Page 33 of Halfling
“Strong one like you, I think you’ll make it.”
“Oh, I know I will,” she said with more confidence than she felt.
She would’ve rushed out into the fresh air had she not been weighed down by the pack. Outside, she found dusk threatening, the sun already disappeared behind the jagged horizon of treetops. Despite the settling dimness, she still felt the hostile glares of the townsfolk as she emerged from the trading post.
Sorcha walked around the back to fill her waterskin at the well and avoid more unfriendliness. Water spilled from the ladle and back down the dark chasm as her hands shook mercilessly. When the skin was mostly full, she set it down and braced herself on the stone lip, sucking in gulping breaths as her heart raced.
In, out. In, out.
It was almost dusk. Nearly dark. She couldn’t stay here overnight; she’d have to brave the forest. Alone.
She’d have to brave all of it, the long journey northwards and home…alone.
The inches of paper between Birrin and Gleanná yawned wide in her mind. The distance, the risks…who knew what actually filled the lands between her and home.
She thought of those reflective eyes at the edge of the firelight; she remembered the terrifying silhouette of the orc poking his head into the dark tent. She stared down into the darkness of the well, thinking she could almost hear the guttural groan of their language, telling her they were coming for her.
I have to get back.
Yes, she did. But right then, it felt almost…impossible.
She’d need help.
The truth of it tasted bitter on her tongue.
Sorcha allowed herself another few moments to wallow and panic, but after that, she drew in a long breath. She straightened up and readjusted the pack on her back. She looked around before following behind the buildings, heading back the way she’d come.
Perhaps her best chance of making it home meant not going at this alone.
Perhaps he would still be in the area, the strange one the shopkeeper warned of.
Perhaps she could convince him to come with her.
8
Should make a fire, Orek thought.
Dusk had already begun to creep across the forest, leaching it of color. Darrah squeaked and shivered, burrowing further into his jerkin and the warmth of his chest.
There was no reason to linger there any longer. In his experience, humans grew even more suspicious in the dark due to their poor sight. And a fire and warm supper were one of the few luxuries he had out in the wilderness.
Still, he was reluctant to move from the outcropping where he’d holed up for the last hours of the day. He’d watched on, sharpening his hatchet as Darrah snuffled around the mossy rocks, rooting out worms and chasing beetles. They’d shared a handful of jerky for a makeshift supper, but the kit was already complaining for a better, warmer one.
So was Orek’s stomach.
But…he didn’t leave. He didn’t make a fire so near the human village, either.
He wasn’t fool enough to think to stay here overnight, without a fire. Dangerous things crept out of the forest in the darkness to circle human villages, ready to root through trash heaps or pick off wandering livestock. No, he needed to move.
He just…didn’t.
As the forest turned to gloaming around him, Orek could admit to himself that he was worried about her. He’d rarely had reason to worry over anyone since his mother escaped, and he found the sensation unsettling. She’d been gone hours without a hint of trouble, yet his guts still twisted in complex knots. He couldn’t say why; she was amongst her own kind now.
It was her own kind that sold her in the first place.
The thought had an incensed growl rumbling through his chest. Darrah yipped in alarm, and Orek soothed him.
No, for all that humans feared orc-kin, they rarely attacked human settlements. At least, his clan didn’t. They were larger and stronger, yes, but humans outnumbered them and, when banding together, could destroy a clan if they were willing to take severe casualties themselves. Krul, and Ulrek before him, had been content to trade with humans for whatever they wanted. Up in their mountains, the clans had an abundance of furs, salts, and iron to trade. All things humans were willing to sell each other for.
