“Dorsha the Enduring,” she said with a nod.
“I’m Audrey,” she said, even though they obviously knew that already. “Can I help with anything?”
They were preparing food and washing dishes, and it seemed like they could use an extra pair of hands.
“There’s no need,” Maika said. “You’re the captain’s bride.”
Audrey was about to argue when something finally clicked in her mind. The tap was running, and it struck her: the town hadrunning water. Of course it did, because she’d taken a shower this morning. How had she not thought about it until now? How was it possible when they didn’t have electricity? She stared at the sink, where Dorsha was washing dishes.
“How do you have running water?” she asked, unable to hide her confusion. “While you have no electricity?”
Dorsha looked up with a smile.
“Electricity is not something we consider necessary. We’re used to candles and torches, and we don’t like using all the machines humans use. But we figured out early that running water is an incredible human invention, so the town has its own water tower.”
“But that’s impossible,” Audrey said. “You can’t have running water forever without electricity to pump it.”
“Morgath the Skullreaper figured out a way,” Zulka said, her voice full of pride as she handed Audrey a steaming cup of tea. “He’s the greatest mage there ever was. Instead of electricity, he used magic to keep the water running. And make it hot, too.”
Audrey felt genuinely impressed. She’d known Morgath was powerful, but using magic to replace an entire electrical system was beyond what she’d imagined any mage could do.
Maika cracked eggs into a pan and started scrambling them, the smell making Audrey’s mouth water.
“The bread will soon be ready,” she said.
Audrey sipped her tea and watched them work. They didn’t seem to be bothered by her presence.
“Could you please tell me about the orcs in there?” She motioned toward the main room. “I want to meet everyone, but I’m too shy to just go up and introduce myself.”
Dorsha laughed at that. She wiped her hands on a towel and moved to the door, pointing through it at the orcs sitting at the tables.
“That one there is Hokran the Distant. He’s the second raider. The first raider, Raknar the Steadfast, is with the captain now. I believe you’ve met him. And that’s Brakus the Immovable. He’s in charge of the krags. The one in the corner is Morgrim the Brooding. He’s a great hunter.”
She kept pointing and naming orcs, but Audrey could barely remember all the names as they piled up one after another. There was an orc who worked with wood, and another who made weapons, and several more whose names and roles all blurred together in her mind. She nodded along and tried to pay attention, but all she could think about was that the one she was looking for wasn’t there. She studied each face carefully while Dorsha talked, and none of them matched the image burned into her memory.
Maika slid a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her and added thick slices of freshly baked bread still warm from the oven.
Audrey ate quickly, hungrier than she’d realized. The food was better than she’d expected. When she finished, she thanked them and asked if it would be okay to walk around town.
“Do you think the orcs will mind?” she asked, suddenly uncertain about how much freedom she actually had here.
“You should go and not be scared,” Dorsha said. “They will get used to you.”
“Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.”
Audrey left the diner and started exploring, taking the buildings in order. She ended up at the smithy first, where she found three orcs working on weapons. The heat from the forge hit her like a wall when she stepped inside. She introduced herself over the ringing of metal on metal. They nodded at her but didn’t pay her much attention. She watched them work for a while, trying to be polite, but none of them were the orc she was looking for. When it became too awkward, she waved goodbye and left.
She found the wood workshop next. Four orcs were building heavy chairs and tables scaled to their proportions, and the smell of fresh-cut wood filled the air. The orcs acknowledged her presence with nods but continued their work without stopping. She stood there for several minutes, examining each face before moving on.
It was interesting how when they were in close quarters, only her with only a few of them, they weren’t staring at her so openly and brazenly. It was a very human behavior.
Audrey found a female orc tending a large communal garden, with a few other orcs scattered among the rows of vegetables. The female looked up and smiled when Audrey approached. Her black hair was gathered in a high bun. She was young and beautiful, maybe the youngest female in the horde.
“Hi! I’m Audrey. I just thought I’d come and introduce myself.”
“I’m Varka the Keen,” she said, straightening up from where she’d been pulling weeds. “I’m happy to meet you.”
She told Audrey about the vegetables she was growing, pointing out the different rows and explaining how each one needed tending every day. Audrey nodded and listened. Varka’s enthusiasm was genuine, and her pride obvious. But none of the orcs working in the garden matched the description etched into her mind, and she soon got bored of plant talk.
