Page 54 of The Orc Warrioress and the Elf Lord

Gathren did not wish to stop, because things had become untenable between elves and orcs, especially in the north, in the past ten years. The silvan elves had long chafed against the rule of the elves to the south, but they had gloried in Findas’s hatred of the orcs.

She did not think that these elves would be polite to either her or Iahir, and she did not think that the elves would take well to the idea of them traveling together.

She and Iahir reined in side by side, waiting for the approach of the other elves.

“Best let me do the talking,” Iahir whispered to her.

She nodded, seeing the wisdom in this. “I’d rather you did not say I was your whore,” she breathed fiercely.

“Oh, give me some credit, warrioress,” he said.

They waited.

The elves approached, the eldest, gray-streaked one coming first and the other three men coming in behind him, a sort of triangle of Cirdan elves. They all had dark hair and pale skin and large, luminous eyes. Their ears pointed to the darkening sky. Their shadows fell in front of them as the sun set behind them.

“Do you come from Renegahan?” said the leader of the silvans.

“We do,” said Iahir.

The leader looked at Gathren and then back at Iahir. “Is it as bad as they say?”

Iahir gave a quick nod. “It is… bad.”

The leader sucked in a breath and looked back at the others. “So, there is nothing, there is no resistance from the southern forces against the orcs? There will be no one coming to free the keeps which have been taken over?”

“That I could not say,” said Iahir. “We left in a hurry, and it was right in the thick of things. I cannot think the orcs can hold the capital forever against the Valaedor.”

“But if they have taken it,” said the leader, “they have all the resources of the High King, all his cannons and all his gunpowder and all his stores of food.”

This seemed to have just occurred to Iahir, who nodded, looking stricken.

The leader nodded at Gathren. “Is she your prisoner?”

Iahir licked his lips and looked at Gathren. “She is… an important bargaining chip that I must protect if we hope to end this conflict. She is an orc princess.”

The silvan elves looked her up and down, and then narrowed their eyes.

“We must be on our way, I’m afraid,” said Iahir. “You will let us pass?”

The leader hesitated for long, long moments, but then he nodded. “Of course. The road belongs to us all, after all.” He smiled a thin smile, one that seemed cold and a bit ironic.

But the elves did not stop them as they rode past.

14

IAHIR NEARLY CHOKED on the bread he was eating. There had been bread in the stores at Gathren’s house, loaves of it, and they had taken it all, for it would surely go bad on its own. Even now, they must check it carefully for mold or rot.

This piece was fine, if a bit hard, he had to admit. Dunking it in tea, however, for they had boiled water from a nearby stream and made tea, made the bread softer.

“What did you just say, warrioress?” he said.

“I said, perhaps we should just engage in amorous congress after all,” she said.

“That’s what I thought you said,” he muttered, and put another piece of hard bread in his mouth. He chewed and stared at her.

“I thought you’d be more pleased,” she said.

He swallowed. “I think this is some kind of trap,” he said. “Because, this very morning, I seem to remember your saying that I would never get between your thighs.”