Page 1

ONE

“Move, or I will gut you like a pekare,” she said.

Magoza stood behind the sea of warriors and glared at those who stood in her way.

The warrior directly in front of her glanced over his shoulder.

His eyes widened, and he moved to the side without saying a word.

The rest of the men and women parted, allowing her a direct path to the front.

The woman at her side snorted.

Magoza ignored her and strode forward.

The orc warriors grew silent as she and her sister, Nargol, made their way to the two figures standing in front of the crowd.

The tension in the air was thick.

Grunts and growls from the magnificent warriors watching them were the only sounds.

The sisters were well respected warriors, and not too many were stupid enough to try to cross them.

A warrior could try if they wanted to, but they would not walk away from that battle.

Magoza had been bred to fight.

She’d trained with the deadliest of warriors since she was able to lift a mighty axe.

Her confidence was alluded to with every step she took.

Dust and dirt wafted up.

Magoza didn’t take her eyes off the couple who silently watched them.

The glare of the twin suns bore down on them.

It was an extremely warm day in Udenia.

That mattered not. Today was not a day for admiring all that the gods had blessed them with.

Magoza bit back a growl at the amount of warriors who were present.

Many had traveled far and long for this day.

It was a one that many had been waiting for.

Magoza and Nargol stopped in front of the warriors, finally having weaved through the bodies.

The large orc warrior with a broadsword on his back, long black hair held away from his face in intricate plaits, had a scowl that was only enhanced by the deep scar running along his face from his forehead down the right side of his jaw.

It gave him a more menacing look.

His mate stood next to him.

She too was adorned with weapons.

She was an imposing figure and a great warrior.

They both gave approving nods to Magoza and Nargol.

The sisters bent down on their knees and bowed their heads.

Magoza reached for her twin axes and gripped them tight.

She laid them on the ground at their feet.

“In the name of Nogora, I pledge to you my axes.” Magoza grunted.

Her trusty axes were her weapons of choice.

They had seen many battles and cut through countless enemies.

It was an honor to offer her service and her life to this couple before them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of their boots, which remained in place.

Magoza had waited for this day her entire life, and now it was finally here.

“In the name of Nogora, I pledge my bow,” Nargol said.

Her sister, two solars younger than her, had trained alongside her their entire lives.

Nargol was a deadly shot with her bow and arrow, but just as deadly with her large daggers.

There was no warrior who Magoza would rather charge into battle with other than her sister.

This was one person she knew she could trust one hundred percent to have her back.

The two remained down, awaiting the response from the chieftain and his mate.

The tension grew thicker.

Finally, movement from the chieftain’s boots.

He came forward and stopped in front of them.

“We accept your weapons and your bid to join the gladiator trials, warriors,” the chieftain’s guttural voice echoed.

Chills rippled down Magoza’s spine.

She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again to find the queen standing in front of her next to her mate.

“This solar will be a little different. Two warriors, the winner and another strong warrior, will be sent to represent our people in the Convergence Games,” the queen announced.

Excited murmurs spread.

This was a big fecking deal.

The Convergence Games had been the talk of all the lands for quite a while now.

It was to be a few days before the royal wedding.

It would require long travel.

Magoza would be honored to represent her clan in the games.

“Who else will come forward and commit your weapons to your lands?” the chieftain called out.

The sea of warriors were orcs from not only their clan, but others around the great land of Aghon.

Grunts and shouts rippled through the crowd.

The ground trembled from the motion of bodies coming forward.

The sound of other warriors behind her thundered as they laid their weapons on the ground and made their pledges to the royal couple.

“The goddess, Nogora, would be pleased,” the queen said once the last warrior had spoken.

Her voice was smooth, calming, and gave a sense of rightness.

The warriors who fought for their clan would go to the depths of the world for the royals.

Magoza had never doubted that she would enter the gladiator games.

It was a right of passage for her.

One that she was willing to meet head-on.

The chieftain’s deep voice cut through the air as sharp as blade.

“Rise, my daughters,” he bid.

Magoza lifted her head and faced the fierce amber eyes of her father, Chieftain Tulak.

There was an air of respect and pride in his gaze as she and Nargol stood before them.

She held her head high and met his gaze.

She flicked her eyes toward her mother and found her watching.

Queen Dura’s lips curled up in a smile.

She gave a nod to both of them.

Her father moved to stand directly in front of her.

Magoza placed her axes back in their sheaths on her waist. Her father’s gaze intensified and narrowed in on her.

“Magoza Cydassi, my firstborn daughter, warrior for the Nidani Clan. Will you take the Iron Oath? Pledge your life to the Nidani people? For all of Aghon? Weld your weapons in the name of Nogora, the goddess of war and bounty?” he asked.

