Page 9 of The Orc Warrioress and the Elf Lord

Why was Iahir going to kill him?

Not because he hated him.

Not because he really thought it would be better for the country. He had to own that Findas was bad for the country, but he could not say that a coup or a revolt or some other violent insurrection was going to be better. It might even be worse.

Not because of his father.

Definitely not because of his father.

Iahir smoked his pipe and regarded the High King sitting there, so ineffective even in this, his attempt to scold Iahir, and he did not know why he was going to kill the man.

He had said he would, though, and the plan was in motion.

In two weeks, he would kill this man in his sleep.

A cowardly way to kill a man, to be sure.

Iahir did not care about any of that.

“I don’t suppose you’d simply get rid of her, would you?” said the High King. “You can’t imagine how it looks for me, an orc woman at the formal dinner with the entire court.”

“She doesn’t have to come to dinner,” said Iahir.

“Well, at the very least, could she wear a dress?”

“She doesn’t like dresses.”

“I could have her rounded up right now.” Findas pointed a finger into the arm of the chair where he was sitting. “I could have her taken away.”

“Well, you didn’t have my dwarf woman taken away.”

“A dwarf and an orc are not nearly the same thing,” said Findas, shaking his head. “An orc, Iahir. It is simply appalling.”

“Well, she doesn’t attend dinner, then, how is that?” said Iahir, smiling. “You can tell everyone she’s left if you like.”

“And have you parading her around the hallways all the time, contradicting me? I think not. And she must come to dinner, of course, because otherwise, everyone will wonder where she is, and they will think I have punished you, and if word gets back to your father that I have done so, I don’t know if he will like that.”

Iahir supposed his father might care. Not because of Iahir himself, but because of the question of honor and respect given to the family.

“I don’t know why you have her here, anyway,” said Findas, sulking. “It’s obvious you’re not actually fucking her.”

Iahir furrowed his brow. “Well, no,” he said carefully, “she’s my sparring partner. I said that she was my sparring partner from the moment I brought her here.”

“No, you went around telling everyone that she was your whore,” said Findas.

That had been the subtext, Iahir had to admit. The plan was to deny that he was sleeping with her so hard that everyone assumed he was sleeping with her. He decided to stick with it. “I never said that, not exactly.”

“Well, if she really isn’t in your bed, I think you could send her away,” said Findas. “Find another sparring partner. There is no way that an orc woman could possibly be good at teaching you swordplay.”

Iahir was quiet for a moment. “Out of curiosity, why do you think I’m not sleeping with her?”

“Anyone could tell. The way she looks at you. The way she reacts when you touch her. She’s very obviously not used to your touch.”

“Right,” said Iahir softly. “Right.”

GATHREN WAS LYING on the floor counting the cracks in the ceiling when Iahir came in. He didn’t bother knocking.

“You have to try harder,” said Iahir by way of greeting.