Page 40 of The Orc Chief’s Baker (Orc Mates Of Faeda #4)

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

TRINIA

H er eyes prickled harshly as she stormed along the paths through the clan.

The air was brisk and thick patches of frost lined every branch and leaf.

The sting of the icy breeze on her cheeks only hastened her steps and solidified her determination to get away from Brovdir as soon as possible. She’d go...

Go where?

She stopped dead in her tracks and barely managed to resist the shout of fury that welled in her throat.

Two hundred orcs. Two hundred would be arriving to live here in half a moon. Half a moon . Less than fifteen days.

She needed to tell the headman what was coming. He needed to know.

She couldn’t.

She pressed her palm to her head. She knew there was no possible way for her to tell Headman Gerald about what she’d learned and not threaten the peace.

He’d be livid when he discovered the orcs had been keeping this from him and had no intention of telling him anytime soon.

He’d view it as a betrayal, and rightly so.

And Headman Gerald’s reaction would be nothing compared to how her fellow villagers would react.

Brovdir was right to worry about them leaving.

Folks had made glum threats about resettling outside these woods since the warriors had arrived.

Most of those threats were empty, but if they found out thousands of orcs were coming to stay instead of a few dozen?

She pressed her palms into her eyes so hard she saw stars.

Maybe... just maybe, if she brought someone from Rove Wood Clan with her when she broke the news, the headman wouldn’t be so mad. If the villagers heard it from the lips of one of their own, they might receive it better.

She turned on her heel to head back toward the center of the clan. Toward Savili’s house. She remembered the way well enough although she’d only visited a handful of times.

After only a few missed turns, Trinia arrived at her destination and wrapped hard at the door.

There was no answer.

Had she gotten the wrong house? Or were they just not in? It dawned on her that most of the orcs ate their meals at the hall and it was about time for the first meal.

Blast it all, what should she do now? Should she try to go find them?

She could find herself a new orc to play conquest to while she was at it. Any one of them had the skills to build her a home.

But the thought of that made her whole body shiver with dismay. What was wrong with her? Her reaction wasn’t practical. She needed a home. She couldn’t get one from Brovdir. She had to find someone else.

Her vision blurred from her tears.

“Trinia?”

She dashed the tears away with her palms and quickly got up from the stoop as Savili approached, blonde hair caught up in a tight bun, clean cotton dress swaying as she hurried up the path.

“What are you doing here? What’s going on?” Savili quickly took her hand. “You’re freezing! Let’s get you inside.”

“Thank you,” Trinia said past the lump in her throat. She looked toward Iytier, Savili’s mate, who followed close behind with their toddler in his arms. “I’m sorry about intruding.”

“You’re family to me, Trinia,” Savili chided. “You are never intruding. Yerina on the other hand...”

Trinia snorted and good humor lightened her chest as Savili ushered her into the tree home.

The downstairs was cozy and open, with a large kitchen table and two couches flanking a fireplace that crackled merrily. Their kitchen was only a little bigger than Brovdir’s had been, but had quite a few storage cupboards lining the wall all the way to the staircase.

Iytier headed for it, pausing long enough to let Savili pluck a kiss to her son’s forehead. “I’ll put Haysik down for his nap. Make yourself at home, Trinia.”

“Thank you,” Trinia said as he made his way up the steps. She looked at Savili when she said. “I really am sorry for intruding like this.”

“Stop saying that and come sit at the table. Would you like some tea?” Savili went into the kitchen and filled the kettle from the sink.

Trinia shook her head. She wasn’t sure she could stomach anything right now. She couldn’t hold her words in either. “I know about the prophecy.”

Savili dropped the kettle with a loud clang. Water splashed across the counter and dripped onto the floor.

Trinia rung her hands. “So, it’s really true that thousands of orcs are going to be settling in these woods, all around us, in just a few seasons. Thousands , not fifty.”

“Trinia... I...” Savili got a cloth from a hook on the wall and busied herself drying the counter. She wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“Why haven’t you convinced them to tell Headman Gerald?” Trinia stepped closer to her friend. “I know the orcs have loyalty to their clan, but you have loyalty to Oakwall. They deserve to know and prepare.”

“It’s... it’s not that simple.” Savili still wouldn’t look at her and instead turned away to scrub at another spot in the kitchen.

