Rescued by the Orc Outcast

Chapter 1

Elena

The stench of sweat and desperation clings to the air like a sickness, soaking into my skin no matter how much I try to wash it away. Every corner of this place reeks of rot—rot of the body, rot of the soul. The brothel never sleeps, only shifts between the howling laughter of drunk orcs at night and the grim silence of dawn when their appetites are momentarily sated.

I press my back against the wall, the stone cool through the thin fabric of my dress. My fingers curl into fists, nails digging into my palms to keep the rising panic at bay. The dim lantern light flickers overhead, casting jagged shadows across the dirt-streaked floor. It’s always this dim in here, like they’re afraid too much light might remind us of what we’ve lost—or worse, what we’ve become.

I glance toward the door at the end of the hall. Father should be back by now. He said he’d only be gone for a few hours, just long enough to find food, maybe trade what little we had left. A loaf of bread, a handful of dried meat—anything to keep us alive another day. But hours turned into the whole night, and now it’s nearly morning. Something’s wrong. I know it in my bones.

“Elena.”

I turn at the sound of my name. Madam Rael. Her voice is like gravel grinding against steel, sharp and unpleasant, just like the woman herself. She stands at the top of the stairs, her beady eyes narrowing beneath her tangle of gray hair. “Get down here. Now.”

My heart drops into my stomach, but I force myself to breathe. “What is it?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, girl.” Her lip curls. “There’s something you need to see.”

I don’t move at first. I’ve learned the hard way not to trust her words, not to follow blindly. But something in her tone feels different this time—heavier. Ominous. With a slow, reluctant step, I make my way down the stairs, the worn wooden boards creaking beneath my feet. Every instinct tells me to run, but there’s nowhere to go. Not yet.

When I reach the bottom, the room smells of blood.

And there, laid out on the cold stone floor, is my father.

His eyes are open but empty, staring at nothing. Blood pools beneath his head, a stark contrast to the pale gray of his skin. His body looks smaller than I remember, frail in death. His hands are twisted, his fingers curled like claws, as if even in his final moments, he fought.

“No. No, no, no.” My voice cracks, barely more than a whisper. I drop to my knees beside him, shaking his shoulders, my fingers slipping on the blood. “Father, wake up. You promised. You promised you’d come back.”

“He’s gone.” Madam Rael’s voice is cold, unfeeling. “Picked a fight with the wrong orc, it seems. Stupid man.”

“You could have helped him!” I snap, fury burning through my grief like wildfire.

“Help him?” She laughs, the sound harsh and grating. “You think I risk my neck for a broken-down old scholar? No, girl. You know the rules of this world.”

My breath comes in ragged gasps, my vision blurred with tears. The world tilts beneath me, spiraling out of control. He was all I had. All we had.

Lillia.

“Where’s Lillia?” I demand, my voice trembling. “She should be here. She wouldn’t have left him alone.”

Madam Rael’s smile is thin and cruel. “Oh, she’s gone too, but not like him. The orcs took her. Said she’d make a fine gift for Gorvak the Unyielding.” She clicks her tongue. “A warlord’s bride for Valentine’s Day. Romantic, isn’t it?”

I lunge at her, my fingers curling into claws, but she steps back, laughing. “Careful, girl. You wouldn’t want to end up like your father, would you?”

The room spins around me. My breath hitches in my throat, and for a brief, horrible moment, I think I’m going to pass out. But I can’t. I won’t. If Lillia’s been taken, I have to get to her before it’s too late.

Without another word, I turn and bolt for the door, ignoring Madam Rael’s shouts behind me. My feet pound against the ground as I sprint through the streets, the cold air biting at my skin. The city is a maze of shadows and broken stone, but I know it well. I’ve run these streets a thousand times before, though never like this—never with my heart lodged in my throat, terror clawing at my chest.

I don’t get far.

A hand snags the back of my dress, yanking me off my feet. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. The orc standing over me is massive, his tusks gleaming in the moonlight. He grins, his breath reeking of stale ale and blood.

“Well, well,” he says, his voice a guttural growl. “Where do you think you’re going, little human?”

I kick and thrash, but his grip is iron. He hauls me to my feet, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “You’re coming with us. You’ll make a fine addition to our camp.”

Panic surges through me like a tidal wave. I’m strong, but not strong enough to fight off an orc. I open my mouth to scream—

And then the world explodes in a blur of movement and violence.

The orc holding me stiffens, his eyes wide with shock as a blade bursts through his chest. Blood sprays across my face, warm and thick, as he collapses at my feet.

A second orc turns, snarling, but he doesn’t stand a chance. The newcomer moves like a storm given flesh—faster than something his size should be able to move. His axe cuts through the air with a whistle, cleaving the second orc’s head from his shoulders in one brutal swing.

Silence falls, heavy and oppressive.

I stare at the bodies on the ground, my chest heaving, my pulse thundering in my ears.

“Are you hurt?” The voice is deep, rough, but not unkind.

I lift my gaze to the figure standing over me. He’s an orc, taller and broader than the ones he just killed, his gray-green skin glistening with sweat and blood. One of his tusks is broken, his face marred by a jagged scar that runs from his temple to his jaw.

“Who… who are you?” I manage, my voice barely a whisper.

“Dain,” he says. His amber eyes lock onto mine, intense and unwavering. “And if you want to live, you’ll come with me.”

I hesitate, the weight of everything crashing down on me at once—my father, Lillia, the bodies at my feet.

“Why?” I whisper. “Why would you help me?”

His gaze hardens, his jaw tightening. “Because I want them dead as much as you do.”

The promise in his voice is a dark and terrible thing, and for the first time in what feels like forever, a flicker of hope ignites in my chest.

“Help me find my sister,” I say.

His lips curl into something that isn’t quite a smile.

“Deal.”