“Where is she?” Kinna asked.
Borrin pointed at the front door, which was wide open.
“She’s with Hula the Relentless,” he said. “Don’t harm her.”
“And why would I spare her?”
“None of this is her fault. All she did was love the wrong male.”
Kinna huffed. She dismounted and patted her krag on the back. She didn’t take her eyes off Borrin, just in case this was another trap. But the mage didn’t do anything. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and he was looking at her with mild interest.
“Why aren’t you fighting for your captain?” she asked.
“Morok isn’t my captain. Few of the orcs who’d agreed to join him truly considered him that. He was just a means to an end.”
“What end?”
He shrugged. “We wanted to belong for a while. See if we could build a new home somewhere. It could’ve worked, had he wanted that for himself and for us. But Morok the Unhinged only proved to be bitter and entitled.”
“So, now what?”
“Now I take my leave.”
Kinna looked around. They had won. The enemy’s orcs were either lying on the ground, some dead, some crying in pain, or had long since abandoned the battle. She saw Uthar standing over someone, his sword at his throat. Kinna’s heart skipped a beat. It was Morok. Uthar had him pinned, bleeding and unarmed. She held her breath as she watched them exchange words, and then Uthar placed both hands on the hilt of his sword and drove the blade right through Morok’s heart.
It was over.
When Kinna turned to Borrin, she found him gone. The spot where he’d been was empty. He’d taken his leave as soon as his captain was dead, not wanting to be there to face what was left of Uthar’s wrath.
Kinna swallowed heavily. Her throat was dry, and her head was pounding. She walked inside.
She looked left and right, her boots thudding softly, the hardwood floor creaking under her careful steps. She passed from one room to another, until she found Hula the Relentless guarding a closed door. This had been the kitchen once, but it had been torn to pieces. The doors of the cabinets hung loose, the table and chairs had been toppled. Morok’s mate was blocking the door to the pantry. She knew that Abby was inside.
“Don’t,” Hula warned. She was holding a sword with two hands, but she was shaking.
“It’s over. You’ve lost.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Yes, you do. You can feel it in your heart. You know. He is no more.”
“No. I don’t believe you.” Her voice wavered.
Kinna had no time to argue with the female orc. She felt pity for her, she realized. Now she understood why Borrin the Mage had asked her not to harm her.
She could kill Hula on the spot, like she’d done with a dozen other orcs. She extended her hand, drew a symbol, and with a flick of her wrist, cast the spell.
“Sleep. You will wake up a free woman.”
Hula collapsed to the floor. The sword clattered loudly, and as Kinna stepped over her body, she kicked the weapon away. She saw a ring of keys poking out of Hula’s pocket, and figured it was going to be easier to unlock the door the traditional way than to use her magic again. She was so tired that she could barely see straight. The sleeping spell was going to be the last thing for a while.
She unlocked the door, and the moment she opened it, Abby ran to her and landed into her arms. Kinna hugged her close, burying her nose in the girl’s blond fuzz.
“You’re here. You came for me.” Abby started crying. “I was so scared. What happened out there? Is everyone okay? Are you okay?” She took a step back and looked up at Kinna. She was short compared to the female orc, and she had to crane her neck to catch her dark gaze. “You look exhausted. Are you hurt?”
And Kinna was shocked when a tear slipped down her cheek. The mage never cried. Why would she? There was nothing to cry over. Not even when Uthar brought Beth home and she saw the future she’d dreamed of crumble before her eyes, stolen by another woman. But now... Now she was crying. And smiling at the same time. Because Abby was safe, and even more than that, she was safe in her arms.
“I was scared, too,” she said. “Did he touch you? Did he do anything...”