Page 34 of Orc’s Promise (Knotty Monsters #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

TANSEY

S trong legs dig into the dirt for purchase as a group of settlers from New Earth, a few I know, most I don’t, raise their knives and wood clubs and yell at Verig. “Return our women!”

“Do not challenge me,” Verig warns as he draws his sword. He’s ready to take on eight men by himself.

“Tansey, no!” Sojek calls when I pull free of his grasp and race between him and the human men.

“Leave him alone!” I yell at the men threatening Verig. If I can end this quickly, then Verig can help us find Ethan.

Verig’s eyes meet mine briefly. “Go. Find your youngling.”

“Those men will rip you apart!”

He chuckles as a smile teases his lips. “I need a good workout. And you need to find Ethan. Go, I will join you shortly,” he says as he raises his sword high.

The eight men race at him at the same time.

“Go, Tansey. Now!”

Sojek tears me away. With the sounds of a sword slicing through flesh and men screaming in pain, I turn away from the bloodshed. Verig’s a warrior. He’ll be fine, and I have to find Ethan.

“Where do you think your youngling might be?” Sojek asks as we run from the blood-curdling shouts.

“I don’t know.” I can’t think straight. Between leaving Verig to fight off that angry mob of men and imagining all the horrible things that can happen to a child on this planet, I freeze with indecision.

Sojek pulls me deeper into the moxxel quarter, an area I’ve never seen. I’m thankful for his presence and decisiveness. He knows this market, and even though he’s eighteen or nineteen at most, he shows no fear as he leads me into dark and foreboding areas in our search for Ethan.

“We should split up. Cover more ground,” I suggest.

“Then you will disappear, too.”

He’s right. I’m no good to Ethan if someone takes me. There’ll be no one to fight for Ethan.

Verig would fight for him.

But then his focus would be split, looking for each of us. I better stay with Sojek.

Strange sights and sounds threaten to overwhelm me as I try to ignore them and focus on finding my son. “Ethan!” I call out over and over. Sojek and I check under and behind every table, structure, tree, and crevice where a small boy could hide.

Ethan’s never been to Pen’Kesh. I don’t even know why or when he stowed away in the cart.

My baby’s in this market with dozens of dangers everywhere. Deadly beings with long, sharp teeth and claws, open pits with no barriers to prevent falls, weapon demonstrations performed in the open where anyone could easily become a victim by turning the wrong corner.

“Where does that go?” I ask Sojek, pointing to a path that leads away from the market.

“To the woods and a river beyond. I’ve only traveled that way once. There are many paths like that one, all leading away from Pen’Kesh.”

“Oh, god. Ethan could be anywhere. How are we going to find him?”

“By being thorough,” Sojek says, mirroring Verig’s confidence, though he doesn’t look as confident. At least he’s level-headed and calm, unlike me. I’m falling apart.

I take a deep breath and then I start all over again, calling out Ethan’s name.

After an hour of searching Pen’Kesh, I’m too frantic to think straight. Not only does it seem as if Ethan has disappeared into thin air, I’m sure someone’s watching me. My skin’s crawling. I wish Verig were here. I need him. I need my baby…

Sojek calls me to him from across a series of tents in the bantaran section, which stands higher than the other quarters. He agreed to split up to cover more ground, but only if I promised to stay where he could see me. He’s standing on a stone wall, looking at the low-lying areas.

I race up the hill and peer over the wall to see where he’s pointing. A small blond child stands by the animal pens watching a herd of sheep-like animals.

“We should have taken the tumek to the moxxels after all,” Sojek jokes as I squeal at finally seeing my Ethan, alive and well.

I’ll appreciate Sojek’s humor later, after I’m holding Ethan in my arms. “Get me down there fast, before he disappears again.”

Sojek dips and dives through the market, slowing only to keep from losing me. He has longer legs, and I’m definitely out of shape, but I don’t care if I die from not being able to breathe fast enough. I’m not slowing down until we reach Ethan.

We enter the moxxel quarter and weave our way to the animal pens in minutes, but I don’t see Ethan. I force myself to stay calm. He’s here. Somewhere.

As I climb the fence to the pen to search among the herd, Sojek yells, “Over there!” He points past the thick crowd to a distant corner, where a huge orc crouches in front of Ethan.

Verig!

I’ve never been so relieved in my life.

My instincts say to run to them, but there’s something about the sight of Verig bending down to Ethan’s level, talking to him calmly, that steals my heart. My hand flies to my mouth, and I suppress a joyful cry.

“He’s fine,” Sojek reassures me. He doesn’t understand the emotions swirling through me. I’m not sure I totally understand them either. He takes my hand again and we weave around the stalls, working our way over to Verig and my Ethan.

As we approach from behind, Verig taps Ethan’s chest. “You rode in the cart without permission. You were to stay with the other human females in their quarters.”

“But I wanted to come see the animals.”

Verig runs his hand down Ethan’s arm. “We do not always get what we want. Our choices affect more than ourselves. Do you understand, youngling?”

