Page 9

NINE

Magoza made her way through the fortified castle.

This had been in her family for many generations.

The stone walls were practically impenetrable.

This structure had stood the test of time.

Many wars had been fought outside of these walls.

Her family had taken an oath to defend all orcs and had lived in this building since it had been built.

It was early, and the building was practically a ghost town.

It was quieter at this time of day with most still fast asleep in their beds, and she honestly preferred it.

Her feet slowed as she came to a row of open windows that overlooked the courtyard.

There were a set of guards walking together on patrol.

During the day the area would be bustling with the townsfolk, but now it too was like the castle—empty.

She pushed off the wall she had leaned on and continued on her journey.

But why would her father want her at this hour?

She was in a nasty mood already but could not ignore his request for her company.

Sleep had never come for her.

She had tossed and turned in her bed until she had given up on the notion of drifting off.

Disbelief still filled her to know that her mate, Amuleta, was the daughter of the great Xagok Sesh.

Magoza had been promoted to his position after his death.

Xagok had been a great orc.

A good male who had been dedicated to her father.

Not only had Tulak grieved after his death, so had the entire kingdom.

They had never known that Xagok had a family.

His secret had followed him to the grave until now.

But why? How?

What would make a great warrior like Xagok hide a part of him away in the woods where no one even knew who they were?

He had been well respected, and his family would have been accepted.

Doubt crept into the back of her mind.

But would they? Even Magoza knew how cruel orcs could be when it came to half-breeds.

She ran a trembling hand over her face as the image of a proud Amuleta stood before her announcing her father.

She’d stood taller, her chin tilted up, and there was nothing but love, admiration, and pain in her voice as she’d spoken his name.

“You need to leave now. I have to attend to my mother,” Amuleta said.

Magoza moved toward her, but Amuleta raised a hand to her.

She stopped in her tracks, unsure what to do.

How had things gone so fecking wrong?

“I meant what I said. You are my mate and I shall claim you,” Magoza bit out through her clenched teeth.

She’d always gotten what she wanted and now she felt helpless that it would seem her mate was slipping through her grasp.

“We cannot be,” Amuleta whispered.

The pain in her eyes grew.

She glanced at her cottage before she turned back to face Magoza.

Something in her had changed.

She offered a sad smile while her arms came to rest around her stomach.

“I won’t allow what was done to my father happen to you.”

“What are you talking about? Your father was a great man ? —”

“You may have known my father, the warrior, but you didn’t know the true man and what he and my mother went through to be together.” Amuleta backed away from Magoza with a shake of her head.

Magoza’s heart slammed against her chest at the sight of her mate putting more distance between them.

“Forget about me. That would be best for you. Please.”

“Amuleta!” Gelisha’s voice rang out from the house.

Amuleta gave a wave and spun on her heel and jogged up to the cottage door.

She paused in the doorway and turned one last time.

Magoza stood frozen in place with no notion of what to do.

It was the first time in her life where she felt lost. Amuleta disappeared inside the cottage and shut the door behind her.

The sound of the lock engaging ricocheted through the air like a cannon exploding.

Forget her mate?

No fecking way.

Magoza picked up her pace and headed up to the third level of Angarth Keep.

She did not want to leave her father waiting.

He would not appreciate tardiness—even from his own daughter.

She had been notified that he was awaiting her in the study.

She made her way to the room and paused outside the massive doors with the family crest engraved on them.

Did she tell him that she had not only found her mate, but the female was the daughter of his late commander?

An orc he had considered a friend.

Her father had trusted him implicitly.

Even with the knowledge that he had been banned from his family, the Dhogurd Clan.

He was a southern orc who had migrated to the northern part of Aghon and settled in Udenia.

From what Magoza knew, Xagok had fallen out with his cousin, Sakgu, the leader of the Dhogurd.

Over what, Magoza had never been privy to.

But now she could guess.

It had to do with his mate, Gelisha.

The beautiful human was protective of her mate’s belongings.

The way she’d reacted when Magoza stood by the mantel where his axe was resting spoke volumes.

Even though he was no longer here, she would still defend her mate’s memory with honor.

Magoza had recognized it immediately.

She’d had much respect for the seasoned warrior.

He’d been a wise orc who had transitioned to the afterlife entirely too early.

Had her father known about Xagok’s hidden family?

Magoza pushed open the heavy doors and entered the room.

The study was lit with sconces burning flickering flames.

The windows that lined two sides of the walls allowed some light to come in, but seeing as how the twin suns had yet to rise, not much light was filtering in through them.

The room was quiet and peaceful.

There were times that she liked to come here to focus and reflect on important matters.

The decor was bold with dark colors.

Shelving lined the walls filled with leather-bound books whose stories held centuries’ worth of history.

