Page 16 of The Orc's Rage

Orgha nodded, and though his mouth twitched like he wanted to speak, he chose not to.

Kargorr arched an eyebrow. “What is it? Be forthright.”

Orgha cleared his throat. “Still, it should be a temporary solution, lord. Eventually, you will want ayapirainstead, to rule theparogalongside you.”

The impudence made him seethe. As if Orhga knew what he needed. As if he understood Kargorr’s greater plans.

Lord Kargorr rounded on his right hand, eyes ablaze, and Orgha realized the mistake he had made.

“I do not need anything,” Kargorr said, his voice deadly quiet, “but myself. But myparog. But my warriors. That is where strength lies, not in one’s bed.”

“Of course,” Orgha said, not meeting his lord’s eyes. “You have always ridden alone, and I should not expect that to change.”

Kargorr had no use for ayapira. He needed to be free of ropes tying him to the ground. He needed to show his bloodthirst and sow many more concubines.

Kargorr gestured for Orgha to leave him, but before he did, his right hand had one last thing to say.

“When will we move south?”

At least Orgha understood his place, understood where he was needed.

“In three days’ time,” Kargorr said. He needed the hours with his new concubine to properly break her. And then they would move on to the next frontier.

Orgha nodded. “We will begin taking down the posts right away.”

The message spread quickly through theparog, and soon, even as he stood there, the othergrrosekbegan dismantling the camp in earnest. The posts that secured the perimeter were removed one at a time and loaded onto sledges.

He would be needed soon to oversee the move, but in the meantime...

Lord Kargorr found his way to the meal tent and secured a large tray of beef and roots and bread, the spoils of their raid. No one spoke to him, but everyone looked as he took the tray, returning to his own tent where he had left Cedar.

But when he returned, she was gone.

9

Cedar

She wasn’t stupid, just very full ofpee.

When Lord Kargorr hadn’t come back for quite some time, Cedar poked her head out of the tent and glanced from side to side. Maybe this could be her chance, she thought.

But there was some kind of activity going on, and orcs were now everywhere, talking amongst themselves as they began pulling down tents and rolling up the leather. She had tugged on her skirt and kept a fur wrapped around her shoulders as she searched for signs of her captor. He hadn’t told her where to go to relieve herself, and now he was gone.

Cedar couldn’t hold it for a moment longer, so she ducked behind the tent, searching for somewhere out of sight. A few tents over there were some trees, up against a low hill. She ran to it, peeled up her skirt—legs shivering—and peed in the snow.

Then, off by the tent, she heard a roar. She could have mistaken it for a bear if she didn’t recognize the tenor, the guttural lilt of Lord Kargorr’s voice.

She hurriedly finished, then pushed her skirt down and ran out from behind the trees. There, Cedar saw him, that massive beast of an orc, scouring the snow for her. She hoped he wouldn’t think she was running. It was too soon.

“I’m over here,” she called, and he spun around, glowering at her. “I had to, you know—pee.”

His lips were peeled back in a harsh scowl, his tusks dragged down low on his face. That scar looked more brutal than ever with his skin stretched and pinched. When she approached, he didn’t speak—instead, he leaned down and sniffed her.

“Hmm.” His posture relaxed somewhat, and she hoped he could smell she was telling the truth. “Well, did you?”

Cedar nodded fiercely. She wanted to be out of the cold now, bare legs and all. With a grunt and a nod, Lord Kargorr turned around and led her back to the tent. She exhaled a relieved breath.

“Next time,” he snarled to her once they were inside, “use this.” He retrieved a closed basket, and when he opened it, she found the inside was lined with some sort of waterproof leather. He placed it outside the entrance to the tent. “Someone will empty it for us.”

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