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“So.” A gruff voice speaks, and Amara jumps. She doesn’t let go of me. “What do we have here?”
25
AMARA
Kian’s open, bloody chest wound does not stop him from dragging me and throwing his weight in front of him.
He still coughs sporadically, and the amount of blood that is coming out of the injured space is worrying. All his healing seems to be as good as undone.
But somehow, we have bigger problems.
A giant orc who is even taller than Kian walks towards us. This orc is flanked by four more orcs.
And when I focus on the orcs to his right, I see her.
Alfa.
I cannot stop myself from screaming.
Kian grabs my arm reflexively and keeps me pinned to the ground behind him. The orc smiles at my obvious fear and rage, and then he lifts Alfa’s limp body into the air and throws her against a tree.
I only know that Alfa is still alive because of the pathetic whimper that escapes her. I growl under my breath, too low for any of the orcs to hear, but Alfa doesn’t react to my communication.
Her body does not even twitch in response.
I’m going to fucking kill him,I promise myself as I glare at the orc.
“I love this,” says the orc at the front, the one who found us. “I love this. I love that the great Kian the Undefeated Gladiator is fighting alongside a human wench. Tell me, Kian.” The orc kicks Kian viciously in the ribs.
The ferocity of the kick forces blood to spurt from Kian’s chest. The orc smiles with satisfaction.
“Tell me,” he continues. “How is the great brother of the Chieftain of the Risen Ash clan here? With a useless little human woman? What happened to make you sink so low? What happened that made you give up your status, your favored and well-known reputation, for a life withher?”
I growl several expletives at the orc, and his ugly, scarred face stretches into a wicked smile.
Are they all missing teeth?
“You’re keeping a dog! You’ve really lowered yourself in this life, Kian. I don’t think we can call you the Undefeated Gladiator any longer! Because as a general and strategist of my army, what I can tell from this situation is that you have been defeated.”
The orc bows with a flourish as if he has just made a great speech, and the four other orcs cheer behind him.
“What are you doing here?” Kian snarls and curls his hands into large fists.
“We are here for your head, Kian the Defeated Weakling! Your brother, Uli, the great chieftain of the Risen Ash clan has declared war on us. And we thought that we’d come to find you and take your head back to him. Not that your brother even cares about you any longer!”
“You’re lying!” Kian spits the words at the orc.
Is he actually remembering who he is? Why else would he react like that?
My eyes dart between the orcs, Kian, and Alfa’s limp body so quickly that I am almost dizzy from the movement.
“Your brother does not care about you! All he cares about is the coming war! We did say that we had you if he wanted to negotiate. But he didn’t give a damn! We always thought your brother was a lover of peace, Kian. But he has become so bloodthirsty that he is sacrificing members of his own clan, including you so that he can win this war!”
Kian’s skin is already almost gray, but what little color is left leeches from his face. When I reach up to touch his head, his face is cold and clammy.
He shakes my hand away and tries to sit up.
Are they actually telling the truth?I cannot help but wonder, as the orc mutters something to one of his subordinates.
