Page 36 of Shackled to the Orc

“That was an incredible fight today,” says a young gladiator, and everyone at the table tries to pretend not to look over to see my reaction, but no one eats another bite.

I say nothing, giving him a little nod to relieve the pressure, and lift my bowl and down it, and fill another to take to Maya. I avoid making eye contact with the other fighters, just wanting to be alone with her as I exit the mess hall and go down the hallway to our room. At her side is the only place I feel any semblance of peace. She’s sitting at the little kitchen table, deep in thought, and I put the bowl of food down in front of her.

She sniffs at the bowl.

“What’s wrong?”

“I saw Shug eating this same fish when I met with him.”

“Our dinners are stews made of his estates leftovers.”

“I guess beggars can’t be choosers,” she says, and she’s perked up a little, her scent no longer with the icy tension. “Did you find anything out?”

I pull the chair closer to the bathtub. “Something does seem off about it. They put me up against some disgraced lord. The fans love him.”

“Lorenzo Dusk?”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, even in my little village people were talking about him. Anyone who supports the king loves him. He’s handsome, too. Used to be known as someone who would challenge other lords for duels over every little perceived slight.”

“Handsome, huh?”

She smiles. I love that smile. “Not as handsome as you, don’t worry.”

I lay back in bed, and she dries herself and joins me, and I hold her tight against me, loving the feeling of her soft skin against mine.

I’ve got my entire future in my arms.

21

MAYA

There’s a nervous knock at the door, and I blink awake in Khan’s arms, surprised to see the morning sunlight seeping through the window. Khan was always an early riser, even with the concoction I gave him last night, which is working wonders for his old injuries.

Khan leaps out of bed, striding to the door naked, and opens it. On the other side is Peter.

“Why do you disturb my rest?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what this is, but a guard told me to bring you this,” he says, holding out one of the dried, brown leaves. Khan takes it, closing the door.

“What is this?”

I take it from him. “It reacts to the saliva of a pregnant woman.” I rest it on my tongue, but the moment I open my mouth to take it out, I already know the answer from the way Khan is staring at it.

I can’t speak. I hold the leaf up. It’s changed subtly, turned a dull green, and I don’t know what to feel. A million emotions come crashing down on me. Khan isn’t surprised. He knew last night, somehow already, but until this moment I was torn, not sure what to want, and now the walls close in on me.

Khan takes the leaf and opens the door, handing it to Peter. I could have refused to do the test, but I know, deep down, that if it came back unchanged, Shug would drag me up to the estate and make me do it again in front of him.

Khan closes the door, and turns, standing in front of me, his huge bulk towering over me. He takes my hand and presses it against the middle of his chest, where there is a rune in the shape of a stylized mountain in black ink.

“I got this rune at fourteen. I was berry picking with some of the other children, and a grizzly charged in to try to snatch one of the youngest. I fended him off, and I got my first marking. This rune mocked me every day for the last eight years. It says that I am a protector.”

“You are,” I say, feeling his strength bolstering me.

“I won’t let anything happen to our son.”

“How do you know he’s a boy?”

---