Page 23 of The Orc Warrioress and the Elf Lord

They took the servants’ steps up to the main level, and there they were greeted by Marthlis himself who had a rifle that he put in their faces.

“You,” Marthlis snarled at her. “Before all the servants fled, I sent one to get word to the High Chieftain. I wanted him to know we had his daughter. The servant returned with the response, but he’s long gone now. Do you want to know what the response was?”

Iahir turned to look at her, and his body was starting to grow cold.

“‘What daughter?’” said Marthlis.

Gathren flinched.

Iahir felt it all sink to the bottom of his stomach. “You lied about all of it?”

“Well, no,” she said. “I am the High Chieftain’s bastard daughter. I even met him once. I doubt he much remembers me, though. He certainly had no memory of my mother when she wanted to ask him favors.”

Marthlis put a hand to his mouth. “You pernicious and scheming orc! Your kind, you are all slimy and treacherous.”

“So, you were never any use as a hostage,” said Iahir softly, shaking his head. “And you had no idea when the invasion would come.”

“I am going to slit your lying throat,” said Marthlis, his nostrils flaring.

“Oh, what?” said Iahir, alarmed.

“Did you bed her?” said Marthlis, giving Iahir a bland smile. “I shouldn’t have expected anything different from you, I suppose. But you can’t think to defend her just because you feel softly towards her. No matter how much you have enjoyed fucking her, she has betrayed us all.”

Of course he had not fucked her. The opportunity had seemed to grow further and further away the longer she had stayed, and he wasn’t sure why that was. It was one thing to fuck a woman who he barely knew. It was another to fuck one he had begun to consider a friend. And that, he supposed, was why he didn’t want Marthlis to kill her.

Iahir pulled on her, sliding his body between her and Marthlis, peering down at her. “What did you think would happen when we found out?”

She let out a helpless laugh. “I suppose I didn’t think about that. I might not always think things through very well, I’m afraid.”

He actually understood that. He wasn’t exactly well known for his ability to think before he acted either. “Why, though?” he said, shaking his head at her. “Why? Because you wanted us all dead?”

“No,” she said.

“She’d say anything right now,” said Marthlis. “She wants to save her miserable neck.”

Iahir turned to look at Marthlis. “She could be useful. We are at war with the orcs, after all, and maybe she knows things that will help us to defend ourselves. We should keep her alive.”

“You wish to fuck her again, that’s all!”

“I am not fucking her,” said Iahir. “I only…” He turned back to Gathren, his expression stony. “We’ll tie her up. We’ll tie her to something. And in the morning, we’ll deliver her to the general of whatever army is defending the city.”

“Don’t you know who that is?” said Marthlis. “As a member of the kingsguard?”

“Why would I know?”

“There is no army defending this city, is there?” said Marthlis. “In order to summon one, the king would have needed to issue a formal proclamation, and I suppose he can’t do that, can he?” He gestured to Iahir’s face.

Iahir touched his chin and it came away red. He hadn’t been aware he had Findas’s blood on him. It made him feel frantic for a bath, as if his skin was tainted in some way. He drew in a shaky breath, staring down at his reddened fingertips.

“You did it?” said Marthlis.

“I said I was going to do it,” said Iahir.

“Well, so they will have to send for the king’s heir in Cairnil, and he will decline to come because of the fighting and set up his own court there,” said Marthlis. “We talked of this, do you remember?”

“We did a lot of talking,” said Iahir tightly.

“We have time,” said Marthlis. “The orc invasion may yet work to our advantage.” He nodded at Gathren. “Tie her up, fine. But we will interrogate her in the morning, once I’ve gathered as many of the revolutionaries as I can find.” He grimaced. “Without servants.” He shook his head. “Does that mean I have to go after them myself?” He began to walk down the hallway away from them.