“I’ll be quiet, I promise.”

Verig takes a deep breath but remains calm.

“The night I took you to see your mom, we needed to be quiet to stay safe. Back with my people, in the tunnels and the woods near Mount Racha, you are safe. This market is not safe. That is why your mother told you to stay with the human females. It is her job to keep you safe, just like my job as a warrior is to keep all of our people safe. I disobeyed our grak recently, which is why I’ve been punished with chores I do not like. ”

“Then why do you do them?”

“Because they are necessary. And our grak ordered it. If I disobey him, others might get hurt. Just like if you disobey your mother, you could get hurt.”

“Are you going to punish me?”

“That is for your mother to do, but do not fear punishment, Ethan. Punishments make us stronger, better males.”

“What if she doesn’t let me visit the gorjas anymore?”

“Then we will tell her visiting the gorjas is necessary as part of your warrior training,” he whispers, though loud enough I can still hear him. My heart thumps harder for this male.

“Ethan?” I finally call out, making my presence known.

Ethan’s head rises. “Mommy!” He runs into my arms, and I hug him so tightly I’m sure I’m crushing him.

When I let go, I’m ready to scold him, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

He’s safe, and Verig’s already talked to him, in a way that I hope got through to him.

I’ll speak with him later, after I’ve calmed down.

“I was so worried,” I say, hugging him again.

“I’m sorry I snuck into the cart when you and Sojek were chasing the tumek.”

“We will talk about this when we get home.” Gee, I’ve never referred to the orc settlement as home. I wonder if I’m confusing Ethan, making him think we’re returning to New Earth.

Or even if I want that anymore.

After I hand Brownie to Ethan, who kisses and hugs his stuffed animal almost as hard as he hugged me, I look at Verig, who’s standing there straight-faced, unreadable. I’ve said something wrong, but I’m not sure what. That’s when I notice the blood on his arm.

“It’s a scratch,” he says, when my eyes widen at the sight.

I nod. “Thank you. For finding Ethan. How did you find him?”

“I thought he might follow the scent of the animals. He has a fascination with the gorjas back home.”

“Home?” I wonder if he knows what I was thinking.

“Mount Racha.” Verig steps closer to me. “That is our home, Tansey. ”

“It’s your home,” I say out of reflex, though I’m not sure where home is these days.

Verig’s finger strokes my cheek. “My home. And yours. Even if you do not forgive me, Mount Racha is your home now. You and Ethan must accept this.”

“I forgive you,” I say, meaning it, but I’m not ready to accept the orcs as my people. “Was anyone hurt?” I change the subject. Verig got away with only a scratch, but I know what I heard when I left. The sounds of flesh being torn apart. “I know some of those men.”

He takes a substantial step toward me. “I do only what is necessary.”

I’m not sure if he’s talking about what happened with the men who attacked him or about taking Ethan from New Earth. “You can’t fix everything, Verig.”

“What does that mean?”

“You need to forgive yourself for what happened to your wife and child. It wasn’t your fault.”

His face drains of its prior warmth. “Their safety was my responsibility.”

When he turns to walk away from me, I grab his arm. “Some things are beyond our control. You need to stop punishing yourself.” He stares at me long enough that I think he’s going to tell me to mind my own business, but he doesn’t.

“I don’t know how,” he confesses in a soft voice.

I slip my hand into his. He raises our clasped hands and then looks at me. “You’ve forgiven me?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you seem conflicted.”

I don’t know what to do about my future, or even if I have a choice. I worry about Ethan. Verig’s wonderful with him, but he’s only one orc out of thousands…all of whom look down on humans, human males in particular. What type of future would he have among the orcs ?

“It’s been a long day, and we’ve kept Sojek from delivering the tumek.

I think we should finish up and return…to Mount Racha.

” I almost said home, which would be an admission of sorts to Verig.

Saying it to Ethan is one thing, but Verig…

I’m not ready to give up on New Earth. Ethan has to be my priority. I have to do what’s best for him.

“I didn’t tie the tumek to a tree. They’ve likely scattered,” Sojek says, his lower lip riding high on his tusks. “Or have been stolen.”

Verig squeezes Sojek’s shoulder. “Come. We will look for them. If we cannot find them, then I will explain to our grak that you followed my orders.”

As we walk through the market, Ethan calls out, “Fluffy.”

“Fluffy?” Verig asks.

“He’s named them,” I explain. “He names all the animals he encounters. Go ahead, Ethan. Tell Verig and Sojek what the other tumeks’ names are.”

“Cotton, Fuzzy, and Snowball.”

Verig looks at me for an explanation. I shrug. “He’s six.”

“And your gorja is Spiney,” Ethan adds.

“I never thought to name him.”

“Everyone needs a name,” Ethan says so nonchalantly that I have to strain not to laugh.

“He’s not a person,” Verig says. “But you may be right, youngling. Everyone deserves a name. Even a gorja.”