“Freddie!? Is he still here? The fucking idiot got that damn knife out again after we were taken. They tied us up but he got free and went for one of them whilst they were asleep. Turns out orcs are pretty light sleepers. Last I saw they threw him into some stink pit and then I got put in here. They said I dance or I join him.” She was looking at the floor, curling her nose at the thought.


    “Jte. Where’s the ring?” Gregory asked steadily.


    “What ring?” She frowned at him.


    “The one I found that Freddie made you put on.”


    “Gregory get some perspective will you!? We’re trapped in a camp of orcs for fuck sake. Now is not the time to essorise.”


    He rolled his eyes and rubbed his brow. This was beginning to give him a headache.


    “You put the ring on and we ended up here. I figure if you put it on again then we go back home.” He tried to keep his voice civil.


    “Greg this isn’t one of those stupid books you read, this is real, we’ve got to…”


    “We’re sat in the middle of a camp full of orcs you stupid idiot! None of this should be real!” Gregory bellowed, no longer quite able to hold back.


    The sudden outburst made Jte suddenly fall back on her bare butt. She’d given him quite a lot of shit over the years but he’d never spoken to her like that. Sitting and staring like he’d struck her, she watched as he took a breath and shook his head.


    “Look, just humour me ok? Where’s the ring? You’re not wearing it. I swear if Freddie’s hidden it up his arse I’m just staying here and setting up a tent.”


    “It… I don’t know. The orcs found us whilst we were out cold. We woke up on their cart and the ring was gone.” She spoke in a notably smaller voice than she had before.


    “Alright. The orcs might have taken it. I’ll ask around.” He turned to leave.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “Wait! What about me? What about Freddie? How are you even walking around out there?” Her eyes moved to the crack in the cloth where she could see a tiny sliver of the world outside.


    Gregory stopped and turned back to her. In any other circumstance he’d probably just have stormed out but if he had a weakness it was definitely hot redheads in their underwear.


    “Look, I’ll try to spring you. The guy out here that owns you seems alright. I have no idea how much you cost but I’ll see what I can do.”


    “How much I cost!? You’re not buying a side of beef Greg.” She folded her arms huffily.


    “Hey you want me toin you’re not doing your job?” He wouldn’t of course but she didn’t know that.


    “You wish.” She mumbled under her breath.


    “Actually I don’t need to. That was a hell of a show. Look Jte, orcs don’t really seem so bad. You’re in here because they think you’re a bandit because you turned up with Freddie and he tried to kill one of them.” Gregory exined patiently.


    “But I didn’t! Why do I have to…” She fell silent as Gregory lifted his hand in a peaceable gesture.


    “I know you didn’t but that’s their way. Just be d you’re not with Freddie right now. I’ll speak with the big orc about you. I’ve got some friends around here.” He assured her, his expression and tone became a little gentler.


    “How are you friends with these things?” She looked him over like he might sprout tusks at any moment.


    “It’s called ‘not being a douche’. I’ll be back as soon as I can…” With that he turned and slipped out of the tent.


    Rudd and the orc were waiting outside. Apparently they had taken the time to let the orc show Rudd some of his other wares. He wasn’t just a ve trader it seemed and had many other items for sale. Rudd was testing the swing of an orc sword that was almost asrge as he was tall.


    “Ah! The legend returns!” Rudd remarked with a grin as he hefted the sword back onto the table it had been lifted from and turned to Gregory.


    “Rudd, why hasn’t Jte been challenged? She got caught with Freddie but after what you’ve told me she has the right to defend herself doesn’t she?” Gregory asked as he continued to think about cold weather andrge insects in an effort to get the image of the gorgeous scantily d Jte un-burned from his retinas.


    This time Rudd didn’t even need to confer with the orc before replying.


    “It was herpanion’s fault. They were going to be taken here and then challenged tomorrow before being put to work but after the boy tried to attack them whilst they slept they forfeited the right to a challenge. Orcs hate nothing more than dishonour and there’s not much more dishonourable than sneaking up on a sleeping foe with murder in mind. After he tried that they were both deemed bandits and…” He gestured toward Jte’s tent and Freddie’s pit as if to say ‘the rest is history.’


    “Could I challenge the orc for her?” He asked after taking a deep breath and revelling for a moment in his own idiocy at the idea.


    Rudd blinked and thenughed nervously before ncing to the orc and then back to Gregory.


    “You could but I don’t suggest doing so unless you want to get your brains beaten in. This fellow looks like all he’d need to do to squash you into mush would be to sit on you.”


    “Yeah well.” Gregory pulled his sweater over his head to show a tightly fitting vest beneath. The baggy clothes he wore hid the incredibly well built figure beneath quite well. Well enough that one of the passing women was paying so much attention as she walked by that she fell over a man crouching by the fire. “Lets do it anyway.”


    Rudd seemed half impressed at the action. Of course he also seemed half baffled as to why his new young friend was so eager to get the living piss beaten out of him.


    “Very well.” The emissary turned and spoke to the orc in a tone that seemed more formal as Gregory stretched out his arms and took a few steps back before turning to face the orc.