Page 48 of Faeling
“Not possible,” Ravenna replied, rising to bob her head indeference.
The second orcess smiled as Eydis introduced her. “This is my mate Hilde. She’s been anxious to meet you.”
“Can you blame me?” said Hilde. “The one who felled Vallek Far-Sight…my everlasting respect.” She reached out to gently lay her hand on Ravenna’s right shoulder, a friendly greeting amongst orcs.
A little shorter and stockier than Eydis, Hilde was nevertheless far more fashionably dressed than her mate. Artfully draped in blue linen robes cinched with a tooled leather belt, she wore sandals laced halfway up her calf. Little fringes of leather decorated her belt and sleeves, some studded with turquoise beads. The same little pops of turquoise could be seen in her many braids, elaborately knotted together atop her head.
Whereas Eydis was all understated elegance, Hilde presented as the height of orcish beauty. Broad shoulders, sharp tusks, and a jet-black mane, she was all powerful lines softened by gold ornamentation. Vallek and Eydis both had blue eyes, though of different hues, fairly rare for orcs. Hilde’s were brown, much more common, except that hers were such a light brown they were almost gold, matching the golden clasps in her braids, gold bands around her wrists, and the gold mating torque around her neck.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s been felled,” laughed Ravenna, “maybe tripped up a little. That’s all.”
Hilde and Eydis shared a significant look. Taking her hand to pat sympathetically, Hilde said, “Of course,vini mun,that’s why he’s left all of a sudden. Not because he can’t make sense of you.”
Ravenna’s brows rose nearly to her hairline.Surely not.
“My brother is many things. Right now, one of those things is stupid.” Eydis shrugged. “Males.”
“Vallek is one of the best ones, though,” Hilde said diplomatically. “He’s just out of sorts. The call of the beast can unnerve even the hardest warrior.”
“I know him to be a good king,” Ravenna replied, “if a bit tyrannical of late.”
Hilde and Eydis snickered, nodding in agreement.
“Try to be gentle with him,” said Hilde.
“In the meantime…” From a deep robe pocket, Eydis produced a familiar leatherbound book. “I believe this is yours.”
Ravenna gasped, rushing to reclaim her mother’s grimoire. The book almost sang when it touched her skin, and she swore she nearly heard her mother sigh. Giddy with relief, she clutched the grimoire to her chest, defying anyone to take it away again.
“The lord commander is also many things. In this, he was wrong. Please accept my apologies.”
“How did you…?”
Eydis shrugged. “It wasn’t difficult with Ulrich gone.”
“She picked the lock,” Hilde whispered loudly.
Ravenna’s eyes rounded with surprise. “You would take such a risk?”
The orcess snorted. “It’s hardly a risk. He hasn’t changed the lock in over a decade.”
Her mind whirred with the implications, but most important was that the sister of herazaihad done this for her. Knowing something of the canny orcess, it wasn’t without its reasons, but that mattered far less to Ravenna than having the grimoire back.
Ravenna reached to place her hand on Eydis’s shoulder. “Thank you, Eydis. This book is precious to me.”
Expression gone serious, the orcess nodded inunderstanding. “I know what it is to only have a few precious things left of a beloved mother. Had they been taken from me, I wouldn’t have been half as restrained as you.”
Ravenna’s restraint had been born from a need to survive, but she suspected Eydis understood that, too. This gesture wouldn’t ever be forgotten.
Clapping her hands, Eydis announced, “Now, onto business. I’m afraid this isn’t a mere social call.”
No, Eydis didn’t seem the type to ever make social calls. Information-gathering excursions, yes.
With a fond look at her mate, Eydis explained, “Hilde is the best seamstress in Balmirra and owns one of the most successful workshops in the city. She’s come to take your measurements.”
Ravenna’s brows rose again. She didn’t know why she’d let them descend from her hairline in the first place. “Whatever for?”
“An excuse to meet you, for one,” said Hilde.
