Page 76 of Halfling
As they walked, she told him of all the different colored crystals they’d found around the family home and the hills beyond, of the geodes and amethysts and quartzes that now decorated hers and her aunt’s homes. She told him with no small amount of smug pride that one of the big crystals she’d found still held the record in the family.
He listened raptly to her recount all her best finds and how they were better than anything her siblings had found, knowing that when he slipped from camp that night to take himself in rough hand, he’d spill to thoughts of Sorcha dripping with crystals that sparkled and winked in the light as he took her over and over again.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.We’re doing it.” Sorcha waited patiently as he chewed on her declaration-not-request.
“I’mfine,” Orek said for the fifth time that day.
Fates save me from stubborn males.She was sure he’d say that with a spear sticking out of him, too.
Sorcha didn’t believe it for a moment. They’d been back on their journey northwards for over three days now, and she hadn’t been blind to his grimaces and cringes. Oh, he tried to be subtle about them, tried to turn his face away so she wouldn’t see, but she did. His side pained him, and she was worried he wasn’t sleeping much.
She hadn’t been sure what to do about it, her worry over him festering without a way to help and make it better. Then, they’d come across the outskirts of one of the towns listed on the map. A sizeable one, too, by the looks of it.
Taking a long, deep breath for patience, Sorcha planted her hands on her hips and tried to appeal to his reason.
“All right. But it can’t hurt to rest somewhere a bit more comfortable. A town this size is bound to have several inns with plenty of beds.”
“Never slept in a human bed before, so I don’t really need to start now.”
Her heart squeezed. Well now shehad toget him into a comfortable bed for the night.
“It’ll be quite a while before we reach another town, at least according to the map. We may as well take advantage of what we have while we have it.”
His expression went almost choked, his eyes tight.
“Do you think it’s dangerous?” she asked. She hadn’t truly considered it to be, not when he cut such an intimidating figure, even wounded.
He frowned, considering. “No…”
Her fears eased to hear him say it. She figured with the time they’d lost at Cara and Anghus’s homestead, if that other orc had survived the river and still meant to hunt them, he’d have done it by now. She sincerely hoped that monster hadn’t escaped the river, and if he had, he’d been swept all the way back to his clan to fish out of the water.
“You should pass fine, just like you have before. And besides, it’s not illegal for orcs or other folk to come into town. Just rare these days.”
His mouth was still that unhappy line, but he didn’t immediately refuse this time.
Easing a little closer, Sorcha pushed, “Please, Orek. We can look after your wound better and get more supplies there. It’ll be comfortable and safe. Just for a night. For me?”
She didn’t love playing on her wiles, but she wasn’t above it, either. Not when it meant a hot bath and a comfortable bed.
She didn’t tell him that she’d every intention of only getting one room with the biggest bed they had. If the tighter quarters should spark something, well then, like she’d said,may as well take advantage of what we have while we have it.
When he drew in a long-suffering breath, Sorcha knew she’d won but graciously let him come to realize it on his own. After another long moment, his heavy brows eased from their low perch over his eyes, and he let out a sigh.
“All right, if it’s what you want…”
Sorcha beamed. “It’ll be a treat, I promise!”
19
Orek’s eyes darted through the dimness of the tavern, searchingthe dark pools of shadow the sconces couldn’t reach. The human dining establishment was a riot of noise that night; a man had made some money betting on horse races and was currently squandering the winnings getting the whole place drunk.
An elbow nudged his arm. “You haven’t touched your food.”
He looked down at his indeed untouched plate of meat, noodles, and peas, all tossed together in some sort of creamy sauce. Sorcha had already devoured half of hers as well as most of the crusty bread loaf that had come with the meal. All Orek had managed was to take a few mouthfuls of mead and rip off a bit of bread—half of which went to Darrah, safely swaddled in his fur hood at his back.
