Chapter 153: Waiting

-PoV: Sarah-

The guard comes running from the north.

Fast.

Erik turns toward them. "What happened?"

"Orcs."

"How many?"

"Hundreds."

"A horde."

"EVERYONE TAKE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"

Erik’s voice tears across the settlement. "Guards! Apprentices! Get your armor and weapons! Everyone else get away from the north side!"

Everything erupts into motion. Workers abandon the unfinished wall. Guards and apprentices sprint toward the tents while everyone else starts moving in the opposite direction.

Erik starts pulling his armor from his storage ring."Help me."

"Of course."

Lucy and I take pieces as quickly as he produces them. Amber, Lyra, and Hazel help wherever they can. Metal clatters around us as everyone else prepares.

"Done," I say.

Erik grabs his helmet.

"Keep everyone together."

"We will."

He pulls me against him and kisses me.

For one second, everything around us disappears.

Then he releases me. "Be safe."

"You too."

Erik pulls on his helmet and runs north.

I watch our husband disappear between the tents.

Then I turn around.

Chaos.

Children squeeze through the growing crowd while villagers drag tables and chairs closer together.

"Count the kids!" I shout

.

Lilly immediately starts moving.

"Emerald with me!"

Mary raises her voice from the other side.

"Sapphire over here!"

The other orphanage sisters spread through the crowd, gathering children and calling names.

"Stay where we can see you!"

"Don’t wander off!"

"Kora!"

"Here!"

"Senko?"

"Here!"

"Tobin?"

"Here!"

More answers overlap. Too many voices. Too much movement. I can’t count any of them myself.

"Everyone stay with your group until we’re finished!" Lilly shouts.

The livestock are losing their minds nearby. Horses pull against their leads, cattle bellow, and sheep crowd together while the farmers struggle to keep everything contained.

Whatever I can’t hear or smell yet, the animals can.

"Forty-eight!"

Mary’s voice.

"Fifty-three!"

Lilly.

My heart pounds harder with every number.

"Fifty-seven!"

Where are the other three? I look through the crowd.

Children.

Women.

Villagers.

Too many bodies.

"Fifty-nine!"

No.

"Who’s missing?"

The sisters start calling names again. Then a small voice comes from beneath one of the tables.

"I’m here!" A little human girl crawls out.

Lilly closes her eyes. "Sixty!"

Thank Goddess.

"All sixty accounted for!" Mary calls.

The groups immediately start blending together again. Good. I don’t care which orphanage they came from.

They’re all ours.

"Keep the little ones toward the middle!"

The sisters begin moving them farther from the north side.

Mari and Zari take position at the edge of the safe zone. Riley joins them.

Three shields.

Three scimitars.

I look past them.

Please hold, Erik.

Several beast-kin begin reacting to something I can’t hear. A fox-kin villager’s ears rise. Then dog-kin. Wolf-kin. Cat-kin.

More animal ears throughout the crowd angle toward the distant battle.

Senko’s little fox ears perk up.

Kora notices and takes her hand. "Stay with me."

Tobin moves closer to them.

I hear shouting.

Distant.

Too far away to understand.

Then-

Metal.

The battle has started.

I grip the edge of the nearest table. Lucy lowers herself into a chair. Amber slowly makes her way toward another. Lyra stays beside me while Hazel helps the sisters keep the younger children away from the nervous livestock.

Roux and Ginger are doing the same on the other side.

Another distant crash. Then shouting.

The children quiet down. Not completely. There are too many of them for that. But enough.

I hate this.

I can’t see anything.

I don’t know whether we’re winning.

I don’t know whether Erik is hurt.

I don’t know whether any of our children are hurt.

All I can do is listen.

The fighting continues.

Sometimes I hear it.

Sometimes I don’t.

Every time it goes quiet, I wonder why.

Then the sounds return and I wonder whether that’s worse.

A horse pulls against its handler.

One of the farmers grabs the lead with both hands. "Easy!"

The horse wants nothing to do with easy.

"Keep them contained!" I call.

"We’re trying!"

I know.

Everyone is trying.

That’s all any of us can do.

Another crash carries through the trees.

Then another.

Shouting.

Steel.

A few children flinch.

I want to tell them everything is fine.

I don’t.

I have no idea if everything is fine.

Time crawls.

Lucy tells me to sit down.

I ignore her.

Then she tells me again.

I ignore her again.

"Sarah."

"No."

She sighs.

Then something changes. Beast-kin ears throughout the safe zone stiffen. Riley shifts her grip on her scimitar. Aren rises from his chair.

Nala stops talking. Suri moves closer to him.

"What?" I ask.

One of the twins answers. "Orc Warriors joined the battle."

My stomach tightens.

"Orc Warriors," Riley murmurs.

Aren takes a step forward. "I wish I was old enough to fight with them."

"Well, you aren’t."

He looks at me.

"So stay here."

"Yes, Mom."

He doesn’t look happy about it.

He doesn’t have to be.

Suri edges another step forward. Nala stands.

I point at both of them. "No."

Suri blinks. "I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to."

Nala smiles.

Then a distant crash rolls through the trees.

Her smile disappears.

The fighting continues.

Long enough that my legs start aching.

Long enough that Amber has stopped

complaining about sitting down.

Long enough that I start wondering whether that should worry me too.

Then several beast-kin ears twitch at once.

I straighten.

At first I hear nothing.

Then-

"Lucy!"

Amanda.

I move before I see her.

She and Sophia appear between the tents.

Someone hangs between them.

Small.

Armored.

A girl.

Her right foot touches the ground every few steps. Her left doesn’t.

