Page 96 of The Orc's Captive Bride
It sounded insane when she thought about it that way.
But what was the alternative?
Let Lasseran complete his ritual? Let an entire people die out? Let Khorrek and his brothers be sacrificed for stolen power?
“We have to try,” she said. “I have to try.”
He studied her. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.”
“I’m terrified.”
“I know. That’s what makes it brave.”
She laughed shakily. “I feel like I’m about to do something profoundly stupid.”
“You probably are.”
“Very reassuring.”
“I’m not trying to reassure you. I’m trying to be honest.” He cupped her face. “This is dangerous. Lasseran is dangerous. If we do this, there’s no going back.”
“I know.”
“You could die.”
“I could also save thousands of lives.”
“Is that worth your life?”
The question hung between them.
Was it? A month ago, the answer would have been easy. No. Of course not. She was a linguist. A scholar. Not a hero.
But now…
Now she looked at Khorrek and saw someone worth fighting for. Someone worth risking everything for. She saw Declar and the others. Warriors who’d been shaped into weapons but still managed to hold onto their humanity. She saw an entire people who deserved to exist.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s worth it.”
He kissed her, hard and desperate, and she kissed him back, pouring all her fear and determination into it. When they pulled apart, his forehead rested against hers.
“Then we do this together,” he said.
“Together.”
She turned back to the table, to the texts and scrolls and fragments of hidden knowledge.
“I need to verify this,” she said. “Cross-reference with other sources. Make sure I’m reading it correctly.”
“How long?”
“Days. Maybe a week. There’s so much information here.”
“We don’t have a week.”
“I know. But I need to be sure. If I’m wrong, if I misunderstood even one part of this, we could make things worse.”
He nodded. “Then we work fast.”
