Page 13 of Claimed By Stone
They turned and left the war room, and I found myself in a foreign mood. I ached for something I could not have, at least I didn’t think I could. Just because Khuldruk had found his mate did not mean I would, too.
Later that day, I went to the great hall to check on preparations for the feast. Even though the feast was still days away, the great hall was humming with preparations. The great hall bustled as orcs moved between tables, baskets, and crates. Roasted meats, barrels of honeyed ale, stacks of wild root vegetables, everything was being accounted for, weighed, seasoned, and stirred. I stood near the long table in the center of it all, parchment in hand, double-checking the list against what I saw.
Callie entered at Khuldruk’s side, her smile bright enough to rival the torches on the walls. He walked just a step behind her; his expression filled with that quietly fierce pride that only comes from being utterly smitten.
“Thavros!” she called out, waving a hand above the bustle. “Is this a good time?”
I nodded and motioned them over. “Better now than when the cook gets her hands in the dough. She’ll chase us out with a rolling pin.”
Khuldruk chuckled low in his chest. “It's true. I've had to promise her a new meat cleaver to let me escape a time or two.”
Callie grinned. “I wanted to ask about something for the feast.”
She bit her bottom lip, clearly a little unsure, but there was a twinkle in her eye, too, like she couldn’t quite contain the idea. Khuldruk slid a hand over the small of her back, steadying and encouraging her without a word.
“I was wondering… would it be alright if I sang?”
The room seemed to pause. Not fully—but something subtle shifted. Even the background clatter of work quieted for a breath.
“Sang?” I asked, though I’d heard her perfectly.
“Is that weird? I’m not sure if it goes against any custom or anything … I just thought…”
“You’d like to sing,” I finished.
“Yes,” she said, cheeks coloring just slightly. “There’s a song I used to sing back home at celebrations. It was the closing song at the fairs I used to sing at. It might be nice with all the firelight and feasting.”
“She has the voice of a goddess,” Khuldruk said, not looking at me, but at her. “You’d be a fool not to let her.”
“Of course, it is your feast. I’m surprised Khuldruk is willing to share you with the rest of us,” I said, smirking. But even as I teased, something tight pulled inside my chest. “It would be an honor.”
“I’m so excited to experience my first orc feast,” Callie said, slipping her arm through Khuldruk’s. He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head before taking a big sniff.
“Again with the sniffing,” she said in a laugh, gazing up at him.
“I’m afraid I cannot help it.”
The ease with which they comforted each other pulled at my heart. I had never yearned for something like this before, yet here I was.
She beamed up at him, and as she did, she started to hum. I don't even know if she was aware of it.
It wasn’t just a song.
It was a wind weaving through the trees. It was heat and hush, promise and ache. Her voice didn’t just travel through the hall—it filled it. It curled around the stone, slid across the ceiling beams, wrapped around each orc’s shoulders like a memory they hadn’t known they’d forgotten.
Work stilled. Heads turned.
Even the great hearths seemed to flicker in rhythm with her voice.
"Sorry," she said as she looked around with a sheepish expression after all the work came to a halt. "I'm still getting used to this whole part-siren thing. The powers didn't work like that in the human realm."
"You have nothing to apologize for, my pet. Now, I think we are going to see about a new gown. But I will find you later," he said to me.
I nodded, and they walked away. My thoughts drifted far from the hustle and bustle of the great hall with them. Even with the small amount of notes she hummed, my thoughts were with the statue.
Still cold. Still silent.
I swallowed hard.
