Page 131 of The Orc's Captive Bride
Khorrek breathed a silent sigh of relief at Ulric’s words, then hid a smile as his mate turned back to Lyric.
“You mentioned being able to see things. Sense things. Can you look at the rest of the texts I brought? See if anything… speaks to you?”
“I can try.”
“Good. Because I think we’re going to need every advantage we can get.” Thea started extracting more scrolls. “Let me show you what I’ve found so far. The runic structure is fascinating. See here?—”
And just like that, the two women were bent over the scrolls, completely absorbed in them, and leaving him standing with Ulric and Egon. Two orcs who should have been his enemies.
Ulric finally broke the silence. “You said Lasseran is planning to enslave all orcs. How?”
“He’s planning another Blood Moon ritual, and he needs blood sacrifices to fuel the magic. The first time he planned to useQueen Jessamin because of her blood connection to his line.” He winced at the memory of his part in Lasseran’s original plans, but forced himself to continue. “He intends to use orcs. The ones he raised and trained. My… brothers. He considers us disposable tools.”
Egon made a low sound, rage and grief combined.
“How many?”
“I don’t know. At least six, perhaps more.” He met Ulric’s gaze. “He told me to choose which ones. As if it didn’t matter. As if they were—” His voice cracked. “As if they meant nothing.”
“But they do. To you.”
“Yes. Even though he did everything he could to eliminate any sense of kinship between us, we went through the same… training. They don’t deserve what he’s planning. Don’t deserve to die because of his lust for power.”
There was a brief pause, then Ulric nodded decisively. “Then we must stop him. Together.”
Together. He said together.
He stared at the king. “You’re trusting me? Just like that?”
“I’m trusting that a warrior who would betray everything he knows to protect his mate will fight just as hard to save his brothers.”
“Thank you,” he said roughly, knowing the words were inadequate. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“Good. Because we need every advantage.” Ulric turned to the maps spread across the table. “Tell me what you know about Lasseran’s forces. Numbers. Positions. Weaknesses.”
He stepped forward and studied the maps, then laid out everything he knew about Lasseran’s military organization from equipment to supply lines. Information he’d never thought he’d share. But Thea needed time. Needed protection.
And these warriors were willing to provide it.
It was everything Lasseran had trained him to believe was wrong, except it didn’t feel wrong. It felt like finally doing something right.
They talked for what felt like hours about strategies and contingencies, ways to hold the gate against superior numbers.
Ulric absorbed the information he provided and asked sharp questions. Khorrek answered them, feeling useful in a way he’d never experienced before.
Across the tent, Thea and Lyric continued their discussion, their voices low and intense, but he could see the way her shoulders were starting to droop and the tremor in her hands as she pointed to runic sequences.
She needs rest.But he knew she wouldn’t stop while there was work to be done. Stubborn little mate.
He excused himself from the tactical discussion and went to her side. She was in mid-sentence. “—and if we compare the root structure to the secondary glyphs?—”
He bent down and scooped her into his arms.
“Hey!” she protested automatically. “I was working!”
“You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
