An army of orcs, an ambitious young leader with an impossible proposal, and more secrets yet to be revealed. While Orvar and Gyda would love nothing more than to spend time with their newborn girl, the universe has other plans for them, but they are...
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"How is he?" I asked Norr as we hastened through the corridors to the scene of the disaster.
"When I left to get you, he was unconscious," Norr panted. "Luckily Vitva was there when it happened."
Thank the fucking gods. Vitva was one of the orcs who often worked as our medical practitioner in Asclan, and knowing he was there when the accident happened made me feel a bit more at ease. Just a little bit, though.
"But I—I don't know, Orvar," Norr breathed out. "Fuck, I—I hope he won't lose his legs. Or—or even worse!"
Even worse.
Reaching Ston seemed to take forever. My heart was beating fast and hard, pounding in my throat. I'd lost men in my life. I'd lost my father, but he was old, and I was at peace with that. I had also lost my fellow brothers, which hurt. But I'd never lost one that was close to my heart. There was a bond between Ston and I that made us more than just brothers or friends. The same went for Jarla and Vildon. Ston couldn't die today. He had promised Betsy to come back to her. He was allowed to be broken and battered, but he had to come back warm and breathing, so he couldn't fucking die because of a stupid thing like rocks.
When we reached the scene, Hube and Cagan were lifting the last big rock from Ston's bloody legs. They threw it away and stepped back so I could get closer. I fell on my knees beside Ston, my eyes on his injuries. He was awake and breathing heavily with his eyes closed. His legs were bleeding and covered in dust and little pieces of rock. I saw a bone sticking out. Fuck.
Vitva examined the wounds and held a cloth pressed against them.
"Your opinion, Vitva?" I asked.
"Oh, h-hey, com—commander..." Ston groaned in pain.
"It's not good," Vitva answered. A frown was carved into his forehead as he examined our brother. "I need to rinse the wounds. Dek, give me the bowl of water."
After Dek handed it over to him, Vitva poured some cold water over the wounds. Ston squirmed and released his first scream. Probably not his last. The water mingled with blood and dust until there was an even greater puddle on the ground.
"Hold him, commander," Vitva said.
He emptied the bowl over Ston's legs, and I had to add pressure to hold him still. He was screaming and sweating but still managed to squeeze out a chuckle when Vitva was done.
"The heaviest weight fell on his feet, but it seems like..." With a cloth, he wiped some blood from Ston's upper legs, making the latter grunt. "At least these look better than I thought after seeing all those rocks fall on top of him. Thank the gods that at least half of his legs are spared."
"F-fucking hooray," Ston huffed.
"What now?" I asked, although I already knew the answer. Those feet and shins were broken beyond repair and would never be able to function again.
