Page 2 of The Iron Oath
Now it would be her turn.
And once she won, not only would she be granted the title of official heir, but she would be able to choose a mate. She would then reap all of the rewards and begin her life’s journey witha person at her side. She took in her parents and had secretly harbored the desire to have what they had. It was by the gods that the two were fated mates. Their story had been shared with Magoza and Nargol as bedtime stories when they were little orcs. She was proud of her parents. They ruled these lands with an iron fist and were well respected by many.
Even their damn enemies.
“Ranhos, my axes are an extension of our people,” Magoza said proudly. She stood even straighter and met her father’s intense gaze again. She was confident in her abilities of entering this tournament. She was a strong warrior and had never truly been bested in a fight. She’d led warriors into battle who trusted her with their lives.
This would be another accomplishment she was sure to claim.
“I will fight with the same deadly passion as our goddess, Nogora,” she said.
Her father gave a fierce nod and slammed his fist onto his chest.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from a great Nidani warrior,” he bit out around his tusks. He moved to her sister who held her bow loosely in her hand.
“Ranhos, I will proudly represent our people. May my arrows protect all of those who call Udenia home,” Nargol vowed.
Her sister stood tall, slightly shorter than Magoza. They both had the same dark-green coloring, wide noses, deadly tusks, and amber eyes. Her hair was braided in an intricate plait design which allowed them to hang down her shoulders.
Their father gave a nod then moved behind them as he addressed the other warriors who had stepped forward. Their mother came to them. Dura Cydassi was no stranger to battles, as she had been a warrior for her father’s clan. She had been bytheir side as they’d trained as children. The Cydassi sisters came from strong lines of warriors.
“Banhas,” Magoza and Nargol uttered.
“Danhas, you have made yourranhosand I very proud,” she whispered. Her amber eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled. The queen’s beauty was known throughout the lands, but that was not all she was known for. Her deadly daggers were almost just as famous. “May Nogora bless you as you enter the trials. You are my daughters, and I know you will not fail.”
“Is that all you got,lanhas?” Nargol asked.
Magoza swung around and aimed her axe at her sister. After the ceremony, they had traveled to the practice fields where they were to train. The trials would be upon them soon, and Magoza may be confident in her ability to win, but she wasn’t a fool. She still needed to train.
The one thing about training with her sister, they both knew of their strengths and weaknesses.
Magoza’s axe landed on Nargol’s dagger. The vibration of their two weapons colliding rippled through her muscles. She gritted her teeth and advanced on Nargol. Her younger sibling knew how to get under skin.
And at the moment, Nargol was succeeding and knew it. She grinned at Magoza and pushed her off. Their strengths were well matched. They broke away and circled each other. Magoza narrowed her eyes on her.
Now was not time for fun and games. Warriors surrounding them also were training. Grunts and the clashing of weapons filled the air. With the twin suns beaming down on them, it wasthe perfect day to battle. Magoza felt a hint of sweat on her brow, but she ignored it. A simple distraction could mean life or death.
With her experience in battles, she’d seen great warriors fall under simple mistakes. Nargol may be smiling at her, but she was looking for an opening. Magoza respected her ability to fight, and dammit if she wasn’t proud of her.
“That smile needs to be wiped off,” Magoza growled.
How could Nargol smile at a time like this? There were plenty of times she’d seen her take down an enemy, all the while smiling. If she didn’t know any better, she would say Nargol was touched in the head with a silent madness.
“And who is going to do that? Certainly not you,” Nargol taunted.
Magoza launched an attack at her. Their weapons clashed as Nargol blocked Magoza once again. Her sister threw a punch at Magoza with her fisted hand, but she read the move and sidestepped her. They went back and forth with each other aggressively. They practiced the way they expected to battle in real life.
Blood dripped down Magoza’s arm from Nargol’s blade, while Nargol sported a darkening mark on her cheek from a punch that Magoza had landed. The two were breathing heavily as they grappled. They fell to the ground with Magoza landing on top of her. She pinned her and glared at her.
“If not me, then some other warrior will try,” Magoza bit out around her tusks. She tightened her grip on Nargol’s wrists.
“And if they succeed, you better take their head,” Nargol snapped. Her eyes blazed bright with a warrior’s heart.
“Not doubt, sister, I will burn down kingdoms for those I love,” she responded.
Nargol relaxed in a show of submission. Her head fell back against the ground. Magoza pushed off her and stood. She heldout a hand to Nargol who accepted it. She helped her sibling up, and they shared a brief hug.
“And I would do the same for you,lanhas.” Nargol smiled again. She gave Magoza a tight squeeze then stepped back from her.