“Savili. I need you to stop for a moment and talk to me.”

“There isn’t anything to talk about.”

“What do you mean? Of course there is. We need to think of a way to tell Oakwall about what’s coming. We especially need to tell them about the sinkholes. Yes, I know about them too now. I almost died falling into one last night.”

“You fell in? Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Savili took a few steps forward, looking her over.

“I’m fine. Sythcol and Brovdir arrived in time to save me. But someone else might not be so lucky. We need to go to the clan together and tell the headman about everything .”

Savili stepped back then, looked away.

“Savili, you can’t possibly think it’s a good idea to keep all of this from Oakwall!”

Savili sighed. “Trinia, we need to leave this to our leaders.”

“Leave it to your leaders, you mean. Headman Gerald knows nothing about it!”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Savili said. “Soon the winter storms will be too bad, and they won’t be able to leave.”

Trinia felt her blood still in her veins. “Savili, you must be jesting .”

Her cold expression told Trinia everything.

“You intend to trap the villagers here.” Suddenly, the room around her felt too small. “To force us to stay in these woods.”

“No! It’s not like that. You just have to stay until spring. By then, they’ll be used to the warriors and won’t want to leave anymore.”

“Savili, that’s deceit . Lying to them by omission. Can’t you see how wrong that is?”

“My mother already wants to leave, Trinia.”

Trinia stilled at her words. Her eyes went so wide she could feel a chill on them.

Savili’s eyes were shimmery as tears filled them. “She wrote to me just a few days ago. Said she’s almost convinced father and wants me to go with them.”

Trinia shook her head. “She... she wouldn’t. These woods are our home. They’re all we’ve ever known.”

“Yes, they are, but that isn’t stopping her, and many of her friends, from wanting to leave.”

“It makes no sense,” Trinia said breathlessly.

“Doesn’t it?” Savili asked. “We talked about leaving while we were growing up, don’t you remember?”

“Those were just childish fantasies,” Trinia said with a shake of her head. “Daydreams.”

“They weren’t just daydreams to many. My mother often talked about wanting to see the world. To travel. To leave Oakwall behind and set out to make a new life for herself in a new place.”

“But... but what about our traditions? Our values? The businesses and legacies our ancestors left behind?”

Savili’s eyes softened but her words were firm. “Trinia, I know your family’s traditions mean a lot to you, but there are many in Oakwall who didn’t inherit their families’ businesses.”

Trinia’s throat closed.

“Many have started to think that if the warrior orcs can settle here , then humans could easily settle out there. They’ve come with their new stories and their new ways and tales of all the amazing things they’ve seen—the mountains, the rivers, the new plants and animals.

” Savili looked her in the eyes. “Human settlements ten times larger than Oakwall with new opportunities to match.”

She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t do anything but wring her hands.

“They want to leave already, Trinia, and if they found out about the sinkholes, about the prophecy , that would push them over the edge they are already teetering on.”

Trinia took a deep breath as her mind rebelled against the truth she already knew. Most of the villagers worked under business owners. Most had siblings they shared their inheritance with, or they didn’t inherit anything at all.

She was one of them now.

She was going to have to start all over.

Iytier came down the stairs and had obviously heard their conversation. “I’ll contact Sythcol and let him know you’re here.”

Trinia’s back straightened. “There’s no need. I’m going back to Oakwall now. If you won’t help me tell Headman Gerald about this, I’ll do it on my own.”

Iytier’s eyes were cold. “We can’t let you do that, Trinia.”

Goosebumps broke out along her arms. “I’d like to see you try to stop me.”

She got up and went to the door. Yanked the doorhandle.

But it didn’t budge.

“Are you serious?” She whirled on her former friends. “You locked me in here?”

“Just until you talk to Sythcol. He’ll help you understand why it’s so important not to get Headman Gerald involved,” Savili said. “Just wait for him. Please .”

Trinia’s anger felt like magma burning the back of her throat. “What the fuck is wrong with everyone locking me up and forcing their will down my throat? You’re no better than my sister! I thought you were my friends, but friends would never do something as heinous as this.”

“Trinia, that’s not what we’re trying to do.” Savili’s face was pale.

“We’re just asking you to wait for a moment,” Iytier said. “I’ll send a bird now and Sythcol will be here faster than you can finish your cup of tea.”

