Chapter 17

Laughter ripples through the orcs behind me. It starts slowly and grows, echoing up the high walls. Even Gorbag chuckles again.

"She has a sharp tongue," the guard says, loud enough for Thorn to hear.

My heart skips a beat. Laughter means they won't kill me… right?

Ursha's sneer doesn't falter. "One she should learn to keep behind her teeth if she desires to keep it at all."

I school my features, but by the way Ursha grins, I bet my face went ashen.

Thorn scrapes a hand over his mouth. His gaze ping-pongs between Drundak and me.

"Nellwyn spelled her, of course. That's how she told you about the forest," Thorn says, and it doesn't sound like a question.

Drundak nods. "Yes, Chief. She understands us well." The old man takes a beat. "She said she heard a crying baby and followed the sound here."

A hush falls on the orcs. Thorn's hand falls from his face to the table. His gaze swivels toward me.

"You heard Eirik's cries from across the portal and followed them here?"

I clear my throat to find my voice. "Yes."

He narrows his eyes, tilting his head. "Why?"

There's no good answer to that. I shrug. "It was cold, and it was a baby. How could I leave a baby to freeze in the woods?"

Thorn's brows furrow further. "The woods. I take it there's a forest in your world, too. What were you doing alone in the woods, then?"

I shake my head. "I wasn't alone." At this, he bristles. Oops, wrong words. I show my hands. "Technically. I was just passing through the area. With other humans. There's a road nearby, and my bus had to change routes."

He raises a hand and I stop talking. As if he would know what buses are. Thorn doesn't blink. He stares so hard at me it starts getting weird. "Did they cross the portal with you?" he asks.

"No."

"Then where are they?"

I glance away from Thorn, blood rushing into my cheeks. Orcs are clearly brave warriors, and very communal. Though Drundak said Thorn is a king, they don't treat him like we treat kings in the human world. No crowns, no gold robes, no curtsies. It feels more… familial.

And I know what they'll think of humans if I tell them the truth.

I clear my throat. "Back in their homes, I believe," I say, keeping my voice emotionless. "Living their lives." I take a beat because I know this is going to sound like they abandoned me. Which isn't a lie, but... I don't know. I don't like the idea of talking shit about other humans here. "I decided to come after the child, and no one was in favor, so I came alone. They weren't my friends or anything. We were just in the same traveling group."

"You're either brave or stupid then," says Ursha. "Entering a magic portal on your own after an invisible child."

I meet her strange red eyes and shrug, glancing at the baby. "It was worth it, wasn't it?" I arch an eyebrow. "The child lives, and that can make me brave or stupid…" A smile stretches across my lips. "But it also makes me right."