The orcs have taken everything from me. 
Now one will take the final thing I have to give...

My heart.

I was the prized auction put up for the highest bidder on the Dark Market. 
Until Gruk saved me. 

He saw me on the block. Wanted me for himself.
So he attacked the auction. Killed the dark elves bidding on me.

And took me for himself.

Now the dark elves are chasing us. 
They want me back. I'm a prize to them. 
And no orc has dared stand against a dark elf on Protheka.
They will make both of us pay. 

We run, but we are not afraid. 
Because we have something together that we never had before. 
It wil help us fight them. What is it?

Our love.

Will it be enough?

Chapter 1

Gruk

"The sea smells like blood," I say quietly to myself as I look out from the deck towards the ocean.

What a fine morning this is. I look out towards the Southern Sea. I see the cliffs of the continent of Rach on the horizon. We will probably be staying away.

We do not need a fight with the dark elves. Not now. Not again.

The last month has been filled with blood. The men deserve a rest.

In the last four weeks, this crew has found and boarded seven dark elf ships. Whether they were bound for Vhoig with her elegant spice markets or Orthani with human sex slaves, we burned and sunk all the ships.

We killed every single dark elf.

The human slaves we tossed overboard - no need to spend too much time on them - broken animals that they were. And now, our plan is to sail with the provisions that we gathered from the dark elf vessels for a solid several months.

We'll stay on the seas. Safe from the evil that stalks the lands of this cursed planet.

I decide that I should go back to my cabin when the wind starts to pick up.

That's odd.

The skies are empty. The seas are calm.

"What is this?"I ask to a passing sailor.

"I’m not sure," he says as the wind begins to whip faster. "We should secure the mast."

But there is no time.

"Magic," I curse.

Orcs are used to magic. But no one practices it with such precision and such cruelty as dark elves on Protheka.

I rush down to my cabin and try to secure everything in it. But the ship lurches suddenly, and I crash into the wall.

I scramble up and look out the window.

A dark elf ship has appeared out of nowhere, its sails the black of a moonless night, its hull sleek and shining.

I curse under my breath and grab my sword.

The dark elves do not take kindly to being attacked and humiliated. They will come for us, and they will not stop until they have taken their revenge.

Only they do not seek to ram us. Or board us.

A magical fireblast emanates from the dark elf ship. Within moments, the main deck is covered in flames.

"They want to kill us," I say out loud. "They don't want to capture us. They're trying to sink us!"

I watch as orcs attempt to put out the fire, but it is fruitless.

"Abandon ship!" the call comes out from the orc at the Captain's wheel. 

The ship is doomed. I can feel it in my bones. The flames lick up towards the sky, and the screams of the dying fill my ears. I know I have to jump into the sea if I want to survive. But where will I go?

I find a cloak in my cabin and wrap it tightly around myself. I know that the dark elves will kill me on sight if they know I am an orc.

I leap off the ship and into the water, my cloak disguising me from their view.

The ocean engulfs me, and I swim as fast as I can towards the shores of Rach. The water is cold and my muscles ache, but I don't stop. I can't stop.

I finally reach the shore, my body shivering and my clothes drenched. I take off my cloak and wring it out, getting rid of any evidence of my true identity. The continent of Rach looms before me, and I know I must be careful.

As an orc, I am not welcome here. The dark elves rule these lands, and they do not take kindly to outsiders.

I pull myself onto the shore and look around. It is a desolate and dreary place, and I can already feel the weight of loneliness bearing down on me.

But I have to keep moving. I have to find a way off this cursed continent and back to my clan.

I wrap my cloak tighter around me and head inland. I know the way to the Dark Market - every sign on this continent points to it - and I hope to find someone I can bribe to get me back to Tlouz where the rest of my clan is.

As I walk, my mind wanders. I think of my shipmates, and I wonder if they are searching for me. I imagine the horrors that they must be facing without me by their side.

But my thoughts are quickly interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind me. I turn around, my hand already on my sword, and see a figure emerging from the trees.

It's a dark elf.

My heart races as I try to remember my disguise. I pull my hood over my head and try to look inconspicuous.

The dark elf approaches me, his eyes scanning me up and down. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for him to say something.

"Lost, are we?" he finally speaks, his voice cold and menacing.

I nod, trying to appear harmless.

"Well, this isn't a place for wandering aimlessly," he says. "Especially not for orcs."

"Maybe," I say. "But it seems fine for orcs with blades."

I bring my secret blade up suddenly and gut the damned dark elf in the stomach.

Blood gurgles out of his mouth and I use my other hand to swiftly break his neck.

"Good," I say. "You have a warm cloak. It will give me cover as I travel."

I take as many of his possessions as I can and begin to head inland.

The thought of my shipmates struggles fills me with a sense of guilt. I was not their leader and had only been attached to them for a while. I have a true clan that I left behind, the Iron Tusk clan, one that I know that I could return to when my need for violence died out. But it felt like it never would and I was prepared to spend all my days on the seas with the gathered crew I’d stumbled upon. 

We weren’t a clan but we were like one, even if only for a little while. But nevertheless, I failed to protect them. But I cannot dwell on my mistakes now; I have to focus on finding a way off Rach.

Maybe some others have washed ashore too. I can find them. We can join together.

And continue our unending quest for dark elf blood.