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“Well, I did see what was left of Morok’s horde,” Abby winced. Those images would be imprinted on her brain forever. It was going to take her a while to sleep at night without fearing nightmares.
“Morok the Unhinged is dead,” Uthar said. “I drove my sword through his chest. His horde dispersed. They were only a bunch of disloyal rogues who were never going to fight for him to the death.”
“How about our horde...”
“We lost three souls.” His voice turned low and grave. “There are many injured, and Kinna will treat them as soon as...” He stared at the mage’s hand on Abby’s shoulder, uncertain of what was happening and why Kinna was still there when she had plenty of work to do.
“As soon as I recover a bit,” the mage said. She walked to the couch, plopped down, and motioned for Sonya to pour her a cup of tea. “I checked on them already. No one else is going to die tonight. But I need... a minute.” She sighed.
Abby went to sit by her side.
Beth looked at them, not understanding what she was seeing. She exchanged a glance with Uthar, but he seemed to be just as confused as she was.
Sonya poured tea for everyone. Her hands were shaking. Beth noticed that her eyes were red.
“Sonya, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“We won.”
“I know. It’s just...” She sighed deeply. “Morok was my mate’s son. Goran loved him, and when he walked away, he suffered greatly. I know he was horrible. And I know he put you and your sister in danger. He put all of us in danger. What happened was necessary. But that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to... grieve a little.”
“No, of course not.” Beth hugged her lightly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Sonya smiled through her tears. “I’m glad it’s over.”
Uthar looked at the scene before him, not quite believing that it was, indeed, over. He felt the wound on his forehead throb, and he winced. He also had a stab wound in his right side, and a long gash across his back, where one of Morok’s raiders had managed to cut him. He was starting to feel the pain of all his wounds, and he looked at Kinna, trying to understand why she was taking so long to pull herself together and start healing the injured.
“My love.” Beth wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for bringing her back.”
“She’s your sister,” he said. “She’s just as precious as you are. Nothing will ever happen to either of you again.”
“I believe that. I trust you.”
She rose on her tiptoes, and he pulled her against him. They kissed tenderly, allowing themselves a single minute to get lost in each other. One minute, because the sun was rising, and they had work to do.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A few difficult days followed. They’d put out the fire Morok had started, but two buildings had been damaged, and the orcs had to clear the rubble. Kinna spent hours healing the injured. To Beth’s annoyance, Uthar had insisted to be the last, even though he’d been stabbed in the side and the wound refused to close. The weapons had all been enchanted, laced with powerful magic that poisoned the blood. Kinna worked overtime clearing the poison from the wounded orcs’ system, and then mixing herbs and uttering spells to set them back on their feet. But as the captain, Uthar wanted to see his orcs healed first, and only after that did he lie down on Kinna’s table and let her work.
Beth couldn’t do much to help. She and Abby stuck around the mage’s house, cleaning jars while she worked, bringing wood for the fire, and water to clean the wounds. When her last patient, who was Uthar, had been healed, the mage sent him home to take a nap, and walked into the living room, where Beth and Abby were waiting.
Beth jumped to her feet and went to hug and kiss her mate.
“He needs rest,” Kinna said. “I told him to go get some sleep. And that’s what he’ll do.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Beth asked.
“You’re not going with him,” Kinna said coldly, not even allowing Uthar to say a word. “Let him sleep for a few hours.”
Beth pouted but kissed him on each tusk and sent him on his way.
“You’re next,” Kinna told Abby, giving her a smile.
“What?”
“We shouldn’t have interrupted your treatments. You look good, but we need to keep pushing until you’re perfectly healthy.”
