Page 22 of The Iron Oath
She spun around and faced Amuleta. The Magoza that Amuleta had come to know in the woods was gone. Here stoodthe battle-hardened warrior, and her intense eyes were locked on Amuleta.
“My father was a great man. He is no longer here but is in the afterlife serving Nogora,” Amuleta said proudly.
Every orc knew of the legend of the great goddess. It was told to little orcs when they were mere babes as bedtime stories. Her father ensured she knew why they prayed to Nogora every night before bedtime.
Nogora was once a warrior with unmatched fury. She was known to be a shield to her kin and a blade against all who sought to break them. This was during the time when orcs wandered as nomads and hunted to survive. War had broken out, and even though orcs had won, the land had turned against them. The soil withered, the rivers ran dry, and famine was amongst them. Nogora decided to sacrifice herself to keep her people from dying out.
Nogora offered her own heart to the heavens in the name of her people. The gods, so moved by her gift, decided to not let her die. Instead, they remade her into something greater—a goddess of war and bounty, a guardian of the orcish future.
Her father should no longer be punished for the love of his family. He had given his all for not only her and her mother, but for their people as well. There was no other place he would be after death than serving their goddess.
Amuleta stood to her full height and met Magoza’s stare head-on. “My father was the great warrior, Xagok Sesh.”
NINE
Magoza madeher way through the fortified castle. This had been in her family for many generations. The stone walls were practically impenetrable. This structure had stood the test of time. Many wars had been fought outside of these walls. Her family had taken an oath to defend all orcs and had lived in this building since it had been built. It was early, and the building was practically a ghost town. It was quieter at this time of day with most still fast asleep in their beds, and she honestly preferred it.
Her feet slowed as she came to a row of open windows that overlooked the courtyard. There were a set of guards walking together on patrol. During the day the area would be bustling with the townsfolk, but now it too was like the castle—empty. She pushed off the wall she had leaned on and continued on her journey.
But why would her father want her at this hour? She was in a nasty mood already but could not ignore his request for her company. Sleep had never come for her. She had tossed and turned in her bed until she had given up on the notion of drifting off. Disbelief still filled her to know that her mate, Amuleta,was the daughter of the great Xagok Sesh. Magoza had been promoted to his position after his death.
Xagok had been a great orc. A good male who had been dedicated to her father. Not only had Tulak grieved after his death, so had the entire kingdom. They had never known that Xagok had a family. His secret had followed him to the grave until now.
But why? How?
What would make a great warrior like Xagok hide a part of him away in the woods where no one even knew who they were? He had been well respected, and his family would have been accepted. Doubt crept into the back of her mind. But would they? Even Magoza knew how cruel orcs could be when it came to half-breeds.
She ran a trembling hand over her face as the image of a proud Amuleta stood before her announcing her father. She’d stood taller, her chin tilted up, and there was nothing but love, admiration, and pain in her voice as she’d spoken his name.
“You need to leave now. I have to attend to my mother,” Amuleta said.
Magoza moved toward her, but Amuleta raised a hand to her. She stopped in her tracks, unsure what to do. How had things gone so fecking wrong?
“I meant what I said. You are my mate and I shall claim you,” Magoza bit out through her clenched teeth. She’d always gotten what she wanted and now she felt helpless that it would seem her mate was slipping through her grasp.
“We cannot be,” Amuleta whispered. The pain in her eyes grew. She glanced at her cottage before she turned back to face Magoza. Something in her had changed. She offered a sad smile while her arms came to rest around her stomach. “I won’t allow what was done to my father happen to you.”
“What are you talking about? Your father was a great man?—”
“You may have known my father, the warrior, but you didn’t know the true man and what he and my mother went through to be together.” Amuleta backed away from Magoza with a shake of her head.
Magoza’s heart slammed against her chest at the sight of her mate putting more distance between them.
“Forget about me. That would be best for you. Please.”
“Amuleta!” Gelisha’s voice rang out from the house.
Amuleta gave a wave and spun on her heel and jogged up to the cottage door. She paused in the doorway and turned one last time. Magoza stood frozen in place with no notion of what to do. It was the first time in her life where she felt lost. Amuleta disappeared inside the cottage and shut the door behind her. The sound of the lock engaging ricocheted through the air like a cannon exploding.
Forget her mate?
No fecking way.
Magoza picked up her pace and headed up to the third level of Angarth Keep. She did not want to leave her father waiting. He would not appreciate tardiness—even from his own daughter. She had been notified that he was awaiting her in the study. She made her way to the room and paused outside the massive doors with the family crest engraved on them.
Did she tell him that she had not only found her mate, but the female was the daughter of his late commander? An orc he had considered a friend. Her father had trusted him implicitly. Even with the knowledge that he had been banned from his family, the Dhogurd Clan. He was a southern orc who had migrated to the northern part of Aghon and settled in Udenia.
From what Magoza knew, Xagok had fallen out with his cousin, Sakgu, the leader of the Dhogurd. Over what, Magoza had never been privy to.
