Chapter 8 - Part 1
Of all the times Misty had been interrogated, this one was by far the worst. In the past it had usually been her mother cornering her and screaming at her or Kentin's father the preacher detaining and scolding her or maybe the mother of one of the lads she was fucking, trying to catch her out; everyday stuff for her. The strategies were obvious and Misty had practiced them often; stonewall her mother, be flirty and contrite with the preacher and act the fool to the protector of innocence. Here though Misty felt like she might well be in a real life or death situation and her orcish interrogator was frustratingly difficult to predict.
She was tall, in comparison to Misty at least, and wore tight fitting bodice and trousers that hugged her slim curves without revealing much skin. Her name was Enge and she made Misty feel old. She acted like a petulant child, stomping around the small cell they were in and switching between instances of anger, fear, disdain and impatience. Unlike her previous human accusers who stuck to their chosen techniques in attempts to grind Misty down, this orc showed no such discipline and had arguably given more information than taken. It was by far the worst interrogation she had been subjected to.
She had awoken in the cell several hours earlier with little reference on how long she had been unconscious than a parched throat and hungry belly. Oddly, her sex still itched with need, though that particular feeling was muted by her more pressing bodily requirements.
The room was empty except for a bench, seemingly formed from the clay like wall it protruded from, and a hole she assumed was for excrement. Up high, past her reach, were a few slits that acted more like air holes than anything else. Even the door had no window. Misty had yelled herself hoarse, but anyone outside had ignored her. Eventually an orc had opened the door and swiftly placed a cup of water down, then closed it again before the girl had time to react. Shortly thereafter Enge had appeared.
"Who sent you?" repeated the orc in her surprisingly good kingish.
Misty might have been more impressed if this was not the hundredth time she had been asked the question, "I told you," she sighed before reciting a brief summary of the story Roaji had asked her to tell, "no one sent me. I found Roaji injured in the woods near my home and helped him."
"Why would you do that? You are human, he is orc," Enge inflected the word 'human' with disdain.
"It was the right thing to do."
"But you are female, he is male," this time 'male' was the dirty word; she had a real knack for it.
"What has that got to do with anything?" Misty was having a hard time keeping her temper under control.
Probably sensing her frustration, Enge's thin lips quirked in satisfaction, "Stupid human. Do you really not understand the truth of things?"
"Obviously not," Misty failed to restrain the snark.
"But you chose to meddle anyway?"
"I chose to save a life. I want to see him."
The orc snorted, ignoring her demand and begun pacing, circling Misty in an obvious attempt at intimidation. Misty had gathered that Roaji lived, however further information was not forthcoming. She waited out the posturing, refusing to follow her movements and give the brat the pleasure of her fear. Her stomach betrayed her by growling though, betraying her other discomfort.
Not ceasing her predatory orbit, Enge asked, "Are you hungry, human?"
Misty saw no point in bluster, "Yes."
"Then stop lying to me."
"I'm not-"
"SHUT UP!" Enge shrieked and Misty could not help but jolt.
The fact was, that the human was lying to her interrogator. Before losing himself to the poison, Roaji had given her a list of secrets he wanted her to keep under the pretense that it was for both their safeties. Misty thought it all sounded a little too paranoid, however she was acutely aware of her own ignorance in orcish matters and she did not want to betray her lover's trust. So she had not and would not speak to Enge about how Roaji had fought and killed the dwarfs, how he had interacted with more humans than just herself, nor how they had been fucking each other silly.
The orc girl glowered down at her, "I am the Sibyl's Second, human. The Sibyl is not here and that means I am in charge, human. I AM IN CHARGE!" she ranted, "You bring a half dead Jiji to me and tell me it is coincidence? The Sibyl's greatest shame?!"
"I'm sorry, 'Jiji'?" it could not be.
"Jiji, the weak. Roaji. Are you stupid, human?"
"Is that a pet name or-?"
