Page 16 of Simon

I stood there and didn’t dare to look at anyone. Instead, I kept my eyes on the pot of porridge that sat on a stump nearby, and that was when I saw the faint ripples that came from the middle.

Elmira, Dutton, and the orcs were discussing their next move, but all I could concentrate on were the vibrations I could now feel from the ground. “Uh, guys?” I went over to them and patted Elmira on the shoulder. “Guys!”

They all stopped talking and stared down at me. “Look.” I pointed to the thick porridge, where the ripples were now sloshing in the pot.

Everyone went quiet, and the trees of the Wood swayed, although the birds were quiet. Animals started running through the camp, uncaring about who we were.

“Shit,” Dutton said as he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I screamed, holding onto my notebook for dear life.

“Ogre,” Sugha growled. “A big one. Get everyone out of here, grab what you can carry, and go. We don’t need Lucy to be seen, or he won’t stop.”

Durz unsheathed his massive sword from his back, causing a resounding ‘shing’ through the clearing.

Dutton hurriedly guided me towards the opposite end of the camp. An ear-splitting roar erupted from the ogre, and fear pierced my heart as soon as I saw the creature. An overpowering stench, so repugnant and indescribable, engulfed the entire camp. The nauseating odor was so intense that everyone instinctively gagged, desperately covering their mouths with their hands.

“Orcs and wolves,” the ogre snarled. He took a deep breath in, even with the snot falling down his nose and into his mouth. The loin cloth he wore dragged on the ground, and his feet were massive, and his toenails were full of trash. The cloth only covered his privates, and his enormous belly hung over it. He didn’t even need the cloth; his belly would cover his privates just fine.

“And, hu-man.”

“Time to go.” Dutton took off into the woods, his arms wrapped around my legs. I watched as the ogre didn’t evenflinch as the shifters changed into wolves, and the ogre began his attack.

Chapter Seven

Lucy

Duttonracedthroughthetrees like his butt was on fire.

The gnarled branches scraped relentlessly against my trembling arms and stinging thighs, their sharp edges leaving faint red trails. Yet, with every ounce of strength, I clung desperately to Dutton, my heart pounding in my chest. I had no qualms about Dutton holding onto me or worrying about a man touching me. Not when that ogre was back there fighting against the entire camp.

The repulsive ogre, with his grotesque features, had a repugnant stench emanating from his hulking frame. His enormous, wicked, yellow eyes fixated on me as if I were his next meal.

I dry heaved at the thought of that thing coming any closer to me and gripped onto Dutton’s tunic a little tighter.

“Try to keep quiet,” he whispered as he ran through the thicket. More scrapes slid across my skin, and I tried not to wince.

Sure, I was used to the outdoors, sleeping, roughing it, but I hadn’t done a lot of manual labor. I was a spoiled researcher because of my father. No ill will toward him, at all, but I now wished my skin was toughened up, just a little.

Dutton effortlessly leaped over a fallen log, causing my stomach to collide with his strong, muscled shoulder. The air filled with the sound of rustling leaves and my empty stomach trying to come up my throat.

Good thing I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, because it would be all over his back by now.

Dutton stopped, his body turned to look from left to right. As he did, my body was slung like a rag doll. He trotted over to a large, hollow log and threw me off his shoulder, my head dizzy. He set me down at the mouth of the log, and I put my hand over my head to steady myself.

Dutton didn’t check on me; instead, his eyes were on the surroundings. “Get in and don’t make a sound,” he ordered through gritted teeth.

I did as he said, keeping my dress over my body, and scooted inside.

“No matter what you hear, you don’t come out, do you understand?”

He stared at me. The command was final, and I nodded to appease him. I didn’t want to be an ogre’s fudging toy then hisbreakfast, lunch, and dinner. I thought these ogres were stupid, but something told me that this ogre meant business.

“I thought…” I went to say, but Dutton pinned me with a look. “This one is different, Lucy. He’s the oldest, biggest. The orcs warned us about this one. He will be hard to get rid of.”

A horn blasted in the distance, and my stomach dropped. If that horn was blown, it meant that Sugha was calling for more orcs, for help.

Orcs didn’t like calling for help, so it must have been serious.

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