Chapter 7

7

A s he’d promised, Eben kept a close eye on Alma for the rest of the day, and well into the evening.

She’d mostly stayed huddled under her fur, either resting or sleeping, and she’d only stirred when spoken to, usually by Efterar , who had continued working over her throat. But she’d remained alive and unharmed, and Eben’s breaths still came easier than before, his hands quick and efficient as he mixed tonics and medications for their patients.

He had a plan, with a Skai . With Tryggr .

He could almost still feel Tryggr’s firm hands on his shoulders, could almost taste that sweet scent in the air — and he twitched all over when Tryggr himself strode back into the sickroom, early in the evening. His easy gaze catching on Eben at the workbench, and then darting down brief and curious to the tonic Eben was currently mixing. And though Eben’s hands instantly began trembling, Tryggr didn’t seem to notice, and he even gave Eben a quick, conspiratorial wink before striding across the room toward Efterar .

“ How’s the woman faring now, then?” Tryggr asked Efterar , who was still hovering his hand over Alma’s sleeping body. “ Any better?”

Efterar gave a distracted, noncommittal shrug, while across the room, Kesst loudly scoffed. “ Here again, Tryggr ?” he demanded. “ What , did you think we needed a helpful reminder of how Alma wouldn’t even be in this state, if not for your so-called Boss ?!”

Eben could see Tryggr stiffening, his hands clenching at his sides — but instead of retaliating in kind, he jerked a shrug, and strode back toward the door. His gaze briefly meeting Eben’s on the way by, his expression shifting into something both aggrieved and amused as he gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

It sent even more warmth shivering up Eben’s spine, and he willingly worked late into the night, only heading for bed once Efterar had firmly reassured him that he’d be staying with Alma until morning. And when Eben returned early the next day, Alma was indeed still sleeping safely in her bed, her scent noticeably brighter and clearer than it had been the night before.

“ How’s she doing now, then?” asked a cheerfully smiling Tryggr , when he strode back into the sickroom. “ Scents better, don’t she?”

Thankfully , Kesst was still asleep in a nearby bed, so Efterar was able to brief Tryggr without interruption. And when Tryggr left this time, he again winked at Eben , and — Eben startled — tossed him a shiny red apple before striding toward the door.

Eben scarcely managed to catch the apple, his face furiously burning, a foolish little smile pulling at his mouth. While beside him, Salvi — who Eben had nearly forgotten about — had abandoned his writing in favour of whirling around to stare at Eben , his scent surging with eager, gleeful curiosity.

“ Who’s the Skai ?” he demanded. “ And why’s he bringing you food ?”

Eben’s mouth uselessly opened and closed, betraying far too much, damn it. And the gleefulness in Salvi’s scent lurched even higher as his too-knowing gaze darted between Eben’s hot face, the apple in his shaky hand, and the cursed obvious twitching in his trousers.

“ Ach , it is naught,” Eben began, too quickly. “ He is only…”

But he couldn’t finish, his face burning even hotter, because what was Tryggr , exactly? An acquaintance? A co-conspirator? The gorgeous, oblivious object of Eben’s foolish, hopeless lust?

“ Only your next bedmate, I ken,” Salvi said, with a meaningful waggle of his eyebrows. “ I ken you’ll be reeking of Skai by the time we’re back, ach?”

Salvi had been planning a fortnight-long trip north with Tristan , Eben knew, visiting a library Tristan had long wanted to see — and for the first time since he’d heard of it, Eben didn’t feel even the slightest twinge of envy. “ Ach , no,” he said thickly, shaking his head. “ I am sure — Tryggr would not. And I …”

His voice hitched, broke, and beside him Salvi laughed, and companionably bumped him with his shoulder. “ Ach , I can scent you, brother,” he said lightly. “ You’ll see.”

Eben waved it away, but it still fluttered and shimmered in his chest, warm and eager and almost… hopeful. And it made it even easier to keep working, keep watching over Alma , feeling genuine relief at her steady, continued improvement. He had a plan. He could try to trust a Skai …

But then, around noon, Alma received an unexpected visitor. It was Lady Jule , who was mated to the mountain’s captain — and though Jule was smiling and bouncing her orcling son in her arms, she had a distinct scent of grim purpose about her, as if she had unpleasant news to share.

Eben’s rising suspicions soon proved correct, because after a few moments’ pleasant chatting with Kesst and a bleary-looking Alma , Jule regretfully gave Alma her news. Apparently , Alma’s dreadful former employer now regretted running her off, and had begun publicly claiming she’d been kidnapped by orcs — in strong violation of the tenuous peace-treaty between orcs and men.

