“You meanifit arrives. Four years, Atox. Even if his ship was not one of the ones that exploded and he escaped Orcos, he would have found his way here by now. You must accept that he might be dead like all the rest.”
I will not argue with him, especially when he’s likely right. And yet I will never give up hoping my brother finds us.
“Do not misunderstand me, Verig. If we end up in a war with the vints, then so be it, but I will not start one unless necessary. I prefer small skirmishes to give the new warriors the experience they need. But we are not ready for full-fledged war. Not yet. This is why the treaty with the humans serves us well on two fronts. We will learn more about the vints’ capabilities and obtain females.”
“The vints are as weak as the humans. We could easily defeat them, then the humans and take their females. This treaty is a waste of time.”
“I will reconsider once the female we’ve taken carries my youngling. There is no use taking other females before then. Training many females to our ways will take time and cause disruption.”
“Our warriors are restless,” Verig counters. “Let me take a group to scout the vints’ technology. To understand the full nature of their arsenal.”
His idea has merit. “Juruk, and only Juruk. If you take too many warriors and are spotted?—”
“I will not be spotted,” he interrupts, something I never let my warriors do. My second has more privileges than the rest of our people but disrespecting me is not among them.
I pull up on my reins, halting my gorja. My men behind me stop without being ordered. They are well trained, as are the beasts beneath them, and as my female will be in time.
“Go, Verig. Hunt for our dinner and do not return until you’ve caught a sumaz.” The beasts are rare, hard to find, and even harder to kill without a spear, which Verig does not have with him. But he is resourceful. He will find a way.
Verig grinds his lower tusks into his upper lip, betraying his frustration with me, not for the punishment. I will listen when I seek his advice and not before. There can be no doubt among my people who their grak is. As my second, Verig will become grak upon my death, but not before. Until then, no one will question my authority, especially not Verig.
My second in command slaps the flat side of a blade over his heart, a sign of respect, before he digs his heels into his gorja and speeds off, disappearing into the thick woods. Vek, I need to punch something. Verig’s still mourning the loss of his female and youngling. He vehemently opposes the idea of taking a non-orc female for his own, which I will expect of all my warriors in time. I suspect seeing my female and knowing this is his fate led to this insubordination.
Sending him to hunt for our dinner is a light punishment,making me look weak all over again, but I must tread lightly where my warriors are concerned since I cannot give them the one thing they need more than females… a true battle. A battle would give them the opportunity to unleash their frustration and anger in a way that suits us.
We should be expanding our territory, taking control of this world, but we aren’t ready. I have to act strategically, unlike my father, the grak whose impetuousness decimated Orcos.
The female… I inhale a deep breath, taking in her scent. Delightful. I should take her now, release the frustration building within me.
I slide from my gorja. As I drop the reins and move to the back of our group, I imagine what it will be like to mount the female, to sink into that soft flesh. Despite the short hair, she promises to be entertaining. I suspect she will not submit easily, and vek, that makes me even harder.
CHAPTER FIVE
PALOMA
Iwish I knew what the orcs were saying as they ride alongside the cart, but only a few humans in our colony have language chips embedded behind their ears. Certainly no women.
Trying not to breathe while lying under the hay, I envision myself hyperventilating. I wasn’t made for deception. Trouble, yes. Deception, no. At least not to the point where my life depends on it.
Long, easy breaths. That’s what I need to focus on, which isn’t that hard until I hear one of the orcs barking out orders. It’s him, the brute who plans to breed me.
The cart eases to a halt, driving my heart into my throat. Soon, he’ll check on me. He isn’t the trusting type. Even now, his heavy voice presses down on my chest like a lead weight.
All I can think about is how the damn straw is scraping my face and neck. The urge to scratch is driving me crazy, but I force myself to remain still.
Myownersnaps at one of the orcs. While I don’t know thewords, I recognize the tone. Outrage. He doesn’t see me in the straw and believes I’ve escaped.
I almost jump when his voice booms across the cart. One orc-horse gallops off.
An hour ago, I considered jumping, but breaking a leg or twisting an ankle would have destroyed any chance of escaping. If I can make it into the woods without being seen, I can find my way to Pen’Kesh based on the position of the suns during the day. I hope.
With the cart stopped, I remain patient as I listen to more of the guttural Orcan language fly by. Stern words from the orc who kept my father from striking me, not because it was the right thing to do, but because he considers me hisproperty.
The orcs will search south, southeast, and south west, the direction of New Earth. If I head due east, maybe north east to ensure I give the orcs a wide berth, then I have a good chance of avoiding them while heading to Pen’Kesh. Truthfully, I’d be fine with any direction other than north, where the cart is headed, or south, the direction of my colony.
I won’t return to New Earth. My father and the other councilmen would return me to the orcs. TheMayflowerlands outside Pen’Kesh in a month. It could take me that long to find my way there. The idea of navigating these dangerous woods and possibly still not finding Pen’Kesh scares me, but the alternative, a lifetime as a breeder, terrifies me.
ATOX IM GRAK
