Page 8 of Orc's Pride

Hooking my foot on the side of the root that’s thickest, I step down and haul myself up against the dirt wall. It’s an awkward angle, but it gives me enough leverage to shimmy up along the wall. Since the canopy overhead is so entangled, very little light comes through, making it next to impossible to see exactly where I’m going.

My hand brushes along the dirt, tracing the edges of the other roots that have entangled themselves together, creatingsome kind of barrier to keep the dirt from moving around too much.

There’s a soft crack under my feet that had me clinging onto what little hold I have, my heart lurching in my chest at the noise.

“Shit!”

The root collapses, coming right out from under me and slamming me back down into the hole. I cough as dirt rains over me, coating me in a fine layer that gets into my eyes and nose.

This can’t be happening. Getting trapped down here until I rot away is the worst way to go. Unless a predator finds me first.

I shiver at the thought. Or worse, a dark elf discovers me and takes me back to their settlement to do whatever they want with me.

I need to get out of this damn hole before any of that happens.

“I think she’s over here.” I hear a voice say from overhead.

The blood in my veins freezes. That sounds like the man from earlier. Had he followed me? I could’ve sworn I knocked him out cold. Maybe I hadn’t hit him hard enough?

A face appears suddenly, shadowed by the poor lighting overhead. “There you are.”

My back presses into the side of the hole, molding myself as much as I can into the dark shadows. His face is barely visible, but I can see enough of him to notice the smile glossing his face—as if he’s proud to have found me.

Had the dark elves sent him after me? The thought bangs around inside of my head, over and over again.

No, no. No no no no.

This can’t be happening. All this work, all of my time spent not getting caught. All to be dashed away from being stuck in a fucking trap in the ground and sitting here like a piece of meat, waiting for predators to come have their pickings.

“Aw,” He laughs at me. “Not happy to see me?”

“Fuck you!” I hiss back. “If you bring me back to that settlement, I’ll make myself your worst nightmare.”

That draws another laugh out of him. “I like your spirit, unfortunately—”

His head snaps forward, his body suddenly collapsing on the ground he’d just been standing on. One of his arms hangs over the edge of the hole, dangling limply.

I stare at it wide-eyed. What the hell?

There’s some rustling above me, a few specks of dirt raining down as the man’s body is slowly dragged away from the edge and out of view. Bile crawls up my throat, had the dark elves followed him? Is that who he’d been talking to?

Oh gods.

A hooded figure appeared over the edge, small stature and with their face shrouded completely. They let something drop down from their hands before disappearing again. I reached for it, instantly recognizing the texture of the woven material.

A rope?

“Hello?” I call up to them.

No one answers me.

I look back to the rope again, testing it with a firm tug. Well, that’s one way to get me out. Once I reach the surface, I’m going to have to make a run for it. If there were indeed dark elves waiting for me up there, I’m not making my capture easy for them. They’re going to have to work for it.

The best chance I’ll get at evading them is by taking them by surprise.

With a firm hold on the rope, I climb up the side of the hole. It’s hard when the dirt around me crumbles at the slightest pressure from my footing, but I manage to make it up to the surface only slightly out of breath.

My hands dig through the fallen leaves for purchase, finding another root that helps haul me up over the top and onto firm ground once more. My body rolls onto my hands and knees, already pushing myself up into a crotch as I scan the area.