Alma’s already-pale face went white as she listened, her scent jolting with alarm and dread — but then she pulled herself straight in her bed, and gave a resigned little nod. “ Well , I’ve been meaning to head back anyway,” she said, her voice impressively steady, despite the sheer terror now ringing through her scent. “ And I’m feeling much better, so I can certainly leave at once.”

Eben’s alarm had begun simmering too, not only because of Alma’s highly distressed state, but because her leaving the mountain was exactly what Tryggr — and perhaps Drafli — would want to prevent. Wasn’t it?

But wait, Kesst was already barking a loud, disapproving scoff, and jabbing his sharp claw toward Alma’s cringing body in the bed. “ You aren’t going anywhere , sweetheart,” he snapped. “ Not until you’re well again, and especially not back to that scum, who’s likely to take out all his thwarted pettiness on you. It is not safe for you there. Eft , please come tell her she can’t leave?!”

Efterar — who had just returned from a room call — promptly strode over and reinforced Kesst’s position, even as Eben could see his focus on Alma’s throat. On where she clearly wasn’t yet fully healed, despite how she was sitting up straight, and arguing her point with surprising intensity. “ But — I still need to go,” she protested, blinking between Kesst and Jule with pleading eyes. “ I told Baldr and Drafli I would leave, at once. It would be best, for everyone, if I go. I promised them, and Drafli said —”

She’d stopped there, perhaps due to the sudden fearsome glowering from Kesst and Jule , both of whom then launched into another bout of passionate arguments. Including the surprising revelation that Alma had apparently committed to helping out with the mountain’s housekeeping, particularly in the scullery.

“ Have you seen that hole, Jules ?” Kesst demanded, his voice half-teasing, half-irate. “ It is vile. Vile !”

Again , Eben found himself in reluctant agreement with Kesst — the mountain’s former Keeper had recently retired, and in his absence, the mountain’s lone scullery had been sorely neglected, and was now in an appalling state of disarray. To the point where most Ka -esh had quietly taken on the tedious but necessary task of doing their own laundry, deep in the underground cisterns.

But Alma’s scent had slightly brightened at the mention of the scullery, so Kesst and Jule kept on, even more enthusiastic than before. “ And maybe we can bring over some orcs to keep you entertained,” Kesst’s cheerful voice said, in the tone of one making a convincing closing argument. “ And you can see if any of them tickle your fancy?”

Alma didn’t appear at all enthused by this proposal, and beside Kesst , Jule huffed a laugh, and rolled her eyes. “ Kesst ,” she said. “ Alma’s not here to pick out an orc, like a new pet .”

But at that, Kesst’s gaze darted over his shoulder, across the room, toward — toward Eben . “ Are you sure?” he said lightly. “ I don’t think Eben would mind being Alma’s new pet, right, Eben ? Especially if there was a collar and lead involved?”

Wait . What ? No . The sudden, startling mortification jolted through Eben’s entire body — Kesst truly hadn’t just said that, out loud, to a human patient ?! — and Eben’s shaking hand somehow lost its grip on the empty flask he’d been holding, which fell to the workbench with a hard, ringing thunk . Ensuring that every awake eye in the room was now trained curiously upon him, witnessing his red face and trembling hands.

And though he instantly dropped his eyes, and fought to drag in deep breaths, he could still feel all those eyes judging him, chastising him, mocking him. Fully believing Kesst’s preposterous claim that he wanted to be a human woman’s pet , on a collar and lead. Even when the human woman was already thoroughly involved with two orcs, one of them a terrifying Skai who Eben had prevented from killing her.

Eben barely heard the rest of their conversation over the ringing in his ears, and the waves of hot and cold shuddering up and down his spine. And though he forced himself to keep working — he’d promised Tryggr he would keep an eye on Alma , he’d promised — it was slow and stumbling, with far too many thoughtless errors. And all the hopeful shimmering warmth from earlier had vanished too, sinking back into the dark, bitter misery.

Foolish . Weak . You never focus on what is important…

And in truth, what had Eben been thinking, to begin imagining that he and Tryggr were co-conspirators, somehow? After they’d met only one day before, and shared a single conversation in the corridor? And of course a capable, confident Skai like Tryggr wouldn’t be interested in a weak, foolish orc like Eben , who his colleagues mocked and belittled as little better than a pet.

