Page 60 of Wed to the Orc Captive

I wanted to just say yes, to just say thank you, but the sounds were different and I was listening to myself and it was stopping me from speaking. “I don’t know,” I garbled. “It’s a lot.”

She nodded. “It was hard to get used to, and it came from me. A part of me.” She pursed her lips together. “Is your magic the same? Like inside you, a well?”

“...I don’t know.” How stupid was I, not to know about myself? But how long had I been unable to even try, and now it was even more dangerous. Now it had almost killed the man I cared about.

“You may need to learn of it, and soon.” She looked past me. “He will need you.” And with the magic stringing her meaning to my mind, I knew exactly who “he” was.

Soft footsteps crunched in the leaves. “Are you finished with Rowena?” He’d switched to Common again for me.

I hesitated, afraid to have him hear this voice, but secrets wouldn’t help us. “Yes,” I garbled, and his eyebrows rose.

“More magic,” he said, flat.

Rowena crossed her arms, defiant. “I’m not letting her go in blind and mute.”

“I didn’t ask you to.” He nodded to her. “Thank you, sorceress.” His eyes flicked to me. “This is Rowena’s magic?”

I nodded, not trusting this power to speak.

“We should go, while it’s still light.”

It was hours to sundown. The sun was still high. But I didn’t argue.

He started through the woods, and I straggled behind him, till he stopped, waited for me to come alongside. “Sorry,” he said. “I walk too fast when I’m nervous. If I start troubling you, tell me to slow.” He was still using Common, not going back to the tongue that was his.

I dared to whisper, “Alright.”

As we moved towards a main path, the voices started to untangle themselves, greetings, laughter, quarreling. And the words were words, rushing together and coming apart, meaning so thick on the air I almost forgot to walk, couldn’t watch my feet. Vrathgar glanced back as I stumbled over a root. Wordless, he took my hand.

We were taking a different direction through the woods than we’d gone before, deeper, farther. Someone scolded after children, and the epithet she shouted was like “scallywags,” but the picture it gave was that of wriggling puppies.

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. About the rules of the circle.” His voice rumbled over the others, the magic narrowing to a point as I soaked him in. “I didn’t think you’d feel the need to intervene. I was wrong.”

The alien words wriggled from my mouth. “He was lying.”

“Yes. He's Khal's enemy.” There was no emotion on his face.

I moved quicker to keep alongside. “He was lying about you, and you didn't think I'd care?”

He looked down, frowned. “Why are you angry?”

I wanted to pull my hand away. Arguing this close to each other felt wrong. But that old couple in their garden were watching us, and I didn’t want anyone to see and think he’d been rejected. “Why aren't you? Why aren't you angry?”

“People have been making up stories about me all my life. I can't always be angry.”

“Maybe I can!”

The side of his mouth twitched.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said. The smile vanished. “I appreciate your gesture. Just don’t do it again. Don’t put yourself in danger I can’t stop.”

A bitter taste rose in my throat. “I thought you said the Drashik valued more than just strength.”

“They do.”

“Then why couldn’t I take my name out of his mouth?”