Page 55 of Faeling
“Continue to the city,” Vallek barked as he prepared to break off from the group.
“You cannot go alone!” Ulrich argued.
“Continue on,” was all Vallek said in reply, gritting his tusks as he left the flat path to cut across the scrubby, craggy hills toward the southern wall.
A glance behind him confirmed his men continued on as he’d ordered, although Ulrich lagged behind, an unhappy frown darkening his face.
Huffing, Vallek pressed on. This was between him and a certain hellion.
Rounding the wall, more than one green face appeared over the crenellated ramparts, surprised to see their king jogging the perimeter on his own. They called out to him, asking whether he needed aid, but Vallek waved them at ease.
Her scent grew ever stronger, so much so that even with her cloak and human face, as well as being a good twenty feet still up the wall, he knew for certain he looked upon his very own mate. Scaling the curtain wall.
Vallek finally came to a stop directly below her. Panting hard, drenched in sweat, he planted his fists on his hips and stared up in disbelief at the slim figure currently picking her way down the curtain wall. The afternoon sun glinted off the little hooks she used to dig into crevices within the mortar and stones, and it seemed not even his arrival nor the calls of the curious garrison had broken her concentration.
He didn’t know whether to be amused or furious, impressed or frustrated. A bit of each, he supposed. Not only had she managed to slip out of the citadel, she’d also found a way past the other walls to climb down the outer wall. Perhaps he should thank her for finding such a breach in security.
Not immediately, of course. Oh no. He was far too furious for that.
She was so high up. She could fall!
She was trying to escape him!
When he finally caught his breath, he sucked in a lungful of air to bellow, “What in the gods’ name are you doing?”
Ravenna gasped, pushing herself against the wall when she nearly lost her grip. Clutching her hooks, she peeked over her shoulder down at him.
Her face fell.
“Oh. You’re back.”
Vallek bit down so hard, his jaw creaked. “I’m back.”
Considering him a moment, she added, “This isn’t as bad as it looks.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Because itlooks likeyou’re defying my orders to stay in the citadel. Itlooks likeyou’re escaping my city.”
“Yes. And it’s notoneof those things.”
Vallek’s eye twitched. Literally twitched involuntarily. “I’m tired from running all this way to return home to you. Only to find you dangling from the wall.”
“I’m hardlydangling—”
“Explain. In small words.”
She squinted down at him in an almost-glare. “I needed to leave the city. Just for today. I meant to return before sundown.”
“And why would youneedto leave?”
“To visit friends.”
Vallek rubbed his eyes with thumb and finger, trying in vain not to curse the beast and gods that saddled him with this vexing creature. She was so small, miniscule compared to an orc—how then was she able to make so much trouble?
“And these friends are…?” He pointed a finger in warning. “Don’t lie to me.”
She pouted. “My friends are…of the four-legged variety.”
All he could do was blink up at her. She was risking breaking her neck so she could go pet some onagers? The hearty mountain donkeys were all over the southern Griegens, and orcs often domesticated them as pack animals when far more agreeable takin goats were unavailable.
