Kaius the Fierce by Cara Wylde

Chapter Seventeen

They took things slowly on Sasha’s first day with the horde. She was introduced to everyone, and she did her best to remember their names. Grace herself hadn’t yet memorized all of their names, but Sasha was different. She was friendlier, more enthusiastic, and generally an extrovert. In her adorable innocence, she kept asking the orcs how they got their names. It was obvious in cases such as that of Dharg the Giant, but when it came to Thrak the Butcher or Jorg the Sinner, things could get slightly complicated. Thrak chose to keep silent, much to Grace’s relief, but not everyone was of the opinion that the human child had to be handled with gloves. In their home world, children were exposed to the ugly side of reality from an early age.

So, Grace spent the day glued to her daughter. She couldn’t afford to let her out of her sight. Sasha was curious and easily entertained. Fortunately, Birma the Unseen and Beka the Wanderer were more than happy to help Grace. They were in love with the little girl, and eager to show her around the caves and the outdoor kitchen.

“Your mother taught us how to use your herbs,” Beka showed Sasha their stash. “And salt.” She shook the small jar where they kept the salt and frowned. “There’s no more.”

“About that,” chuckled Grace, “I thought of doing some shopping, but then I got... distracted.” She couldn’t tell her that she’d stopped herself from buying things for the horde because she’d had a moment of panic. How silly of her... “We should go get salt. And there is other stuff we could use more of. There’s a town nearby... They must have a supermarket.” Nearby was an exaggeration, for they’d have to drive for an hour at least.

Beka set the jar down. She thought for a long moment, then said with a sigh, “Sure, we could do that.”

“Have you gone shopping before?”

“No.”

“I have,” Birma said. “Once. Kaius sent me to get him new books. And I like to read, too, so...”

“Well, that’s unusual,” Grace laughed.

“Yes, I agree,” said Sasha in a serious tone.

Birma and Beka stared at the girl in wonder, waiting for her to expand on her firm declaration.

“Because you’re Beka the Wanderer, and you’ve never been into town. While Birma, who’s the Unseen, went shopping for books.” She turned to Birma. “What books did you buy?”

“Err... Sense and Sensibility for the captain, The Three Musketeers for myself, and an English Thesaurus. Good choices, do you think?”

Sasha thought for a second, then nodded. “Marvelous choices. Especially The Three Musketeers. Sense and Sensibility sounds like a decent read, too. I believe everyone should learn to have some sense and sensibility. Orcs and humans alike.”

Grace burst out laughing. Birma grinned.

“So, Kaius truly reads Jane Austen,” Grace managed through fits of laughter. “Why on Earth?!”

Birma shrugged. “I read a few pages... I believe he wanted to learn how to behave around human females.”

Grace’s brows shot up. “My, my... So that’s why he’s such a gentleman.” She’d been wrong about his reading choices, and she really had to make some time to go through his books.

“Gentle-orc,” Sasha corrected diligently.

Grace laughed again, and Birma and Beka joined her. Sasha was confused as to the source of the amusement, but their laughter was contagious, so she joined in. The clearing echoed with the joyful sounds of their voices.

They took Sasha inside the caves and showed her every nook and cranny. The little girl inspected everything, murmuring to herself constantly, trying to memorize as much as she could. Beka showed her how to hold a torch, then promised she’d ask one of the male orcs to build her a small one, fit for her frame and tiny hand. For now, Beka helped her and made sure she was safe.

“It’s warm and cozy in here,” she said when they reached the gallery Grace and Kaius shared. The two raiders had brought their bags in, and they were waiting to be unpacked.

“Look at this.” Grace ran her hand over the enchanted stone. “Come here.”

Sasha touched the stone, and her mouth formed a surprised “o”.

“How?”

“It used to be a normal rock. Ulgan the Mage brought it in and enchanted it so it would give off warmth. Orcs don’t feel the cold like we do, so they don’t need such artifices. But Kaius thought of everything even before I got here and asked his mage to enchant stones for our room and for the underground lake.”

“There’s a lake?!”

Birma laughed and pulled back the curtain that covered the secondary entrance to the lake. “You need a bath anyway,” she said.

It was true. Sasha had made quite a mess of her clothes and herself, what with all the running around and touching everything. She was covered in dirt.

“Let me see, let me see!”

She ran down the short tunnel, and when she reached the lake, she looked around in wonder.

“I can’t believe there are candles in here, too. Orcs are obsessed with candles!”

“I wouldn’t say obsessed,” Grace said. “That’s not a very positive word.”

But Sasha wasn’t listening to her. She was already taking off her clothes, oblivious to the fact that Birma and Beka were still there and that she’d been taught better.

“Sasha, we’ll wash later...”

“No! I want to jump in now!”

She’d always loved to swim. Grace rolled her eyes and turned to the orc twins. “This won’t take long. Then we’ll get back to the tour.”

“No worries,” Beka said. “We’ll just... ask everyone what they want for dinner.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Did the captain send out a hunting party?” Birma asked as she followed her sister down the tunnel.

“The second Sasha asked about the Butcher’s name,” Beka laughed.

“I know,” Sasha said to Grace when the female orcs were out of earshot. “They call him that because he’s very good at cutting meat.”

Grace covered her eyes with her hands. “Please, baby, let it go...”

“Why? I’m right, though, yes?”

She sighed. “Y-yes... But let it go. Just this once.”

Sasha shrugged. “Okay.” Then she plunged into the lake and forgot all about Thrak the Butcher. In her humble opinion, he wasn’t the most interesting orc in the horde, anyway. “This is so much better than Aunt Meg’s bathtub. So old and scratchy.”