His voice carried.

The Iron Oath was not only an official pledge warriors took but a pledge to give one’s life in the name of the throne, the clan, the whole damn country of Aghon.

It was one that Magoza had never hesitated to take, but only today it would hold more meaning for her than any other warrior.

Today meant that by her entering the gladiator trials, she would need to win and prove herself worthy as the heir of the kingdom.

Their culture did not allow heirs to automatically inherit the right to rule—they had to prove it.

Her father had done it, as had his father before him.

Now it would be her turn.

And once she won, not only would she be granted the title of official heir, but she would be able to choose a mate.

She would then reap all of the rewards and begin her life’s journey with a person at her side.

She took in her parents and had secretly harbored the desire to have what they had.

It was by the gods that the two were fated mates.

Their story had been shared with Magoza and Nargol as bedtime stories when they were little orcs.

She was proud of her parents.

They ruled these lands with an iron fist and were well respected by many.

Even their damn enemies.

“ Ranhos , my axes are an extension of our people,” Magoza said proudly.

She stood even straighter and met her father’s intense gaze again.

She was confident in her abilities of entering this tournament.

She was a strong warrior and had never truly been bested in a fight.

She’d led warriors into battle who trusted her with their lives.

This would be another accomplishment she was sure to claim.

“I will fight with the same deadly passion as our goddess, Nogora,” she said.

Her father gave a fierce nod and slammed his fist onto his chest.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from a great Nidani warrior,” he bit out around his tusks.

He moved to her sister who held her bow loosely in her hand.

“ Ranhos , I will proudly represent our people. May my arrows protect all of those who call Udenia home,” Nargol vowed.

Her sister stood tall, slightly shorter than Magoza.

They both had the same dark-green coloring, wide noses, deadly tusks, and amber eyes.

Her hair was braided in an intricate plait design which allowed them to hang down her shoulders.

Their father gave a nod then moved behind them as he addressed the other warriors who had stepped forward.

Their mother came to them.

Dura Cydassi was no stranger to battles, as she had been a warrior for her father’s clan.

She had been by their side as they’d trained as children.

The Cydassi sisters came from strong lines of warriors.

“ Banhas ,” Magoza and Nargol uttered.

“ Danhas , you have made your ranhos and I very proud,” she whispered.

Her amber eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled.

The queen’s beauty was known throughout the lands, but that was not all she was known for.

Her deadly daggers were almost just as famous.

“May Nogora bless you as you enter the trials. You are my daughters, and I know you will not fail.”

“Is that all you got, lanhas ?” Nargol asked.

Magoza swung around and aimed her axe at her sister.

After the ceremony, they had traveled to the practice fields where they were to train.

The trials would be upon them soon, and Magoza may be confident in her ability to win, but she wasn’t a fool.

She still needed to train.

The one thing about training with her sister, they both knew of their strengths and weaknesses.

Magoza’s axe landed on Nargol’s dagger.

The vibration of their two weapons colliding rippled through her muscles.

She gritted her teeth and advanced on Nargol.

Her younger sibling knew how to get under skin.

And at the moment, Nargol was succeeding and knew it.

She grinned at Magoza and pushed her off.

Their strengths were well matched.

They broke away and circled each other.

Magoza narrowed her eyes on her.

Now was not time for fun and games.

Warriors surrounding them also were training.

Grunts and the clashing of weapons filled the air.

With the twin suns beaming down on them, it was the perfect day to battle.

Magoza felt a hint of sweat on her brow, but she ignored it.

A simple distraction could mean life or death.

With her experience in battles, she’d seen great warriors fall under simple mistakes.

Nargol may be smiling at her, but she was looking for an opening.

Magoza respected her ability to fight, and dammit if she wasn’t proud of her.

“That smile needs to be wiped off,” Magoza growled.

How could Nargol smile at a time like this?

There were plenty of times she’d seen her take down an enemy, all the while smiling.

If she didn’t know any better, she would say Nargol was touched in the head with a silent madness.

“And who is going to do that? Certainly not you,” Nargol taunted.

Magoza launched an attack at her.

Their weapons clashed as Nargol blocked Magoza once again.

Her sister threw a punch at Magoza with her fisted hand, but she read the move and sidestepped her.

They went back and forth with each other aggressively.

They practiced the way they expected to battle in real life.

Blood dripped down Magoza’s arm from Nargol’s blade, while Nargol sported a darkening mark on her cheek from a punch that Magoza had landed.

The two were breathing heavily as they grappled.

They fell to the ground with Magoza landing on top of her.

She pinned her and glared at her.

“If not me, then some other warrior will try,” Magoza bit out around her tusks.

