Page 65 of Wed to the Orc Captive

Her eyes traced from him to me, and for one second I thought there was something else behind that smile. “Right! The human.” She cocked her head at me. “We talk later, maybe? You hunt?” Insincerity dripped off the words.

I bobbed a goodbye. This conversation didn’t need more from me.

Vrathgar dipped his head at the small one over her shoulder, “Larrakh,” he said. “Welcome back.”

The short one looked uncomfortable, looked away.

They were talking behind us as we walked back up the path, the scarred one shouting some last invective after us. Vrathgar didn’t respond.

“So that’s Rissa,” I muttered.

“Yeah.”

All the questions I didn’t have a right to ask flooded through my mind. “She seems…friendly.”

“I would not take her up on that hunting trip. She may be friendly, but she knows her friends are not.”

I fixed on a detail that seemed unimportant. “Larrakh was Khal’s cousin, right?”

He was scanning the trees, just nodded.

“She didn’t seem happy with us either.”

“It’s her hunting cohort. I can’t blame her. I’ve placed her in an awkward position, loyalty-wise.” He found what he was looking for, stepped up on a low boulder. “Through here. Watch your step.” My hand was still in his.

Maybe it would have been normal to ask where we were going, but this day felt better with fewer words between us, with less thinking about what came next.

We climbed down through the rocks, a short slope, another climb. And how foolish was I, caring about the way he steadied me when I was about to fall, paying attention to the warmth of his hand when he helped me up onto a ladder worked into the stone? How pathetic was it to notice and think about these things when it was more clear than ever how surely he was going to let me go? The sun sank rapidly, and I was depending on him more than was safe, but I didn’t want to tell him I couldn't see and be a burden again. I wanted to pretend for a little while that I could stay beside him.

“We can rest here,” he said, taking my hand at the top of the climb. “I’ve never had anyone find me here.” The platform seemed wide in front of me, soft moss and soil and stones. I scooted away from the edge, and sat as close to his silhouette as I dared. Tiny mushrooms lit on the wall of roots behind him, and as my eyes adjusted I started to see glimmers down below. Swaying trees? Fireflies?

“Thank you for agreeing not to go to the house. I know this day has been…a lot.”

I propped up my chin on my knees. “Being in that empty box wasn’t going to help me either.” Neither would walking longer with Rissa, but I didn’t say it.

“I don’t know how much right I have to ask you questions, but…” His voice was heavy. “There are questions that should be asked.”

There were tiny flowers in the moss at our feet. I plucked one. “I would say you could ask as a husband, but you’re not planning on staying married to me, are you?”

He didn't deny it.

My throat tightened, and I focused on sounding calm. “What would make it seem fair?” I got out, steady.

He let out a breath. “A question for a question?”

I played with the moss. “That sounds good.”

“Your power. What is it that you can do?”

We were filling the time before we didn't belong to each other anymore, and that shouldn’t have hurt. Beneath us, trees swayed. “I can soothe minor wounds and relieve pains, speed flowers growing a little bit, and put someone to sleep. Though if I do the last one it strains my voice, so I can’t sing for at least a day or two. And they have to let me finish the song, and it can't stop more than one person, generally.” He was still, not responding. I shrugged. “I don’t know if there’s more. Though I guess I can call birds and monsters, now.”

“You could make a place for yourself here.” His form was wooden, his back too straight. “The healing, of course. You'll get more powerful with practice. But you'd be useful on the hunts too, calling in the beasts. People would accept you, in time. Even having been with me.”

“I'm not like Rowena. I can't talk to them.”

His voice was wry. “Rowena didn't become their sorceress by talking.” He was going to leave me. He was going to leave and I couldn’t forget.

My fists balled against the earth. “It matters though, doesn't it?” I asked, still shaky. “Because if I don't have a voice, people can just…believe whatever they want to think. Say whatever they want to say.”