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Irealize as I see him leap just how closely he’s been watching me. His form is perfect. Just like I showed him, he fakes where he’s going to attack from, then pushes off the ground and uses the whole of his body as momentum.
The orc general is taken to the ground, and Kian rains blows down on him, on his face, his ribs, and his core. The general is flailing wildly. He doesn’t know how to defend himself from an attack like this, and the pain is wearing him down.
The other orcs stand and watch in dead, shocked silence. Not one of them saw this coming, and I can see from the way they clutch their weapons that they’re afraid.
“Do you surrender?” Kian spits, forcing his knee under the orc general’s chin. “Do you surrender, or do I have to keep hurting you?”
“I surrender,” the general hisses. His voice is angry and hateful. If a wolf ever talked like that to someone who took them down in a play fight, they’d be thrown out of the pack.
But Kian doesn’t mind. He stands up, rolling to his feet just the way I do. The general lies there, bruised and bloodied, as Kian turns to the other orcs.
“The promise to retreat was made before the God of War!” he calls to them. “Are you going to let your commander dishonor himself and you? Or are you going to keep the promise?”
The general sits up. “You do not have the right to talk directly to my men. If you want to make an appeal, you can make it to me.”
His voice is strained. He’s doing his best to hide just how much he’s been hurt, not to mention embarrassed. Still, I can hear the pain just underneath his words, and I think that the other orcs can, too.
Kian turns and faces him. “Then I’ll talk to you. Will you dishonor yourself and your men before the God of War?”
The general tries to stand up but falls back to the ground and winces.
“You have no right to lecture me about honor,” he hisses.
Kian faces him. “Don’t I? You had to ambush me to even steal a temporary victory. What does someone who gives an order like that have to do with honor?”
My eyes widen. Kian remembers. Somehow, fighting in that battle and being thrust back into the world of orcs and politics that he left has brought it all back to him.
I try to meet his eyes, but he simply stands there, staring down the general. What does this mean for us? If Kian has his memories and his purpose back, will he leave? Will he even be the same Kian I used to know, or has he already changed back into who he was before?
The general stands up again and wavers for a few moments, but manages to hold it. “We will keep our promise. Prepare to retreat!”
The other orcs obey without hesitation. They pick up anything they’ve set down and begin to walk away, disappearing back into the forest. All of them are silent, but it’s obvious that they’re glad to hear that order. Still, I wonder whether it’s the God of War or Kian that they’re really afraid of angering.
I run over to Kian and wrap my arms around him. The moment I do, I realize just how badly he’s been hurt himself. The way he hid it in front of the other orcs, I could almost believe he was totally uninjured. But now, close enough to smell him, I can tell he’s struggling just to stand still and not shake.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to him, holding myself against his body as gently as I can. I allow him to lean against me, bracing my knees to carry as much of his weight as I can without any of the retreating orcs seeing. “You made it.”
“Amara,” he answers, his voice soft and shaky. “I can remember it. I can remember all of it.”
I’m terrified by that, but also, I know that they’re his memories. How I feel about it isn’t important. If he decides to leave me behind, then I hope he lives a beautiful life. I’ll still be happy that I saved it.
“I’m so happy for you,” I say, doing my best to sound as confident of that as I should be.
I lean back to look him in the eyes. He’s clearly trying to think of the words to say something. But what?
Finally, he opens his mouth.
But whatever he’s going to say, he doesn’t get the chance. I see it coming from behind him and I push him out of the way as best I can.
Tavor’s pounce doesn’t knock him down, but his claws rip into his shoulder. He lands and immediately twists around to face me. I stand between the two of them as best I can. What is Tavor doing? Why is he attacking Kian?
“I demand an explanation!” I bark at him.
Tavor just growls. His eyes lock on me, and I realize that it isn’t just Kian that he intends to kill. It’s me, too.
“What do you think you’re doing, Tavor?” I ask, glancing behind me as briefly as I can.
Kian is clutching his arm. Is he still going to be able to fight? Is this one I can win on my own? Normally, I wouldn’t be too nervous about taking down Tavor, but he looks confident in a way that unnerves me.
