Read Online [Queen of Orcs 02] - Clan Daughter by Morgan Howell - Free Book Online Page A

and handed them to Dar. Then he gave a larger number to Zna-yat. “Chew these very well,” he said, “then swallow them.”
    Dar popped the berries into her mouth and bit down. Their bitterness nearly made her gag. Dar forced herself to chew. By the time she swallowed, Kovok-mah was holding her ankle as he chewed a mouthful of herbs and spit greenish saliva into her wound. It burned and tingled at first; then numbness followed. Afterward, Kovok-mah swabbed the tooth punctures with a mashed leaf. Before he turned his attention to Zna-yat, he asked Dar about the route they would take that night.
    “Why do you need to know that?” asked Dar.
    Kovok-mah handed Dar a large, fuzzy leaf. “You’ll sleep after you chew this.”
    “I can’t sleep. Not tonight,” said Dar. “We must leave here.”
    “I’ll carry you while you sleep,” said Kovok-mah.
    “Thwa,” said Dar. “If we meet washavokis, I must speak with them.”
    “I’m healer,” said Kovok-mah, “and I think sleep is best for you.”
    “You must heed Dargu,” said Zna-yat. “Carry her, but don’t give her leaf.”
    “Nayimgat not only gives sleep,” said Kovok-mah, “it also heals.”
    “I’ll chew some tomorrow,” said Dar. “Tonight, I’ll need my wits.”
    Kovok-mah didn’t argue further. Instead, he put fresh herbs in his mouth and turned to treat Zna-yat’s wounds. Once all of them were cleansed and numbed, and the dog bites were swabbed, he sewed up the gash in Zna-yat’s arm. By the time he was finished, it was night.
    Soon, Dar was being carried down the dark, empty road. She could only hope that they hadn’t gone astray. Asking directions was out of the question. Sooner or later, the slain hunters would be discovered, and Dar wanted no one recalling travelers on the road. Thus, while she and the orcs disguised themselves as cursed ones, they muffled the bell and moved as quickly and silently as possible.
    They encountered no one. As the night progressed, Dar grew less anxious. The herbs dulled the pain in her ankle, and being carried had a lulling effect. Resting her head upon Kovok-mah’s shoulder, Dar gazed into the night through half-closed eyes. When she spotted the fire, she was unsure if she was dreaming or having another vision. Its flames burned behind them, not by the road ahead. They grew ever smaller as Kovok-mah bore her away. Eventually, the blaze seemed little different from the stars that filled the sky, and just as distant.

 
    Nine

    When dawn approached, the orcs hid in a wood. Since Dar had been prevented from begging, there was nothing to eat. For her, at least, hunger became irrelevant after Kovok-mah had her chew the healing leaf that caused her to sleep. When she awoke, it was night. The orcs sat motionless about her. Kovok-mah’s eyes glowed pale green in the starlight. The other orcs slept. “Why didn’t you wake me?” Dar asked. “We must begin our journey.”
    “It’s too late to travel,” said Kovok-mah. “Golden eye will rise soon.”
    “You mean we wasted whole night?”
    “We wasted nothing,” said Kovok-mah. “You needed to rest.”
    Dar felt her ankle. It was no longer hot and swollen. She flexed her foot. There was less pain. She smiled. “So, even mothers obey healers?”
    “Wise ones do,” replied Kovok-mah.
    “And you give nayimgat leaves to those who don’t.”
    “If they’re fierce or stubborn, it’s good magic.”
    “Then why would you give it to me?” teased Dar.
    “Because you’re both,” replied Kovok-mah.
    Dar wondered if those traits had scents and, if they did, what they smelled like. She didn’t bother to ask. When orcs spoke of scents, she felt like a blind person hearing about rainbows.
    “When morning comes and washavokis wake,” said Dar, “I’ll try to get food.”
    “That won’t be necessary,” said Kovok-mah. “We gathered much food yesterday.”
    “So, you took risks while I slept.”
    “Not so many,” said Kovok-mah. “Few washavokis