Orc Harem Ch. 05

"Is this your petty attempt at revenge?" The G'Kalis champion crossed her firm, toned arms underneath her chest, pushing her surprisingly ample bosom upwards. Adam was only distracted for a moment, but it was enough to remind him that his future as the G'Kalis chieftain was certain to be... interesting.

"Revenge isn't my style." He shot back. "But if it was, I could do a lot worse than put you in the back of the car."

I could've put you in the trunk, instead. That's what Adam wanted to add. But the young noble thought better of it. He had more refined company, after all.

Sitting in the passenger seat beside him was Jen. Jenakka. The she-orc of his dreams. The woman who had been molding him into their clan's new chieftain. Adam should have felt used, betrayed. But Jen told him their love was real. That her deceit was because of desperation. After all, wouldn't a Casterman do anything to protect his house and family?

"A shame you didn't show this much fire back in the arena." The champion bit back in turn.

"Sayla..." Jen warned her clan-sister, finally speaking up after a very long silence.

Adam appreciated her support. But not enough to completely back down. Sayla was a woman who would benefit from being brought down a peg. Or ten.

"It's fine, Jen." He said, giving his girlfriend - or fiance - a warm smile. His gaze flashed towards the rear-view mirror, catching Sayla's disdainful eyes. "Your sister's tongue is sharper than her daggers. I've dealt with sore losers before."

"I did not lose." The G'Kalis champion lurched forward, hissing. Her face was twisted into a ferocious sneer. But all Adam wanted to do was laugh.

"You sure as hell didn't win..." His retort came without missing a step.

Still watching her through the mirror, he saw her lips part, ready to trade venom with him. But it never came. Sayla, the proud G'Kalis champion, didn't have an answer for him. Adam could feel his grin spreading across his face. He couldn't help it. Small victories had a special sweetness.

A moment passed, wordless. Then Sayla broke the silence.

"You haven't passed the trial of the champion, pup." Sayla told him calmly. Her words were not biting, but cold and firm. Like a steel blade, slicing through his mirth. "You will be facing me again."

"Yeah? Looking forward to it." Adam said hotly.

He expected more, but Sayla did not speak up again. He watched her through the mirror again, seeing her cast him one last glare before turning her red eyes out the side window. There was uncertainty on her face, a far cry from the fiery confidence he had seen from her in the arena. Adam realized then that she was not the angry she-orc to be teased with jokes and barbs. She was a young woman fearful for her family's future.

Adam glanced to the side and saw Jen looking much the same. A spike of guilt came then, stabbing into his gut. A proper noble man inspires faith in his lady love. That was what Adam was taught. And yet there he was, failing.

Adam turned his eyes back onto the road. He exhaled through his nose, taking a firm hold of the steering wheel. Unnecessary, since there were no other cars or trucks in sight. Their only company were the trees that lined both sides of the road, their branches creating a canopy of green and amber above them. They were miles outside the city now, heading for the orc clan reservation. Heading for the G'Kalis homestead.

"Sorry about that." Adam muttered to Jen. He offered her a sheepish look. "I'm your chief apparent. I'm supposed to be the mature one, right?"

"A calm, collected leader is preferable, yes." Jen wore a faint smile then. A small thing, but it was enough for Adam.

The young noble felt a warmth stirring in his chest. Affection, he knew. As well as a measure of satisfaction. What man didn't want to be a knight in shining armor for his woman?

"Right." Adam gave Jen a short nod, understanding. His path was clear. No fighting with Sayla - unless she started one. He was to be the bigger man. The only man as well, from the looks of things.

Jen only spoke of her adopted mother, aunt, and her clan-sisters. No other men in the G'Kalis line, from what Adam had heard. The implications of that situation were becoming more and more blatant as Adam neared the G'Kalis homestead. Adam was soon to be outnumbered.

It came as a not-so-sobering realization. And it only fed Adam's desire to know more. It was the responsible thing to do, after all. As the chief apparent, it was his duty to ask questions.

"So I'm assuming there's a sense of urgency to this clan business?" He pried, shifting in his seat. Long drives always left him restless. "Your sister told me that Clan G'Kalis would cease to be. Care to fill me in?"

Jen perked up even more, as if a switch had been flipped. She twisted her body to face him, squirming under the seat belt. A peculiarity of clan orcs, Adam had discovered, was that they tended to shun motor vehicles in favor of walking or riding. With Jen, it was just another cute quirk to witness.

