Page 60 of Orc's Pride
He laughs again. “Come along to my meeting with me. So that this imaginary woman doesn’t find and try to seduce me on the way there.”
When we get to the base’s meeting room, there are a few others inside waiting for us.
Gor, along with a few of Pitha’s closest men, gather around a table in the center filled with papers and open books that are scattered over it. Off to the side of the table is Gathal and two other orcs I don’t recognize.
Pitha nods at each of them, greeting them.
“Good morning. I hope you’re all well.”
They all rumble a ‘good morning’ to him in unison. Several pairs of eyes then turn to fixate on me, making me feel a little more than intimidated. Despite this, I stand my ground and straighten my shoulders back.
“This is Dana.” He holds out a hand to me, looking at Gathal’s men.
Gathal grins. “Ah, the one who bravely rescued my fellow Chieftain. I’m pleased to see you here among us fellow warriors.”
I can’t help but mirror Gathal’s grin with one of my own. He has rather infectious energy that is hard to not fall into. Even if it’s at the expense of poking fun at my lover.
“Thank you.” I nod to him.
Next to me, Pitha lets out a soft huff, sounding more amused than the annoyed expression on his face would lead anyone into believing.
“Why don’t we get down to why you’re here, Gathal?”
“Ah, no thank you for saving you from a bunch of dark elves. I see our rivalry still runs deep.”
Pitha rolls his eyes. “That rivalry was squashed when we were kids. Now that we’re both grown and leaders of our own clans, don’t you think it’s time to put that to rest?”
Gathal lets out a hearty laugh. “Never. That will mean you win!”
I slap a hand over my mouth, holding back a laugh.
Pitha sighs heavily at him. “What I wouldn’t give for a sword right now to stab through you…”
“Maybe after our meeting we can meet each other on the training grounds.”
“As much as I love this friendly reunion.” Gor drawls, breaking both Chieftains up. “We need to get down to business. Our base isn’t going to recover by itself and the longer we stand here bickering, the longer our people remain vulnerable.”
The second’s words seem to sober up the entire room in a matter of seconds. I can’t help but reflect on them, wondering how in the world the base is going to recover from the destruction that had almost brought the entire place to its knees. There had been several piles lined up in the streets with sheets thrown over them, ones that I suspected were bodies lying under there.
Rubble and buildings that had been caved in from the blast and scorched from the fire had been too common as Pitha and I had made our way down here.
I feel horrible for the orcs that live here. None of this had been their fault and yet, they’re the ones having to deal with the aftermath of it all.
Gathal clears his throat. “A few days again, a human female arrived at my clan’s doorstep, looking for shelter. She had gotten word that someone on this base had been made aware that a ledger stolen from the dark elves had been recovered and brought here.”
I stiffened. Who would be looking for me, and on top of that, know about the list?
The only person who could have that kind of information—besides Pitha—was the woman who I’d met in the forest. The one who’d helped me out of that hole in the ground.
“Who is this woman?” Pitha crossed his arms over his chest, blocking me slightly from view by shifting himself towards me.
It’s an unconscious movement on his part, but one that I appreciate all the same. Whatever my face tells, I’m sure he doesn’t want anyone to suspect anything, even if it’s carefully blank like I hope it is.
“At this time, I’m not allowed to divulge that information.” Gathal gives him a bit of a strained smile that looks almost painful. “I’m sure you can understand that.”
Something passes between the two Chieftains, a shared secret of sorts that has me curious. With them having a long history though, it doesn’t surprise me that there are things between them that have long since bonded them over the years—even if Pitha is reluctant to admit out loud.
“I assume since you’re here, you mean to find her protection among the base’s walls?”