Enge interrupted, "I am asking the questions," she took a deep breath and asked with surprising uncertainty, "Is this a test? Were you sent to test me?"
"I don't know who you are. I'm only here because Roaji asked for my help and I saw no reason not to. Can I please see him?"
"Gah," the orc spat, reforming her bravado, "Jiji the pervert; lusting after tiny pale skinned weaklings, and saved by one? It is disgusting if true. Maybe it is true. Jiji the weak."
Despite the fact that Enge seemed to be selling herself on Misty's narrative, the girl almost sabotaged her efforts by saying, "He isn't weak."
The orc scowled at her a moment before laughing, "For a human, maybe. Will the Sibyl see now?"
The question seemed rhetorical so Misty kept quiet while her captor mused. She had no idea who this Sibyl was really, having only caught fearful snippets from Roaji and Enge so far. She was important, that was for certain and Misty felt relief, despite herself, that she was not around and able to be the one drilling her for information. Her tummy growled again, sharing her consternation.
Enge glowered at the human in disgust once more, "Do not expect a free meal. All must serve a purpose to keep their place."
Misty jumped at the out, "I'm free to go?"
"No," she barked, then reconsidered, "Yes. I am done with you for now, but you must return if I call."
The human swallowed an insult and merely nodded. Trying to get up instantly made her lightheaded and she stumbled, reaching out for help. The orc dodged the hand like it was a poisonous insect and let the human fall to her knees away from her. Mustering her remaining dignity and strength, Misty pushed herself back to her feet and stepped over to the door without looking back to Enge. The door did not budge, either locked or barred and the human held back an angry scream.
The orc spoke up, "You will get no handouts here. You must work a trade. We have not had a human female here for some time. Seek the not chosen and offer your body to them; some may be desperate enough to find you desirable," Enge opened the door using some kind of water magic, "The word is whore, yes?"
Without acknowledging the orc, Misty stepped out to be greeted by a hazy sunset.
Finding Roaji would probably be difficult without help, so Misty decided to get the lay of the land. The orc settlement was simultaneously incredible and wretched. As far as she could tell, the village was set up in concentric circles of buildings with a fair sized clearing in the center. The largest, most impressive structures were near the middle whilst the smallest formed the outer most ring. Calling any of the buildings 'impressive' though was a stretch when all looked like oversized hardened mud bubbles. There were no roads or signposts, only pathways between structures that were more trodden than others.
Foot traffic was light and the orcs that she did see either avoided or ignored her. She received a couple of curious looks, but no one approached her. She was surprised and a little disappointed that her presence was not causing more of a stir; was she not the only human here? She began to get worried that these 'not chosen' may end up being the only ones willing to acknowledge her. She looked around for something that might help her pick a direction to wander.
The mist that had enveloped her throughout her journey through the swamp was still present, however hung back from the village itself as if held by an invisible force. Several twisting strands descended from the fog above and Misty followed one to where it landed. She found it and quickly recognized that she was looking at the source of the phenomenon. An orc woman, clad only in a few wraps to protect her modesty was sat by a pool from which a dozen or so streams fed into the nearby buildings. The strand in the air was in fact a funnel of water that she was drawing down from the mist into the pool. Were it not for the presence of the other people there Misty could have easily found herself mesmerized by the magical water spout.
They were all orc women conversing animatedly in their own tongue and it calmed Misty somewhat to see an example of normalcy. They ceased and shifted when they noticed her approach and it was only then that she spotted a flash of golden hair and pale skin. At first she thought it must be a child as she was so small in comparison to the orcs around her, however after a moment her brain kicked in to let her know that she was indeed seeing another human girl. The blonde noticed her and her face lit up in a dazzling smile and Misty found herself grinning back and quickening her pace.
One of the orcs juxtaposed herself between them and barked at Misty, "Be away!"
