123: Excuses Weighed Nothing Against Ice

Probably jinxing myself by posting this, but: here’s a chunk from Twisted Presents. Three nights ago had been the Longest Dark, the strongest night of the year. A night for the clan to come together and declare the year’s struggles, to mark the end of feuds and wars. Even living clanless and bereft, Mha had caught a whisper that her youngest daughter was in danger and had charged into battle. The magnificent fight had given Mha fresh cuts. She had defeated an elven wizard. Other orcs had honored her. December knew the truth, though. A daughter claimed by another clan no longer belonged to her mother, but she’d fought for her anyway. She’d had a flimsy cowhide of an excuse, but excuses weighed nothing against ice. Soon she’d return to the barn. Back to her coal-fed stove and the sepulchral groom’s quarters where she rotted her days. For now, she bore December’s castigation. Mha’s night-sight made the farmhouse’s lingering warmth a red rectangle. Humans had a holiday a few days after…