As far as I’m concerned, Jovak should just tattoo a big red S on his chest because he’s acting like my personal superhero.
“The sun has long since set,” Jovak says. “It would be safer to make our journey in the morning, however …”
He looks at the battlefield and, in particular, the Wyrm tribe orcs he has slain.
“I think we should be away at once and put as much distance between us and this carnage as possible.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
I’m not sure what happened to our onager. She appears to be long gone. Fortunately, the orcs had their own team, so we utilized them. Jovak surprises me by not getting into the wagon. He walks beside it instead.
Between the rattling of the wagon and the gusty wind, it’s almost impossible to carry on a conversation. I spend most of the first few hours of our journey watching patches of moonlight splash over his green skin.
Jovak is so defined and muscular that it almost defies possibility. It’s hard to believe he’s a real being with those perfect proportions. He’s not like most orcs who are pure gristle and brute force. He moves with liquid grace, steady and placid, seemingly as a cat but with eyes like a stalking wolf.
He’s trying to hide it, but Jovak is anxious. Perhaps he worries about more of the Wyrm tribe catching up to us. If he’s worried, I’m worried. Fortunately, I can distract myself with indecent thoughts about his uniquely chiseled body ….
Nobody has to know. Not even Laney, and especially not Jovak. It would probably make him uncomfortable. Maybe it wouldn’t. No, no point crossing the line between fantasy and reality. Reality never lives up to fantasy anyway. Not that I would know, being a novice in the fleshly pursuits.
We travel through the night, and only when the pink heralds of dawn streak the sky does he call for a halt. Jovak leads the team of mules behind a thick copse of trees, a good distance from the rutted road.
I take it upon myself to take care of the onager team. They’re cranky from having had to walk all night, but some oats spilled out onto the fresh green grass calms their persnickety mood. I pat the rump of the larger of the two and check on Laney.
She was in and out of consciousness last night. Now she’s sleeping, but her slumber seems far more peaceful than it had been before. I hope Jovak is right and she’s going to make a full recovery.
Jovak sits on a tree stump and sharpens his metal-hafted ax.
“I will take first watch. You may sleep peacefully.”
Watch? I guess he means one of us is going to watch the camp. It makes sense. I’ve never set a watch, ever. A shiver runs down my spine when I realize how many times someone could have snuck up on Laney and me while we were asleep.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, noticing my reaction. “Are you cold?”
The day is warm. There’s no way I could be cold. If anyone should be cold, it’s him since he’s barely dressed.
“No, I’m not cold. I’m just thinking of how vulnerable I’ve left myself over the years that Laney and I have been on the road.”
He stops sharpening his ax and gives me a startled look.
“You’ve been on the road for years? Just the two of you?”
“For the most part, yeah.” I shrug. “I mean, we’ve taken up with roving bands of humans before, but sooner or later, I need to get my space, you know?”
“Your … space?” He tilts his head to the side and considers me for a long moment.
“Uh, well, it’s complicated.” Suddenly my cheeks burn with shame. I don’t want to admit this to him, and it’s downright silly.
“And you think I can’t understand complicated things?”
Oh great, now I’ve insulted him. Now Ihaveto tell him what I mean.
“I guess …” my voice breaks, and I clear my throat. “I guess that I get sort of uncomfortable in those bands after a while.”
I scratched the back of my head and turned my gaze down on the sleeping Laney. I bunched up the blankets into a humped mound to keep the sun off her face.
“I mean, the men always want to lay claim to me sooner or later, and it causes problems that I don’t want to settle down with anyone.”
“You don’t want a mate?” He seems somewhat astonished by the idea.