“Scratchy?”

“Yes... Like, if I stayed too long on my bum, I’d get a sort of rash...”

Grace had no idea how that worked, but she believed Sasha. Everything in Meg’s house was old, and... scratchy, why not?

“So, you really do like it here...”

“I love it! And everyone is so nice. I want to meet Ulgan the Mage. Where is he?”

“Probably in the woods, foraging for plants.”

“He uses them in spells?”

“Yes. He uses a lot of things in his spells.”

“Did you ever see him cast a spell?” Sasha’s eyes sparkled with wonder. “Can he shoot... like... beams of energy through his fingers? Or through his eyes? Like Cyclops!”

“Err... I...” Grace laughed. “I have no idea.” That much she had to admit. “I think he makes potions and such.”

“Are they poisonous?”

“Why would he poison his own people?”

“But he can make poisonous potions.”

“I’m sure he can. He can do a lot of things.”

“Then how haven’t you seen at least one thing?”

“Because these are times of peace. He doesn’t need to use his magic to defend the horde against enemies. These days, he spends his time making medicine for headaches and... I don’t know... insomnia.” Though she doubted orcs knew what insomnia was. They slept like logs.

“That sounds boring,” Sasha decreed.

“When it comes to this, I prefer boring than not boring.” She thought about the conflict with the horde across the valley. She truly hoped Kaius had solved the issue for good.

“Will you show him to me when he comes back from the woods?”

Grace laughed. “Oh, you won’t be able to miss him. Ulgan is quite the spectacle.”

Sasha grinned. “I like him already. We’re going to be best friends. But don’t tell him. I will.”

Grace shook her head and helped her daughter wash up. They splashed around for a while, then they relaxed on the bank, knowing no one was going to bother them. The orcs were busy outside, and Grace had a feeling that they were preparing something special for the evening.

She wasn’t wrong. Birma and Beka made a delicious rabbit stew and filled entire plates with fruits from the gardens in the valley. Kaius himself made a huge bonfire, and they all sat down around it and passed the food from one orc to the other, from Kaius to Grace, and from Grace to Sasha, who was given the juiciest, most tender morsels. Beka and Birma were all over her. Soon, Grace realized that her daughter was safe with them, and she relaxed and turned to Kaius. She hadn’t given him much attention today, too absorbed by Sasha and her constant discoveries. Ulgan the Delirious had joined them, and he was sitting nearby. Sasha had said she wanted him to be her best friend, but to Grace’s surprise, she hadn’t approached the mage yet. She was studying him from afar, asking Beka and Birma about what had happened to him. Grace was relieved to notice that Sasha was trying to understand him first, so she’d know how to behave around him. She was trying to make sense of his nonsensical blabber from afar.

“I’m happy you’re here,” Kaius said. “I’m happy she’s here.”

“What do you think about her?”

“I think she’s incredible. Like her mother.”

“Aww...” Grace punched him in the shoulder playfully. “Did you miss me?”

“I did.”

“I was only gone for a day.”

“It felt like forever.”

“No, it didn’t. Liar.” But she was laughing.

He shot her a concerned look. “I would never lie to you. I love you.”

“Oh my God, you big oaf. I was joking.”

“Oaf? What is an oaf?”

Grace snickered. “I guess you won’t find that word in your Jane Austen novels.”

Kaius huffed and turned to look at the bonfire, slightly offended. “Sometimes I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

Grace clung to his trunk of an arm, batting her eyelashes. “Your English is perfect. And I love you, too.”

He bent over her, and she craned her neck to place a kiss on his lips. She could tell he wanted more, and she wanted more, too, but she couldn’t throw herself at him now that Sasha was here, watching them. She had to allow her daughter to get used to the idea that her mother was mated to an orc first.

“Sasha needs her own bedroom,” she said, stirring the conversation in a more practical direction.

“I know. I’ll ask my grunts to start preparing one for her tomorrow. There’s a cavern close to our gallery that can be enlarged. Just a few hours of digging.”

“Oh my God, won’t that make a big mess?”

“A bit of mess. They’ll take care of that, too.”

“She doesn’t need a lot of space...” Grace bit her lip as she remembered Sasha’s previous rooms. They’d lived in so many places over the years, and sometimes her daughter hadn’t even been lucky enough to have her own bed. They’d slept together in one-room apartments that barely had a functioning bathroom and a kitchen that was too cramped to cook in. “She’s not fussy at all.”

Kaius took her chin between his fingers. “Sasha will grow, so she needs space. Leave this to me. Don’t even think about it.”

Grace sighed. “What about tonight?”

“Tonight, the two of you will sleep in our gallery, and I’ll find another place.”

“Please don’t go down to the valley...”

Kaius cocked an eyebrow. “Why would I? I’ll be nearby. There are empty holes where I can throw a pelt on the floor.”

Grace nodded. She wanted to be with him at all times, and especially at night. She realized the fact he hadn’t come to her that night they’d argued had scared her a bit. But for now, she had to be there for Sasha, and Kaius was right. This was the best arrangement until his orcs built Sasha a room of her own.

They stayed up late, chatting around the bonfire, eating more than they should have, and celebrating the fact that they were a family. Everyone was just as fascinated with Sasha as she was with them. When she finally started to doze off, Grace wrapped her in her arms and took her inside. Kaius helped them settle in their makeshift bed, tucked them both in, kissed Grace’s forehead, then went to find a place to sleep. Grace held her daughter close, inhaling her scent, and allowing herself to soak in the moment.

She fell asleep to the sound of Sasha’s steady breathing.