Her father was found to be sitting in one of his favorite chairs in the corner near a window.

The chair next to him was vacant.

She walked across the room to join him.

“ Ranhos ,” she said to acknowledge him.

He lifted his head from the book he was reading and offered her a smile.

“Magoza. Please come sit with me.” He motioned to the empty chair.

She arrived there and dropped down into it.

The leather chair was comfortable and offered plenty of cushion.

There was a footstool next to it that she used to put her feet up when she was here to relax.

But at the moment, something told her that this was not a personal visit.

“Reading anything good?” She nodded to the book in his hand.

He barked a sarcastic laugh and shook his head.

He placed the book on the table in between their chairs.

“Not really. Brushing up on our family’s history. There was a story my grandfather used to tell me of his father and uncle. For some reason, a dream came to me last night of my great-grandfather and uncle. When I saw them in the dream, it reminded me of you and your sister,” he said.

“The tale of Darful and Rogdul?” Magoza faintly remembered him sharing tales of their family when she and Nargol were children.

Her sister was the one who was more in tune with their family history.

Magoza knew the battles and wars like the back of her hand.

“ Kraz. ” He nodded with a grin.

“One day I’m sure there will be tales of the great Magoza and Nargol that will be passed down in the history books.”

“If only I will be so lucky.” That would be a great honor to have her story documented for all future generations to read about.

She could only hope that her tale would be worthy of bedtime tales told to little orcs.

History was important to her people.

If they didn’t know where they’d come from, how could they know where they needed to go in the future?

Or prevent making the same mistakes of the past?

Tulak leaned back in his chair and eyed her.

The laughter in his eyes and lips slowly disappeared.

Now he was the great chieftain sitting before her.

She straightened, awaiting what he would say next.

“I hope you are well rested, daughter. In two days the trials will begin,” he announced.

She jerked her head in a nod.

She hadn’t forgotten.

Orcs from all over Aghon had begun arriving in Udenia.

This would be a brutal event where she would need to win.

There was no room for doubt or failure.

“You know I have been training my entire life for this.”

“I know. You and your sister have made your mother and I proud.” He pushed up from his chair and stalked over to a large window.

He folded his hands behind his back as he gazed out on the view.

“I have faith that you will win the trials. Our family has ruled these lands for centuries. There shall always be a Cydassi on the throne.”

Magoza stood abruptly and slammed a fist on her chest above her heart.

She was proud that his faith was in her.

Her parents had always encouraged her and Nargol, and there was never a day where she doubted her parents’ love for her.

It was she who needed to prove herself.

For the Nidani Clan.

In honor of Nogora, Magoza would lay down her life for her people.

If only she would be able to one day serve Nogora in the afterlife, but that day would be far from now.

She imagined herself old and gray with plenty of children and grandchildren surrounding her as she transitioned to the afterlife—with Amuleta at her side.

“Have no doubt that I will follow you in your footsteps, Ranhos ,” she said.

He turned and glanced over at her.

He gave her a nod. “Your mother has been in talks with our closest allies regarding a mate for you.”

“What?” Magoza blinked.

After winning the trials, she would be free to choose her mate, but she had thought she would have a choice in the matter.

Her mind raced. Amuleta was the only one for her.

She was her fated mate.

Magoza felt it as if the gods had come down here themselves and placed Amuleta in front of her.

“She has narrowed it down to three candidates. At the celebration of you winning the trials, there will be a presentation of mates for you.” He crossed the room and came to stand in front of her.

He rested a hand on her shoulder and met her gaze.

“She has done good by you. The families that are all offering their daughters for you have all agreed to our terms. The final say will be yours.”

“But, Father, I thought I had a say in who I choose as a mate?”

“You do. From the three who will be presented for you.”

“But what about my fated mate?” she asked.

Did she tell him? The fear that was present in Gelisha’s eyes at the sight of her did something to her.

Had something happened between Tulak and the Seshes that she was unaware of?

Had Xagok shared something with her that led her to not trusting the chieftain?

Even if it’s your own father?

Amuleta’s words echoed through her mind.

“What about them? Have you found the one and have not shared it with your family?” He gave her shoulder a squeeze then released her.

He folded his thick muscular arms in front of his chest. “Have you?”

It was Magoza’s turn to walk over to the window.

She was met with the rolling green hills outside the stone walls.

Udenia was a beautiful country surrounded by ocean on three sides.

The sky was a multitude of colors as the suns would be rising soon.

She blew out a deep breath and tried to focus on the scenery but all she could see was Amuleta’s wide eyes as she’d knelt before her.

“What if I had. Would I get to choose her instead of one of the three?” she asked.

“Absolutely.” Her father’s reply was immediate.

His footsteps echoed behind her.

He came to stand next to her.

She kept her gaze straight, unable to meet his eyes at the moment.

