“I’m going hunting. I’ll be back later.”
Beth looked out the window and saw the subtlest rays of light breaking over the horizon. It was early.
“Can I go out today?” she asked.
“Yes. My orcs know who you are now. They’ve welcomed you.”
She wondered if she should tell him she hadn’t felt welcomed at all the night before.
“If you need anything, ask anyone, and they will help you.”
“Okay.”
Maybe it was better to not add to his sour mood, so she kept her doubts and fears to herself.
Uthar finished dressing, put on his boots, and stalked out of the room.
Beth listened as he rushed down the stairs, then heard the front door close. She let out a sigh and moved to the center of the bed, so she could get another hour of sleep in, in a more comfortable position. His pillow smelled like him. The same soapy smell she’d detected on his clothes. She rather liked it. Orcs were very clean creatures. She’d learned about how obsessed they were with hygiene, and now that she was living with an actual horde, she’d seen it firsthand. That was one thing she liked about them. She could only hope there would be more.
Around eight, she got up, took a shower, got dressed, and started putting the house in order. She finally managed to check all the appliances in the kitchen, and they indeed worked. They hadn’t been used in years, though, and there were no tablets for the dishwasher, and no detergent for the washing machine. She wondered how Uthar washed his clothes... The day before, she’d been impressed to discover they didn’t only had electricity, but also hot water. Now, as she moved around the house, inspecting it curiously, she wondered who was paying for all of it. Probably no one, and the electrical and gas companies hadn’t dared to cut the town off, thinking it was better to just keep the orcs happy.
She couldn’t stay inside all day. She gathered her courage and stepped out onto the porch, then in the wide driveway. She looked around. A krag was grazing lazily nearby. There were a few orcs on the street, going about their business, one talking loudly in orc language, and two carrying huge logs on their shoulders. Beth knew orcs loved to work in wood. The furniture in Uthar’s house was proof.
She decided to take a stroll down the street. Orcs noticed her but didn’t stop her or talked to her. They merely threw her curious glances, then proceeded to go back to their things and ignore her. Beth had no clue what she was doing. Where she was going. She just kept walking, looking at the houses that were occupied, and at the buildings that were still abandoned.
“Elizabeth!”
She sighed at the sound of her full name. A gruff male voice had interrupted her stroll, and she turned around to see the raider, Lonar the Beast, wave at her from one of the porches. He came down to meet her, and she patiently waited in the middle of the sidewalk. She tried to put a smile on her face, even though the massive orc scared her. He approached, and when he smiled back, he looked even uglier. His other teeth were broken, too.
“Good morning, Lonar!”
“Good morning!”
“I thought you’d be gone hunting with Uthar,” she said, trying to make conversation.
He shook his head. “Not today. He said he wanted to be alone. To clear his head. But I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s the best hunter there is. And our captain.” He added that last bit as an afterthought.
“Clear his head...” Because of her, of course. They had really started on the wrong foot.
“What are you doing, Elizabeth?”
“Please call me Beth.”
“Beth.”
“I just thought I’d go for a walk. See the town.”
“I can show you around.”
Beth was surprised at how relieved his offer made her feel. As scary as he was, Lonar seemed to be... a decent guy. Decent orc. She accepted, and they walked side by side as he started telling her who lived where. Beth recognized some of the names from the night before, but it was hard to put faces to them. Until they stopped in front of a house, and the raider said the name Kinna the Mage.
Beth froze in place. She stared at the façade, admiring its bright colors. When Lonar made to walk away, she struggled to find a reason to stay a while longer. A reason to knock on Kinna’s door. Maybe get herself invited inside.
“I have a headache.”
“Oh?”
“My head...” She touched her fingers to her temple. “I woke up with it. Do you think Kinna could help?”