She coughed, blinked. No stone. No dream. Her hands were hers.
Then she noticed the two orcs standing in front of her. The moment sleep gave way to memory, she jolted upright. Two orcs stood before her, equally startled — the tall one with the tusks she’d first noticed, and the shorter, his hand still faintly glowing green as the light ebbed away between her blinks.
“S-she’s awake! I told you she was awake!” The younger orc hopped in place, grinning ear to ear.
“Who ar—”
“I checked on her earlier!” he blurted, talking over her. “Her hair was red, and her—”
“Hey! Calm down and let her talk.”
Zara blinked at the bouncing green teenager. He looked like he’d just won the lottery and lost a tooth at the same time.
But the younger orc only grew more wound up, simply watching her was making him more and more restless.
“Master Khurak did it! He did it!”
*Smack*
The tall orc cuffed him on the back of the head. It clearly didn’t hurt, but the younger one rubbed the spot anyway and shot him a sharp side-eye.
The tall orc crossed his arms. “How are you feeling?”
“Who are you? Where are we? How did I get here?” Zara burst out, the questions spilling out faster than she could stop them.
“I’m Drakar — everyone just calls me Drak. And this is Urz,” he added, cuffing the little orc on the back of the head again just as he opened his mouth to interrupt.
“And you’re in the House of Healing, you’ve been here ever since the explosion.”
“What explosion? Where are we?”
“The one where the militants found you — uh, the big scary orcs with weapons. They dragged you and two others here. You were banged up; that was easy to fix. But… none of you would wake up.”
“There was this golem and…” Zara trailed off.
“Yeah. Urz told me his golem keeled over right on top of you, and you woke up coughing. That’s when he came to get me.” Drakar reached over and cuffed Urz on the back of the head for a third time, just for good measure.
Wait. They don’t know. And they’re orcs. Yeah, no — keeping that little detail to myself.
“I don’t remember how I got here… and where exactly are we?”
Drakar frowned. “Don’t remember…?” He sighed. “You’re in the House of Healing — the basement where we keep our, uh, long-term patients. You’re still in the village.”
“Village? What village?”
Last she knew — emphasis on knew — she was in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. Not a village. And sure as hell not surrounded by orcs. She’d only wanted to go home and get some sleep.
“Tharok’s Landing. This village—hey, where are you from, anyway? Who are you?”
“I’m Zara… Zara Silverhart. And I… I don’t know how I got here. I don’t remember anything.”
She remembered some things. They just didn’t make sense. And blurting them out to a seven-foot green guy with tusks? Yeah, probably not smart.
“Silverhart? Silver’s soft. You some kind of nobility, or did your clan raise chickens?”
“Nobility? What? No.”
“What’s someone like you doing this far south of the human lands, hey?”
Human lands? So... these are orc lands?
“Look, I don’t know how I got here. I was heading home from work and… suddenly I was here. How far are the human lands?”
“Three weeks north. Two with a small group — if you’re willing to risk it.”
“What is it then, goblins and skeletons?”
“Skeletons? Krunn’s tusks, no. They don’t leave the curselands. Goblins stay in the mountains. It’s the Venomclaws. One can wipe out a raiding party if it catches them off guard.”
“Raiding party? You mean adventurers?”
“Ha. Adventurer. That’s a human word.”
“Zharona’s probably on her way. Sh-she must’ve f-felt it too,” Urz blurted.
Drakar snorted. “We need her this time. First time for everything.”
“What’s going on?” Better to ask while they weren’t trying to hurt her. Orcs or not.
“Urz. Go upstairs. Wait for them and take her straight up to Master Khurak.”
“Could I meet Master Khurak too?” She really wanted to have some words with this Master Khurak. If anyone knew how she got here he sounded like her best bet.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“No. He’d be overjoyed to see his ritual worked, but something went wrong."
“Wrong?”
The orc visibly tensed. “Very wrong. One of our own is dead, Veyra is rambling, and Master Khurak himself is unconscious.”
“I’m… sorry to hear that.”
I guess that’s why everyone was on the floor, but it doesn’t explain why I’m here. Also, orcs.
“Eat.” Drakar pointed at a tray Zara hadn’t noticed at the foot of her bed.
“Uh, thanks? What should I do afterwards? I am hungry, but I feel perfectly fine… I think.”
“We’ll talk about how to send you back after we get help for Master Khurak. I’m sorry, but this is important.”
