Page 27 of The Savage Vow
Orlena’s face came to her mind. Warm, brown skin lit up by sunlight, eyes bright with wonder. The way her voice had softened when she’d spoken of the dreams she allowed herself to have.
Mate.
The word sat heavy and undeniable in Nargol’s chest.
She hadn’t been sure at first, but the signs were all there. The pull. The need to be around her. The way her body reacted whenever she was close to Orlena. The way she wanted to protect her.
But it was the truth.
Orlena was hers.
On this mission, of all times. The goddess couldn’t have sent Orlena to her before she’d left the mission.
No. The female is bound here in Soza.
Maybe this was Nogora’s way of getting Nargol to come to Soza.
Nargol tightened her grip on the reins. She could not afford a distraction. What she was about to step into requested precision, control, and deception. The orcs gathering in these woods were not misguided youths or drunkards. They were conspirators. Traitors. Men and women willing to tear the clans apart for power.
And today, she would be one of them.
“It shouldn’t be too much longer.” Makhel shifted on her beast’s back.
“I’m ready,” Nargol murmured.
“My contact will meet us there,” Makhel announced.
Nargol nodded and eyed the sky. The clouds had rolled in and completely covered the sun. Even the bright blueness was not fading to a gloomy gray color.
They rode deeper into the forest where it grew thicker. Moss clung to stones like rot. The air cooled, heavy with the promise of rain.
When they finally dismounted, twilight bled across the sky.
The clearing lay ahead. It was wide and uneven, ringed by the towering trees whose roots clawed through the earth. Torches burned at irregular intervals, their flames fluttering in the breeze. Orcs gathered in small clusters, some openly armored, others cloaked and hooded.
None of them were trustworthy. That was very apparent to Nargol. She cataloged every face. She would remember them all. She nodded to a few who curiously glanced her way. She kepther hood low in the hope her identity wasn’t revealed. According to Makhel, some of these orcs had been to Udenia. There was a small chance she could be recognized.
“There.” Makhel leaned close and nudged Nargol.
She followed Makhel over to a broad-shouldered orc who stepped forward to greet them, his tusks stained dark. His gaze flicked over to Nargol, returning to Makhel.
“You made it.” He held out his hand to her.
She thrust hers into his in a rough shake.
“Hagu.” Makhel’s voice grew gravelly. She stepped back away from the orc. “You said there’d be others.”
“And there are,” Hagu replied. “There are plenty of orcs who are down for our cause, but are you?”
“We didn’t ride this far for nothing,” Nargol muttered. “We came for a reason.”
“And who might you be?” Hagu trained his gaze on Nargol.
She didn’t falter when she met it. She was being tested, she was sure.
“The name is Bula,” Nargol said without hesitation.
“She’s with me,” Makhel said. She slapped Nargol on the shoulder. “She can be trusted.”
