The Maid and the Orcs: A Monster Fantasy Romance (Orc Sworn) by Finley Fenn

Author:Finley Fenn [Fenn, Finley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

32

After such a splendid morning greeting from her orcs, Alma couldn’t have possibly wanted for anything more — at least, until Baldr and Drafli had escorted her to the kitchen, and Baldr gave her another warm, sheepish smile.

“Oh, and I meant to tell you, Bright-Heart,” he said. “I have finally gained you some trading-credits from the captain, and put the note upon your desk, along with some fresh ledgers and inks for you. If you would kindly use them to write up a Keeping budget for this week, as you spoke of, I shall take this tomorrow to the captain and the porters, and apply these credits as you wish. The captain said you are to work upon the Keeping as you see best, and hire whoever you wish to help you, also.”

Alma’s answering gasp of delight wasn’t at all put-upon, and she profusely thanked Baldr for his help, and then wished both him and Drafli a most productive day. And then watched them walk away together, their steps perfectly aligned, while something knocked erratically against her chest. They’d given her a name. They were making this work. A family.

She found herself humming and smiling as she first threw herself into another round of laundry, and then sat down at the desk — her desk, Baldr had called it — and reviewed the credits Baldr had left her. Comparing them against what she could make out of Roland’s previous expenditures, and then breaking them into a preliminary budget, covering what had so far seemed to be the most urgent priorities. And then she went back to tackle more laundry, now folding and stacking the dry clothes into neat piles, while also darkly eyeing the fresh vermin droppings on her previously spotless scullery floor.

“Still here, sweetheart?” cut in a familiar voice — Kesst’s voice — some time later. “All by your lonesome again, too?”

Alma had just finished yet another round of floor-scrubbing — and was indeed in the process of filling her four steaming tubs with yet more laundry — and she shot a quick smile over her shoulder. To where Kesst was frowning back toward her, and also lugging a large, heavy-looking bucket toward the ash chute.

“Er, yes, for now,” Alma belatedly replied, watching as Kesst carefully dumped his bucket of ash down the chute. “But Baldr did arrange those credits for me, which should be a great help. And I’ve even decided on my first Keeping employee.”

“Oh?” Kesst asked vaguely, as he snatched for the nearby shovel, and jabbed it down at the full-looking chute. “Let me guess, another peppy, impossibly sweet Grisk, with unfairly impressive cooking skills?”

“No, you ornery Ash-Kai,” Alma shot back, half-laughing, even as she put her hands to her hips, and attempted a glare at him. “I’m hiring you.”

Kesst froze, his shovel hovering in midair — and then he whirled around with impressive speed, giving her a surprisingly vicious glower. “Very funny,” he said flatly. “Sorry, sweetheart, as much as I realize I owe you, I am not about to wade into your hell of stinking, seed-stained laundry.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.