A day after Uzgar’s departure, Shora woke up and starting looking around.

Javad was sitting by the campfire, and saw her looking around. “He didn’t stay. Crazy bastard came to find me at the college. He left soon after.”

“Brother is not a bastard. He knows who his mother and father were. Same as mine,” she said. “Oh. You just meant it as a curse.”

“I told him to stay, but he didn’t want to encourage you,” Javad said. He pointed over at the giant hyena skull, which he’d moved so it wasn’t looming over Shora when she woke up. “What happened here?”

She recounted how the chimera had smelled her scent and hunted her. How it had avoided the worst of her traps, her javelins. It had shrugged off even being blinded. She described the chase and finally her rescue as the elephant bull challenged the chimera in the night.

“I should apologize to the old fellow. He proved to be a capable guard,” remarked Javad.

“How is the old bull doing?” she asked. “He was wounded himself.”

Javad grinned. “Despite the bruising, the big fellow seems even more arrogant than ever. Not every day he gets to take down a chimera. But don’t underestimate yourself. You did a lot of damage to that monster, blinding it as you did.”

“I did a lot of damage. And every wound made the creature seem stronger. Myself weaker. Nothing slowed it down. Not even being blinded. In the end, I ran like a frightened child. I was alone. My life and plans ended in a freak encounter in the wilderness. I was going to die out here.”

“You aren’t alone. Your brother has been looking out for you. He wants you to come home, of course. It would be safer if you do. I don’t want to risk your life on my account. I’ve been using you.”

She chuckled. “I wish you would.”

Javad blushed. “For one as young as me, you have some crazy thoughts.”

“We mature faster. I’m what you call a youth. In a couple more years, I’ll be an adult. Do humans always wait for this? Do the girls at your school not say anything like this to you?”

Javad tried to change the subject. “I’m going to look after you as well. I’m getting better.”

He told her about his last encounter with the same three toughs she’d seen.. He’d beat one of them easily in sparring and the three planned an ambush, while everyone else was busy. They came at him with heavy sticks, intending to show him a lesson. He showed her both arms, not a mark on them, except for his bruised knuckles.

“I shouldn’t brag about having no injuries from that fight, considering how much pain you must be in.”

She took his hand, examining the bruises on his knuckles. “I’m happy my student is becoming fearsome.”

“Well, then you better hear my new plan. I’m going to join the arena circuit. It’s dangerous, but a guaranteed way to get noticed.”

“You’re going to be a gladiator?”

“They don’t call them that. Not anymore. Now the fights are called matches, and the fighters are competitors. The current emperor made new rules for these games. Didn’t want it to involve slaves fighting to the death anymore. Especially with slavery abolished.”

“So now free people fight to the death?”

“Only if they don’t yield first.”

“They’ll never let you join. Not at your age and height,” she pointed out.

“I’ll have to lie about my age to join.”

Shora smirked at him. “At your height, you’ll be justifying your age even after you’re an adult."

He frowned at her. “You don’t think it’s a good plan?”

“Lighten up Javad. I’m the one breathing through one lung. I’m teasing. You’ve got a good plan, but a dangerous one. It’s a shame I wish I could watch your fights. Going into a big city would be dangerous. Will my goal of walking in a Qismat city with no fear ever happen?”

“It will. It won’t happen right away, but this might be the best way. Successful arena champions get many perks. Some even get to meet the emperor. But even without that, I’ll have enough influence to let you in. You’re going to be the key to this success. I want you to remain with me.”

Javad was surprised when she became annoyed at this. “You’d drag your teacher with you, Javad? Park her in some hidden place while you became famous? I’m not some old martial master. I’m a young she-orc. I’d be with you, but nothing but a teacher. In the meantime, you’d be a famous warrior. Women throwing themselves at you. You didn’t answer before. How many of the female acolytes are trying to get you for themselves?"

Javad rolled his eyes at the question. “I’m the shortest boy in my class. Don’t worry, I’m not popular with the girls.”

Shora raised an eyebrow. “What if your teacher threw herself at you? What would you think of that? Would you turn down your loyal teacher?”

Before he could answer, she laughed bitterly. “Look at me. A battered she-orc trying to get the attention of a human boy. I’m sure I was ugly enough before, but now…”

Javad shook his head at her, taking her hand. “You’ll heal. It was a fight. You got a little scuffed up. But that can be easily fixed.” He took a strip of cloth and dampened it in the creek. Returning, he ran it over her face until her copper colored skin gleamed again.

”Together with that elephant, you defeated a monster. That foe would have killed me with a single blow. It was a deed worthy of a song. You’re a fierce kind of girl, and not a bad looking one.”

”I’m not really a girl. Look at the size of me.” Shora said.

“Unlike your cousins from the north, you aren’t even a different color than me. I don’t mind that you’re bigger, most girls are. I’m pretty comfortable with that. And I’ve been around you long enough that a couple teeth don’t bother me.”

”But you refuse my attentions. Don’t bother sparing my feelings. My kind aren’t so soft.”

”Shora. What I told you was the truth. I don’t want to live as an outcast in the wilderness. My kind are too soft for that kind of life. But you don’t want that either. Didn’t you want to walk freely down the streets of Qismat?”

She sighed. “That could take ages, if ever. By that time, you’ll have found a human mate and had children.”

He considered it before answering. “I’m too focused on my own goals to suffer the whims of a wife. But I’ll admit there have been a couple girls at the temple who turned their head my way. Nothing of substance though. Does it make you jealous?”

She shook her head. “We don’t marry as you do. For life. If you’re telling the truth, then you’ll come back to me. One day, I’ll walk freely down the streets of Qismat. On that day, I want a promise. It doesn’t have to be in public.”

”I’m worried,” he said. “Your people take a promise very seriously.”

”My people take everything we say seriously. We have good memories. Something might not be a promise. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a lie.”

”What do you want me to promise?” Javad said. “If you walk down the streets of Qismat, it will mean I’ve achieved my success. Our success.”

Shora forced herself to a sitting position, her face told Javad how much it pained her. But she was eye to eye with him now. ”It doesn’t have to be in public. But I want you to kiss me. Right on the lips. Not a quick touch. A long, juicy kiss. From there, I think I’ll have your attention.”

Javad blushed again, blinking in surprise. “Geez. You have a way with words. What kind of books have I been giving you?”

”Do you promise?”

He took her uninjured hand. “I promise. You’ll have earned that much. I know I said I probably won’t marry, but what if I had?”

”Just the kiss. It’s up to you after that. I don’t know about her. I have no problem with sharing you. Not something she-orcs worry about.”

Javad couldn’t quite answer that. Flustered, he looked down at the damp cloth. “I better go get some more water. Uh… to clean your hands.”

Shora grinned. “If you’re interested now, I’d rather not wait until years in the future.”

Javad lowered his head. “When you can walk down the streets of Qismat. On that day, I’ll taste what you have to offer.”

It was Shora’s turn to blush, and Javad turned back to the river with a little smirk.