“You desire a child?” he asked, fighting anger at the guilt she cast his way. “One of your own womb?”

“I do,” she said. Her voice was perfectly calm, yet a tear ran down the side of her face. “But I know I can’t have one. No life sparkles inside me. So what am I to do, Qurrah? What am I to do?”

Qurrah kissed her lips and then used his thumb to wipe the tear away.

“Even if it takes all my life, I will repay you for my mistake. For my brother’s pride. Perhaps, in time, I may give you a child.”

Tessanna finally smiled.

“You just want me more often.”

He laughed.

“Any more than we already do, I may injure myself.”

She laughed, the apathy within her melting away. Underneath the ice, a smoldering fire flared. “How about tonight,” she asked. “Always worth a try, isn’t it?”

He kissed her again as he removed her dress. In the light of the campfire, her body was perfect. He could not see her scars or the bones of her ribs. Her slender hands removed his sash and parted his robe. She crawled atop him, her lips and tongue flitting across his neck.

Qurrah moaned and arced his back, and as he did, he saw the men watching them.

“Tessanna,” he said, his entire body suddenly tensing.

“I’m sorry,” the girl said. “I should have sensed them sooner.”

And then they were atop them, pulling Tessanna off. A boot pressed hard against Qurrah’s neck. Another crushed his right hand. Two men each held Tessanna by an arm. They all wore brown coats and grey trousers.

“Hold them steady,” one man said to the others. “Seems they’re both all riled up and ready to go.” The man, the leader of the bunch by the way he yelled at the others, knelt next to Qurrah and spat. The half-orc swore death as the saliva covered his eyes.

“Looks like you won’t get to have too much fun, but your girl there…”