Khal tied the bandage off. "Weighty tidings to share so new in acquaintance." He didn't believe me.
"Of no consequence to someone the baron has cast off."
He paused.
A sound of disgust rang as the orc with the forehead scar burst into the clearing. "What's this? We're stopped?"
Khal's shoulders tensed. "We'll be moving in a moment."
"You knew you'd be going on a journey, so what's this?" He was smiling at me, but there was no kindness in it. "Did you think your new husband would stay in the castle? Did you think a horse was coming? You didn't prepare?"
"Vrathgar," Khal said. His voice was quiet. "She found out about our bargain the day of the wedding."
They went quiet, and then Vrathgar spat out a stream of expletives, the curses not taking pause for breath. He pulled a knife and I curled back, put up a hand-
He drove it into a tree, roared. "The bastard never intended to keep the bargain. He meant for none of us to survive. Rat bastard rutting?—"
"Vrathgar." Khal said woodenly.
"What?"
"You need to bridle your tongue."
Vrathgar glared at him, spat in the dust. I shrunk back. Were they going to fight? I realized that if Khal died, I didn't know what would happen to me.
The scarred orc- was he larger? Maybe he seemed larger- bared his teeth. "This was a mistake," he said.
"Maybe," Khal answered, steady. "But the mistake is mine."
The other orc glared. “You think you alone suffer here? You bring back a fish-skin?—"
"Vrathgar. You forget yourself."
"Forgetmyself? It is you who forget, Drazha's-son. Do you forget what you wanted to be? Are you human or are you ours?"
Another orc, the younger one Khal threatened the first night, shoved in, speaking urgently, the Orcish words a rippling flow of consonants. Vrathgar shoved at him growled back. The young one flinched, but stood firm, said some last thing. They looked like they'd come to blows, when another orc burst through the trees.
"Pthralhirgar!"He shouted. "Two! They have our scent!"
Vrathgar cursed and pulled his blade from the tree.
The orcs were a flurry of tightening armor and drawing weapons. Khal was giving orders, shouting in Orcish, turned back to Vrathgar. "I need you."
"You're damn right, you do." He spat. He disappeared into the trees. In the noise and distraction, I pulled on my shoes.
Khal turned to me, grabbed my hand. "We run. The clearing.”
We were heading back the way we came, lunging and slipping over stones. I would have fallen, many times, but his hold kept me up.
He let me go when we reached the clearing. It was only maybe twenty feet across. The orcs gathered at the center; forming a ring, spears in hand. Short spears with broad heads;boar spears. Khal pushed me behind him. They were all standing, facing the trees.
“Over there!”
A massive shape, like a panther the size of a cart, leapt out of the trees towards the circle of warriors. Spears jabbed out, and it drew back, testing, a low, guttural sound in its throat. “Geh geh geh geh geh geh?—"
Its nostrils flared, lips pulled back to show teeth longer than a human hand, prowling around the circle. Its eyes locked on me.
“Stay back,” Khal muttered, as if I needed that instruction. “They go for the weakest.” Behind us, another shout.
