Page 81 of Orc's Redemption

“I’m not.”

His gaze lifts to mine, steady and quiet. I step toward him, drawn by something I don’t name. Not yet.

“You’ve been using war as a shield,” I say softly. “To hide the part of you that doesn’t want to fight anymore.”

A flicker of emotion crosses his face.

“And you use diplomacy as armor. So you don’t have to admit you’re afraid.”

I stop, a breath away from him.

“Iamafraid.” That startles him. “I’m afraid that no matter what we do, it won’t be enough,” I say. “That I’ll lose everything trying to save it.”

He watches me for a long moment, then steps closer. Close enough that I feel the coolness of his scales.

“You don’t have the luxury of brute force,” he says.

“No,” I whisper. “I don’t.”

“But you don’t need it. You’re already dangerous,” he says, his voice dropping to a near growl.

The words settle between us like sparks on dry leaves. He’s looking at me like he’s on the edge of something he doesn’t know how to name either. His fingers twitch at his side, like he wants to reach for me. Like he’s stopping himself. I inhale sharply.

“If we do this, there’s no going back.”

“Then let’s go forward,” he murmurs, a decision and a promise entwined in those simple words.

The moment could tip. Right now. I could close the space between us. He could touch me. It would be easy. But instead?—

We part. Because now is not the time. Not yet.

Outside the meeting chamber, we both know that a storm is brewing. Rosalind and Drogor will have begun to whisper of an alliance. The humans will debate what price survival is worth.

Za’tan, I am not sure. I fear he will be muttering dissent among the Zmaj warriors. And the Zmaj will have to decide if they’re willing to bleed for my people. The creatures they once called enemies. If they’re willing to trust.

I step into the hallway alone. The heat of the deep tunnels rises to meet me, heavy and suffocating, as if the planet itself is holding its breath.

The Paluga stirs below and war waits above.

And I, Queen of a people on the edge of extinction, have just gambled everything on the one alliance no one wanted.

30

ELARA

We press on through dimly lit tunnels, the oppressive heat gradually giving way to cooler air. The silence between us is thick, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

The discovery of the Paluga’s resting place terrifies me. My mind races with the implications. I’ve seen the massive zemlja—worm-like beasts the size of buildings—burrowing through the ground, devouring anything in their path. They’re terrifying enough, but one that calls the molten lava home? What the living fuck?

No wonder they called it a fire god. I’ve been fortunate enough to never be too close to one of the zemlja, only seeing them from a relatively safe distance, but I don’t think there’s a human alive who hasn’t heard the stories. First-hand from those who were close to one, if they lived to tell the tale, which most don’t.

If anything can break the generations of blood and hate between the Urr’ki and the Zmaj, it’s this. A threat so big, so incredibly terrifying, that whatever their past, it all pales in comparison.

I hope. If it doesn’t…

These two have been more or less peaceful since the discovery, but the rivalry is there. Simmering below the surface and ready to boil over at the slightest provocation.

Z’leni strides ahead, tension coiling in every movement. Ryatuv follows closely, his gaze sharp and vigilant. I walk between them, acutely aware of the charged atmosphere. Elongated shadows dance on the tunnel walls, mirroring the doubts weaving around my thoughts.

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