I told myself that. But I fell asleep listening to his breathing, feeling the warmth of him radiating off the blanket. And I woke to find myself cradled in his arms.
THE ROAD
"So how did your parents meet?"
We were moving through the forest, slightly separate from the rest. Moving was getting easier, my legs and ankle no longer threatening to betray me.
"My Da, he was caught in a hunting trap. Trapped there, running out of water, and then he sees moving through the trees the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Fierce, with hair of raven and lightning in her eyes. And he called out from his bonds, 'lady!’” A smile crossed Khal’s face. “‘Marry me.’"
I pushed under another low-hanging branch. "And she said yes?"
"No, she knocked him out with one blow, but she reconsidered later. He’s a talented person."
There were voices up ahead, concerned. Farkath and Gernaz were talking to each other. Khal jogged to join them. “Is everything alright?”
One gestured, started in Orcish, switched. "—on the road, turned over.”
"It's not an ambush?"
"We move better than they do. There's no one in the trees but us. Gernaz is certain."
Khal hesitated. His brow was furrowed. "We'll approach, then. Stay out of sight. I'll talk to them."
“Who is it?” I followed him.
“Humans. Their cart overturned. They are probably waiting for help.”
“Are we help?”
He was putting on a brave face, but I could tell he was worried. “If we are not, they will get into trouble. These roads are going to be crawling with highwaymen for the next few weeks, maybe months now that the armies are disbanded. A small group alone with a cart…”
I tried to put myself in his shoes, imagine a life where I had the luxury to worry about every potential enemy with a problem. “You’re very fond of good deeds?”
“They could die.”
We pressed through the underbrush.
It was strange to see the road again and realize how long we’d been away. A cart, a normal wagon with a canvas cover, now spattered in mud, was turned over on its side, a woman holding onto the head of their ox. A few children of walking age milled around a man in a faded blue coat, who was trying to wedge branches under the side. Khal motioned to his comrades, and they seemed to understand without words. With no mention to me, he stepped into the clearing.
“Greetings. It seems you could use help?—"
The man shouted with surprise, the children jumping back, shrieking. “It’s an orc! Papa, it’s an orc?—"
“You stay back!” The man shouted. His eyes were casting about for a weapon, fell upon an axe. Orcs tensed in the trees around me, and I looked for someone with a bow or a spear, someone who’d kill this man if he tried for Khal.
“I’m not your enemy. Just passing through.” Khal raised his hands. “This road is dangerous.”
The man picked up the axe, hands twisting on the grip. “Don’t come any closer!”
“I’m not. I’m not.”
The woman with the ox took a step to the side, grabbed one of the little ones. There were three of them.
“There's been fighting farther south. Armies have been disbanded, and there will be mercenaries traveling through here, men with no tie to the land. These woods will be crawling with people who have little to lose. You need to get your family out of here, and only travel in groups large enough to deter them. Sitting like this, you’re not safe.”
“Arthur,” the woman said, “there are more of them.”
Her eyes were sharp.