To make matters worse, Tryggr didn’t return for the rest of the day, and Alma also seemed to become increasingly morose, reeking of grief and anguish as she slipped in and out of sleep beneath her blanket. Until Eben could scarcely breathe through the scent of it, let alone focus on his work — a state that again wasn’t helped by Kesst , who had now begun irritably pacing back and forth across the sickroom, and casting pointed glances toward Eben and Salvi at the workbench.

“ You know,” Kesst announced, to no one in particular, “ I’m sure Alma would be so much happier if she had some help cleaning up that vile scullery. If some helpful Ka -esh would arrange to fix its clogged drain, maybe.”

Eben attempted to ignore it and keep working, emulating Salvi’s blithe obliviousness beside him, but Kesst just kept pacing, casting narrow glances toward him, again and again. Until finally Eben huffed a harsh, frustrated sigh, snapped his book shut, and rushed over to the stinking, filthy scullery. Where he dealt with the foul clogged drain himself, mucking it out until his arms ached, and his thoughts screeched with panic and misery. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on Alma , what if Tryggr returned, what if he’d missed him…

He was nearly frantic by the time he’d washed up and raced back to the sickroom, but — he jolted to a halt in the doorway — Alma still was huddled sleeping in her bed, and there was no fresh scent of Tryggr anywhere. And from the workbench, Salvi was frowning at Eben , with a stubborn glint in his eyes — and before Eben could take another step, Salvi strode over, grasped his shoulders, and steered him back out the door.

“ Good night,” Salvi called behind them. “ See you tomorrow!”

It took Eben’s exhausted brain far too long to realize what was happening — they weren’t leaving ? — and he wrenched to a halt in the corridor, rubbing at his aching eyes. “ I can’t leave again!” he croaked at Salvi . “ Not yet. I need to make sure — I promised —”

But Salvi only gripped Eben’s shoulders tighter, letting his claws dig in as he steered him back down the corridor. “ You’ve been in there all damned day, brother,” he snapped. “ And all day yesterday too. Your scent smells awful, ach? You need rest.”

Eben again attempted to argue, but Salvi fully ignored him, and kept marching him toward the Ka -esh wing. “ Also , you shouldn’t let Kesst get to you like that,” he said, quieter. “ The scullery’s not your job, and that pet comment was just a stupid joke. Not worth your time, ach?”

But Eben’s misery lurched even darker at the reminder of Kesst’s joke, because why had the joke needed to be about him? Why had it needed to strike at his softest, weakest places, before a laughing audience? Because no, Eben didn’t want to be a human’s pet in the slightest, but maybe — maybe it had hurt so much because part of him did want something like it. Maybe part of him wanted a confident, capable companion to show up, and take him firmly in hand, and say, No harm done. No need to apologize. Come to me whenever you need…

Eben didn’t argue again, just kept his head down as Salvi steered him through the corridors, and finally into his chilly, lonely room, deep in the Ka -esh wing. “ Sleep ,” Salvi said. “ And I’ll see you in a fortnight, ach?”

Right . Eben couldn’t deny another dark flare of misery — what would it be like, to have a mate who cared enough to take you to visit a library — but he managed a nod, and some semblance of a farewell. And though it was a vague relief to finally collapse into his bed, the misery just kept marching, circling through his weary brain. And tangling together with a distant, rising unease, something he couldn’t quite name.

It would be — best, for everyone, if I go. I told Baldr and Drafli I would leave, I promised them, and Drafli said —

Eben could almost still taste the panic in Alma’s voice as she’d said it, just the same kind of panic he would have felt in her place. Alma had seemed a thoughtful, considerate human, who wanted to pay her debts, and stay well out of trouble… and what would Eben do, if he was in her place? If he’d acquired not only the wrath of Drafli , but of an enraged former employer, too?

Eben shoved up in bed, staring at nothing in the darkness, as his heartbeat thudded in his chest — and then he scrambled up, yanked on his clothes, and staggered toward the door. He just needed to check. Just needed to be sure. He’d promised Tryggr , he’d sworn to take action on this, to try to trust a Skai …

Eben rushed up through the corridors without looking, his eyes shut tight against the too-bright light of the lamps as his breaths dragged in, and his heartbeat thundered louder and louder through his ears. It was probably nothing. It had to be nothing. He’d get to the sickroom and find Efterar still working, and Alma still curled up under her fur…

But the instant Eben reached the corridor, he knew something was wrong. Something was off in the scent. The scent of Alma here, in the corridor, where it wasn’t at all supposed to be, and…

And even as Eben skidded into the sickroom, searching it with frantic eyes, the certainty was already there, blaring through his pounding skull.

Alma was gone.