Page 43 of Orc's Pride
19
Dana
Iend up pacing around my room for what feels like hours.
Being cooped up in here is driving me insane, not to mention trying to avoid Pitha every time I hear her moving around outside of my door. Sometimes I hear him stop in front of it and wait for the knock that I know is coming.
But strangely enough, it never does.
It’s been like this for the past few days and I can’t help but wonder if he’s abandoned me all together or completely lost interest.
I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts. That doesn’t need to be a focus right now. Especially since I need to escape this base and head back to Malik’s clan. I’m sure by now he probably thinks I’m dead or worse—captured by the dark elves.
I need to get this list to him before he gives up on me altogether.
Telling Pitha is a no go. Not only am I unsure of where he stands with me but how can I trust him when I don’t know where his true priorities lay? What if he’s a part of the list?
My head spins with all of my thoughts, bottled up inside of my head and ready to explode at any moment.
It’s horrible to say, but despite my reservations, I want to trust him. He’s been good to his people as far as I’ve seen and he’s a strong leader with a good judgment of those he surrounds himself with. Not to mention, he stopped his people from trying to harm me after they suspected me of being a spy.
But is my attraction to him clouding my judgment? I don’t know…
None of this really feels real anymore.
All I know is that I need to get back to Malik’s before I’m threatened to be strung up for being a spy again.
Making up my mind, I head over to the door.
I’ll need to find Pitha and tell him about leaving. As long as I keep my story vague, I’m sure I can convince him to take me to Malik. All I’ll need to tell him is that the old orc took me in after my family was gone.
That’s all he needed to know about that story. There was no need for me to divulge the information about the list at all.
It’s as if I'm trying to convincemyself…
My hand fists over the door handle, pulling it open to the outside world beyond.
Orcs pass by me, hardly casting a glance my way even as I close the door behind me and step out onto the porch. Which is strange, usually they’re all too happy to give me displeased looks that I’m invading their sacred space with my untrustworthiness.
Suddenly, a scream pulls me away from my thoughts. I look over to it, seeing a few other orcs stop to process what they heard too. Around the other side of Pitha’s house is what looks like a fire, the smoke from it blazing in the air and clouding the area above it in black.
My eyes widen.
Oh no.
Just then, the ground rocks from underneath me and an explosion shoots through the air. I’m thrown back onto theporch, my back hitting the hard wood with a smack that had my breath leaving me.
I gasp, trying to inflate my lungs again while my ears ring noisily.
Around me, there’s a hazy wave as orcs rush past me, taking cover.
It takes me a few long moments to roll onto my side and force myself upright, my chest screaming as I draw in a few breaths.
What just happened?
“Over there!” I hear someone yell, sounding so far away but not at the same time.
Turning back around, I spot two orcs that I don’t recognize heading my way. They don’t look any different than the orcs that live on the base, but for some inexplicable reason, I know that they’re dangerous.