“So what?” Susan countered, with even more belligerence than before, suggesting that perhaps an orc reading was just as inappropriate as one running about maiming and murdering. “Why didn’t you tell him where to go? Should I call the guard after all?”
The panic surged again in Rosa’s chest, and she clutched the book tighter. No. There could be no fighting, the orc had to leave, it didn’t matter whether he was reading or not. He had to go.
She whirled again toward the stacks, keepingThe Lady Brightclose against her chest, almost as though it could defend her from the vagaries of a reading orc. Who would have ever fathomed that orcs could read, or maybe he was only pretending, waiting until Rosa was alone. And then, he would overpower her, trap her,biteher, carry her away. Or worse, demand she abandon her research, and ruin her chances of becoming a real scholar forever…
But when Rosa halted before the orc again, lifting her chin, he didn’t seem at all interested in demanding, or trapping, or kidnapping. In fact, he didn’t seem the least interested in her whatsoever, and only frowned down at his book, turning another page with a sharp black claw. He was biting his lip this time, showing just a hint of a pointed white fang, and Rosa couldn’t help a furtive, disapproving glance down at the book’s spine. It was a bit much, really, for an orc to thoroughly ignore a young, blonde, decently attractive woman, who also happened to be actively researching his people’s demise, in favour of reading a —Antidotarium and Other Medical Recipes?
“Excuse me,” Rosa finally said, her voice coming out a croak. “Sir.”
The orc’s black eyes glanced up again, a furrow appearing between them, and he lowered the book slightly. “Yes, woman?”
His voice was low and smooth, drawing something tight and strange in Rosa’s belly, and she took another deep breath of her book, still clutched close against her chest. “I’m afraid,” she said, “I must ask you to leave this library at once.”
The furrow between the orc’s brows deepened sharply, and he set down his book on the table — taking care, Rosa distantly noticed, to keep his claw in his place on the page. “Why must I leave?” he countered, his low voice lilting with a faint, unfamiliar accent. “There is no one else reading here, and I cause no harm.”
Rosa gulped for air, for rational thought. “This library,” she choked out, “is meant forhumans.”
There was a scornful curl on the orc’s lip, showing more of that pointed white fang. “This librarywasmeant for humans,” he said, with heavy emphasis on thewas. “But of late, you humans have signed a new treaty with my kin. And this treaty states that orcs may freely enter and utilize all public places within Sakkin Province, provided they follow all applicable human laws and commonly held practices while doing so.”
It was a direct quote from the written treaty, Rosa noted with a grimace, and she fought to grasp at her scrambling thoughts. The librarywastechnically open to members of the public, yes, as long as they didn’t take out any books — but the Dusbury University wouldnotapprove of an orc using their library, treaty or not. And despite this research project of his, Lord Kaspar would be the loudest detractor of all. He would be shocked and appalled, he would question Rosa’s judgement and sanity no matter the quality of her research, she would be throwing away her chances of becoming a student before they’d even begun…
And most terrifying of all, Rosa would surely be throwing away this job in the library, too. Proving herself unfit, unwise, far too foolish to properly guard such a valuable collection. And even if she had the deepest throat in the realm, it still wouldn’t do a lick of good once Lord Kaspar found out.
Rosa squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to block out the rapidly spiralling visions of her ruined future — but the orc just kept on speaking, now with thinly veiled contempt. “Is this library not a public place? And do I not follow your laws and practices?”
The panic kept clanging louder through Rosa’s brain, and she blinked her eyes open to glare at the orc’s angular grey face. “Well,” she managed, “you broke in while we were closed. The door was locked. And, breaking and entering” — she drew in a breath — “is illegal. So there. You broke the law, and as per the agreement, now you leave.”
The last bit came out with a vindictive-sounding satisfaction, but Rosa’s triumph was short-lived. Because rather than immediately arguing — or leaving — the orc visibly winced, his claws clenching against the page of his still-open book.
“Ach,” he said. “You shut this library at night? And this latch on your door was truly meant as alock?”
Rosa jerked a decisive nod, and the orc winced again, now frowning down at his book. “This lock,” he said flatly, “would keep out no one. You ought to better guard a priceless place such as this.”
His clawed hand had given a fluid wave toward the rest of the room, and his eyes flicked up to frown at Rosa again, as though she were personally responsible for such a vast oversight. An implication that deeply rankled, and Rosa pulled herself taller, and glowered down at his disapproving face.
“If you must know, orc,” she snapped, “I have been asking for a new door and better locks ever since I started working here. As well as mitigation strategies for fires and floods. But what I want matters very little around here, and if my patron ever found out I was allowing anorcto read in this library” — her voice cracked — “I would lose my job here, and my access to the library altogether.Forever.”
The frown on the orc’s face didn’t budge — if anything, it went even deeper — and he glanced down at his book, and back up at Rosa again. “So you shall break your own treaty,” he said, his voice hard. “You shall call armed men, and they shall force me away from my book, so that your —patron— shall remain pleased with you.”
There was a rising pounding behind Rosa’s eyes —wouldshe break the treaty, subject her precious library to destruction, in order to force this orc away from his book? A real, honest-to-gods reading orc, dropped straight into Rosa’s lap, almost immediately after she’d been tasked with researching the orcs’ weaknesses…
Her thoughts darted back to the stack of resources on the lending desk, including the eighteen entire books she’d already read, along with many more pamphlets and treatises. And apart from the occasional outlier — usually couched in the words of a supposedly unreliable female witness — the sources had universally agreed that orcs were violent, wicked, depraved. Bloodthirsty, licentious, kidnapping warmongers, all too eager to thrust themselves upon their unsuspecting victims, to capture and ravish as they pleased…
But this orc was looking longingly down at his book again, trailing his clawed finger down the page with a slow, careful reverence. And for the first time, it occurred to Rosa to look about him for weapons — orcs were always extravagantly armed, weren’t they? — but a swift glance up and down his bulky seated form showed nothing of the sort. His beige tunic was close-fitting, laced at the neck, betraying broad shoulders and a flat waist, and his trousers, just visible to Rosa’s peering eyes, were tied up by a string, with no weapons belt or sword hilts to be seen. Only a hint of his powerful thighs under the table, and Rosa felt herself swallow hard, her eyes snapping uncomfortably back to his still-frowning face.
“Well, woman?” he demanded, with even more contempt than before. “Shall you call your men?”
Rosa’s throat made a noise not unlike a growl, and she rubbed at her aching head. “Look, are you armed? Do you have a sword? An axe? A mace?”
The orc blinked, once, before his face settled into its frown again. “No,” he snapped back. “I would not bring weapons into a library. A battle here could endanger many priceless tomes.”
Well. Rosa felt her shoulders sagging, and she shot a quick, uneasy glance over her shoulder, to where Susan was, hopefully, still out of earshot. Rosa needed to impress Lord Kaspar. She needed to succeed at this damned research project. And this — perhaps this was an opportunity. Or even a gift from the gods. A real live orc, here in her library, precisely when she most needed one…
“Oh, all right,fine,” she said to the orc, dropping her voice. “Stay if you wish. But you need to move. Into there.”
She’d waved at one of the nearby closed doors — the entrance into Lord Kaspar’s private back room — and the orc’s brief look of surprise was immediately replaced with suspicion. “You seek to lock me in there,” he countered, “and then call your men.”
Deargods, thisorc, and Rosa rolled her eyes toward him, earning an odd, visible flinch from his big body in reply. “No, orc,” she shot back. “I wish to keep you out of sight. If anyone else walks in here and sees you, you’ll be leaving whether I want you to or not. You got that?!”
