Sonya nodded. They were silent for a while, as Beth gathered her thoughts and checked in with her feelings. She was better. Maybe she would even eat a little soon.
“I can’t lose her,” she continued. “I can’t. I can’t imagine my life without her. We’ve survived so much. Morok can’t take her away from me... just like that.”
“And he won’t. The captain will bring her back.”
“I know.” Beth stood up and started pacing some more. “No, I know. I trust him.” She looked into Gorya’s eyes. “I trust everyone. I’m sorry I’m so... all over the place.”
“It’s understandable,” Gorya said.
“I... Maybe if I lie down for a bit...”
She was exhausted. Sonya showed her to the bedroom, but when she made to leave, Beth reached for her hand and pulled her back.
“Stay for a while?”
Sonya climbed into bed and rested her head on the same pillow as Beth. She smoothed down her wild hair.
“I’ll stay for however long you need me.”
“Thank you.” Beth closed her eyes and tried to imagine Abby walking through the door.
Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts only.
Chapter Twenty-Two
They took her to a farm. It was abandoned and run down, and there were no farm animals in sight. Only krags that grazed leisurely, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, and orcs in full armor and armed to the teeth that yelled, and laughed, and ran around getting ready for things Abby didn’t even want to think about.
She was taken inside and forced into a room that was damp, cramped, and had no windows. The empty shelves that lined two of the walls told her it used to be a pantry. They locked the door, leaving her in the dark. She curled on the floor, pressing her forehead to her knees and rocking softly. Tears streamed down her face and soaked her pajamas. She was barefoot.
No one came for a while. An hour passed, maybe more, and she’d managed to calm down and tell herself that she was going to be okay. They hadn’t hurt her. She had scratches and bruises on her legs and arms, but only because she’d fought them. These orcs were nothing like Uthar’s orcs. They were loud and vile, scary and covered in scars. She feared that they had seen more battles and blood than Uthar’s horde, and she also had the feeling that they were more numerous. Beth had told her a few things about Morok the Unhinged and how he’d gathered his horde. She tried to remember what her sister had said. These orcs were all rogue and savage. Many of them had been banished from their hordes because they didn’t agree with the peace treaty, or they’d left themselves to search for something else that aligned with their values and beliefs. And Morok had found them and brought them together.
Abby knew that Morok wanted Uthar’s horde. He believed that it was his by right. What she couldn’t understand was why he’d taken her. She wasn’t even part of the horde. If they were trying to hurt Uthar the Hunter, they’d taken the wrong human. Not that she’d preferred her sister to be kidnapped instead.
She heard steps outside the door. She took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and straightened her back. She considered standing up, but she felt weak and a little sick. Since Kinna the Mage had been doing magic rituals for her every day, and pumping her full of herbs and concoctions, she’d been feeling better, eating better, and looking better. Her hair had started to grow back, and her whole head was covered in soft, blond fuzz.
The door opened, and a female orc stepped inside. She was tall and lean, with long, black hair that she wore in a complicated braid. For a second, Abby was relieved. She could deal with a female orc. But then another figure blocked the light coming in through the doorway, and Abby knew this orc was a male. He was twice as big as the female, with broad shoulders and long, thick limbs. A sword dangled from his hip. He had to bend his back to enter the small room, and when he straightened it again, his head almost touched the ceiling.
Morok the Unhinged. She recognized him from the fair. And the female was his mate, Hula. Abby couldn’t remember her other name.
“She’s too thin,” Hula said. “And she has no hair. Why does she have no hair? She’s ugly. She will give you ugly babies.”
What?
Abby’s eyes widened. She hoped to God she hadn’t heard right.
“She’ll do just fine,” Morok said in a low, bored voice. He pushed Hula aside and stepped in front of Abby. He looked down at her like she was a bug, and he was trying to decide if he should lift his foot and squash her or give her a chance. “Stand up. I want to see you.”
Abby was tempted to disobey him. But she was in a dire situation already, and she doubted Morok would have the patience to deal with her if she tried to be fussy. She pushed herself to her feet and tried not to shake too much.
“Why do you have no hair?” he asked. “You sister has beautiful red hair. It’s a sight to see, to be honest. Had she not been pregnant with Uthar’s child, I would’ve taken her.”
“I’m ill,” she said. “All my hair fell off because of my sickness.”
“See?” Hula threw her hands in the air. “Useless! I told you. She was not worth taking. We should’ve killed all of them and been done with it.”
“Kill my own horde?”
“They’re not your horde. Kill some of them. Enough of them, until the rest surrendered and accepted you as their captain. Now, what are you going to do with this skeleton? She’s sick. She can’t give you children.”