Now it made a little more sense. If those people on the floor were hurt rather than drunk then it probably wasn’t time to press her luck, it didn’t seem like the orcs meant her any harm. There would be time for questions later.
“Thank you. Is it okay if I walk around or come find you after I eat?”
“Sure, just don’t touch anything, especially if you aren’t good with herbs or potions. Some of these can be poisonous. Eat and get your strength back or all this was a complete waste.” He said while walking out of the room.
Zara could hear his heavy footsteps growing further as she picked up the food tray. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was, ravenous.
The small loaf of bread and bowl of… stew were gone in seconds. Zara didn’t even question what kind of meat it was after the first bite confirmed it tasted normal.
She looked around the room to confirm she was indeed alone and looked at her own hands.
I’m me again! I’m me! No more stone!
She hopped out of bed jumping for joy for a few seconds while inspecting every inch of herself she could see before the gravity of the situation hit her and she slumped back down.
Now what? I don’t know what this place is.
She punched at the mattress. Straw.
House of healing?
She punched at the mattress again, harder.
Healing whom? Of what?
She grasped at the mattress, grabbing a clump of straw through the fabric.
Orcs. Orcs? Are they even orcs? They look like orcs but how do I…
Zara briefly considered ripping the straw out of that mattress but thought better of it. They didn’t seem to want to hurt her but ruining their furniture probably wouldn’t make her situation any better. It would have felt good though.
They called me a human so they know they aren’t like me. Do I just ask if they’re orcs? What if they call themselves something else. What if it’s a slur?
Dropping the handful of mattress before she’d be tempted to rip the straw out of it again she began pacing the room, this time really looking around without her body moving on rails.
She slowly looked across the makeshift hospital room, there were three beds other than her own, now empty. A wooden trolley that looked like it would have held food or medicine was tucked away in the corner. The bare grey walls were massive pieces of stone, they looked more like the walls of a castle than those of a house. No windows, the light came from three torches sitting in sconces on the walls.
The closest thing was a table full of herbs so she attempted to use it distract herself from her own racing thoughts
There were a few bundles of dried lavender on the left side of the table. The smell was unmistakable and so was the purple flower.
Next to them there was a bundle of dried basil. It was a little hard to make out the leaves shape but the smell also gave them away.
Close to the basil, a small bundle of thorny stems. Zara thought them to be some type of rose though the stems were extremely thin and the thorns seemed just a bit too pointy.
Zara remembered she had been told to not touch anything. She also remembered her mandatory hazardous material training courses. These herbs clearly didn’t seem too dangerous to smell but she had seen her fair share of documentaries about poisonous jungle plants.
What followed were mushrooms. Other than edible supermarket button mushrooms she had zero knowledge about them other than it’s probably never a good idea to touch an unknown mushroom. However she did count five different kinds.
Beyond that, only plants she couldn’t make heads or tails of. She had had botany classes of course but nothing that focused heavily on identifying plants. One was what looked like a stack of square pieces of leaf, thick and meaty, that appeared to be chopped up out of a bigger leaf. The first thing that came to mind was a lotus leaf, but she’d never seen one up close and couldn’t tell if it was that thick.
That’s enough. This isn’t gonna help me. I need to go up there and talk.
She was a middle manager, she was good at talking to people. Talking — to— people not merely barking out orders. Zara had always done her best to ensure her father’s employees always saw her as there to resolve issues and make everyone’s day flow smoother, not just the boss or worse the boss’ daughter.
But are they really people? They look like they can be reasoned with but… they’re green and… tusks. Zara’s tongue unconsciously started feeling at her own teeth.
Well, like mom always said: “If I have to. With pleasure”.
That’s right. I can do this. I’m Zara Silverhart. I’m a… maid? She remembered and a fresh bout of confusion mixed with annoyance seeped into her. One more question added to the pile.
Hi! I’m Zara Silverheart, I’m a maid and I’m… proficient with cleaning tools? Whatever that means. You wouldn’t happen to have a job opening for a mildly confused maid?
She slumped again, she had to tell them something. The truth was out of the question, it sounded crazy even to her. Also, magic? She definitely saw the green glow on the young orc’s hand.
Magic! Her eyes lit up with glee. Even to a skeptic’s eye that was magic, real magic. She wasn’t sure what it did but the orc did say healing. Though she wasn’t sure how or if it worked.