“Why would you think that your fated mate wouldn’t be honored?” he asked.

“That person would be a blessing from the gods.”

“Can I ask you a question?” She leaned against the wall and continued looking at the horizon.

Solana and Lyra rising was always breathtaking.

After the night she’d had tossing and turning, she needed something to bring her joy.

“ Kraz .”

“How well did you know Commander Sesh?” she asked, changing the subject.

He grew still next to her.

It had been a long while since the former commander’s name had been mentioned.

She flicked her gaze to him and found him looking at her.

She couldn’t get a read on him.

For a moment she didn’t think he was going to respond to her.

“You know of my relationship with Xagok. Not only was he your predecessor, he was a friend,” Tulak started.

He turned toward the window and rested his hands on the ledge.

She wasn’t sure how to approach the fact that someone who was close to him, someone who had held the chieftain’s ear, may have kept secrets from him.

“There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t miss him telling me what I should or shouldn’t be doing.”

Magoza smirked at that comment.

If there had been one other person beside her mother who kept him in check, it would have been Xagok.

Here in this exact room, they’d had plenty of meetings to plan attacks or defense strategies when Angarth Keep was under siege.

When the former commander had transitioned, she’d known she would have big shoes to fill.

Her father had believed that she would make the perfect replacement for his fallen friend.

“But did you really know him, Ranhos ?” she asked carefully.

He cut his gaze to her and arched an eyebrow.

“Spit out what you are trying to say, danhas ,” he snapped.

“Why was he banished from the Dhogurd Clan? They are a strong southern clan. They have kept the borders secured and have always been an ally. Sakgu may be a little deranged, but he’s a good male. A good leader. Why would he banish his own flesh and blood?” she asked boldly.

She needed to know if her father knew of Xagok’s family.

The two women were living out in the middle of the woods with no protection.

No one to keep them safe.

Tulak straightened to his full height.

He was large orc, standing at seven feet tall with pure muscle.

Like her, he had battle scars to prove his worthiness of being the chieftain.

He was never one to shy away from a fight.

He jumped right in the front and led his armies.

There was an intensity in his eyes that may have meant she had gone too far in her questioning him of his knowledge of his former war commander, but she wasn’t going to back down.

This was her mate and her mate’s mother who she was speaking about.

Whether or not Amuleta would allow her to claim her, Magoza would do what she needed to keep them safe.

Magoza couldn’t force Amuleta to mate with her.

The gods would certainly look down on her.

Magoza wished that Amuleta’s orc heritage would allow her to feel the mating bond.

If it had, they would have already sealed their bond.

Neither of them would have been unable to resist. For Magoza, it was absolute torture to know that her mate was out there and was rejecting her.

But she wasn’t going to give up.

Magoza was a stubborn warrior, and she would get Amuleta to fall in love with her.

It may take time, but she was willing to wait for her.

Amuleta was worth it.

“What is shared in this room between me and you stays here.” Tulak stalked away from her and stood in the center of the room.

Magoza turned, curious as to what her father was about to reveal to her.

This was a side of him that she had never seen before.

Just before he’d turned away from her, she could have sworn there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“You have my word that what is spoken here will remain between us,” she replied.

Silence fell between them.

He rested his hands on his waist while he stared off into something only he could see.

He inhaled sharply.

“You know what happened that day. The day that Xagok died,” he started.

“ Kraz ,” she murmured.

They all knew of the tale of the fall of the great commander.

Magoza had not gone with them on that day.

She had been in charge of meeting with the chief of a small clan from the southwest who had come to Udenia for assistance.

Her mother and sister had joined her to welcome the clan to their stronghold.

“When we had arrived in Viden, we had been too late. The town was littered with carnage. There had been so many bodies,” he said.

Anger entered his eyes as if this had happened yesterday.

There had been word that trolls had attacked a town to the north.

Her father and Xagok had ridden there with a band of warriors, but by the time they had arrived the town had been seized.

It had been much worse than they had anticipated.

The message was sent out late, and the trolls had full control of the town.

Those who had survived were captured and held hostage.

A bloody battle had occurred between orcs and trolls.

“Those trolls thought that they would come into Aghon and not pay for what they had done.”

It had been a battle that many had heard of.

Once word had reached Udenia, Magoza and Nargol had wanted to ride north to help, but their mother had forbidden it.

The mission would be too dangerous, and there needed to be a Cydassi to remain back to oversee Angarth Keep.

If war spread throughout the country, then it would be up to the Cydassi sisters and their mother to defend Aghon.

Three days had passed with no word from her father or the commander, and that had been torture.

Magoza had been ready to activate the entire army to go after them and bring them home.

She wouldn’t have hesitated to rain down the seven hells to bring her father home safe.

