“Of course. Let’s go ask.”
“Oh, thank you. You’re too kind, Lonar. I can go ask her myself. I don’t want to waste more of your time.”
He was silent for a moment, then nodded. Beth couldn’t tell if he saw right through her and now he was offended, or if he was simply respecting her wish because she was his captain’s bride, and Uthar had told all of them to treat her like they treated him.
“I’ll be around if you need anything, Beth.”
“Thank you.”
She waited for him to disappear down the street, then went up to the house and knocked. Kinna answered the door in less than a minute.
“It’s you,” she said coldly. “What do you want?”
She looked almost regal in her long robes, with the thick necklace around her neck, and her black hair spread over her shoulders and back. Her tusks were thinner than a male’s tusks, and her face was oval and pleasant. Beth thought that she was beautiful.
“I have a headache. Lonar the Beast said you can help...?”
Kinna took a step back, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked her up and down.
Beth swallowed heavily, wondering if the mage could tell she was lying. She didn’t have a headache, but she was stressed, and she hadn’t slept well. That counted, right?
“I’ll give you something,” the mage finally said. “Wait here.”
Beth was disappointed that she wasn’t invited inside. She would’ve loved to see Kinna’s place, maybe learn a thing or two about her. She’d started on the wrong foot with the orc captain, and now she was doing the same with the mage who was supposed to help her sister. No one liked her here. Except Lonar the Beast, maybe.
Kinna returned with a small glass vial.
“Take a drop of this whenever your head hurts. Don’t come to me about this again. This will last you a few weeks. If you don’t get headaches three times a day, that is.”
“N-no, I don’t.” She took the vial from her. “Thank you.”
Kinna shot her another loathsome look, then promptly slammed the door in her face.
Beth stood there, stunned. What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t need the medicine. All she’d wanted was to talk to Kinna, see if she could build a rapport with her. She’d always thought that asking people for help was a sure way of making them like her. People loved to feel needed. Maybe it didn’t apply to orcs.
With a sigh, she stepped off the porch and walked around the house. She noticed that the lawn was neatly trimmed and everything was in perfect order. The mage’s house was the nicest one on the street. She should’ve given up and walked away. What she was doing now was stalkerish, but she couldn’t help herself. She wondered why Uthar wouldn’t give this female the attention she clearly craved from him. She was beautiful, powerful, and she was like him. Oh, and she certainly wanted him more than Beth could say she wanted him right now. Not that Beth didn’t find Uthar attractive. She did. It was just that... she didn’t think she was ready to get pregnant before the full moon. Which she reminded herself she had to check the calendar for.
She heard the back door open and close, and then the sound of splashing water in the backyard. Beth stepped around the house and saw Kinna washing her clothes in a long, wide basin on the ground. She was on her knees, sleeves rolled up, elbows deep in foam. She’d pinned her dark hair atop her head.
Beth smiled to herself. This was her chance to win Kinna over.
“Hey!”
The mage’s head snapped toward her, and she narrowed her eyes at Beth.
“You again.”
“Yes, sorry. Listen, you don’t have to do that.” She motioned at the basin. “There are washing machines. I just checked the one in my house, and it still works. I’m sure yours works, too. If it doesn’t, I can lend you mine.”
“What?”
“Much easier to do the laundry that way.”
Kinna stood up. Water dripped down her arms, but she didn’t care. She looked at Beth like she was the most annoying being in existence.
That made Beth take a step back. She didn’t know what she did wrong, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? That I don’t know how a washing machine works? I’m a mage! I could do my laundry using magic. I don’t want to. Because doing it by hand relaxes me. It puts my mind at peace, helps me... meditate, if you will.”