What followed was a rapid exchange in orcish that Misty struggled to follow. The human seemed to asking to be allowed to talk with Misty whilst the orc who had shouted argued loudly against it. The orc controlling the water and one other interjected calmly occasionally and the last orc; easily the largest and greenest did not say a word. It ended up appearing to be the quiet orc's decision on what would happen as the human turned to her, put her hands together and whined in a faux child's voice what could only be 'pleeease?' The big green woman sighed and nodded which did not make the angry one any happier.
The blonde girl scooted over to Misty, "Sorry about that. Manners aren't Qalta's strong suit," she smiled then suddenly looked abashed, "Oh! You do speak kingish?"
The girl's enthusiasm brought Misty's own smile right back, "Yes."
"Wonderful! I mean kingish is the most used human dialect in this region but I don't want to be presumptuous. Please, sit down." She guided her to the mage's pool which was half encircled by a bench, "Your name is Misty, right?"
Noticing that they were all dipping their bare feet in the water, Misty took off her tattered shoes, "Yes. How did you know?"
The girl hesitated, "Oh... Everybody knows. My name is Avelee, pleased to meet you."
"Likewise, you're the first person that seems happy to see me."
"Well, of course! There aren't many humans here and you're the only other girl here besides me. Where are you from? No! Don't tell me. I bet I can guess."
Misty positioned herself on the wide seat and was about to dip her toes into the pool when the angry orc got up and started yelling again. She was silenced by a stern look from the pool keeper and after giving both humans a rage filled glare, stormed off. Misty really hoped that Qalta's behavior was not going to be the norm she encountered.
Avelee winced, "Sorry, sorry. She's a no-humans traditionalist."
"But she doesn't have a problem with you?"
"Oh she does, but she fears Ghoen here more than she hates me," she gave the large green orc she had sat herself down next to a playful punch. The orc gave the blonde a lazy smile, but kept her silence.
"I should probably get a bodyguard too then," said Misty only in half jest, her thoughts went back to Roaji.
"Oh! It's Grevesfield, right?"
Misty was impressed by how closely the blonde placed her accent, "Close. Dodenton. How could you tell?"
"Oh, I am a- well was a teacher at New Wall. I'm a linguist," the blonde referred to the capital city where the royals lived.
"That must have made it easier fitting in here. I can't wrap my head around orcish, let alone my tongue."
"You just need to learn how to roll your C's and T's and you're half way there," Avelee laughed then followed up with what Misty wanted to hear, "Are you staying long? Would you like me to teach you?"
"I'd like that, but I don't know how long I'll be around. I need to speak to Roaji; the orc I brought here," just saying his name aloud tripled her desire to find him, it also made the quiet orc, Ghoen, shift.
"Oh, Jiji's a sweetheart. Did you really carry him all the way here from Dodenton?"
Misty laughed, "Not exactly. Do you know where I can find him? I want to see for myself that he's o.k."
"Of course. He's with the healers at-" Avelee was cut off by Ghoen with a sharp orcish bark. "What?" she asked. The orc rattled off a handful of words Misty could not understand before she in turn was interrupted by the human, "Kingish, please."
The huge green orc turned her gaze to Misty and she could not help but feel intimidated. She spoke, "What did the Sibyl's Second tell you to do?"
Not intending to get in the habit of letting people that were bigger and scarier than her push her around, Misty evaded the question, "What does it matter?"
"You are not a guest. The Sibyl rules that all must work. What work were you given?" her black eyes bore down upon her.
"I just want to see Roaji," Misty tried not to squeak.
Ghoen sighed, "The not chosen?"
"What?" Avelee cried, then broke her rule by yammering at the orc in her language.
The blonde quickly lowered her voice to rapidly whisper at the orc who responded softly and calmly. It was an unusually confidential interaction and Misty realized that the two were almost certainly intimate. Despite her hunger and worry, she took a moment to wonder what that might be like. She did not notice that she was staring until both turned to look at her.
"Enge is a bitch," Avelee spat.
"I did notice," Misty half smiled, thankful that the smaller girl did indeed seem to be in her corner.
Ghoen said, "She is in charge while the Sibyl is away."
