Page 48 of Orc's Pride

Oh gods… I’m going to die out here aren’t I?

Pitha will have no idea what happened to me. I doubt the dark elves and Ishta will leave my body here to find. They’ll most likely take me somewhere deep in the woods and let the animals feed on my dead corpse.

That has me swallowing thickly.

“Get up.” One of the dark elves snarls.

Shakily, I push myself up again.

Another arrow is docked and aimed at my head again.

“Now. The list.”

My hand quivers as I reach down for my boot, my fingers brushing against the sharp edge of the page that is still tucked inside my hidden pocket. All of this has been for nothing. My temporary enslavement with the dark elves, being ostracized at the base, traveling all this way to help Malik form more pieces to the puzzle only to be shot down like lame cattle.

It can’t end like this…

“Dana!” A voice calls to me, startling me.

As I turn to the voice, I see something plowing through the trees.

“Duck!”

I flatten myself to the earth once again.

21

Dana

As I hit the ground, a rock digs into my sternum, causing me to choke out a groan.

A sound of a heavy piece of metal goes flying by my head, hitting one of the dark elves square in the chest and dropping him like a sack of potatoes. My body shudders at the noise, a choked cough coming from the dark elf as he struggles to breath through the blood bubbling up his throat.

There are footsteps that come through the other side of the forest, hard and purposeful while a low growl that resonates deep in my chest.

Pitha!

Lifting my head just enough to see movement out of the corner of my eye, I roll quickly out of the way when an arrow comes flying right at me. It sinks into the dirt, the tip of it moving slightly from the force of it being shot at me.

“Shit,” I breathe out.

Pitha’s battle cry has me pushing myself up onto my feet and turning just in time to see his fist flying towards Ishta’s face and catching him clean in the jaw. The other orc’s head snaps back, his hand flying out on instinct with his battle axeto defend himself. Pitha’s foot comes up to kick the side of the blade, knocking it from Ishta’s hold and crumpling the orc to the ground.

I hear another arrow come flying at me, whipping past my head and nicking me on the cheek. It stings my skin, a bead of blood running down my face and wetting the collar of my shirt.

I need to do something or else this dark elf is going to kill me before Pitha can stop him.

On impulse, I turn and dive in the direction of where Pitha’s axe had been thrown. The overgrowth was dense over here, giving me enough cover to pat my hands around on the ground. Dirt, twigs and dead leaves were the only things that were coming up, however.

Behind me, there was a loud thud as Pitha screamed.

“You traitor! What is wrong with you!”

“You could only hope to gain the power that I have!” Ishta snapped back. “You’reweak!All of you!”

I shook my head at Ishta’s remarks. If that were the case, that power could be gained from teaming up with the dark elves, then why had orcs been subjugated by them in the first place? Why hadn’t there always been an established hierarchy of power?

And who exactly did Ishta think they were fighting against if not his own kind? Humans?