Orc & Mortabulus Lovers (special preview)

“Says the guy who has fought in wars since he was teething.” You shove him then turn the page. Your eyes focus on the creature drawn there and you point.

“That’s it,” you whisper.

Makas scowls as he looks at the book. “Nope. I don’t like that.”

“Mortabulus,” you whisper. “A dark forest entity that stalks mass graves or cursed earth. The Mortabulus feeds on bones. It poses no threat to the living other than it’s penchant to stalk, scream, and frighten. If their feedings grounds become disturbed they will do anything to get rid of those bothering them.”

You look up to Makas. “Is there a mass grave in the woods?”

His grimace is the only answer you need.

“Well then,” you shut the book. “We now know what we’re dealing with.” You stand up and go back to the bedroom to change.

“You’re not going to find this thing are you?” Makas storms in after you.

“I’m just going to tell it that we don’t want to bother it. We aren’t going to pester and we’d appreciate not getting screamed at.” You say as you change into your clothes.

“No,” Makas snarls.

You turn and look at him. “The book says they don’t harm the living.”

“I don’t care. Anything with death in the name can’t be good.” Makas snarls.

“I’m just gonna talk to it.” You say as you go back into the kitchen. You fetch one of your soup bones from the cabinet.

“Love,” Makas growls as you step out the door.

“If you’re so concerned, come with me. You can tell me all about the mass grave out there,” you say with a wink.

Makas grumbles under his breath, following behind you and than capturing your hand. “That whole forest is nothing but a mass grave,” he snarls under his breath. “Enemies and orc alike are buried out there. Generations of them in fact. If that creature is out there they’ll be kept fed for eons.”

“Hmm, I don’t know which is worse, a monster eating the skeletons out here, or that fact we’ve lived next to a mass grave all this time.” You murmur.

Makas picks you up to set you over a fallen a tree. “I’ve grown up beside it all my life, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“I can see where you’d be concerned. Telling your kidnapped bride she’s also living next to a a melting pot of dead can be a boner killer.” You turn and look into the woods. You’ve never gone this far in before.

While Makas’s climbs over the fallen tree, you step out, you then see a hole in the ground. Looking in, you see something glowing inside like two shiny marbles.

“Hi!” You wave inside. “Are you the Mortabulus?”