spread wide over it.
It had clearly been leading to something, but they were both still dressed, and they both rose up at once, Grimarr’s eyes wary, Jule’s full of sudden concern. “Ella!” she said. “What’s wrong?”
The genuine worry in her face and her voice had Ella very close to bawling again, and she gulped for air. “Natt’s been l-lying to me,” she said. “I — I think he’s betrayed me. I c-can’t trust him. I can’t trustanyone.”
Jule’s eyes had closed, in something looking like pain, and Ella felt her own eyes settle on Grimarr beside her. The Captain of the Orcs, of all five clans, who Natt had struggled against all these years, who had left him todie. You seek to force me to do your bidding, Natt had told him, and betray my ownsoul.
And maybe, Ella realized, with another blinding flare of truth, Natt’s vengeance hadn’t just been upon Alfred. Myenemies, he’d called them, more than once, and maybe that had been these enemies too. His ownkin, who fought to keep truth hidden and safe, until it rose up to devour them all.
“You know the truth,” Ella hissed, to Grimarr’s wary, watching eyes. “You know what Natt’s not telling me. And unless you want me to run out there, and urge my former betrothed to launch this new war against you,you will speak truth to me.”
30
Ella’s demand was met with silence. With only the crackling of the fire, the slow rise and fall of this huge orc’s huge shoulders as he looked at her.
“You will speak truth to me,” Ella said again, into the silence, her voice cracking. “Unless you want me to start this war.Tell me.”
Beside him Jule had leaned up, quickly murmuring something in his pointed ear. And when Grimarr still didn’t move, Jule turned back to Ella, and gave her a sharp nod. “Hewilltell you,” she said, voice clipped. “And whatever it is, he ought to have told you from the start. Don’t you agree, Grimarr?”
Grimarr sighed again, but he gave a reluctant-looking nod, his big arms crossing over his chest as he met Ella’s eyes. “Here is truth, woman,” he said. “I sent Nattfarr to you, on this night of your party. His quest was to rebuild a mating-bond with you, and seek to sire a son upon you.”
Ella’s feet felt rooted to the floor, and there was a distant pounding in her skull, constant, throbbing, terrifying. “Natt came to me onyourorders?” her faint voice echoed. “To do —that? Butwhy?”
But she knew, curse this awful orc, she knew before he even spoke. “Lord Tovey seeks to use your hoard to fire a new war against us,” Grimarr said slowly. “We thus sought to forestall this, and remove your wealth from his hands.”
We.Natt. Natt had come to Ella that night on Grimarr’s orders. Natt had wanted to build amating-bondwith her. Sire asonupon her. Natt had done all this, all his laughter and affection and sweet filthy kisses, because of — Ella’smoney.
Just like Alfred.
And here were the images, hurling across Ella’s thoughts in a cruel, constant, dizzying stream. All Natt’s smiles, his sweet words, his warm hands, his beautiful fluid body, his truth. We shall have this now, you belong with me, you shall speak truth to me, my sweet pretty lass…
“I — I don’t understand,” Ella heard her shaky voice whisper, sounding very far away. “Why would Natt do that to me. Foryou.”
Her churning, screeching thoughts were suddenly stuck on that, tripping on it over and over again, because surely Natt wouldn’t have done such a thing for Grimarr, for the orc who’d been so callous to him, surely it was all some kind of horrible mistake —
