Chapter 1
GYDA
We sat at the table post-dinner, watching the older kids play in the big hall. The small ones were asleep in the children’s room, where Revna and Rune had babysitting duty today.
Skye, too, was in dreamland. But she was close to me, peacefully lying in her crib, which a few older boys had carried to the dining hall at my request. I loved how everybody was always willing to help one another in the mountains.
I hadn’t eaten much, but enough to feel full. It was nice to get out of the bedroom, even though Amira had been so kind to stay with me until dinner time. We had been lazy in bed the entire time. I’d even dozed off, and to my relief, I didn’t have another dream. That, and the fact that I had such a loving friend beside me, made me feel a bit better than I’d felt the entire time Orvar had been gone. Of course, I was still worried and afraid something would happen to him, especially now that we were all sitting together and talking about the men.
“You know what?” Beatrice said. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. Not for the rest of the evening. There’s nothing we can do anyway, and I feel like everybody will only get depressed if we keep thinking and speaking about worst case scenarios.”
Amira let her hand rest on Beatrice’s shoulder and patted her. “Good idea, Mom. I finally managed to stop Gyda from sobbing her eyes out this afternoon. I don’t want my girl to start crying again.”
“I haven’t been sobbing my eyes out. Not yet anyway,” I replied, half smiling, half scoffing.
“Aw, those are just your hormones, love!” Betsy said. She held Happ in her arms, feeding the boy. “But I agree. Let’s not speak about those silly giants anymore. Before we know it, I’ll start crying because I miss my Ston, and nobody wants that!” She looked down at her son. “No, nobody wants that, hm, my precious chubby one?”
“Yeah… he really is growing fat,” Ellie said, smiling.
“I know. He’s greedy for my tit, just like his father,” Betsy replied.
Doris laughed. “Oh, not this again. I think we all know how much Ston loves your—”
“I found another one!” Jolagh yelled, running towards us, waving his hand through the air. Between his clawed fingers, he held a little black bead.
Jolagh was one of the boys that had helped carry Skye’s crib today. He was thirteen years old, a sweet and smart one. His hair was lighter than most orcs, a shade of dark blond. He missed one eye, which he hid under a dark leather eyepatch. He was the only orc I knew who covered up his “flaws”, and I wondered why. I had not dared to ask him, though, as it was not my business.
“Good job, Jolagh!” Ellie replied. “Put it in the jar with the rest of them. Vildon will be happy when he gets back and sees how kind you were to get all his beads back. He was so sad about losing them.”
“I’ll go look if we can find more!” He threw the bead into the jar with the rest of them and ran back to the other kids.
I could tell that Vildon was loved by the younger ones, maybe even all the orcs.
Betsy sighed. “Aw, look at all of them, crawling over the floor for a few beads. They’re so precious. It was Vildon’s own fault for getting pissed and provoking that Blackstein leader, if you ask me.” She chuckled. “Though I heard they made up later.”
“Oh, my goodness, please don’t start!” Doris laughed. “Vildon’s room isn’t far from mine, and I hardly slept!”
Now, we all laughed. Normally, Amira and Betsy had the loudest laughs of all, but the sound of one of them was missing.
I looked at Amira, whose face was a grimace. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but Beatrice beat me to it. “What is it, darling?”
Amira looked down, her hands on her belly, fingers spread. They moved up and down and from side to side. “I feel so weird suddenly. They’re so… so restless. I don’t know…”
Beatrice jumped out of her seat and put her hands on her daughter’s belly. “Nothing seems to feel strange. They’re a little active, but that’s okay. They’re little busy bees.”
“Bees? I wouldn’t call them little bees. More like stomping cows.”
“Well, it’s good they are moving around, hun. Don’t be afraid.”
~
“Betsy, do you know where I can find the book collection?” I asked as we walked through one of the many corridors, on our way back to our rooms. “Orvar said I could look into them and I figured it might be a pleasant distraction for me.”
“What kind of books?”
“Anything that has something written inside.”
“Well, there’s not much, I think,” she said. “But I can take you there tomorrow if you’re up for it.”
“Yes, I’m up for it.”
“Sure?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ll just take Skye with me. Doris gave me a long cloth to wrap around my chest and carry her with me.”
“Well, I’ll be with the kids until noon, but after that, I can take you. Sounds good?”
I nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a plan. Thanks, Betsy!” I was pleased.
“Sure thing, love.” We stopped in front of my bedroom. “Do you have enough rags left to refresh yourself?”
“I’m still bleeding a lot, but you gave me enough to last me a month, so I’ll be fine for now.”
Betsy chuckled. “I like to take care of my sisters. Shout if you need anything.”
I smiled. “I will.”
“Good night.”
~
The next day, Betsy took me to this little room without a window, not far from the nursery. Inside, there was a table, a chair, and a few wooden cabinets, which were filled with books. Not all of them were in the best condition, some were a bit damp, and all were smelly.
“Let’s start with this one,” I said to myself while grabbing the biggest one that also seemed to be in okay condition. I placed it on the table and opened it, then sat down.
I looked at my daughter, who was wide awake, resting her cheek against my chest. She was wrapped in a linen cloth, which I had secured around my body. “I wonder what we have here. Your Mommy is very excited.”
Skye made a little sighing sound in return and rubbed her nose against me. She seemed content and I think she loved being this close to me, hearing the same heartbeat she’d heard over the past few months.
I turned my attention to the light brown stained pages and started reading. In the upper left corner stood a date, and below that, a whole bunch of names. These were the couples for the breeding moons. After reading through a bunch of pages, curiosity got the best of me and I sought the breeding moon date before my date of birth.
I felt so excited snooping around. I was never raised with the idea I had a father, but now, I lived with the orcs. And there was a big chance he was still alive. I couldn’t not look. I had to know.
Tilda Hollows & Ergun Greenlake
Simone Glover & Igoro Hanson
Ms. Glover. I could just not imagine that woman close to an orc. She didn’t have a daughter my age, but she did mention once she had a miscarriage. Or perhaps she gave birth to a son that year. I continued with my quest, my fingers slowly tracing the paper down.
Raven Hiley & Ido Klaver
Gretta Klaver & Karst Stonson
Birtha Greentree & Jog Feathers
After just five lines, my eyes fell on my mother’s name.
Hilde Lionrock
“Oh,” I breathed out. “Oh!”
I had to process things after reading the name that was written behind hers. My heart skipped a few beats, then started beating faster. It was him. It was his seed that had brought me to life in my mother’s womb. He was my… my father.
“Well, Skye…” I looked down and caressed her soft hair. “I think I like it.” A smile spread across my face.
