"Orcs are a bloodthirsty race, I just assumed they must have captured you."

"Orcs are not bloodthirsty!" he defended. "In fact, they are quite welcoming. They took me in after my village was decimated."

"All right, you don't have to get all defensive on me."

"Sorry," he said, "it just annoys me when people make assumptions."

They fell into silence, and just as Athgar was about to fall asleep, her voice drifted up to him again, "So what was it like? Living with the Orcs, I mean?"

"They were very good to me," he replied, thinking back. "I'd known Kargen for years, of course, he's their chieftain, though that came later."

"How did you speak to them? Do they speak our language?"

"Some do, but I speak Orcish, I learned it years ago. Our people have traded with them for as long as I can remember."

"Is that where you learned your craft as a bow maker?"

"You mean bowyer," he corrected, "and no, I learned that from my father, but he traded with the Orcs."

"And that necklace thing?" she said.

"The torc?"

"Yes, the torc," Natalia continued, "it looks like someone put a great deal of work into it."

"It was a gift, from the tribe," he said. "It marks me as an Orc friend."

"Is that something worthwhile?" she asked. "I only ask because I've travelled hundreds of miles and I have yet to see an Orc. Are they common here in Holstead?"

"Outside of their ancestral homes, they're rare, but other tribes are scattered throughout the Petty Kingdoms."

"Petty Kingdoms?" she said. "What are those?"

"It's the term used to describe the various princes, kings, and dukes that hold lands between here and the great empire to the west."

"You mean the Halvarian Empire?" she asked.

"Is there another? I'm surprised you wouldn't know all this, you sound well educated."

"My studies have been quite focused," she said, "but I'm always eager to learn more."

"So am I," Athgar said, yawning.

"I suppose it is quite late," she said, "maybe we should get some sleep."

"Yes," he admitted, "but you should take the bed."

"Nonsense, you're the injured one."

"True, but I can't sleep on it anyway. Whether you want to or not, I'm sleeping on the floor."

He climbed out on the other side of the bed, his wounds still aching.

Natalia listened carefully to his efforts, then stood. "Very well," she said, "if you're not going to take the bed, I will."

He heard her get into bed and then all fell quiet. Moments later, her rhythmic breathing filled the room, and Athgar finally settled himself in to sleep.