“Our crops are dying, and we cannot get any help from the capital. They refuse to send the saintess out to assist us because we are behind on our taxes,” the orc states, gesturing to the brown and decaying field. His tusks are short, jutting out from his mouth. His statue is on the small side for his kind. “I am sorry, traveler. But taking your coin would be the wrong thing to do when we cannot hold up our end of the deal.”

  I snt my gaze in Megan’s direction. We do not have time for this. We do not have—

  “Roharu.”

  I sigh and drag my hand down my face. The longer I am with Megan, the weaker my resolve becomes. “Why do you continue to stay in a pce that yields no fruit? You could simply take what you have and sell it. Start anew.” We should have passed on by. Kept on the path.

  The orc stares at me with yellow, weary eyes. A scar goes down his right eye. An old warrior then. The scar is stark against his pale green skin. “If only it were that simple. The taxes exceed any meager gains we would get. Our items are old and worn down. We are barely surviving and have not the energy to do much else. If the saintess could come here and bless the fields, then we would be saved. We need to eat to fuel our bodies for work. We need work to generate coin. We need coin to pay the taxes to the capital and have their aid.”

  What I hate the most is how honest this orc is. Would it kill the bastard to be more skewed? Perhaps so. He carries the toll on his shoulders and every hole in his simple tunic backs up this story of having too little. Calling this pce a vilge is an overstatement. It is more of a hovel upon further inspection. Even if food was plentiful, there is still no inn or pce for us to rest.

  “You go on and go. Sorry to disappoint you, but we have nothing to offer. But if you do head into the capital, then if you don’t mind wishing for a blessing for us.” The orc grabs the back of his neck and his shoulders droop. His demeanor is baffling. Where is the pride? The typical bluster for his kind?

  I turn my head to the side, but Megan’s stare is persistent. The bme lies on my shoulders and my shoulders alone. I said we would not stop at any vilges and yet here we are because I thought with my cocks. Though with the right motivation, Megan did well st night with remembering the symbols or the al-pha-bet as she calls it.

  “Roharu.” Megan walks around to my front and presses her face close to mine. “We could try.”

  “I would rather not. Getting involved will just create unnecessary headaches.”

  “They’re not asking us to sy a beast.”

  “Excuse me,” the orc interrupts. “Truly, do not go out of your way for us. It is fine. We will be fine.” He spikes a rge hand through his short dark hair and then psters a smile on his face. There are cracks in his facade, but the others that approach do not seem to take notice. He squats down and ruffles the younglings’ hair and then motions for them to head back.

  “Say these fields sprout food once more, then what?” I cross my arms and pyfully snap my fangs at Megan.

  “Then we pay what we owe,” he says slowly. “And then we break off from the capital, for they have turned their backs on us.”

  “They can do that?” Chloe whispers behind me, but not quiet enough. Katsuro grumbles and dances around the question.

  “Yes,” I answer, “but to take back your support will draw their ire. You would risk that?”

  The orc straightens his shoulders and jerks his head. His yellow eyes darken. “They abandoned us when we needed them. We had never missed our dues, but when we noticed the fields were drying up and nothing could be harvested, we pleaded for the saintess to come bless the field. They rejected us and as our supplies dwindled, they harped we had not paid our taxes.” His fists shake as a growl slips past his lips. “We used the money to buy food from the capital for the young instead of paying them.” He opens his mouth, and I hold my hand up.

  Does he not shut up?

  I pinch the bridge of my nose. “There is no guarantee that it will work, but if you wish to pray over their fields, then fine.” I level the orc with a gre. “If anything comes of this, you will speak of it to no one.”

  Understanding dawns on his face. He rubs his hands on his pants and nods. “You have my word. Should I break it, my life is forfeit.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Megan says.

  “It is.”

  “How is it necessary to take his life?”

  “Because he is giving his word. What good is a male that goes back on that?” I wrap my hands around her wrist and pull her forward. “A saint dedicates their lives to the capital. To the church.”

  “Maybe some of them do, but I won’t.”

  I press my lips together in consideration. She may not have a choice. No. She always has a choice. The church will have to deal with it.

  “Sorry, what did you say your name was?” The sunlight hits the side of Megan’s face in a way that leaves me struggling for breath. I want to lift her over my shoulder and hide her away. My mouth fills with blood as my fangs bite down on my tongue.

  “Bazur.” The orc sweeps his arm across his waist and bows. “I thank you on behalf of the others for the consideration of us. Whatever transpires on this day will not leave this vilge.” He straightens and takes a step back. “We are in your debt.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.” Megan rubs the back of her head in embarrassment. “I might not be able to do anything.”

  “Vixen, just follow your instincts.” I cross my arms and swallow the residual blood. “Take your time and do not overwork yourself.”

  Megan hesitates for a moment and then nods to herself as if to give herself a motivational talk. She walks out into the middle of the field and sinks down to her knees. I frown. The ground is hard. I tap my cws on my arms. She needs some sort of cloth or a pillow.

  “Do you not have a pillow or something soft for her to sit on?”

