Page 21 of Agor the Merciless (Orc Mates #10)

The main cavern glowed from the fire pit as smoke rose through a crack in the high ceiling.

Agor the Merciless and his inner circle stood around a table where a map lay open, held flat by knives pushed into the wood.

Lyra the Mage wore her usual satchels at her belt, Durnak the Morose stood without speaking, true to his name, as always, Hestra kept her bow on her back, and Roric still had dark marks from the forge on his arms.

Zoe stood next to Agor with her face pale but her posture firm. The shaking in her hands had stopped, but she looked tired. She wore clean clothes borrowed from Pira – leather pants and a tunic that looked too big after weeks of not eating much.

The mage put her finger on the map, pointing to a section with mountain marks.

“Grak the Bitter lives here, in the high areas where hunters rarely go. He has placed traps all around his home, both regular ones and magic ones.”

“What kinds?” Agor studied the area.

“Holes hidden by branches, spikes with poison, ropes that catch legs.” Lyra moved her finger around the marked spot. “And worse – spells that make warriors fight each other, magic that takes strength from anyone who crosses into his land.”

Durnak bent over the map and checked the paths through the mountains. He traced possible routes with his finger.

“The ground makes it hard to walk. Narrow paths, rocks that fall, steep drops.” He looked at his captain. “We cannot move fast.”

“And his magic takes life from everything near him,” Roric said. “The krags will get weak if they go too close. We might need to leave them and walk.”

“How far away does he live?” Zoe moved closer to see the map.

“Two days to reach his border,” Hestra said. “Then one more day to find his lair, if we can get through.”

No one spoke. The only noise in the room came from the fire, and they all thought about the job ahead. Finding the old, vile mage meant going into land changed by bad magic and facing someone who had planned for them since he’d been exiled.

Zoe looked at each person around the table. These orcs hardly knew her, but they would risk their lives to save her. She felt bad but also thankful, and her heart grew in her chest at the slow, hesitant realization that she, finally, had a family who cared about her.

She cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I need to say something. I’m sorry.” Her voice caught, and she had to take a breath and try again. “I’m sorry for how weak I am and for the problems it causes the horde.”

No one said anything. Roric shifted his feet. Hestra’s face softened, and Lyra shook her head gently, as if to say it was no trouble at all, and Zoe shouldn’t worry about them.

But that wasn’t something Zoe could do. She turned to Agor.

“What can I do to help?”

Agor placed his hands on the table, leaning forward as he looked at his mate.

“You will take care of yourself,” he said. “That is all I need from you. Wait for me. I will come back with a cure.”

“I can’t just sit and wait,” Zoe said. “It gets stronger when I have nothing to do but think about it.”

“We talked about this,” Agor said, his voice low so others couldn’t hear.

“I need more,” she insisted through gritted teeth. “Trust me for once.”

Agor turned to Durnak. “Bring Grol and Tarn to me.”

The raider nodded and left the cavern. The fire crackled while they waited.

No one spoke, just threw each other glances here and there, the tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Agor and Zoe had what could be easily described as a staring contest. It was no wonder the orcs present didn’t want to get between them, not even with a louder breath, let alone a word.

Grol and Tarn arrived a few minutes later. They stopped at the edge of the group, not sure why their captain wanted them. Grol looked at Zoe, then at the captain, most likely thinking about the day Agor the Merciless dragged her from the garage.

“Step forward,” Agor said.

They walked to the table and stopped.

“My mate needs a purpose to fight this,” Agor said to everyone. “You will keep her safe, and you will keep her busy. The garage is hers.”

Tarn’s mouth opened. He looked at his father, who looked just as surprised.

“Captain,” Grol said, “we would be honored.”

Agor nodded and turned to the female orcs. “Hestra, Pira, Zana – you will be her support. You will see to her needs.”

The three females nodded. Pira smiled at Zoe. Zana looked at the human with new respect.

Agor knew this wasn’t normal. An orc captain didn’t let others protect his mate. But his need to control and do things his way had ended up harming Zoe, so now it was time for him to try a different way. He trusted his orcs to take care of her, and he knew they wouldn’t disappoint him.

“While I hunt Grak the Bitter, you will give her work,” Agor continued. “Tools, problems, engines, whatever keeps her mind busy and her hands working.” He didn’t understand much about cars, not even orc cars, so he tried to keep it short.

“We have many projects,” Tarn said with excitement. “The second orc car needs a new transmission. The motorcycle frame…”

“Tarn.” Grol put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “We understand, captain. We will provide what she needs.”

Agor looked at everyone around him. “We leave at dawn. Lyra, Durnak, and two grunts will join me. We will not return without a cure.”

The meeting ended, and everyone left to prepare for what would happen next.

Roric went back to his forge, Hestra talked to her hunters about what to do while the captain was gone, and Grol and Tarn talked about their work in the garage.

Pira and Zana made plans, too. They drifted away, absorbed by their tasks.

Soon, only Agor and Zoe stood by the fire.

They faced each other but didn’t speak for a long time.

He stared at her face as if wanting to remember how she looked.

Zoe stepped toward him. Agor opened his arms and she walked into them, putting her head against his chest. He held her gently.

“Hold me tighter,” she said into his chest. “I won’t break.”

Agor held her closer and felt her warmth. He put his chin on her head.

“Promise me you’ll be safe out there,” she said.

“I promise.” He caressed her hair. “I will fix this, Zoe. I will kill Grak and stop him for good. And then, I will give you the life you deserve.”

“What life is that?” Her hands pressed on his back like she didn’t want him to go.

“One where you can choose what to do. Work with your hands, if you want. Fix old things and build new things.” He moved back to see her face. “I was wrong to stop you before. I won’t do that again.”

She nodded. “Just come back.”

Agor touched his forehead to hers. “I will always come back to you.”