CHAPTER6
ROSA
The trek across camp was as awkward as it was humiliating. I was still wearing my tattered garments from the failed hunt, and I struggled to keep up with the orcs’ long strides.
Krom didn’t seem to care, though, yanking me by the elbow when I fell too far behind.
The King’s quarters.I turned over the idea in my mind. That had to be better than prison, right? I’d much rather have a warm bed than the cold dirt floor of a cage.
But if our brief, heated interaction in the throne room was anything to go by, there was a lot more to it than that.
I could still make it out of this alive. He'd given me an opening, and I intended to take it. As long as I didn't lose myself first...
We passed clusters of tents and cook fires burned low. Even as the moon hung silent above us, quite a few orcs still roamed about the camp. With every step, another pair of eyes fell on me.
The human. The prisoner. The intruder.
Krom half-dragged me past a ragged group of orcs, tearing meat off a bone with their bare hands. I caught a whiff of cooked meat. My stomach growled. My mouth watered.
"Hungry?" Krom asked, smirking. "Don't worry, I'll have food brought up."
"Am I at least allowed to bathe first?" I asked, feeling my body tense. "I don't exactly stink, but I doubt I smell too good either."
Krom didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes.
His grip tightened. I winced, knowing that I was walking a very fine line. That if I didn't play my cards right, I could end up in a cage after all.
After a few moments, we reached what I thought was the edge of camp. A fence surrounded the area and the sounds of footsteps and laughter had long since faded away. All around us the forest thickened, providing a natural barrier against the outside world.
Now I realized why we'd never run into orcs in the wild before. With this kind of fortification, even the most intrepid explorer would not find them without help.
I stared into the impenetrable mass of trees, about to ask Krom where we were going when he pulled at a rope hanging from a nearby branch. It was the same color and texture as the leaves, and I hadn't noticed it at first. As he pulled a thundering, creaking sound echoed from above. It sounded like the whole forest was moving -- and maybe it was.
From the treetops descended a wooden platform. A crude pulley system operated it and the wide planks looked sturdy enough, but where did it go?
Turning my gaze skyward, I squinted through the darkness. After a few moments, my vision adjusted further and I noticed the shapes of things I hadn't noticed before.
Platforms. Stairs. Softly glowing lights.
Another world -- another level -- of the orc kingdom existed right above our heads, hidden in plain sight.
“Whoa,” I breathed, taking in the sight. I’d heard all kinds of stories about orcs — everyone had — but nothing like this. Their crude huts and animal skin tents on the surface belied their intelligence and mastery over the natural world. This was something else altogether.
If the orcs had access to this kind of infrastructure all along, what else could they be hiding from us? And why would they show it to me, a prisoner, of all people?
The longer I spent here, the more questions I had. And it didn’t look like I was gonna get answers anytime soon.
“On you go.” Krom stepped onto the platform and held out his hand for me to follow. I rejected the notion out of pride and stepped onto the lift myself. The wooden planks squealed and shifted under my feet. I sucked in a breath and clamped down on the side railing. My heart clamored for attention and my legs trembled, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A little bit of heights wasn’t gonna scare me. Besides, this lift was made by orcs for orcs. I was probably half their weight, if not less. If it could hold up to their rough and tumble lifestyle, a small human wouldn’t make a dent.
“Hold on tight,” Krom said from behind me. With a grunt, he grabbed onto the rope and pulled, lifting us into the air.
He was really…hauling us up to the treetops with his muscles alone?
I marveled at his strength as he got into a rhythm. Wide shoulders and biceps bulged past his unassuming attire as he huffed and panted and pulled the rope. With each pull, we rose a little higher, and to my surprise, it wasn’t as rough a journey as I’d expected.
Perhaps that was another means of fortification, I realized as I watched him work. Not just anyone could get up there, not without considerable physical strength and the know-how to work this contraption. Either that, or be able to fly. And that was impossible, right…?