  The orc rears back and then nods slowly. He holds up a hand and motions for someone behind him. “Bring a pillow for the kind human,” he directs to the young.

  “Is that needed?” Katsuro asks, resting his arm on my shoulder. “This won’t take that long. Kinda... ya ain’t gotta look so damn pissy about it.”

  The young orcs with their stubby legs run past with a pillow and a brown, shabby bnket. How long has this vilge been in shambles?

  “Move your arm,” I growl out, shaking Katsuro off me. “Go make yourself useful and hunt.”

  “There are no beasts to be caught,” the orc speaks up. “The goblins have picked them all off and the other beasts have moved elsewhere. This is not limited to our fields.” He motions to the forest that we had come from. “It is spreading. This famine. Or curse.”

  So that is why they wanted Apollo.

  “Take Apollo and go fish.”

  Katsuro looks over his shoulder. “I’on like splitting up like this.”

  “I will keep watch over your human so you can move quickly. Do not dally.”

  “... Fine. Chloe, I’ll be right back.” Katsuro heads out with Apollo trotting behind him. Chloe wrings her hands and then wipes her palms on her simple blue dress. The orc motions to the young and they head back, leaving me with Chloe.

  This is awkward.

  But.

  “How do you court a human?” I ask, keeping my focus on Megan in case she pushes herself too hard.

  “You mean like dating?” Chloe coughs and hits her chest with her fist. “I guess.... how would you court a demon?”

  “I present Megan with hearts, and she never accepts them.” The admittance pains me. “Providing with the freshest kills. Gifts. Showcasing my strength.”

  “Okay... well.” Chloe blows out a breath. “Humans dislike being gifted actual hearts. Something heart-shaped like this is okay.” She holds up her hands and makes a weird gesture. “Something heart-shaped like this is fine, but not an actual heart. That’s not sanitary and would have the police knocking down your door if we were at home.” She drops her hands and then scratches her forehead. “Gifts are good. Flowers, like the other day, are a good start. The biggest thing is communication. Does she know you want her?”

  “I—”

  “And don’t say she must know because you two sleep together. Men, women, whatever, all have sex with people they don’t see a future with all the time. So again, does she know you want her? Because if you haven’t been clear, then no, she doesn’t know you want her.”

  “She wishes to return to her world.” The words are hollow. I run my tongue across my fangs in consideration. My stomach tightens, and the feeling is foreign. Is this fear? Fear of rejection. Ridiculous.

  “No matter the world, men are frustrating,” Chloe says with a huff. She shakes her head and then chuckles to herself. There is nothing amusing about this. It is on the tip of my tongue to remind her I am no man, but her words give me pause. Despite the crassness of them, there is some merit to what she speaks.

  “Perhaps I have not been clear with my intentions,” I concede. The field glows a soft purple hue. Several pnts sprout, breaking past the hard, cracked ground. “There is no magic in your world?”

  “Uh. No. Nothing like this. Just humans. We have technology. Better plumbing.”

  No magic in their world and yet humans are being pulled from there. “Did you know those humans? From the dungeon?”

  “No... what are you getting at?”

  I shrug. “There are too many variables. We know you and Megan were pulled from the same world and while some of the humans wore simir clothing to you, do we know if they came from your world? There are seven skies and seven hells. At least that is what has been passed down throughout the centuries.”

  “I’m not following. There are seven worlds or there aren’t?”

  “When I look up, I see one sky. But the teachings have always been that there are seven.” I walk closer to Megan, needing to be closer to her. Chloe hurries behind me. “Perhaps the mages are reaching out to multiple worlds in search of something.” The purple hue darkens and the area glows.

  Illuminated.

  The pnts grow until they are as tall as the trees. Fruits, yellow, green, and brown dangle ready to be harvested. Vegetables, a variety of them, grow as thick as a krvak’s hide. Megan uncsps her hands and sways. I catch her and cradle her to my chest.

  “Told you not to overdo it.”

  “Sorry,” she replies with a soft smile on her face.

  “You are not.” I stand, holding her in my arms. The vegetation is so tall and clustered together that I can no longer make out the vilge. “We will rest here.”

  Megan hums in acknowledgment. “There was something wrong about the fields. Something dark? I’m not sure how to describe it. Just a feeling.” She gnces at Chloe. “Where are Katsuro and Apollo?”

  “I sent them to fishing.”

  “Fishing?” She squints and touches my face between her palms. “Are you being nice?”

  My brows pinch together. “I am capable of showing consideration for others.” When we make it out of the overgrown field, the orc is sck-jawed. Next to him, Katsuro is back with a makeshift basket filled to the brim with fish. Apollo snorts and thrusts his head up as if to ask for praise. “Good job.”

  Apollo stomps his hooves and makes a series of clicks that I assume are sounds of joy.

  “I’m good now,” Megan says, pushing against my chest. “You don’t have to keep carrying me.”

  “Wait.” I swallow. My chest constricts as I hold on to her tighter.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Stay with me.”

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading! Have a great week.