AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Penny sends me a brief smile before she hastens ahead to join her part of the massed group.
It is good to see her again, even if her words remind me that there is danger here and that I must never grow complacent.
We march throughout the day. As dusk falls, the long column is brought to a stop, and tents are pitched.
Bron and Doug make short work of the tent for Melody, which is erected close to the center of the camp. As they are completing the task, I meet General Tulwin for the second time when he arrives with an escort of battle orcs to speak with Melody and Bard.
“No harm shall come to the fairy,” Tulwin assures the child. “And tomorrow morning, she may visit with you.”
Melody has been subdued all day but visibly lifts at this news.
She does not speak nor venture to approach the stern orc and take his hand. Having never seen her with Tulwin, I cannot say if she dislikes him in general or has been damaged by what happened earlier. Either way, her pensive regard in one usually so vibrant makes me want to weep.
Tulwin turns to Bard and nods once before leaving again.
Bron and Doug finish the tent before heading off to help with others. I go and collect a tray of food for Melody. She doesn’t eat anything, not even the berries, which are always her favorite in lieu of a toffee apple. I barely recognize this child who is more often full of joy.
As she climbs into her bedroll to sleep, Bard motions me to join him outside the tent.
“She will settle,” he says. “The other fairy is not her mother. Her mother is assuredly dead. I think she suffers shock seeing another fairy for the first time since… her mother and father fell.”
I swallow thickly. “Will she be all right?”
He shrugs and lifts his brows. “The child is indomitable. I believe if, as Tulwin indicated, she might be able to spend time with this fairy—whoever she is—it will go a long way toward comforting her.”
“Do you know what they wanted? Why they came? Why they followed us? Are they her people?”
“No, I don’t believe they are Melody’s people. There is something different about the other fairy. I have heard of a fairy kingdom called Sanctum, through the portal and in a parallel world where fairy omegas command warriors in quests, which would fit. Still, there are many fairy worlds.” His face softens. “You should try and get rest, Jasmine. Make no mistake, this is a war party, and we are going to war. Tomorrow we will travel again. And it is likely to be a long, arduous day.”
Bard is so often serious, yet it is understandable when he bears the weight of looking after Melody. I have often wondered about how she came to be here, and now I know it was through tragic circumstances that left her parents dead.
I collect the supper tray to take back to the servants’ part of the camp. Then, as I return, making my way between the tents, a man steps into my path. He is bald with a thick club hanging from his belt. I recognize him from the fight. This is the one Penny called Rig. I’m sick of lecherous men and want to roll my eyes that this nonsense comes for me. If he offers me a crust of bread, I swear I will demand Doug shove it up his ass.
In some ways, I feel like I have matured and learned lessons. In others, I think myself naive for thinking things would change for the better.
But that is not the case. We are part of a war tribe, as Bard has pointed out. An orc army set on a path toward assimilation of others. The people with us now are a mixture of good and bad ones. Penny is one of the good ones. But while Trent may be gone, other human bondservants, like this Rig, step in with the same mindset, eager to bully their fellow humans for a sucked cock, or to impress their orc masters.
I am not much older and certainly no wiser nor better equipped to deal with the scourge of humanity, although this time, at least, I remember that I have a fearsome orc mate. “What do you want?”
He chuckles, but it has a nasty edge, and he steps closer. “Playing coy, lass? You know the score.”
My nostrils flare. “I’m a mated woman,” I hiss, assessing where we are and how far away Doug might be. He was setting up a tent two down from Bard’s last I saw, which is a distance away. I could scream, but it is debatable whether anyone might come to my aid. I tilt my chin, determined to set this presumptuous male right. “My mate killed the last man who tried to put his hands on me.”
“Doug? That dumb white bastard doesn’t frighten me.”
“He should.” Doug might be mute, but he isn’t stupid, unlike this stinking human who dares to block my path. Only I’m shaking now, considering screaming or running or both, when a dark shape comes behind him, and a meaty fist cuffs Rig up the side of his head.
Bron.
The human swings around to face his assailant before staggering a step back when he sees the huge orc.
I bite back a smirk.Not so brave now, are you?
“That is Doug’s mate, human, and he killed the last man who touched her.”
Rig’s eyes bug in a way that makes me want to giggle.
“I thought the bitch was lying.”
