Page 34 of The Orc Chief's Baker
This plant was totally harmless unless you pulled it up. Why had he pulled it up?
The orc let out a loud huff, and she looked up to find that he appeared a little less pained than before. She stroked his warm arm gently. She knew how bad those barbs stung. “Do you have any healing tinctures on you? The stinging can last for more than a day without treatment.”
Brovdir shifted his weight. “Goes away on its own?”
Her brows pinched. “Well, yes, eventually. If you get the barbs out.”
He shrugged then, and she blinked in shock. “No need to waste a tincture.”
“But it must hurt terribly! And you won’t be able to use your hand at all until it’s healed.”
“How do we remove them?” Brovdir used his free hand to point to one of the black spiked barbs that were stuck deep into his palm.
“Don’t pull them, they have hooks on the end. You should probably go back to the clan and get Hovget.” The orc healer would have a better idea of what to do.
Brovdir shook his head so hard it made his shaggy hair flop. “No need. Don’t mind pulling.”
“No wait! That really will only make it worse.” She continued to stroke his arm gently, hoping the touch would distract him from the pain. She was rewarded with a little huff from him as he released some tension. “Just let me think...”
She glanced around the forest, trying to come up with something to help... and then it dawned on her.
“Oh! The spring! Come to the Fade spring. It will heal you.”
Brovdir’s face lit with relief. “One is near?”
“Yes, I think right through there, actually.” She pointed toward some thick underbrush. “We’ll have to find a way around...”
Brovdir placed a hand to the small of her back and her skin instantly warmed beneath her dress. “What is it?”
Seeing her surprise, he let her go. “Follow.”
“Follow,” she repeated dumbly as he moved toward the thicket. “Follow you into the brambles? I don’t understand.”
But she should have, because a moment later, Brovdir was bashing right through the middle of the bushes, making a path so wide she could walk through without her skirts getting snagged.
Trinia could do nothing but hurry after him and marvel at the brute efficiency of the male. “I suppose this is one way to get there.”
He shot her a wide grin over his shoulder and her heart jumped in her chest.
When they finally broke through the brush, Trinia let out a sigh of relief. The spring before them looked crisp and clear and a little higher than usual. Which was odd because, although it was near winter, they hadn’t had much rain. It was bubbling up from beneath more too.
Despite those few oddities, it was beautiful. The gold and red trees swayed in the breeze above them and reflected on the blue pool below. The surface was dappled with sunlight making the water seem to glitter. The rocky shore was made inviting by the thick layers of green moss that covered the hard surfaces.
Brovdir let out a hum of approval and moved up toward the left side where there was a flat boulder to perch on. Trinia quickly followed and had only just gotten up onto the rock when Brovdir dipped his hand in.
He let out a long sigh of relief as the water engulfed his hand. The swelling had already gone down and a few of the barbs popped free on their own.
The magic of the spring worked wonders for orcs. She wished it healed humans too.
She crouched back slightly, adjusting on the slippery rocks. “Why did you pull up that willow root?”
The poor orc’s cheeks instantly darkened with embarrassment, and he darted his eyes away from her.
Adorable.
She cleared her throat and pushed down the odd thought even as her fingers itched to brush his shaggy hair away from his forehead. “It’s such a common plant. I’m surprised you didn’t recognize it before you picked it.”
“Never seen it.”