"When a clan chieftain dies - and there's no immediate successor - by orcish law the clan is granted what's called a 'wandering period'." Jen began, leaning towards Adam. She gestured with her hands, lively and animated. It was good to see, Adam felt. Better than the awkward silence that dominated the beginning of their long drive.

"Eighteen months to select a new chieftain." Sayla added from the backseat. At the very least, she now sounded more bored than angry. But then some pointed frustration bled into her next words. "Though it's rare for a clan to waste so much of that time..."

An obvious dig at Jen. But both she and Adam ignored it. Jen continued on and Adam felt a returning smile tugging at his lips. He liked to hear his girl talk.

"When that period is up and no chieftain has been installed, the clan is considered dissolved in the eyes of orcish law." Jen finished. As those last words left her lips, there was a flicker of concern in her eyes.

Adam's hands tightened on the steering wheel. For a moment, it felt like the trees lining the road were closing in around the car. He really was Jen's knight in shining armor, Adam realized. She was resting the future of her family on his shoulders. Out of desperation, surely. But also because of her faith in him. It was a sobering thought.

"I'm guessing that's bad news?" Adam said with a grimace.

"If a clan dissolves, it's..." There was a pregnant pause. Jen reached over and touched Adam's arm. Even through his sleeve, he could feel the warmth of her hand, the affection. The green beauty, his she-orc, gazed at him with those big, gleaming eyes. "It's like if you lost your house, Adam. Like if the Casterman name was erased."

Yeah, that sounded very bad. But those eyes of hers... How could a man walk away from that?

"We lose our rights as green clan citizens." Sayla added again, her voice stronger this time. More serious, firm. It couldn't be said that she didn't take this as seriously as her sister. "No clan name, no rights to trade, no protection under orcish law, nothing. G'Kalis gets stricken from archives, recognized only as an empty name. Meaningless."

Adam breathed in through his nose. He tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, letting the sisters' words settle in his mind. For a long moment, the car rolled down the empty road in silence.

"Wow." Adam finally said. "That sucks."

He shot a quick look towards Jen. She did not look overly impressed.

"How much time do you have before you... dissolve?" He asked quickly, hoping to rid the car of yet another awkward silence.

"The clan wandering period is eighteen months, as Sayla told you." Jen said, drawing her hand back towards herself. She hugged her arms towards her belly, sinking into the passenger seat. As if the answer to his question was making her anxious. "It's been a little over a year since Chieftain Jarek passed. That leaves..."

"We have just under five months to install you as chieftain." Sayla finished for her sister. Her voice was dry and flat. Adam didn't check the rearview, but still he could feel her cold, unimpressed stare shooting into the back of his head.

"Five months doesn't seem so bad." Adam said. But the eldest G'Kalis daughter gave a derisive snort in turn.

"One of the trials requires us to teach you all our ancient clan customs. It will take four months to complete." Sayla answered bluntly.

Adam turned to Jen for confirmation. His girlfriend gave a small nod.

"Oh." Adam said lamely. The young noble fought back a frown, forcing another grin instead. "It's a good thing I agreed to this chieftain thing, then."

"That remains to be seen." Sayla muttered, ever uncharitable. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam caught Jen shooting her sister a sharp glare. It brought him some comfort. Whatever the other G'Kalis women thought of him, at least Jen was on his side.

"Ignore her." Jen told him. She put her hand on his arm again, her soft touch always welcome. It was like she knew just what he was thinking. "I know you'll succeed. When we reach the clan homestead, the others will see what I see. That you will make an excellent chieftain."

They were loving words of support and they filled his heart with warmth. But Adam still felt like a stone had settled in the pit of his gut. This wasn't some wild dream. He was really going through with this.

The youngest of the Castermans breathed in deep through his nose. He pressed his lips into a thin line, turning his eyes back on the road. The trees that had once lined the roadside had thinned out, giving way to fields and rolling hills of green. Signs of human civilization had gradually disappeared, save for the paved road itself. They were driving through orc country now.

"You really have that much faith in me?" He asked Jen. He knew what her answer would be, but he wanted to hear it.

"How could I not?" She shook her head, wearing an incredulous smile. Like it was absurd he even had to ask that question. Then she leaned over the center console that separated them, pressing her lips to his cheek. A quick, soft kiss. It was enough to get Adam's heart racing. He was but a young man, after all. "Adam. Thank you for this."

Behind them, Adam could hear Sayla snorting in disdain. But the young noble didn't care. The clan champion had little faith in his prowess. But Jen did. His love - his bride - believed he would succeed. She was counting on him. And that was enough.

Adam flashed Jen a genuine smile, unburdened by nerves or fear. The first one he wore since before the tournament.

"Anytime."