Page 53 of The Orc Chief's Baker
She managed to keep the tremble from her voice. “There’re more than one of these? You’ve seen them before?”
Sythcol’s back straightened and Brovdir, who was still sitting directly in front of her, tensed noticeably.
“You have,” Trinia gasped. “Is that how you found me? Have you been keeping track of them?”
Neither male spoke nor met her eyes.
Anger burned at her throat. “If you knew about them then why wasn’t I warned? Why hasn’tanyonebeen warned? I never would have run out here had I known!”
“This doesn’t concern you,” Sythcol said. “Brovdir, take her back to Oakwall.”
“Doesn’t concern me?” Trinia’s voice was shrill as she got to her feet and pushed Brovdir out of her way. Her sopping wet gown was so heavy she almost couldn’t rise. “I nearlydiedjust now!”
Warmth caught right around her chin and her face was tipped slightly as Brovdir examined her. His eyes were intense and bright. They glowed green in the dim light so there was no confusing his brooding expression. She’d forgotten orcs’ eyes glowed in the dark. She saw them at night so rarely.
Brovdir let out a low growl that shot tingling heat throughout her body and she could do nothing but suck in air as he said, “You’re wounded.”
She gulped as he gently stroked her cheek right below the stinging cut. She could feel the heat radiating off him. Just like before, he hadn’t worn a shirt, just a pair of worn leather slacks. His dark complexion and rippling muscles threatened to undo all the thoughts from her mind.
He looked like he was sculpted by the Fades themselves.
But he’d also avoided her for over a moon. Hadn’t even sent anote.
She pushed his hand away. “I’m fine. Let me go.”
Brovdir flinched away and made a strangled noise in the back of his throat that made her heart twinge. Had she been too harsh?Hewas the one who’d ignoredher. Why should she feel guilty about upholding the boundary he’d put up?
But then his head drooped, and his floppy hair covered his dejected eyes and she’d never seen an orc look more like a kicked puppy.
Why did that make her stupid heart flutter?
She went back to the matter at hand, desperate to cover up the fact that her cheeks were heating. “Sythcol, tell mewhatisgoing on. Right now. And don’t youdaretry to tell me it’s not of my concern again.”
“They’re sinkholes.”
She jerked her attention back to Brovdir.
“Brovdir!” Sythcol snapped. “I told you we can’t?—”
“Sinkholes,” Brovdir confirmed again, ignoring Sythcol’s anger. “Started opening a moon back.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “That’s so long ago! Why don’t I know about them? Or anyone? Headman Gerald?—”
“Your headman doesn’t need to knowanything,” Sythcol said as he rubbed at his blackened hands.
“What do you mean he doesn’t need to know? Of course, he needs to know. You have a moral obligation to?—”
“I have this under control,” Sythcol snapped. “This crisis will be over soon. There is no need to cause panic among the humans over a problem I’ve nearly solved.”
“Nearly solved?” Trinia snapped with disbelief. “Inearlydied. ‘Nearly solved’ isn’t fast enough.”
“But you didn’t die because my methods are working. We’re tracking them. Keeping them in check.”
“If you really had them in check, I wouldn’t have fallen in one in the first place!” Trinia cried, “What if I’d been a child? Or an old woman out for a stroll? What if I hadn’t been strong enough to hold on to that root?”
Brovdir made another choked noise, and she looked up to find him pale and stricken in the dimming light. She saw his hands twitch as he reached for her, but he didn’t grab. Didn’t force anything.
The cold of the night was penetrating her sodden gown, and the snow crunched as she shifted her feet. The urge to fall into his arms and let him warm her up was almost overwhelming.
