Algra looked to Emmet, and for a brief moment the old man felt a great swell of pity for anything that she should decide to make war upon. Thenmon sense flooded back and he shook his head.


    “No! He wouldn’t want you to do something so reckless.” Emmet pointed to the fallen human on the bloodied table.


    “After this? He does not talk to me of recklessness!” Algra almost roared the words at Emmet who, to his credit just managed not to soil himself.


    “Algra?” Jte raised herself to her feet, leaving Valise with the water bowl. The small voice of the red haired girl took quite a lot of the thunder from the orc’s expression. “Algra, don’t do this. It won’t help him. I know you’re angry that this happened. We all are.”


    “Which brings me to the point of whose fault this really is!” Emmet re-took charge of the situation and looked over all who were assembled. “Whoever let the mad-man loose.”


    Everyone fell quiet for a moment as if just remembering that only a day before Freddie had burst into mes before the entire camp. The catalyst of the series of events that had led Gregory to rest upon that table like a b of bloodied meat.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    “I promise you it was not I.” Valise stood and offered the bowl of water over to Talina. “Gregory had asked me to demonstrate my wares for him. I was with him when it happened.”


    “She was,” Algra agreed.


    “Then it was someone else in the camp?” Jte walked back over to Algra and slipped her hand into the orc’s, offering a little squeeze offort that seemed to calm the great warrior.


    “It could have been anyone. We’re merchants. Orcs walk through our tents every day to see the girls dance or buy our stocks. Any one of them could have done it.” Emmet took the bowl of water from Talina and washed his own hands as he spoke. “I think someone has it in for our young friend here and until we find out who it is then I would suggest that we concentrate on helping him recover.”


    “Can we move him?” Jte looked over to the bed which would undoubtedly be morefortable than the bloodied table.


    “Not yet.” Valise was still looking intently at her patient. “Tomorrow morning before breakfast, perhaps. If he stays the same.”


    “Or gets better?” Jte asked hopefully.


    Valise raised her gaze from Gregory to the girl at Algra’s side. “He will not begin to recover for a few days. I have sedated him to make sure he feels no pain. We will need to watch him at all times.”


    “Very well. Come now then. Who will take the first watch?” No sooner had Emmet asked than Algra stepped forth and ced her hand on the table. “Very good,” he continued. “Then the rest of us should get some rest.”


    Valise stayed for a few moments to speak with Algra about the signs of trouble and what to look for in his breathing before taking her leave. Emmet stepped out with Talina shortly afterwards and ced his hand upon the woman’s shoulder when they were out of earshot.


    “Do you have any news?”


    “I am not a miracle worker, old man. I’ve only had hours and much of that was spent with the red-haired one.” Talina was tired and angry. She shot an icy look towards Emmet that warned of her edgy mood. “I shall ask the questions that need to be asked tomorrow. The day is for talking and the night is for spying.”


    “I see. Well, please report your findings to me, and to Gregory when he awakens.”


    “What do you intend to do? Lecture the suspect?”


    “No, I intend to make sure you have enough evidence.”


    “And then?”


    “Then I’m going to give their name to Algra.”


    Talina held his stare for a moment, then the old man and the dancer smiled at each other like wolves in the night, hungry for the blood of the one that had harmed their pack-mate.


    – – – – –


    Under the care of his friends, Gregory was allowed to recover in peace. Murmurs of the camp and his former possessions being permanently acquired by Grolfir after the boy’s shambolic performance were quashed soon enough. The warchief himself appeared before them all on the second day after the ident to affirm that Gregory would be allowed to recover before any further action was taken. An elder orc, who seemed to almost constantly inhabit Grolfir’s wake, did not seem pleased at all by this news. The warchief’s mind seemed to be made up on the matter. If anything, the gesture was likely a very slight attempt to get his neice to talk to him once again rather than just glower with barely suppressed fury in his presence.


    Either Algra or Jte were always at Gregory’s side as he slept. Often both together. Algra was asionally called away to show her presence in the great hall beside her uncle. She did not often speak on these asions, but she did y along with them as it was part of her duty and station. At first, some of the younger males took her presence in the hall as a sign that she had moved on from her human lover. It only took three bruised ribs, a broken nose and a rather serious concussion before they took the hint and stopped pursuing her.


    Jte had been pried away from Gregory and into Talina’s tent on the fourth day after spending a great deal of time at the young man’s side looking incredibly worried. Her eyes had a habit of welling up whenever Valise stopped looking cheerful around him. So, upon Emmet’s insistence, she had been coaxed away to allow the courtesan to keep her mind upied. Jte’s interest in Talina’s profession intensified as she learned the finer points of the art. Orcs, of course, were very boob-oriented. In truth, as long as the goods were on disy, they usually left happy. Talina seemed versed in the greater subtleties ofpanionship however and was a veritable wealth of information on how to drive a man or so-inclined woman to the edges of madness using only herself as an instrument of desire.


    Dancing, singing, storytelling, conversation, fashion, intrigue, sex. Jte was only too happy to start her journey in learning everything Talina had to teach along with the aid of Lydia and Fiona.


    On the third day, they were treated to a positive and yet uncanny application of alchemy from Valise. Gregory was recovering well enough but they were all bing worried that he wasn’t able to eat or drink. After considering their options, Valise decided to use a form of her art that was considered highly illegal in the human realms due to its potential for abuse. Gregory was painted from head to foot in various patterns that seemed to oddly reflect his nervous system. Then, once those markings were in ce, Valise painted a simple eye on her brow in the same substance. After settling down with her legs folded and closing her eyes, it only took her a few moments of concentration before Gregory lurched up in bed, still fast asleep, and awkwardly took a bowl of soup from his bedside before beginning to drink it down. A few sses of water were added a momentter. Once he was done, he flopped back down on the bed and resumed the sleep of the dead.