Page 60 of First Comes Orc, Second Comes Baby
Regine's gaze snapped to her.
“Give her the phone,” Brahnt growled.
Charlotte took the phone, ignoring the faint satisfaction in Regine’s now hooded gaze and gave her baby daddy a bright smile.
“All this fuss over a little poison! I thought about it, and Eldest said it’s not certain certain death. I was just nervous.”
He drew his lips back over his teeth. “Charlotte, I want you to turn around and leave. They won’t stop you.”
“No. This has to be done.”
“Forget everything you just heard. It’s not your—”
“Love you! See you soon!” She disconnected the call and shut off the phone for good measure.
“Next time,” Regine said, “make the decision. You don’t need his counsel; keep your own.”
Charlotte frowned, sliding the phone into her pocket. “That’s not how healthy relationships work.”
“It is among Orcs. Now.” She gestured to the cupcake table. “Strawberry or chocolate frosted?” Regine bared her teeth. “Make your choice.”
Charlotte marched back toward the table—it was only three feet, so the drama of the whole scene was cut short.
Regine walked around the table until she was facing Charlotte and slapped her hands down, rattling the tray. She leaned forward, eyes bright.
“Who is the enemy?”
Charlotte drew herself up. “Refined white sugar! I mean, outsiders. The weak not-poisoned ones.”
“How do we treat our enemies?”
“Consume them utterly!” she roared.
“Make your choice. Devour your enemy. Take your place.”
19
Charlotte focused,ignoring feminine roars and chants as she walked around the table, examining cupcakes from all angles.
“This is a test of courage,” she said slowly, “but also of strategy. But also of obedience. Six of these do not belong, and therefore must be cast out.”
She crouched, examining the cupcakes from all sides. “No one has been stupid enough to wage frontal assault on an Orc clan in centuries. No. . .enemies would come disguised as allies. On the surface, all of these cupcakesappearalike."
Charlotte rose, then bent and sniffed each one. “Interesting. This one has no scent. It's strawberry frosted like two of the others.”
She gave each strawberry frosted cupcake the sniff test and set aside two. She lifted the third, which had a strong fragrance of ripe summer berries.
“This is the true cupcake, the one that is death to outsiders, for it has retained its essence. Therefore, the other two are the enemy.”
Without hesitation, she picked up the poisonless strawberry duo and devoured them.
Silence in the clearing, but all Charlotte experienced was a spike in her glucose.
“Victory,” the eldest intoned.
“Victory!” the Orcesses screamed.
Someone handed her the half-drained glass of lavender lemonade. She sipped, letting the tang clear her tastebuds of sweetness.