She tightened her grip on Nargol’s wrists.

“And if they succeed, you better take their head,” Nargol snapped.

Her eyes blazed bright with a warrior’s heart.

“Not doubt, sister, I will burn down kingdoms for those I love,” she responded.

Nargol relaxed in a show of submission.

Her head fell back against the ground.

Magoza pushed off her and stood.

She held out a hand to Nargol who accepted it.

She helped her sibling up, and they shared a brief hug.

“And I would do the same for you, lanhas. ” Nargol smiled again.

She gave Magoza a tight squeeze then stepped back from her.

They picked up their weapons that had fallen to the ground.

Magoza took in the sight around them.

Male and females were in the heat of their training.

Pride filled her. Many of them had fought under her in the name of their chieftain and his mate.

She and Nargol walked around to take in the sparring matches.

Everyone knew to train as if it were real life.

Blood, sweat, and dirt covered them.

Nargol left her side and went over to council a few youngsters.

Magoza continued on and observed others.

There was a group of warriors standing off to the side.

They were laughing and pointing to something in the trees.

The sparring field was a vast flat land that was near their training facility.

The area was surrounded by a lush forest. Their country, Aghon, was known for its breathtaking landscape, vibrant colors, and cerulean skin.

The twin suns, Solana and Lyra, were high.

The warmth of their rays danced on Magoza’s thick skin.

She stalked over to where the warriors were congregating.

Their chuckles and laughter floated through the air.

“She may be a half-breed, but I’ll split her with my cock anytime,” one muttered.

From what Magoza remembered, his name was Olaf.

His father had been a great warrior for her father and had since retired.

The others around him fell into a fit of laughter.

Their attention was on the tree line.

Magoza’s footsteps were silent as she came to stand behind them.

She eyed the direction they were staring and saw a small female sitting amongst the trees.

Magoza’s breath caught in her throat.

Even from a distance, Magoza was captivated by her beauty.

Her flawless green skin was smooth and appeared to be kissed by the suns themselves.

Her long, flowing black hair was pinned back away from her face.

It was obvious she was not a full orc.

She was tuskless and appeared more humanoid than a full-blooded orc.

But this didn’t take away from her looks.

The woman almost appeared goddess-like.

She wore a dark peasant dress with her shoulders revealed.

She snacked on food as she watched the training.

Magoza’s curiosity was piqued.

Who was this woman? It wasn’t the first time that townspeople had come to observe the warriors train.

But this woman Magoza had never seen before.

She would have remembered a beauty such as her.

“No tusk to scrape along my cock, sign me up.” The one named Xul grabbed his bulge.

Magoza’s fingers itched to take her axe and chop off his damn hand.

How dare they show such blatant disregard for a woman.

No matter that she was half-breed or not.

It was unacceptable.

“I bet she could deep throat me with no problem.”

“ Kraz , ’cause your cock is a puny one.” Dake snorted.

The warriors laughed and tussled with each other as if they were young teen orcs, not the fierce respectable orcs that her father demanded from members of his army.

They had still yet to acknowledge her presence.

Magoza folded her thick muscular arms in front of her chest and narrowed her gaze on them.

This had gone on long enough.

Something inside her was stirring for the woman in the woods.

She didn’t know what it was.

Pity? Magoza’s protective nature appeared.

She never could stand by and allow someone to take advantage of a weaker being.

She was large and strong and didn’t stand for bullies.

A warrior should be honorable.

“Talking of cocks and not sparring? I take it the three of you are prepared to face me in the pit?” Magoza said.

Her voice startled them.

They flew around with wide eyes.

They slammed their fists against their chests over their hearts.

“Commander.” Olaf was the first to bow his head to her.

“We were just jesting.”

“Is this the time to be playing around? Look around you. Real warriors are seriously training and honing their skills while you three stand here and goof off like children,” Magoza snapped.

None of them could meet her hardened gaze.

There was a time and place for joking around, and on the training, field was not one of them.

“But, Commander, she’s just a half-breed. Who cares?” Xul bravely muttered.

Dake elbowed him hard in his side, but it was too late.

The words had been spoken.

Magoza strode forward and stood toe to toe with the warrior.

He may have an inch on her in the height department, but her experience in battle was invaluable.

He wouldn’t be able to prevail against her in the pit.

“I care that you choose to neglect your responsibilities while you are on the training grounds,” she bit out.

These warriors were not men who she would want following her.

They definitely needed to mature.

She glanced over at the other two.

She had just the punishment for them.

As the commander of her father’s army, she would prove why she needed warriors who were worthy to fight as a Nidani warrior.

“The three of you will fight now. In the pit. The loser will face me.”