Pacing the room in thought, Zara noticed something on the floor near the edge of a bed. A piece of rolled-up paper, loosely bound with a thin leather strip, looked like it had been dropped and left there.
She picked it up and unrolled it. The writing was legible, but strange. Each letter seemed off somehow, as if the script had been copied by someone imitating a style they didn’t fully understand. It wasn’t messy, just unfamiliar.
Patient in catatonic state following magical artillery spell explosion in their proximity. Physical inspection initially revealed minor wounds, now healed. Magical deep-body examination shows no internal physical injuries. The only notable observation is greatly reduced brain activity. Patient does not respond to external stimuli, including pain. Instinctively swallows food, but not non-food items. Excretory functions occur based on food intake; constant care required.
Magical artillery? Magical deep-body examination? Brain activity? Who wrote this?! Orc M.D.?
Zara started a slightly maniacal cackle, only to freeze as the sound echoed around the room.
Right. She had a voice again.
The laugh bounced off stone and shadows, too loud, too alone. It creeped her out, so she stopped.
Deciding it was time to get some answers, Zara stepped into the hallway and made her way upstairs. The ground floor opened up around her, calm and quiet, bathed in golden light. Sunlight streamed through wide windows on every side, warm against her skin, softening the edges of everything it touched. It felt comfortable. Pleasant. Not like somewhere someone had just died.
Looking around, Zara spotted Urz sitting at the front desk, leaning forward and staring at the door. Restless and fidgety, he shifted in his seat a few times before getting up to peer out the window. He hadn’t noticed her.
“Hello?” she said, tentative, as she walked toward him.
The young orc jumped, startled, and looked at her in alarm for a moment before blinking away the confusion.
“Oh—hi. Y-you said your name was Zara, right?”
“And you’re Urz,” she said, a little awkwardly.
He nodded at her, his eyes darting between her and the window.
“Master Khurak isn’t waking up. W-we need help. I hope they get here soon.”
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember anything. Is Master Khurak your boss?”
“M-Master Khurak… he owns the House of Healing.”
“Did something happen to him?”
“The r-ritual. T-to heal you and the other two patients. S-something went wrong. I… I wasn’t there.”
He was clearly too distraught to hold a real conversation, but Zara needed information. She followed his gaze out the same window, toward a dirt road.
From where she stood, she could make out a handful of houses. She remembered the older orc calling it a village, but it looked more like a medieval town to her. The buildings she could see were made from the same thick-cut stone as the basement, with steep thatched roofs.
From here, everything was too far to make out in detail. The House of Healing stood apart, clearly separated from the rest.
“So, who are you waiting for?”
“Zharona and the m-militants. I could sense when the ritual happened, and I’m still low-level, s-so I’m sure they’re already on their way.”
Zara felt a headache beginning to form. Magic ritual—check. Ominous-sounding militant group—check. Green men of various sizes—double check.
This wasn’t her business, but it wasn’t like she could just go home. Where would she even go?
“I’m sorry, but... are you orcs?”
She regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth.
The young orc cocked his head at her.
“Orcs? What else would we be?”
The shock of the stupid question seemed to knock even the stammer out of him.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen an orc before,” she said defensively, the words out before she fully thought them through.
“Never seen an orc before? But... you’re here.” Urz added a small frown to his still-cocked head.
“I told you, I don’t remember. One moment I was heading home. Then I was just… here.”
Urz stared at her for a few more quiet, painfully awkward moments, then turned back to the window.
“W-we’ll see about g-getting you to the human lands after we help Master K-Khurak. You’re safe now, I p-promise.”
Zara was about to ask another question when a group of people appeared from behind a hill, turning down the dirt road and heading straight toward them.
“Yes!” the young orc squeaked, suddenly hopping from one foot to the other, nervous energy radiating off him in thick waves.
A group of three riders was approaching fast, horses kicking up dust as they galloped down the dirt road toward the House of Healing. All three wore matching brown outfits. As they drew closer, Zara could see the leather was polished to a shine.
The two riders on either side wore some kind of coif, but the one in the center had no head covering. Instead, long black hair streamed behind her in the wind. Despite the broad frame, mannish features, and rising tusks, it was unmistakably a woman.
The young orc had seemingly reached the end of his patience. He bolted outside and began flailing his arms as the riders reached the House of Healing.
“Please! Master Khurak needs help, upstairs!” he blurted in a single breath as they dismounted.
The woman shot him a quick glance, nodded once, and led the group inside without a word.