The Orc Chronicles Urim

Chapter 22

     The days in Sapphire were growing hotter, and Plum was becoming anxious. Urim was going after Gor'lok, alone. He would fight him one-on-one. There was no way Gor'lok would win.

Urim was headed into a trap, and all Plum could do was worry.

What will I do? Plum tossed and turned all night. She had many sleepless nights during these hard times. All she wanted was to see Urim. Her heart ached for her husband.

The wary mother couldn't stop thinking about Urim. Sleeping was out of the question. Her early morning worrying led to a bout of morning sickness. She quietly hurried outside, not wanting to wake Brandyl or Orgul.

        It was nearly noon when Orgul realized he hadn't seen Plum.

"Have you seen Plum?" He asked Brandyl when he found him. He was out of breath and worried.

"I haven't seen her all day," Brandyl said. "What's going on, son?"

"I haven't seen Plum all day either, and I can't find her anywhere," Orgul replied.

"Calm down, son," Brandyl tried to comfort him, "where did you look?"

"I looked everywhere, all over. She is not here."

Brandyl's heart sank. He immediately knew something horrible had happened. She was seven months pregnant now. She wouldn't go off and do anything that would endanger her unborn child.

Chieftain Torgan sent every possible orc to look for Plum. But there was no sign of her until one orc found signs of a struggle down by the lake.

They found vomit and evidence of a scuffle between two orcs and an elf. Brandyl was sure Plum had been there since she had been suffering from morning sickness lately. His heart sank, and he unconsciously stopped breathing and felt himself going light-headed.

"Brandyl," Chieftain Torgan blurted out, snapping him back into reality. "Breath!"

Brandyl took a deep breath ,pass out now was not an option. He had to find Plum.

Plum's head was pounding when she finally woke up. She instinctively reached for her head. She had been hit hard, but she wasn't bleeding.

Tears flooded her eyes as fear gripped her, but not for her, for her unborn child.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm and figure out what was going on.

She scanned her surroundings, looking for something that would give her a clue as to where she was. But she wouldn't get the chance. A bright light filled the tent, and Dura walked in.

Plum's fears immediately turned to anger when she saw Dura.

"Where's Urim," she ordered.

Dura slapped Plum, sending her crashing to the ground.

"You're in no position to make demands," Dura yelled.

Plum unconsciously and instinctively rubbed her belly, making sure her baby was safe. An innocent gesture that made Dura see red. Her heart raced. She could feel her body temperature rising. Her lip curled in disgust.

Dura snatched Plum by the hair, pulling small patches from the roots.

"You think cause you carry his seed that you're better than me!" Dura screamed, dragging Plum around by her hair.

Plum tried to pry Dura's hands out of her hair, but Dura had a death grip, and Plum wasn't strong enough.

After what seemed like being dragged forever, Dura finally stopped and threw Plum at Gor'lok feet.