Page 7

7

D aisy shouldn’t have slept like that. On a hard rock, trapped in a dark cave, with an orc. With … Filak .

But somehow, she did. And it didn’t feel nearly as uncomfortable or unnerving as it should have, not with Filak’s warm solid safety beneath her, his hands spread against her, his breaths rising and falling steady through his chest.

At one point, Daisy vaguely registered him easing away, leaving her alone on the cold hard stone — but before the alarm could swallow her, he slipped back beside her again, and gathered her into his side. And when his claw gently eased down the front of her dress, and began drawing suns against her heart, she only shivered and settled closer, slipping back into soft, swirling dreams.

When she finally awoke again, she was somehow fully sprawled on top of Filak’s warm body, her face buried in his rich-scented neck. And his long arms were wrapped close around her, his long legs tangled with hers, his slow breaths tickling against her hair. All of it surrounding her, cocooning her quiet and drowsy and safe, and gods, she wanted to never move again, she wanted to stay here forever…

But then — a noise. A scattering crumbling sound, in the direction of what might have been the exit. Enough to flare up Daisy’s heartbeat, rapid and pattering and strange, because did it mean — was it morning? Could they get out?

She shoved up on her shaky arms, twisting to frown toward the exit, but she still couldn’t find even a pinprick of light in the dark. And beneath her, Filak shifted too, and his warm familiar hands were already caressing her back, speaking that silent reassurance Daisy already knew far too well.

“ Tetta er ekkert ,” he said, husky. “ Bara meindyr .”

Whatever it was, it meant not to worry, that everything was fine — but even as Daisy sank her head back to his shoulder, it occurred to her that she was thirsty, and hungry, and in rapidly increasing need of a latrine, especially with that distinct feel of wetness pooling between her legs. And was it really morning, now? It had felt like a long time sleeping, right?

“Is it morning?” she asked him, hoarse. “ Or — er — morgun ? Sól ?”

She didn’t miss Filak’s sudden stiffness beneath her, or the hitching exhale of his breath. “ Ach ,” he said, clipped. “ Morgun . Sól .”

Oh. Well . And that meant they should get up, and he was going to find them another way out — right? But he hadn’t yet moved, and if anything, his hands had tightened a little more against her. And one of those hands had begun slowly slipping down her back, further and further, until it gently curved over her arse, settling her closer against him. Against where — Daisy’s breath caught — he was already hard and ready in his trousers, his hips smoothly rocking up, oh gods…

Daisy couldn’t deny her reflexive rock back, or the pooling heat in her belly — but the movement uncomfortably jostled her overfull bladder, too. And gods damn it, she was thirsty, and hungry, and her head was beginning to ache, pulsing quietly behind her eyes.

“Sorry, but I need a drink first,” she told Filak , with a wince. “ And a latrine. Can we just — get out first? And then…”

She bit her lip, frowning, because then… what? What happened, after that? Would Filak find her food and water and a latrine? Did he live somewhere near here? Or was he perhaps just… passing through? Heading somewhere else, where she would never see him again?

Daisy swallowed, glanced toward his face in the darkness — but of course there was nothing to see, and no answers, either. Because how — how would she ever find out where he lived? Or how to find him again? Because there was no way to find out anything about him, not really, not even the most fundamental things like his work, his background, his family?

And wait — what if he did have a family? What if he had a wife, or even children? Was he someone who regularly went outside his relationship for pleasure, just like Lew ? Could he carry any contagious orc infections? Would his furious jealous wife show up at any moment? How — how the hell would Daisy ever know?

Daisy’s heart raced faster, her eyes rapidly blinking in the darkness, and she shoved herself up and away from Filak , away from his safe solid warmth. “ I — I really need food, and water,” she stammered, as she raised her shaky hand, and mimed drinking from a cup. “ I need out. Sól . Morgun . Please .”

There was a beat of silence, followed by his slow exhale — and then his hand, slipping around her back, guiding her up to her feet. And despite the sudden, shocking sensation of more hot fluid, seeping sticky down her thighs beneath her baggy dress, Daisy could still have sobbed with the dizzying relief of it. If nothing else, it was morning. He was going to keep his word, and find them a way outside. Now .

So she took a deep breath, and eased close into Filak’s side. Feeling that steady strength of him, the firm grip of his hand on her waist, the certainty of his steps as he guided her across the room. But it wasn’t toward the way they’d come in, the place where the tunnel had collapsed, right? No , no, he was taking her in the opposite direction, leading her over grit and gravel and rubble, toward… a wall. Or no, wait, into a passage in the wall, a tunnel, a chasm — and he gently drew her hands to touch both sides of it, showing her, as his steady hand on her back kept leading her forward, through the tunnel after him in the darkness.

The ground felt rougher with every step, rocky and slippery and uneven, but Filak held Daisy steady, and waited as she found her footing again and again. And when she almost slid sideways into the rough stone wall, he was instantly there, his strong arm holding her up, gripping her close and safe into his side.

But he hadn’t spoken again, and Daisy hadn’t, either. Because he wouldn’t understand her anyway, would he? And all she could think of were questions, hopeless miserable questions, bubbling and boiling hotter with every halting step. What comes after this? Will I ever see you again? What the hell am I supposed to do now?

And that, perhaps, was the worst one of all, because gods curse her, Daisy had entirely lost sight of reality last night, between the cave and the darkness and — and him . But now, with morning looming before them, and last night’s whirling trance scattered away into dust and regret, where did that leave her? Hungry , thirsty, stuck here in the backwoods of the realm, with no coin, no contacts, no way home. With only this orc who couldn’t understand a word she said, and with…

With Lew . Lew’s project. Lew’s work. Lew’s food and coin and shelter.

A low, frustrated groan escaped Daisy’s mouth, and in return, Filak briefly stilled, his breath exhaling — and then he drew her along faster. Maybe thinking her groan had been meant for him, but there was no way to communicate that, either. And Daisy would have reached for him, tucked herself closer into his warm safety, even for a moment — but then he lurched away, his hand briefly squeezing her shoulder.

“ Vertu hér ,” came his flat voice. “ Bíddu .”

It meant nothing, again, but when Daisy tried to fumble after where he’d gone, his hand again caught her shoulder, held her still. “ Nei ,” he said firmly. “ Bíddu , sólin mín .”

His sun. It shivered something deep in Daisy’s belly, and she held herself still, breathing fast and shallow, as Filak stepped away. His footsteps slightly crunching, moving over there, the sound of something scraping, of his voice hissing sharp and deep, and —

A crash. A crash of screeching shattering stone, tumbling, rumbling through Daisy’s belly, her chest, her pounding skull. And then —

Then, there was light. Burning , blazing, blinding, pouring into the dark. Filling up this narrow, rocky tunnel with pure dazzling white, so bright Daisy had to shrink away, and cover her eyes. And for an instant, there was a bizarre, desperate urge to run back down the tunnel, to hide back in the quiet safe darkness, to feel Filak’s warm hands on her skin, Filak’s hard strength sliding inside her…

But — Filak . Filak was here. There . Before her. And for the first time, Daisy could finally fully see him. His hands, his body, his skin, his… face …

And Filak wasn’t just an orc.

He was… a wraith. A skeleton. A monster .