Kaius the Fierce by Cara Wylde
Chapter Twenty
“I will end this. I will end him.”
Grace watched Kaius arm himself to the teeth. His raiders and grunts were doing the same. She stood aside, holding Sasha close to her. Not because the girl was scared, – she was more fascinated than scared, – but because she was afraid her curiosity would get the best of her and she’d eventually forget she’d been asked to keep away from the sharp weapons. All the swords, daggers, and maces shone in the fading light of the sunset, eerily and invitingly. Grace had told Sasha they were all enchanted, and if she accidentally hurt herself on one of them, the magic they were infused with would act like poison.
“Please be safe.”
Kaius stopped to kiss Grace on the forehead and squeeze Sasha’s little shoulder.
“Take care of your mother.”
“Err... okay...”
Then, to Grace, “Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own? I have to take Ulgan this time. Maybe that was my mistake. I left him behind, and even though he cast spells from afar, it wasn’t enough to show Goroth the extent of our power. And determination. He will destroy our work time and time again if he believes we’re weak.”
“We’ll be fine. We’ll wait for you inside.” Last time, Grace had watched the battle with Ulgan, from atop the highest cliff. Now, she wanted to keep Sasha away, to protect her.
“I’ll be back.”
“I know.”
They kissed briefly, then Kaius was leading his horde down the mountain. They were all riding krags. Some of them were holding torches, and all of them had their weapon of choice in hand.
“Who’s Goroth?” Sasha asked.
“I told you, baby. He’s another orc captain, and he lives with his horde across the valley. They moved here after Kaius had already claimed the valley, and he wanted it for himself.”
“Because it has vineyards, orchards, gardens, and abandoned houses?”
Grace smiled. “Yes. Especially abandoned houses.”
Sasha frowned. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
“A little. I’m just trying to cheer you up.”
The girl shrugged. “I’m fine. I’m not scared. But why can’t Kaius and Goroth just share the valley? Isn’t there enough for both hordes?”
Grace sighed. “Have you ever heard of an orc captain wanting to share something with another orc captain? Because I haven’t. It doesn’t help that in their home world, Kaius fought on Hagan’s side, and Goroth on Sogar’s side.”
“Who are Hagan and Sogar?”
Grace took her hand and pulled her towards the caves. “War chiefs. I’ll tell you all about them inside. Right after I give you a lecture about how you’re always supposed to tell me where you’re going before you go!”
“I was with the mage!”
“I know.”
“Ulgan is weird, but I’m safe with him. I’m pretty sure he’s the most powerful orc in the horde. I mean... don’t tell Kaius I said that...”
Grace laughed. “I won’t. And you might be right. I don’t care who the most powerful orc in the horde is as long as he helps end this ridiculous dispute over the valley.”
They disappeared inside the cave, Grace holding a torch to light their way.
“I’m out of chocolate. We’ll have to go shopping soon,” Sasha complained, more worried about her candy stash than about the battle that was about to unfold at the foot of the mountain.
“And we will. I have a list of things to buy, too.”
“By the way, what’s Kaius making? A sort of chair? Like one of those chairs that rock back and forth?”
Grace hesitated. Today hadn’t gone according to plan, so telling Sasha that she’d soon have a baby brother would have to wait.
“Show me how much candy you have left.”
Her daughter didn’t even notice she’d changed the subject.
* * *
Too easy. It had been too easy.
Goroth the Devourer had known Kaius the Fierce would come that night, so his horde was waiting for them in the valley. His horde, not Goroth. The captain was nowhere to be seen. His mage was there, though, so Kaius didn’t think much of it. The enemy horde put up a good fight, but in the end, Kaius and his orcs chased them back to their caves. They disappeared inside their mines, and Kaius was victorious.
Or so he’d thought.
It was past midnight. The battle had been short, and not many of his orcs were hurt. Ulgan had already healed the most superficial wounds on the spot. They all returned home in silence. It felt as if something was wrong. Off. They’d expected the other horde to hit them much harder than they’d had, to fight much more determinedly for the valley they’d tried to claim so many times and failed. Well, they’d failed again, and Kaius hoped they’d learned their lesson this time.
But something still felt off.
He got off his krag and marched towards the mouth of the cave. He grabbed the first torch and hurried down the main tunnel. His girls could only be in one of two rooms, or at the lake. He checked the gallery he shared with Grace first, and when he saw their bed was untouched, he crossed the wide space and checked the underground lake. They weren’t there. He fully expected them to be in Sasha’s room, probably huddled together, Grace reading and Sasha sleeping with her head on her lap. They weren’t there either.
His heartbeat picked up the pace. Sweat broke on his temples, and his whole body tensed.
“Grace,” he called out. “Sasha!”
The echo carried his voice down all the tunnels and corridors. He called again and again, moving from one cavern to the next, searching every nook and cranny. They were gone.
His girls were gone.
He reemerged outside, under the cloudy night sky. His orcs looked at him expectantly. They knew there was bad news, and they suspected what had happened, but they were waiting to hear it from him.
“It was a trap,” Kaius finally said, barely controlling his anger. “I should’ve never left them alone. I made a mistake.”