But there could be no waiting in this. Her blood boiled. Every quaking bit of her rebelled. She may as well have been back in Oakwall, locked in her former home, with her sister screeching and Ronhold leering and his son whining.

With her father passed out drunk in the corner.

With her mother coughing wretchedly in the bedroom.

With the walls closing in all around her and no way out.

“Let. Me. Out!” Trinia slapped her hand to the door so hard it stung. “Ouch!”

The front door exploded off its hinges and flew into the room with a deafening crash.

Brovdir stormed inside. His footfalls sounded like thunder and the fire in his eyes burned right through her. She had no time to back up before he was suddenly upon her. He swung her up from the ground, cradling her to his chest. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Put me down right now!” she demanded as he carried her across the room. “Right. Now! Brovdir, I mean it!”

He plunked her down on the ground outside of Iytier and Savili’s home.

She blinked in surprise. He’d faced her right toward the path out of the clan.

“Go,” he said. “I will escort.”

“Brovdir, you can’t!”

Iytier barreled out of their home and Savili was close on his heels until Haysik’s cry sounded above them. She shot Trinia one last worried look before disappearing back into the tree.

“She has to talk to Sythcol first, Brovdir! You know that!”

Brovdir pushed her behind him and growled low. “No.”

“Brovdir, he’ll be furious.”

“I will not hold her prisoner.”

“So instead, you’ll let her tell her village without any preparation and risk them leaving ? If they leave these woods, they’ll die .”

Trinia’s breath caught in her throat as she searched Iytier’s face. “What do you mean die ? Are you talking about the war? Or the winter storms?”

Iytier’s expression went stricken. “I shouldn’t have said that. We need to wait for Sythcol. He’ll tell you what he thinks you should know.”

“And by that, you mean he’ll tell me nothing ,” Trinia snapped and Iytier looked away. “How can you tell me all this and expect me not to tell Headman Gerald about it?”

“We’ve been friends a long time, Trinia.” Iytier looked into her eyes and her throat closed up at the pleading she saw in his expression. “My mate and you have been close since you were babes. Please , just trust us.”

Trinia’s hands began to shake. She felt like she was being ripped in two. Torn between lifelong friendship and a desperate need to do what felt right in her soul.

“I will tell you.”

Trinia blinked rapidly and snapped her gaze to Brovdir. He regarded her with a level, calm expression that eased her tension in an instant. “I will tell you all, Trinia.”

It was a wonder she didn’t collapse with relief.

“Brovdir, you can’t just tell her. You know Chief Sythcol’s orders?—”

“Chief.”

The venom in the word almost made Trinia flinch and Iytier blinked.

“I am chief ,” Brovdir said firmly. Iytier instantly bowed his head in a nod. “I am chief as much as Sythcol, I have the right to speak these truths. And I have decided I will.”

With that, Brovdir whistled and a messenger bird flew down from the trees and landed on his shoulder. Then he reached into his waistband and produced a paper.

Her sketch of his home.

She blinked at the two-bedroom layout she’d drawn. “Why do you have that?”

Brovdir glanced at her and his cheeks went dark, but instead of answering he shoved the sketch back into his waistband and turned to Iytier. “Fetch a pen and parchment.”

Iytier hesitated. “You... are you really going to send a message to the headman?”

Brovdir stood tall. “You wish to challenge me over it?”

Iytier paused a moment, he glanced back over his shoulder toward the door where Trinia realized Savili was lingering. Her cheeks were wet as she bounced her baby on her hip.

“No,” Iytier said as Savili’s lip trembled. “No. I won’t fight you, Chief Brovdir. But I hope that you know what you’re doing.”

With those quiet words, Iytier went into the house and fetched the paper Brovdir needed to send the message. Brovdir took it from Iytier gently and began to write before the male had returned to Savili’s side.

She watched him, with his brow set tight and his posture hunched, as he scribbled a message on a tiny note in his palm. He tucked the remaining paper into his waist band and called a messenger bird.

Her chest swelled with emotion she could hardly put a name to. One that made her feel like she was floating. Like she could finally breathe again. Like she was warming up after a hard freeze.

But as she watched the bird fly off, the weight of what was coming settled firmly on her shoulders.

Everything was about to change.