Page 20 of Orc's Pride

Dana

Waking up, the first thing that I notice is that there is light streaming in from somewhere.

I sit up slowly, the plush blankets rolling off of me and sending a chill down my spine at the sudden cool air hitting my skin. Nothing around me is familiar. In fact, I’m definitely nowhere that I recognize.

The room—not the tent that I’d been in before I’d fallen asleep—is small with wood furnishings like the bed I’m in as well as a dresser across the room and small side table next to me.

Panicking, I throw the blankets off of me and drop to my feet. My eyes dart around the room, searching for my boots that had been removed from my feet at some point while I’d been sleeping.

I spot them over by the door, placed neatly together and facing the wall. Crossing the room, I snatch the right one up before parting the tongue and sliding my fingers around the inside of it. There’s a small seam at the side where my ankle rests, just barely there and not visible if you weren’t looking for it.

Slipping my hand between the seam and the side of my boot, my fingers brush over the edge of the list.

I practically sag in relief.

It’s still there. Thank the gods.

Before I’d fallen asleep, I’d had the foresight to transfer the paper to my boot in case I was strip searched at some point. With my entrance into this base, I wouldn’t be surprised if they dragged me to be patted down at the very least.

All they thought of me as was someone dangerous. And while I couldn’t blame them for that exactly, that didn’t mean I couldn’t be proactive in protecting my assets from their prying eyes.

If they were one of the clans on the opposite side of Malik, then I wasn’t about to give over the secrets we’d uncovered.

Speaking of which, where am I?

The last thing I remember is Pitha’s tent and him leaving to go talk with the orcs in his group. What happened after that? I don’t remember getting moved at all.

Had I been that fast asleep? It seems unlikely.

Tossing my boots down onto the floor, I slip them both on and lace up the fronts.

Wherever I am, I need to figure out how to get out so that I can start the journey back to Malik’s. He’s going to be wondering where I am at some point and I don’t want him sending someone out to search for me, thinking that I’m dead or worse.

Endangering other people, especially at my expense, is the last thing I want to do.

Heading out of the room, a short hallway greets me. There is a bathroom next to the room I’d been sleeping in and across from that is another small bedroom. In the main part of the house—cabin, I guess?—is a small sitting area with an attached dining room.

Behind that is the kitchen that looks barely touched.

It’s all so… strange.

My feet carry me over to the front door, unlocked from the looks of it. That worries me. Whoever brought me here has way too much confidence that no one would bother me while I slept. Either I was in a place with no one else around, or I’d gotten extremely lucky.

My hand wraps around the handle, yanking it open, Morning light streams over me, causing me to squint from the sudden change in light. I hold an arm over my face, shielding me somewhat.

Stepping out onto the porch, I survey the area.

There are orcs milling about with bags and weapons strapped to their backs and shoulders. The pathway in front of the house is rather busy, with orcs coming and going, passing me with dirty looks that speak volumes.

Down the path, I can see more housing and other buildings that look much wider, reminding me of shops in a village. There is a distant metal grinding to the tune of metal banging on metal that echoes softly throughout the street.

So, this is what the base looks like from the middle of it.

Interesting.

I’m surprised that I’d been able to sleep so soundly. The house is pretty soundproof, giving me a bit of privacy that I hadn’t been expecting to have.

“Oh, you’re up.”