28. Mia

"I needyou to take me somewhere."

I have no idea what time it is or how long Renowlf"s been gone, but it feels like most of the day. The orcs don"t use clocks the way we do on Earth. They tell time using alien sundials, and I don"t know how to read the one in the king"s quarters. What I do know is the waiting is driving me crazy.

Dolphus shakes his head. "The king told you to stay here, where it is safe."

I put my hands on my hips and channel my inner bitch. "Do you really think I"m safe here?" It"s a rhetorical question, so I don"t wait for an answer. "If Bayliss is slinking through the forest to get to the palace, that must mean she has a plan to get in and take me out, right?"

Dolphus shrugs, dismissing my concerns. "Renowlf trusts me. You must trust me as well."

"I do trust you," I insist. "But what if there"s a traitor in the palace who lets her in?"

He looks at me with doubt. "The extra guards will not let that happen."

"They will if they"re on Team Bayliss. If she does get in, tell me that Renowlf"s private quarters wouldn"t be the first place she"d look for me."

Dolphus remains unmoved. "I cannot tell you that. If Bayliss comes to the door, I will protect you."

We have no idea how many of the orcs are on her side, but I doubt she's working alone. "I want to talk to Dorlok, see if he knows anything."

Dolphus crosses his arms over his chest. "Do you have a death wish, human?"

"No." I scowl at him. "Why would you ask me that?"

"In case you have forgotten, Dorlok threatened to harm you."

I haven"t forgotten. "He can"t hurt me from a locked cell. And if he"s working with Bayliss—"

Dolphus groans. "If I disobey Renowlf"s order and take you to the dungeon, he will have my head."

I raise my chin, gathering my courage. "Fine. I"ll go alone."

He moves in front of the door with his beefy arms crossed over his massive chest. "You are not going anywhere."

"Like hell I"m not. Get out of my way, Dolphus, or I"ll scream my head off until someone comes running." I"m bluffing. The last thing I want to do is call attention to my location.

He gives me an incredulous look. "Are all females from Earth this stubborn and irrational? It is not a burden to obey the king"s order and stay somewhere safe. Yet you prefer to court danger?"

He"s wrong. Waiting is a burden that sits heavy on my shoulders. "I don"t think it"s irrational to do a bit of traitor investigating while Renowlf looks for Bayliss."

If he doesn"t move away from the door, I don"t know what I"ll do. Thankfully, I don"t have to find out. I see by the exasperated—and resigned—look on his face that Dolphus will take me wherever I want to go.

I smile sweetly. "I knew you"d listen to reason."

"There is nothing reasonable about your request." Dolphus sighs as he opens the door. "And yet, you are not a prisoner here. Since I cannot let you leave the palace alone, I will accompany you to see Dorlok."

"Thank you." I step into the hallway and wave my hand in the air. "Lead the way to the dungeon, my noble steed."

Dolphus looks at me like I"m a weirdo and takes off down the hallway. I hike up the floor-length robe I"m wearing to scurry after him. His orc-size strides mean I need to almost run to keep up.

As he walks, he retrieves a small tablet from his belt. "What are you doing?" I ask, trying unsuccessfully to get a look at his screen.

"Using my communicator to let the entry guards know we"re leaving so they do not block our exit."

"Are you sure that"s a good idea?"

He stops so abruptly that I almost crash into his back. "It is if you still wish to speak with Dorlok." I can tell I"m seriously trying his patience.

"Oh, okay. But don"t tell them where we"re going."

He glares at me. "Are you telling me how to do my job, human?"

I don"t like him calling me human. The way he says it feels demeaning. Shouldn't he address me as consort now that Renowlf has made me his intended queen? "No...I...just thought...no, I"m not telling you how to do your job."

"Then I need you to keep up and stay quiet. Once we are out of the palace, you will be vulnerable. We must stay off the main thoroughfares and move quickly and quietly until we reach our destination. Understood?"

I nod obediently, like a scolded child.

"Good." Dolphus finishes messaging the guards and puts his tablet away.

I don"t ask any more questions, even though I want to.

We have no issues leaving the palace. Once we get down the stairs, Dolphus holds a finger to his lips, then motions for me to follow him. Looking at the position of the suns, I"d say there"s only a few hours of daylight left.

The direction he takes is away from the town square, which makes sense. You wouldn"t want to keep your prisoners close to your main gathering place.

But as we move further away from the palace, further away from all signs of life, I wonder if this is really such a great idea. At least I have an armed warrior with me who's supposed to protect me with his life.

I just hope we don't have to put Dolphus' loyalty to the test.