Hiswoman. An odd jolt rippled up Rosa’s spine, but Jule only whirled to frown mightily at John, her eyes flashing. “What has gottenintoyou, John?” she demanded. “Aren’t you supposed to be the cleverest orc in this mountain? Drafli wouldn’ttouchher, and youknowthat. And they won’t be alone, Baldr will be there, and I trust him with mylife!”
The sound from John’s throat was nearly a bark, deep and hoarse and anguished. And in an abrupt, twitchy movement, he spun to face Rosa again, his hand reaching out for her — but then snapping away, clenching against his side, as if he’d had to force it there.
“You cannot truly wish to leave here thus, woman,” he said, his voice almost pleading. “You are not yet well. You must rest, and fully heal first.”
Jule entirely ignored him, pulling Rosa back to a walk — but John immediately kept pace again, his glittering eyes intent on Rosa’s. “You must rest,” he insisted. “For even one more day. I swore to care for you.”
Rosa swallowed hard, her thoughts flicking back to that awful moment in his bed. To his face, his voice, his words. This is what orcs do to silly little women like you. We do whatever we wish with you…
“But you — youdon’tcare for me,” Rosa finally said, her voice cracking. “You don’t evenlikeme. You think I’m silly and stupid and useless. You only want touseme, for your own gain.”
John blinked at her, and then shook his head, whipping his braid behind him. “I do not wish touseyou,” he countered, the frustration heavy on his voice. “I shall keep you safe. I shall tend to you, until you are well. And” — his eyes frantically darted about, settling on the pack in Jule’s hand — “I shall — read to you, whilst you rest. I shall read this tale we have brought with us, from your library.The Lady Bright. You cannot leave without this book.”
Shit. Rosa’s steps faltered, because damn it, the books, she couldn’t possibly leave those precious books here inOrc Mountain— but beside her Jule scoffed, and kept walking. “Oh, give it up, John,” she snapped. “Rosa’s not going to tolerate more of this bullshit for a stupidbook.”
Jule was right, of course, that would be utter foolishness — or would it, because John’s blinking eyes on Jule’s face were equal parts disbelieving and enraged. Saying, howdareyou dismiss and denigrate a book’s power thus — and the commiseration suddenly seemed to flare, catching deep in Rosa’s gut. And clenching even tighter when John’s furious gaze snapped back to hers, his black eyebrows raised high, as if to ask, can you believe she justsaidthat?
And curse her, but Rosa felt it, acknowledged it,appreciatedit — and this damned orc saw it, heknew. And his hand had jerked out toward her again, this time brushing soft and almost compulsive against her arm before yanking away again, too late.
“You cannot leave here, without your books,” he said firmly, triumphantly, his eyes steady on hers. “You shouldneverwish to be a book thief. And should you stay, woman, I shall show youmybooks. I shall show you mylibrary.”
Wait, he had alibrary? Rosa’s still-walking feet faltered again, her eyes darting helplessly toward Jule’s face. Orcs didn’t havelibraries. Did they?
“Don’t let him get your hopes up, Rosa,” Jule replied flatly. “It’s barely even a library, more like an empty old room. And half the books are falling apart anyway.”
But Rosa felt utterly trapped in place, her brain leaping back to that beautiful little book Hanarr had shown her. Did John truly have more books like that? And they couldn’t truly befalling apart? Surely John wouldn’t allow such a travesty in his ownlibrary?
“How many holdings,” Rosa heard her traitorous voice say, her eyes narrow on John’s. “And what kinds? How old? Sourced from where?”
John’s eyes narrowed back at her, and for an instant, she was sure she almost saw —suspicion, whispering within them. Almost as though heknew. About Lord Kaspar, the letter, the three weeks. But he couldn’t know,surelyhe couldn’t know...
“I have more than two hundred volumes,” John finally replied, slow. “Some are archives, many are guides and treatises. Some are tales and sacred texts. Some, I know not what they are. Many of them have been kept safe by my clan since the days of old.”
Oh. Oh,gods. Hecouldn’t. Archives, sacred texts, some he didn’t know,falling apart. Kept safe by his clan, since the days of old…hundredsof years, maybe even older…
The longing swarmed Rosa in a flood, so powerfully she had to gulp for air, for rational thought. This orc had anancient library,ofgenuine orc sources, he was offering toshow it to her, it was like he was holding out a silver platter of sweet-cakes, frosted with cream and honey…
“And you would,” she gulped, “allow me to access them? And read them?”
The suspicion flared again across his eyes, accompanied by a telltale tightness on his mouth. “Most of these are in my own tongue,” he said. “Thus, you could not read them.”
Oh. Of course. Rosa felt her hopefulness fall again, plummeting deep, her eyes dropping to the floor. Of course he didn’t really want her to know, to learn, to discover more about his people. Offering up the library was surely just another empty gesture, another manipulation. And that was all.
So Rosa bit her lip and kept walking, only distantly noticing the floor beneath her feet gradually tilting upwards, the faint but distinctive whiff of freshness in the air. Until before her, John’s still-hovering body jerked to a halt again, looming over her, blocking her path.
“I shall,” Rosa heard him say, tight, as if through gritted teeth, “read these books to you. I shall even answer your questions of them. If you stay.”
He wouldreadthem to her. It was enough to snap Rosa’s watery eyes up to his, searching for the truth of that — and here, whirling to life in her stunted-feeling brain, was the realization that this — this was indeedexactlywhat she needed. Access to the orcs’ own works. Answers to her questions. Real primary sources, true and bare and powerful. And this was her once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a student, to save her future…
But instead of agreeing, saying yes, like she surely should have, Rosa felt her hands pressing to her face, shutting him away, shaking her head so hard it hurt. “But you don’twantme to stay here, John,” her thin voice choked. “You don’t evenlikeme. You’re only trying to manipulate me again. To get your way again. You already swore to keep me safe, and tell me no falsehoods” — her voice wavered — “and just look how that’s gone for me. You don’tcare. I can’ttrustyou.”
And that was truth, enough truth to set the temptation stark against the reality. John was still only in this for himself. Anorc. A cruel, manipulative beast. Amonster.
Rosa forced herself to start moving again, slipping sideways past John’s rigid, immobile form, and for a hanging, silent moment, it was done. Finished. She’d made the right decision, she would never see this horrible orc again.
And, she thought blankly, even if she did end up destroying her future, at least she wouldn’t need to be responsible for awar, after all. For the ruination of this surprising mountain. For the bloody, premature deaths of these surprising orcs, who again didn’t seem atallwhat her sources had claimed them to be…
“Wait,” came John’s voice, cracking on the word. “Little rose. Please.”
