Page 42 of Shackled to the Orc

“No.”

“Any excess pain?”

He shakes his head. “Okay, now lift your foot upwards,” I say, holding down his foot with all my weight. He lifts me easily, breaking free of my grasp.

“I saw you out there, Montarok, you looked really stiff. I’m going to make you something to drink tonight that should help, and a poultice to wrap around your arm.”

“Thank you,” he says, but his voice is far-off, and he looks straight past me, at the wall.

I let out a huge breath. “Montarok.” I smile, because saying his name, his true name, is something he trusted only to me. “When I was in trouble, I confided in you. Please, if something’s going on…” My smile fades. “I’ve got this horrible feeling. I just need you to come back to me. He needs you,” I say, running my hand over my stomach.

He opens his mouth to speak, shuts it, then plants his eyes on my stomach, where soon, our child will grow. He told me he believes our baby will be a boy, but I’m not convinced, imagining a little girl with light green skin and black ponytails.

“I…I don’t want to bring more pain in your life. Not useless pain. Because I can’t change what’s going to happen.”

“Montarok?”

He looks up at me, his burning emerald eyes filled with pain. “Sit down,” he says, his voice grave. I want to reach out, touch him, comfort him, but the agony in his visage is not from his leg, and it scares me. I sit down beside him on the bed, looking up at my mountain of a man.

“What happen with Shug?”

“You were right. He’s going to sell his portfolio. At least, that’s the only thing that makes sense. So he’s doing one last match, and he’s going to secure his retirement. He’s placed huge bets on my opponent, Lorenzo Dusk, favorite of the little lord.”

“And you think he’ll punish us when you kill Lorenzo?”

“No.” He takes a huge breath in, then looks straight at me, up and down, each inch of my body like he is imprinting me in his mind so he will never forget this moment. “Lorenzo won’t lose. Either I throw the match, or he kills you.”

My heart pounds. “And did Shug make a deal with Lucian? That when you’re on your back, he’ll spare you?”

“There’s no deal. Fixing a match would get Shug thrown into prison. I’ll be at Lucian’s mercy.”

“He’ll let you die. Montarok, you can’t do this.” I get this surge of powerless frustration that makes me want to cry, because I see the stony expression on his face that tells me everything I need to know.

“So you’ll die for me, but you won’t live for me?”

His hand clenches in to a fist. “I’m doing the only thing I can. Shug is no fool. I could gather the men. Have Garvin make a distraction and try to break out. But he’s always one step ahead. How many men would die? What would happen to you if I fail? I…I let down the people I cared about most once already. Their deaths are on my conscience. Yours won’t be.”

I reach out, grabbing his huge hand, and squeeze. “He needs you,” I say, imagining a little boy, on his shoulders, laughing and squealing.

“What would you have me do?”

I sit up straight. All my anxiety is gone, all my stress at not knowing why I had the feeling of impending doom without a reason for it. Now I know the obstacle, and it’s coming up fast…

But I can fight it.

“You just did. You told me. We’ve got a couple days to figure something out...and we’re going to make them count. Shug is smart, but he’s not as smart as us, together.”

I get up and kiss him on the forehead. “So your leg is fine? And your arm is normal?”

“Yes. I was practicing how to sell the match with Garvin.”

“Well, those men need you. They look like a bunch of schoolchildren, and they’ve never fought as a unit before. Go lead them.” I smile, looking down at my huge brute of a man, knowing that somehow, someway, we’re going to get out of this. “I won’t have any malingering. Off you go,” I say, and he manages a small smile before he leaves me, down the corridor to the arena.

Having a purpose will help him. Training those gladiators will keep him sharp and keep the dark pessimism at bay.

Now whatIneed is a very strong cup of tea, maybe two, and a good, long think.

I will not let Shug win.

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