The diner door opened, and voices flooded in from the main room. The orcs who’d just come in were being greeted by everyone with laughter and congratulations. She heard the sound of pats on backs and chairs scraping as they sat down at a table, and Zulka and Maika rushed out of the kitchen to bring them food.
Audrey approached the open doorway between the kitchen and the main dining area. She studied the group carefully, looking at each face.
Her heart gave a painful jolt, and her vision narrowed until all she could see was him. She gripped the doorframe with both hands. She recognized the scar that ran down his left cheek.
The orc who’d killed her family.
Chapter Twenty
He was exactly as she remembered him. He hadn’t aged a day.
Orclings grew up fast, faster than human children, but once orcs reached maturity, the aging slowed down. They lived longer than humans. Morgath looked like he was in his forties, at most.
He was tall and lean, with black hair gathered in a thick ponytail. Both his tusks were broken, the jagged edges visible when he smiled, his head thrown back in laughter. He was covered in scars on his arms, neck, and face. One ran from his eyebrow all the way down to his jaw.
Audrey’s stomach turned. She felt nauseous, her tingling skin breaking into a cold sweat. Her hands trembled against the doorframe, and she forced herself to breathe through her nose.
She turned away before anyone could notice her distress, slipped back into the kitchen, and grabbed the edge of the counter for support.
Varka the Keen appeared beside her with a fresh pot of coffee. She glanced at Audrey but didn’t comment on her pale face or shaking hands, thinking she was upset because of the conversation they’d just had about her parents and being an orphan. She poured more coffee into Audrey’s cup and set the pot down.
“Who is that?” Audrey asked. She nodded toward the doorway.
Varka looked through and followed Audrey’s gaze.
“That’s Jorrad the Brutal.”
“A fitting name, I presume.”
Varka’s mouth tightened.
“He is a fierce warrior. Hot headed. Doesn’t always listen to reason or even to the captain’s orders. Morgath has had trouble with him. But he’s loyal to the horde. Jorrad wantedto become one of Morgath’s raiders, but Morgath chose Raknar and Hokran instead. They are brothers.”
Audrey’s eyes widened.
“I had no idea the two raiders were brothers.”
“They’re very close, always have been.”
Audrey gripped the counter again. She took deep breaths and focused on the feel of the wood under her palms, the warmth of the coffee steam… Anything to ground herself.
“How come Morgath is both mage and captain?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of something like this before.”
“When the portals tore open, our horde was caught at a vulnerable moment. Our captain and two raiders were away at a war council, leaving us leaderless as we were ripped from our world. We materialized directly in the path of another hostile horde. It was chaos. With no captain to give orders and no raiders to lead the charge, the horde was on the verge of annihilation. It was Morgath, then serving only as the mage, who stepped up. He rallied the warriors, organized our defenses, and led us to a bloody victory. After that, we waited. A month passed. The war with the humans began to rage. It became clear we were stranded and our old leadership was gone forever. The horde chose Morgath as our new captain. He accepted, appointed two new raiders, and has led us ever since.”
“That sounds like a lot,” Audrey whispered.
“I hope the new apprentice works out. The captain needs a break. He’s been doing two jobs for too long.”
Audrey agreed, but she was distracted. Her mind was stuck on the image of Jorrad the Brutal laughing in the next room. She set down her coffee cup.
“I need to go home.”
The second she said it, she rushed to the back door and out into the fresh spring air. She filled her lungs with it, trying toground herself before she made a decision. But the next steps were obvious now.
She rushed home and found her phone. She turned it on. Eight percent battery left. That was barely enough, so she needed to hurry. The two power banks were empty. She needed to make the best of what she had left.
Audrey almost ran to the hut in the forest. The trip that usually took her twenty minutes, took her a little over ten this time. She slowed down as she approached and checked to see if Morgath was in through the window. His workshop was empty. Morgath was somewhere else, probably testing Nezhar.
