And aye, for certes, there was Issa, rushing toward us, both hands supporting her huge belly.
“Maardok!” she cried, throwing herself at our brother, likely the only one strong enough to lift her in this condition.
Sure enough, he was laughing when he scooped her up andspun her around. I smiled wearily as the same scene played out with the rest of my warriors being welcomed home.
Six human families are mourning right now.
I told myself ‘twas their fault, for resisting.
The guilt was assuaged by the contented way myKteerbuzzed, watching the joy around me.
Then my sister was in front of me, beaming, and I sighed with satisfaction as I hugged her with my left arm.
“Hello, not-so-little-one.” I pecked her on her forehead. “Ye havenae popped yet?”
She swatted my chest, her attention already on my injury.
“I still have six weeks, and ye ken it. What’s this about yer injury? Ye are hurt?”
“A scratch,” I assured her, and at my side I heard Rowena snort.
Before Issa could launch into full fussing mode, I caught her hand. “We brought ye some of the cheese ye like.”
The way she rolled her dark eyes was exactly the response I was hoping for.
“Fook the cheese, Vrogul!”
“Nay, thank ye,” I quipped, and Rowena snorted again.
The thought that she was listening to my homecoming should have irritated me. Why didn’t it?
Issa lifted her hand to my cheek and smiled at me. Gods below, when she looked at me like that, she reminded me so much of our mother that my heart ached, and I wantedto just sink into her embrace, bury my head against her shoulder, and be told everything would be alright.
Except I knew it would be a lie.
As long as Callor controlled us, this contentment wasn’t guaranteed.
“Vrogul,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling and her tusks gleaming as she smiled. “Ye came home to us. Ye brought everyone home. The cheese, the stores…Callor’s ore? ‘Tis less important than that.” She shook me slightly. “Yeallcame home to us.”
Six humans didn’t.
I closed my eyes.
And my sister sighed.
“Come on, ye dobber. Let’s get Matthias to look at yer wound.”
‘Twas good to be home.
Rowena
There was something wrong.The Stormseeker wasn’t acting like the terrifying sea raider I knew him to be. He’d allowed the female to take him by the hand and lead him toward a cozy little hut with overgrown rosemary bushes along the front walkway.
It seemed the vicious reiver was cowed by his wife.
Not so cowed, if he stole you.
Well, mayhap hehadn’tstolen me to plow my belly, as I’d feared. None of the orcs had touched me like that—not even a squeeze on my arse, which is more than I could say of the married men in the mining village. Mayhap I’d been stolen for something even more sinister—a sacrifice to their heathen gods?
