She thanked Varka and moved on, eventually finding what used to be a school. The building stood untouched and empty, the orcs having no use for it, apparently. But on the sports field behind it, she found several orcs training with swords and daggers.
A female orc broke away from the group and walked toward Audrey when she noticed her. Her dreadlocks were gathered in a high ponytail, and she wore leather training gear that showedoff her muscular frame. One of her tusks was almost entirely broken. Her expression was cold and unwelcoming.
“Hi there. I don’t mean to disturb you. I… um… I’m Audrey.”
“Brumis the Bold,” she said. “You have no business here. It’s better to stay away. It’s dangerous for you.”
Audrey felt the urge to show Brumis exactly what she could do. If anything, out of all the places she’d seen today, this was where she actually belonged. But she stopped herself. Everyone needed to think she was helpless, believe she was just a soft human who couldn’t defend herself.
“I was just looking around,” Audrey said.
Before Brumis could respond, a deep voice cut through the air.
“Get back to your training.”
Audrey turned to find Morgath standing behind her, his massive frame blocking out the sun. Brumis inclined her head and retreated without a word.
Morgath looked her up and down, his dark eyes barely visible through the skull’s eye sockets. She could feel the weight of his disapproval.
“What are you wearing?” he asked, annoyed. “You should at least pretend you’re desirable, not dress in these drab clothes.”
Audrey sneered at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yesterday, you didn’t seem to be bothered.”
“Yesterday, I thought those were your traveling clothes,” he said, shifting his weight and crossing his own arms. “Go change into a dress or something.”
“You don’t tell me what to wear,” Audrey said, making to walk past him.
He grabbed her arm harshly and pulled her back, his grip like an iron band around her biceps.
“I will tell you what to wear, and you will listen.”
She felt her face flush hot with anger and embarrassment, but she met his gaze through that horrible skull helmet and refused to back down.
“If I wear a dress, I’m afraid you’ll get hard again. And then you’ll have to spill all over yourself like last night.”
He released her immediately. She saw his whole body go tense. He towered over her, and she could tell he was furious, but he didn’t say anything. She hated that stupid skull he wore all the time. She couldn’t see his face and read what he was thinking.
Audrey smirked in triumph and walked past him, feeling victorious. She’d won this round and he knew it.
Chapter Nine
Audrey wandered around all day with no particular destination in mind, her satisfaction from provoking Morgath earlier still warming her chest. He pissed her off constantly, with his orders and his arrogance, so she loved it when she could do the same to him.
She found a wide-open field at the edge of town, where a herd of krags grazed by the stream. Rolling green grass stretched out before her, dotted with wildflowers that swayed in the breeze. The stream cut through the field, clear water sparkling in the afternoon sun.
She saw a few orcs brushing the krags, and spotted Brakus the Immovable among them. She waved at him, thinking he’d remember her from the diner. But he only nodded before turning his back to her, returning his attention to the dark gray krag he was grooming. She frowned. It was only her first day with the horde, after all. It was natural they wouldn’t all accept her so easily.
She stood at the edge of the field and just stared at the krags for a while, watching them graze, snort, and shake their heads. It was oddly relaxing. Even though they were huge animals, and seriously dangerous, they had a calming effect on her.
When one of the creatures approached her side and sniffed her, she jumped in surprise. The smell hit her, that warm animal scent like horses carried, earthy and musky. Its hot breath was too close for her liking, each exhale washing over her shoulder and neck. She saw the size of its teeth when it opened its mouth. The mane looked soft and inviting, and part of her wanted to reach out and touch it, but she wasn’t crazy enough to try.
Audrey put distance between herself and the beast, backing away with measured steps. When the krag followed her with what seemed like curiosity, she turned on her heel and walkedbriskly back into town. She had seen krags before, of course. But she and the Tusk Hunters knew to always lure their targets off their krags, where they were vulnerable. An orc was hard enough to take down with three to four people working together. A krag was impossible.
She went to grab lunch with the females in the kitchen, grateful for their company. She spent the rest of the afternoon with them, listening to their chatter and learning the rhythms of the horde’s daily life.
At some point, Morgrim the Brooding walked in through the open back door with a huge boar slung across his shoulders. He dropped it on a large table with a heavy thud, then proceeded to help Zulka, Dorsha, and Maika clean it and prepare it for dinner.