"Yes," the blonde paused, "if you disobey her she can banish you. I've seen her do it before and humans don't last long in the swamps. Oh, Misty, did she really tell you to go to the not chosen?"
Misty nodded, "Who are they anyway?"
"Those who are not chosen," the orc stated unhelpfully.
Avelee rolled her eyes, "Thank you, Ghoen." Then to Misty, "Most nights all the men who aren't working must present themselves at the eve's fire in the center of the village so that any woman wishing for," she hesitated, "companionship, 'choose' from them."
"That's bizarre," Misty frowned.
"I know. It takes a while to get used to how things work here. And the not chosen are..."
A bunch of rejected, probably horny orc males. The brunette closed her eyes, "I get it."
"I'm really sorry, Misty. I wish there- darn."
"What is it?"
"The eve's fire has been lit. You need to get over there," sure enough, smoke was rising in the near distance, "I'll find you tomorrow morning if you want; help you get settled."
With dread turning her stomach, Misty muttered, "If I stay."
Avelee seemed honestly upset, "You want to leave already?"
"We'll see how tonight pans out."
The smaller girl nodded her understanding and was about to add something when Ghoen and the other orcs, including the mage got up to leave. Ghoen whispered something into her human's ear making her frown. It seemed Misty's brief reprieve was over and it was time to face the music. Would there be music, she wondered. Most mating rituals had singing and or dancing involved.
Being guided away, Avelee called back to her, "Misty! You don't happen to be gay, do you?" she hastily added, "Oh! That wasn't a come on."
"No, why?" she shouted back.
"I'll have to explain tomorrow. I'll find you, ok?"
"Ok," then she was alone again.
With night having fallen, the fire in the middle of the village was the only logical place to head to. There were no lamps or torches to be seen and a damp chill was saturating the air. If she had not known what awaited her there she would have made full haste, as it was she found herself dragging her heels. Did Enge really expect her to prostitute herself for food? Would her demand be enforced and if so by whom? What if Roaji was there? As far as she knew he was with the healers, whoever they were, so it was unlikely that he was. Still it was enough motivation to keep moving.
It was not like she had much choice, so far her only escape plan was 'run and hope for the best' and that was no plan at all. Misty paused, so her current plan was, 'attempt to gather information through the goodwill of foreign language speaking orcs who were probably more interested in fucking her'. She resumed; at least that was clear. Misty really did not want to give the brat interrogator a chance to sneer down upon her again. It had not even been a day yet and Misty had formed a grudge match.
So Misty entered the public space with her head held high and ready to stare down anyone foolish enough to underestimate her. Unfortunately, she need not have bothered as her entry into the fire's light went entirely unnoticed; by chance she had approached the scene from behind. A modest sized pyre burned in the center of the space, surrounded by a hundred or so orcs that she quickly noticed were all men. They were not focused on the fire, rather something beyond them, out of Misty's sight.
Seeing no reason not to indulge her curiosity she skirted around the edge of the crowd to try and get a look at whatever it was. No one turned to look at her as she walked by, they could have been statues if not for the constant shifting. There was a strange discordant energy in the air that took Misty a moment to discern; male arousal tinged with unease.
The arousal was easy enough to sense; Misty had been the object of it enough times to recognize it. The fact that it was not directed at her was almost enough to wrankle if not for the trepidation it was laced with. It was not the fear of a virgin as the feeling went deeper than just nerves. Nor was it like the one time where she had tried to bed a boy who turned out to be gay as the erotic musk electrified her skin here. She would not have been surprised if most of the men here were sporting erections.
Whether it was the thought of a hundred burgeoning cocks or whatever it was they were reacting to, Misty felt her body reply. She had to bite her lip as her nipples hardened to stones and her sex melted. She had no interest in letting her libido drive her, however it had seemed harder to ignore since Roaji. She put one foot in front of the other until she reached the front of the crowd.
Continued in Chapter 8 - Part 2
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