35. Epilogue 1

Three Months Later

We strode up the hill toward the aerie. Brunnen held Sianna’s hand as she toddled along with us. She gazed up at him raptly. She adored her uncle. Adored me. And she was the sweetest little girl ever. I couldn’t imagine not having her in our lives.

Today, however, some vox seeds were ripe to hatch, and everyone interested in bonding with a vox would be there to see if the fates selected them for this honor.

“Excited, my vigorous mate?” Turren asked from beside me. His arm was around my back, warm and strong.

I winked up at him and spoke in a low voice only he’d hear. “I believe you’re the vigorous mate today.”

We’d made love, and he’d experimented with new positions that required strength on his side and contortions on mine. My body still hummed, and I couldn’t wait to be back inside our snug home to try some things I’d envisioned since we left.

We’d expanded our home to include a private space for us. Now we didn’t need to worry about disturbing Sianna while she slept.

“Perhaps I am vigorous,” he said with a smile.

He’d settled into himself and was even happier now than when we made up and celebrated our love. As always, his arm bothered him, though soaking in the hot pools and massage helped. But he no longer tried to hide it or what happened in his past. He’d learned to accept it and focused on his strengths rather than his perceived weaknesses.

And I couldn’t love him more than I did right now.

We reached the top of the path and paused to look out over the valley. Once the vox seeds hatched, many of the clan would begin the process of packing our things to move to the oasis for the cooler months. Those who bonded would remain behind, though only long enough to solidify the connection. Then they’d bring their voxes to the oasis to continue their training.

Brunnen, of course, was very eager to bond with a vox. He’d made friends, and he loved it here. We both fit in seamlessly, something that had never happened back in the village I grew up in. I wasn’t an orc, but this was my place, my very soul.

“So beautiful,” I sighed as I took in the sweeping valley full of every shade of green and blue. The leaves on many of the trees were turning red, orange, and yellow, and soon, some would drop, leaving the skeletal frame dormant until spring. The sun peeked above the mountain range on the other side of the valley, making everything glow. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing this place.”

Turren put his arms around me from behind and curled forward to kiss my cheek. “We’ll be back. Wait until you see the valley in the spring. So many rich colors. And the fruit! We’ll eat well all next summer.”

Then we’d leave again for the desert in the fall. I suspected I’d love traveling, not just to explore a new part of our world, but to savor the differences of each one.

“Come on,” Brunnen said, his feet shifting on the rock soil. “They’ll slide from their seeds soon and if I’m not there, the one meant for me will pick another.” He’d fretted so much about this over the past month.

“Coom en,” Sianna lisped, and they both laughed.

“If a new vox is your fate-chosen bond, then it won’t pick anyone else,” Turren said. He took my hand and led me over to the opening in the vast cave system spread across this part of the mountain. Openings along the sides allowed the voxes to come and go, and inside was a network of aeries where they rested at night.

Farther in, we’d find large caverns where the voxes bred. And in the center of a few of the caverns, seeds slowly matured until they stretched their pods to the point they’d separate and release the baby vox. The base of each cavern was covered in thick vegetation, and the babies would remain there, eating and growing until they were big enough to fly. I was told the oasis offered a similar plant, making it easy to take a bonded vox with us.

They actually loaded the tiny beasts into carts and used tame boolongs to pull it. There was some talk of capturing some boolong young and penning them to raise and breed. Then we would selectively use some for meat and save the effort of hunting.

I planned to start a big garden not only near the oasis but when we returned to the mountains in the spring. Turren told me he’d take me to a village on the edge of the desert to buy seeds.

We entered the mountainside through a large opening at the head of the path and paused to let our eyes adjust. Whisps peppered the ceiling, and someone lifted a large leaf from an enormous tree growing in the valley. When he started sweeping it through the air, he generated a breeze that coasted across the whisps and made them glow brighter to light our way.

We walked to the right and down a long slope, Sianna toddling between Brunnen and me. She kept pointing and laughing, and we couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.

Turren scooped her up and placed her on his shoulders. She latched onto his horns and wiggled, urging him with squeals to run down the slope—which he did while making grunts like he was a ferocious beast.

Brunnen shook his head and we hurried to keep pace with them.

The path ended at a cavern with a raised area in the center where the voxes had laid their seeds. Other caverns could be reached through openings along the walls, but this cavern was reserved for the Ember Clan.

Ten seeds stood in a circle, and we strode down another path and through the vegetation to get to the spot where we’d wait.

Orcs would stoon start arriving from other clans and each had a cavern with seeds assigned to them.

I couldn’t wait to see Dakur and Nia again, and to meet some of the other women who’d mated with orcs. Mid-summer, we planned to travel to the orc city on the sea to visit old friends and meet new ones.

We stopped, milling about with the other orcs eager to bond with a vox this season.

“How will we know if one has chosen us?” I whispered.

“You’ll know.” Turren jostled Sianna around to hold in his arms. She gazed raptly at the seeds and kicked her legs.

“It’s starting to happen,” someone cried out.

Orcs standing along the wall cheered, their arms lifted overhead.

I couldn’t see over all the tall orcs in front of me. Brunnen wormed his way to the front, but he was thirteen. No one had a problem with a boy doing something like that. But if both of us did it . . . I was the mate of the clan caedos. While no one expected formal behavior from me, I wanted to represent my mate well.

Seeing my dilemma, Turren shifted Sianna to his left arm and swept me up with his right, holding me easily at his eye level. Now I could see! And I adored him for seeing my need and answering simply, so he got a steamy kiss.

The seeds started shifting, rocking, tugging my attention in that direction. Sometimes, they didn’t split, and one of the orcs would have to finish opening it with a weapon, but it looked like they’d all split wide today.

A hush fell over the cavern. Would all the new vox young pick someone to bond with? Some didn’t. They’d mature without a bonded person and fly freely throughout the mountains. I’d seen them soaring in packs high above.

One of the seeds toppled over, splitting when it landed, and a vox baby slipped out. It rose to its feet, wobbling, and peered around. Flapping its wings, it squawked and stumbled off the platform and over to Brunnen.

He gasped and held his hands toward it, and I swore I could see shimmering threads stretching between them.

My brother burst into tears. So did I.

“Let me down, love,” I whispered, and Turren complied. On my feet, I made my way to my brother and put my arm around him.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

He nodded, unable to look away from the vox. “It’s happening. This is . . . Her name is Clessa.”

Clessa peered at me but returned her attention to Brunnen. He stooped down, wiping his eyes, and stroked her face. She was a perfectly formed vox, only much smaller, though nearly as big as my brother. I’d heard they grew quickly, feasting on the lush vegetation growing in this cavern.

Turren joined us, nodding in approval when Brunnen looked his way.

“Oh, my surprised mate?” he suddenly said.

I looked up at him, my eyebrows rising. “Surprised?”

He tilted his head to the right . . . A tiny blue vox stood nearby, looking up at me. It flapped its wings and released a shrill cry, and I knew. I felt the bond form between us, strong and beautiful.

I dropped to my knees and held out my arms. It toddled over and nudged my belly with its snout.

“I’ve got a vox, mate.” I grinned up at Turren through my tears. “His name is Weslain.”

Turren rubbed my shoulder. “That’s a wonderful name.” He bent down and kissed my cheek, his arm going around me.

Sitting on his opposite thigh, Sianna chortled and kicked her legs.

And with Turren’s arm around me, I began bonding with my new baby vox.