“There were too many of them. We fought them off long and hard until there only remained Xagok and I,” Tulak continued.

He was lost in his memories.

His unfocused eyes were open, but he didn’t see her.

She moved slightly toward him, listening to the tale.

She hadn’t heard the entire story.

He’d refused to speak of what had happened that fateful night.

“We were back to back fighting the trolls. To die in a battle such as that would be an honorable death, but it was not my day to die.”

Magoza remembered the day he’d returned to Udenia.

He’d carried Xagok’s body back on his shukan.

Tulak was half dead himself when he’d slid off the beast. When word had reached the stronghold that he’d been spotted about a mile off from the gates, she’d called for a small group of warriors to accompany her.

He’d ridden the shukan hard for days until he’d made it close to home.

Thankfully the watchmen in the tower had seen him.

The moment she had made it to him, he’d practically fallen off the beast. He’d been exhausted, injured, and dehydrated.

“Fate wasn’t done with you, Ranhos ,” she murmured.

She moved to stand before him and rested her hand on his arm.

He blinked and focused on her.

His gaze was filled with pain and sorrow.

Not only had he lost people who he had sworn to protect, warriors who’d served him, but that day he’d lost a dear friend.

Someone who had become like a brother to him.

“We are so thankful that you were able to return to us.”

He may have returned that day, but he certainly was a changed man.

Whatever had happened while in Viden stayed with him.

“A troll caught Xagok in the back with his sword,” Tulak bit out between clenched teeth.

He shut his eyes tight as if reliving that moment.

She had never seen him this distraught.

The anguish and pain in his voice had her hands balled into fists.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

“I was supposed to have his back. I got distracted as if I were a fresh young warrior, and Xagok paid the price for it.”

“It was seven against two. Not a fair fight. It could have happened to either of you,” she snapped.

It was a miracle that he’d even made it out of there alive.

She hadn’t been lying when she’d said fate wasn’t done with him.

With those odds, they both should have been dead.

“But I am Tulak Cydassi. The chieftain. It should have been me who died that day,” he roared.

Magoza took a step back in shock.

She shook her head slowly.

He paced. He ran a trembling hand through his hair.

“It should have been me.”

“And I’m sure if Xagok was here right now, he’d beg to differ,” she replied.

The Xagok she knew would have been willing to die for his chieftain.

All of them who served her father would.

“A rage came over me. At the sight of my dying commander. My brother. My axe moved as if Nogora herself wielded my arm. I slaughtered them all. I swear to you, I have little to no memory of even doing it,” he said.

He walked back and forth, lost in his memories.

He grew silent for a moment.

He finally paused and turned.

The tortured look in his eyes had her taking another step back.

“Once they were all dead, I fell to my knees at his side. Bleeding out and on his way to the afterlife, do you know what he made me promise?”

“What?” she whispered.

“Find them,” he’d said.

“My mate and daughter. They live in the Eltaki Woods. Ensure no harm comes to them.” He combed his fingers through his dark hair again.

He blinked and shook his head.

“Imagine my surprise to find out that he’d had a family I never knew about. But all of that didn’t matter. I knew I had to bring his body home. I knew if the tables were turned he would have done the same for me so that your mother would be able see me one last time.”

“That’s why you almost killed yourself to bring him home instead of burying him?” she asked.

That day all began to make sense to her.

She didn’t know why he would have risked himself to bring his warrior home.

She had thought it was her father being delirious from the dehydration and the trauma.

“ Kraz , but only I didn’t know where to find her and the child. The Eltaki Woods is a vast area. It wasn’t until his funeral that I finally saw her. She had brought the young girl with her. They kept a low profile, but I knew immediately who they were.”

“Then what?” she asked.

There had to be more to the story.

Why did Gelisha despise her father?

How the feck did she get Xagok’s axe?

There was no way the human would have been able to steal it and carry it away.

The weapon was half the size of her and weighed just as much as she did.

“I had her followed later and had the warrior who I trusted give me the location. The next night I slipped away from the stronghold and went to her cottage. I took Xagok’s axe and left it on her doorstep. Until this day I have had only my most trusted warriors patrol that area. I have kept my word to Xagok. No harm will come to his family while I have breath in my body,” Tulak said.

Magoza was confused.

If her father had done all of this to ensure that Gelisha and Amuleta had some closure with Xagok’s death, then why was there such animosity toward her father and family?

“I’m confused. Then why does Gelisha not trust us?”

His head whipped around.

He narrowed his eyes on her.

The great chieftain stalked to her until he stood directly in front of her.

Magoza stood her ground and held his unwavering stare.

“I’ve never said her name. How do you know it and that she does not trust us?” he asked.

“I have met her, and because Amuleta, Xagok’s daughter, is my fated mate, and I intend to claim her.”