“Why am I here?” she asked. “Why not at the house in town?”
Maika and Zulka exchanged a look, and Zulka pulled a chair closer to the bed while Maika began piling food on a plate. There was a bowl of vegetable soup that smelled incredible, a plate of roasted potatoes and strips of meat, and a small bowl of fresh berries.
“It’s to protect you,” Maika said. “The captain thought it would be safer to keep you here.”
“Safer from what?”
“The horde has split,” Zulka said. “Not physically, but in opinion. There are those who understand your pain and thinkyou’re right to want revenge for what happened to your family. And then there are those who are angry that you shot a gun in their midst and wounded the captain. They want to see you and your friends punished.”
Audrey’s stomach dropped.
“How bad is it?”
“Bad enough that the captain didn’t want you walking around town,” Maika said. She picked up the bowl of soup and brought a spoonful to Audrey’s lips. “Here, eat. You need your strength.”
Audrey opened her mouth and let Maika feed her. The soup was warm and savory, filled with chunks of root vegetables and herbs.
“For what it’s worth,” Zulka said, “we’re on your side. Maika and I. And Varka and Dorsha too. We all are.”
“Thank you,” Audrey said. “That means more than you know.”
Maika fed her another spoonful of soup.
After a few more bites, Audrey asked the question that had been nagging at her since she woke up.
“How did you find the Tusk Hunters? How did Morgath know where they were?”
Zulka burst out laughing, and even Maika smiled as she set the soup aside and reached for the plate of meat and potatoes.
“The Tusk Hunters,” Zulka repeated. “That’s a ridiculous name.”
“It’s what we call ourselves.”
“It was Brumis,” Maika said, cutting the meat into pieces. “Remember when you and Brumis sparred and the captain had a talk with her afterward? She told him she was concerned about you. She said you knew how to fight, that you had your own weapons, and that you weren’t who you claimed to be.”
Audrey should’ve known Brumis wouldn’t let it go.
“So Morgath sent Brumis and a few orcs to do reconnaissance,” Zulka continued. “Brumis thought you were upto something, and that you weren’t working alone. The captain made sure you thought he’d sent her hunting, which wasn’t entirely a lie. She was hunting, just not for deer.”
Maika held up a piece of meat on a fork, and Audrey leaned forward to take it. She chewed slowly, her mind racing. Morgath had known for days that something was up, and he’d been testing her the whole time, waiting to see what she’d do.
“I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot,” Maika said. “You were trying to protect yourself and get justice for your family. No one can fault you for that.”
Zulka leaned back in her chair. “Besides, the captain is clearly in love with you. He’ll set things right. You’ll see.”
Audrey shook her head and reached for a berry with her good hand.
“Morgath isn’t in love with me.”
“Why not?” Maika asked. “We’ve all seen the way he looks at you. He barely left your side for three days.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Zulka and Maika exchanged a look.
“Can I ask you something?” Maika said. “And I need you to be honest with us.”
