Heart pounding, I take an instinctual step back and stumble over my own feet. The lantern in the distance is way too far for me to see by, and I only get a sense of something large moving through the darkness before a strong hand wraps around my upper arm.
“I knew there was something off about you.”
The orc—for it is an orc, no one else could be this strong—drags me bodily forward. I can’t place his voice at first, though it sounds familiar. I’ve met so many people in the past weeks, I haven’t fully committed everyone to memory.
But the closer we get to the lamplight, the more my eyes adjust, and it becomes clear who has grabbed me.
“Marut!” I exclaim. “What are you doing?”
“I asked you first, human,” he growls. “Sneaking around the corridors when everyone else is busy, hey? Thought you could snoop around?”
“No!” I try to squirm away from his grip, but his hold on me is too strong. “I got lost. I was trying to find my way out.”
“Of course you were.” He lets out a sound of derision and doesn’t stop. “And you just happened to stumble into this particular hallway? For the second time since you arrived at the Hill?”
“Yes! I had no idea— Where are you taking me?” I note we just passed a turnoff in the corridor, but he keeps going, clearly with some destination in mind. “Wait, let’s just find Korr! He’ll tell you I’m—”
“A witch?” he interrupts. “Does he know?”
“I’m not—” I start to protest.
But Marut glares down at me with a look of such contempt, the words die in my throat. I am not a witch. I’m about as powerful as a firefly, and once again, this cursed gift will serve to ruin my life.
“Please,” I beg. “Just let me go. I didn’t know this corridor was off limits. I didn’t even want to be here. I was going to the baths.”
At that, Marut lets out a harsh bark of laughter. “You’re even a terrible liar. The baths are on the other side of the Hill.”
My mind works frantically. Korr had tried to call after me when I’d left the great hall, but I’d thought he was chasing me for fun, so I ran away. It seems I picked the entirely wrong side of the great hall, which I’d come to think of as a hub from which one could reach most parts of the Hill.
“You don’t know me,” I say, stumbling in my effort to keep up with him, “but I’m terrible with directions. I keep a map with instructions in my skirts, but I changed them today for the tournament. If you take me to Korr’s room, I’ll show it to you!”
But Marut stops at some plain wooden door. He flings it open and shoves me through, none too gently. I throw my arms out in order to catch myself but manage to regain my footing. The two orc guards who were sitting at a simple wooden table, playing cards, jump to their feet, scattering cards and coins everywhere.
“What—?”
The woman scowls at us, while the male already draws a short sword, ready for battle.
Behind me, Marut steps through the door. “She is a spy.”
I whirl around to face him. “I’m not! What are you talking about?”
But he stares over my head at the two guards. “I caught her snooping in the gated corridor.” He says the last two words with a different inflection, as if that corridor has a special significance. “She has magic, so make sure you don’t let her have anything she could use to escape. Pat her down for weapons. I’ll return shortly with the king.”
With that, he whirls around and leaves, slamming the door shut behind him.
