Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

20.) Exile

Exile? I sat in the big gathering room in the orc Village. It was the building where they never let the fire go out, even on hot days, which seemed like a waste of wood to me. Orcs were arguing loudly but none more than Durk or maybe Dick is a better name.

Maybe I was still in shock. Another baby and I might be exiled now. It takes a village to raise I child, but I was only one me. I could barely keep myself fed and now a child. No I must have been feeding both of us for awhile now. 

"Lizard woman cursed Orcs!" Durk shouted. He spread his thick green arms to encompass the room of sitting Orcs.

"Red Eye attack others first! Not Baits doing!" Gorza shouted back waving a finger at him.

The room raged around me but I was already deaf to it. Transfixed by a spot on the floor, that I stared at unblinking. I missed Vee everyday but maybe this was the universe's way of balancing the scales. One child lost, one child left behind, and keep one.

My feelings were split, this is just another string binding me to a man who never loved me back, but then maybe this baby is something I could finally keep. A hand I wouldn't have to let go of. Shaking my head, I pulled myself out of my trance. No, I wont want. The child had lived through ridiculous stress this far but there is no guarentee it will make it. If it comes I'll care for it but I wont let myself want it.

"Gorza not Chief! Durk second among Orcs, Chief in place of Chief." He argued loudly, beating his chest. "Lizard has no Male to raise babe! now shes defiled by Red Eye! No pod will accept her!" 

"Scratch has healed! Gorza can raise babe! Three females in pod!" Gorza gestures to our group.

"What of male?" he asked with a scowl. "Gorza forgets, her babe lives in Durks pod because Thrack cannot raise male to fight with one arm. Weakness breeds weakness."

"Thrack still fights! Protects border in turn. Thrack accepted Bait."

"That was before Red Eye, this now!" He shouted. "Lizard will be exiled."

Another entered the building and the noise died down. Chief was up. The fires light dyed his green skin a brighter hue and cast his shadow tall behind him, like a guardian giant. His thick black hair had been freshly braided. His pants were not patched and his chest was wrapped with thin leather straps.

"Chief." Gorza addressed him with a smile and looked smugly at Durk. Durk scowled back at her.
The Chief walked with heavy lumbering steps and sat on a stump. He rubbed his left eye to clear it as if he had just woken from a heavy sleep.

"Chief." Durk addressed the Orc in a lower volume. " The outsider cannot stay."

The Cheif raised a hand, to stop him from speaking. Then he dropped it and placed it on his knee. He shifted all his weight to one side. With his wounds he should be in alot of pain and not up moving around but if he felt pain he didn't show it.

"Bait." The Cheif spoke and I raise my head to meet his gaze. The yellow in his eyes looked into the brown of mine.

"You will be exiled." He told me. My throat dropped to the pit of my stomach. Gorza stepped forward as if to argue but the Chief gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks. "A temporary exile." He said facing Gorza. "One lunar cycle to make certain Bait doesn't have Red Eye." He explained.

"Chief, Bait has babe. Exile..." Gorza explained shaking her head her short Auburn hair puffed out like chicken feathers.

"This Cheif will check on Bait from time to time." He interupted.

The three women nearest to him gasped and shrieked their disdain. "Red Eye sickness may take me. I will exile to." He said patting his legs twice before standing.