Audrey tried to smile. She felt her lips pull into something that probably looked more like a grimace.
“I don’t know about that,” she said.
“Interesting choice of hairstyle,” Jorrad said, his tone openly mocking.
His body language told her everything she needed to know about what he thought of her. He stood tall and confident, radiating the self-assurance of someone who dismissed anyone he deemed beneath him. Then he moved past her as if she wasn’t interesting enough to warrant more of his attention, brushing her shoulder without a second glance.
Audrey squeezed her fists tighter. Her nails dug into her palms hard enough to leave marks. She was trying desperately not to shake, not to let them see how close she was to falling apart.
Brakus hurried after Jorrad, which made Audrey think that Jorrad had earned the respect of the horde despite not being a raider. He held some kind of status among the warriors. Raknar threw her an apologetic look and nodded before following the others. She nodded back, trying to act natural.
Once the orcs were gone and had turned a corner out of sight, she rushed into the house. She ran to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before throwing up everything she’d eaten earlier. She flushed and started crying over the toilet bowl.
She allowed herself five minutes to break down. She couldn’t stop the tears even if she tried. Fifteen years of rage and grief poured out of her in those five minutes, and she let it happen because she needed to get it out of her system.
After, she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth. She grabbed the radio from her bedroom and locked herself in thebathroom again. She sat down in the bathtub with her knees drawn up to her chest and called the Tusk Hunters.
Natalie answered after a few seconds. She seemed to be the only one available, and she explained that the team was translating the pictures Audrey had sent in the next room, all of them on their laptops working together. Owen was out on patrol around the perimeter of their base.
“We’re making good progress,” she said. “We’ve translated a few of the names on the vials.” Natalie paused, and Audrey heard papers rustling. “The midnight blue vial with spots that look like oil rings inside? It’s something close to a poison. Actually, a paralyzer, usually used as anesthesia. We’ll keep translating, and we’ll surely find something better. More lethal.”
“Okay… That’s okay.”
“I can tell your voice is shaking. Are you all right?”
The question nearly broke Audrey’s composure, but she held herself together.
“I saw him. The killer came back with the group today. His name is Jorrad the Brutal.”
Natalie was quiet for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Audrey. I’m so sorry. It must be terrible. But it’s also a good thing. Now you can make him pay.”
“I’m not sure how I’ll do that yet,” Audrey said. “I need to know if any of Morgath’s potions are even remotely poisonous enough to kill an orc. Even if you guys give me good news and find something that’ll work, I still don’t know how I’ll sneak it into Jorrad’s drink or food without being seen. There are too many orcs around all the time.”
“Take it one step at a time,” Natalie said. “There’s no need to rush into anything. Do you want us to help? Maybe create a distraction or provide backup when the moment comes?”
“I can do it alone,” Audrey said. “I need to do it alone.”
There was a sudden commotion on Natalie’s end. Audrey heard yelling and what sounded like something heavy crashing to the floor.
“Fuck, what’s going on?” Natalie shouted. “Shauna? Tyler? Cole, what’s going on?”
More shouting in the background, along with the sound of footsteps running and doors slamming.
Audrey sat up straight in the tub.
“Natalie? What’s wrong?”
Natalie was cursing now, her voice rising in pitch.
“No, what the fuck? Fuck, fuck!”
More crashes, and the sound of something breaking, glass maybe, and then what might have been a door being kicked in.
Audrey started to shout into the radio.
“Natalie, talk to me! Natalie!” She gripped the radio so hard her knuckles went white.
