Kaius the Fierce by Cara Wylde
Chapter Twenty-Two
Grace couldn’t fight her exhaustion anymore and fell asleep. She woke up not long after at the sound of two sets of steps. Two torches illuminated the corridor, and when the orcs stopped before the bars, she shielded her eyes. A male and a female. The female was holding a large plate filled with meat, fruits, and vegetables, and the male was dressed in the usual garments of a mage, with the heavy chain hung around his thick neck. The female left her torch by the door and unlocked the gate. She stepped in and placed the plate at Grace’s feet.
“Eat.”
Sasha stirred and opened one eye. When she saw that they weren’t alone, she jumped, pressing her back to the wall. She studied the female orc with frightened eyes.
“I won’t hurt you,” the orc said in a bored tone. “The captain wants you alive and well-fed, so eat.”
Grace crossed her arms over her chest. The mage left his torch outside, too, and advanced into the small cavern, forcing the female orc to step out. There wasn’t enough space for so many tall, bulky bodies.
“I’m here to make sure you aren’t hurt,” he said.
“It’s over, then,” Grace whispered. “The battle. If you’re here...”
He grunted as he reached out to take her chin between his fingers and move her head to the right, then left. Grace pulled away. Unimpressed, he placed one hand on her head. She tried to swat him away.
“What are you doing?”
“Relax.”
He closed his eyes and focused, which made Grace think that he was probably checking her somehow, maybe energetically. It didn’t last for more than a minute, then he grunted, and moved to Sasha. But Grace wasn’t going to let him touch her. She stood up and positioned herself between them.
“No. Back off.”
“The captain said I have to check you both.”
“She’s fine. Tired, frightened, but fine.”
“Move.”
“No.”
There was a fierceness in her eyes that made the mage reconsider. In the end, he sighed and nodded. He stepped out of the cavern and reached for the torch.
“Ulgan is much nicer than you,” said Sasha from behind her mother.
That got the mage’s attention. He grinned at her. “Ulgan the Delirious. Do you know what he used to be called before he got the hit to the head that broke his thoughts? Ulgan the Blade.”
Grace cocked an eyebrow. “The Blade?”
“Unusual name for a mage, but Ulgan was not usual. He could wield energy like a soldier wields a sword. A technique that took me years to learn.”
“Ulgan knows everything about plants,” Sasha said. “He makes potions and medicine... He would never use his powers to... to cut people...”
“Baby,” Grace tried to stop her. She didn’t like where this conversation was going. The mage had done what his captain had asked, and now it was best for him to leave. “Come here.”
But Sasha ignored her. Moreover, she gathered her courage and stepped in front of her mother.
“He would never do anything bad to anyone. He’s good, and he’s kind.”
The mage laughed. “He wasn’t when I met him. But that was a long time ago. Ulgan has never been the same since his wound.” He pointed at his own temple. “Now he doesn’t make any sense, and like you said, he spends his days talking to weeds.” He shook his head. “We’ve always been enemies, fighting on opposing sides, but I must confess, he was an inspiration to me. Knowing what he could do, seeing him on the battlefield... He made me push myself to work with energy, when using energy as a weapon wasn’t one of my talents. I became better and better because I wanted to one day face him in battle and beat him.” His voice turned slightly sour. “I faced him last night. What a disappointment. Now Ulgan the Blade is Ulgan the Delirious, and the most he can do is enchant weapons and cast shields and glamours. Such a disappointment.” He sighed and shook his head. “An embarrassment. Kaius the Fierce and his horde suffered because of it.”
“What are you saying?” whispered Grace.
“What I’m saying is that you lost.”
“Is Ulgan okay?” Sasha pulled at her mother’s shirt. “Mom?”
“What did you do?” Grace asked the mage between gritted teeth.
“We all did what was necessary. To secure the valley, to secure our future and our place in this world.”
“Our world.”
He grinned. “This peace won’t last forever.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. This is not your home dimension. There’s no Hagan and Sogar to make you fight over land that is not yours. You can lay down your weapons and build a life here. A peaceful life.”
“Peace is not the way of the orcs.”
With that, the mage walked away, obviously bored with the conversation. Behind him, the female orc was closing the gate and locking it up.
Grace ran to the bars and tried to grab at her hands. The female orc stepped away and sneered at her.
“Hey, listen to me,” Grace said. “What are you doing? Holding a child prisoner... Have you no heart? Look at her!”
“Eat your food.”
“Do you have children of your own? Do you want children?”
“That is none of your business. Step back.”
She’d locked the door and was now reaching for her torch. She was going to leave them in darkness again.
“You can help us,” Grace insisted. “You must understand how I feel... I must protect my baby.”
“Shut up.”
“Please...”
The female orc grabbed Grace’s wrist through the bars and squeezed hard.
“Shut up, or I’ll cut your tongue. Goroth won’t mind if his bride has no tongue. He might even thank me. And your human cub will be next.”
Grace clenched her jaw and didn’t say another word. The female orc smirked, then release her and disappeared down the corridor.
“Jesus...”
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about me.”
“Maybe we should eat. So we can stay strong.”
“Yes, yes.”
As they sat on the floor and blindly picked at the food on the plate, Grace cursed herself for wasting her breath on the female orc by appealing to the empathy she obviously lacked instead of asking her to leave a bloody torch behind.