Then I see the blood.

It’s everywhere.

Across her breastplate.

Down her side.

Splattered over her arms.

My heart slams against my ribs.

"Who is it?"

"Madison!" Sophia shouts.

Oh, fuck.

I hurry toward them. Lucy pushes herself out of her chair. Hazel gets there first. Lyra follows me.

Roux looks up and immediately starts toward us. Amber grips both sides of her chair and forces herself upright.

"Table," Lucy says.

Amanda and Sophia change direction.

"Move those chairs!"

Chair legs drag through grass and soft dirt as everyone clears the nearest table.

Amanda and Sophia sit Madison on the edge.

She’s breathing hard.

Sweaty.

Angry.

But awake.

Thank Goddess she’s awake.

"What happened?"

"Her ankle," Amanda says.

"Erik told us to bring her here so she can be checked immediately."

I stare at Madison’s armor.

"The blood. Is any of that yours?"

Madison looks down. She looks herself over. "No. Orc blood."

My knees almost stop working.

Lucy reaches the table.

"Which ankle?"

"Left."

"Get her leg up."

Amanda supports Madison beneath the knee while Sophia takes her armored foot. They carefully lift her left leg onto the table. Madison clenches her jaw. Amanda starts unfastening the greave while Sophia works on the sabaton.

Madison looks north the entire time.

"You aren’t going anywhere until I’m done," Lucy says.

"I know."

The sabaton comes off.

Then the greave.

The ankle is already swelling.

Lucy touches one side.

Madison flinches.

"Here?"

"Yeah."

Lucy touches the other. "Here?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

Madison exhales hard. "Three fucking orcs fell on me."

"Language."

She looks at me. "My foot was planted."

"I believe you."

"All three fell right onto my leg, rolled my ankle and knocked me down." She gestures toward the north. "I couldn’t even get up because the bastards were on top of me."

"How did you get out?" Hazel asks.

"Henry and Sam pulled me backward." Madison shakes her head. "They had to drag me out before everyone could close the gap."

Lucy put both hands around Madison’s ankle.

Golden light appears beneath her fingers.

Madison stares north. "Three fucking orcs."

"Madison."

"What? There were three!"

"There are smaller children right behind you."

She looks over my shoulder.

Senko is watching from beside Kora.

Several others are too.

Madison grimaces. "Sorry."

Roux reaches the table carrying a large wooden mug. She puts it directly into Madison’s gauntleted hand. "Drink."

Madison looks at her. "I’m fine."

"Drink."

"Lucy is already-"

"Madison."

Roux doesn’t raise her voice.

Madison drinks.

Amber finally reaches us and braces one hand against the table. "You scared the shit out of me."

I look at her.

Amber blinks. "What?"

Madison grins. "Language."

Hazel laughs. Even Lucy smiles.

Amber points at Madison. "Don’t start."

Madison takes another drink. The swelling around her ankle is already disappearing.

Amanda and Sophia remain nearby.

"Were you two hurt?" I ask.

"No," Amanda says.

"Just out of arrows," Sophia adds.

Madison shifts impatiently. "I need to get back."

"You need to sit still," Lucy says.

"I am sitting still."

"Your entire body is vibrating."

"I’m missing the fight."

"You’ll survive."

Madison groans.

Another distant clash carries through the trees.

"See?"

"No," Lucy says. "I can’t see anything from here."

Madison rolls her eyes.

Then winces when Lucy moves her foot. "Almost done."

"Good."

"Patience."

"I have patience."

All six of us look at her.

Madison sighs. "Fine."

The golden light fades.

Lucy releases her ankle.

"Move it."

Madison rotates her foot.

Once.

Then the other direction.

Her expression changes. "No pain."

"Again."

She does.

"Still nothing."

Lucy nods. "Put the armor back on."

Amanda and Sophia immediately help her. The greave goes back into place. Then the sabaton.

Madison looks at Lucy. "Can I go?"

"Yes."

Madison starts sliding off the table.

Roux holds up the wooden mug. "There is still water in this."

Madison stops. Looks at Roux. Then the mug.

She takes it and quickly downs the rest.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Madison grabs her helmet.

Amanda steps beside her. "Come on."

Sophia joins them. Madison puts her helmet back on as the three girls head north.

"Be careful!" I shout.

Madison lifts one armored hand without turning around.

Then all three disappear between the tents.

I keep watching after them.

My daughter just ran back into a battle.

Again.

Lucy lowers herself into the nearest chair.

Amber takes the one beside her. Lyra finally sits.

Hazel touches my arm. "You should sit too."

"No."

"Sarah."

"No."

She doesn’t argue.

The battle continues. Steel. Shouting.

Sometimes louder. Sometimes quieter.

The beast-kin keep listening. The humans have started watching their reactions too. Nobody needs to explain why.

Aren sits on the edge of his chair. Nala and Suri remain near him.

The livestock are still restless, but the farmers have them contained. For now.

Another roar comes from the north. Then several shouts at once.

Riley’s ears stiffen. Aren’s follow. So do dozens of others throughout the safe zone.

I wait. Nothing. Then the sounds settle again.

I release a breath.

How long has this been going on? It feels like hours. Maybe it hasn’t even been one.

I put a hand over my belly. "Come on, Erik."

Another crash. Another distant shout. Then-

The twins go completely still. Riley’s ears stiffen. So do the ears of every beast-kin I can see.

Nobody speaks. The twins listen. For several seconds, neither moves.

I stare at them. "What?"

Both turn toward me at exactly the same time.

Their mouths open together.

"Orc champions have arrived."