Page 49 of The Orc's Innocent Plaything

“The bleeding has weakened her,” Nan said flatly. “Greatly weakened her, and this coming after the labor which was long and took too much out of her.”

I glanced over to meet Myra’s eyes, and she nodded grimly.

“This isnae uncommon, for certes?” I asked, gesturing at the women sitting around Myra; the women who I’d seen coming and going from Avaleen’s cottage. “With so many friends to help, Avaleen will be allowed to rest?”

“Aye, but she willnae recover her strength without a tea made from the roots of the sea holly,” Nan announced grimly. “’Tis what is accepted in these cases.”

Myra nodded. “We have been dosing her with that since yesterday.”

“But my stock was already low,” Nan interrupted. “I have enough for Avaleen for another fortnight, but if anyone else needs it, or if she gets worse, I’ll no’ have enough.”

Around me, the clan began to murmur, some in fear, some in irritation.

I nodded firmly. “Then someone will fetch more sea holly. Ye can?—”

“’Tis calledseaholly,” my grandmother interrupted, “because it grows along the beaches and cliffs of the western sea, among the islands. What I have now came from the tits of Jura, ye ken, but I’m too auld to go adventuring to fetch more.”

I opened my mouth, but Myra interrupted me.

“I will go. I am the only one who can identify it?—”

“Nonsense,” argued Nan, doing my job for me. “We can draw a picture.”

“Avaleen ismysister.” Myra glared. “I will fetch the sea holly for her.”

“’Tis three days’ journey west.” Nan crossed her arms. “Ye think ye can make it that far?”

Her stance painted a picture of stubbornness, someone needing to be convinced. But… This female had helped raise me. Iknewher, I knew her ways, and I knew her expressions. There was a glint in Nan’s eyes which said that her heart wasn’t in her argument.

ShewantedMyra to go?

I glanced around the clan, and those who were related to Nan were also watching her skeptically. I snorted softly. She wasn’t fooling many of us. Except Myra, who was now listing her reasons for why she should be the one to go on this quest.

I interrupted their argument.

“I’ll go.”

Nan and Myra weren’t the only ones who turned to stare incredulously at me, so I shrugged.

“The council will be in command of the clan while I’m gone. Mkaalad is my cousin, and if I can help his Mate?—”

“Avaleen is my sister!”Myra cried again. “I am the one who knows how to identify the sea holly in its dormant winter state. I am the one who knows the proper way to gather the roots so they will not spoil afore we return.”

“Excellent!” cried Nan, clapping her hands together with a pleased grin.

The clan’s attention swung back to her, and she rubbed her hands. All that was missing was a diabolical cackle.

“’Tis settled then. Myra will go because she’s the only one who can identify the plant, and Vartok will go to protect her.”

Myra’s mouth opened and closed a few times, clearly trying to figure out what had just happened. But I, unable to stop myself, began to chuckle.

I was going to get to spenddaysin her company, alone. No needy bairns, no family, no council with petty squabbles. Just the pair of us, working together. Could I finally tell her the truth? Tell her what I’d been hiding from her all these months?

And how had Nan known ‘twas what I needed?

My grandmother had manipulated us into volunteering todo exactly what she’d planned on having us do in the first place.

The fact that I was the acting Bloodfire chief, and theoretically leading this clan, had naught to do with it. Nan had always been in charge.

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