Ne’Ja and Noah dismissed their warriors except for Un’Dal and Recter, and made their way to Noah’s home. Curious about some of the foods he was seeing, Noah asked Ne’Ja what he felt was a reasonable question.

  “Can we stop to get some of those meat skewers?” To Noah’s surprise, however, Ne’Ja’s face darkened.

  “Do you have the money for it?” she asked, her words dripping with sudden venom. Noah tilted his head in confusion.

  “Money? Since when do we use money?” he asked. She smiled briefly at that response before resuming her baleful speech.

  “Your friend, Julie decided that we can’t possibly live without it. She has been adamant about its value for our society as she calls it,” Ne’Ja practically spat. Noah frowned and considered changing the topic, recognizing a trap. Ne’Ja seemed to notice the flight in his eyes and pounced before he could escape.

  “What do you think, Noah? Is it true that only barbarians and fools would choose to do without money?” she asked, her eyes unnaturally wide. He wasn’t sure what to make of her shift in demeanor and decided to hold off on the meat skewers for the time being.

  “I’m actually not that hungry. Do you mind if we wait and chat at the house? My feet are killing me,” he replied, turning and closing the distance with his front door before she could deny his request. The four sat down around his table a couple minutes later, and Ne’Ja stared at Noah with expectation.

  “Well…” she stated. Noah took a deep cleansing breath before promptly sticking his foot in his mouth.

  “How did she manage to introduce money? Couldn’t you have just stopped her?” he asked. He watched as her face became a deep red, and she stood from her seat.

  “She said that she has your full backing and that it would be stupid to argue with progress! Somehow everyone else seemed to agree with her, as if they had had the same idea all along!” she shouted. Noah frowned.

  “She said that?” he asked, finding it hard to believe. Ne’Ja nearly choked at his response.

  “Now you’re questioning my integrity?” she demanded, her eyes boring into his. He held up his hands in a placating manner.

  “No–wait, Ne’Ja, there’s a misunderstanding. I believe you, I am just surprised that she thought it was okay to make those statements. I don’t know why she would think that she has any authority here. I left you in charge of the town, and that hasn’t changed,” He responded. Ne’Ja took a deep breath, seeming to mull over his words.

  “I let my temper get the best of me. The last few weeks have been… trying,” Ne’Ja said, her body losing some of the tension. Noah smiled reassuringly.

  “I appreciate you holding down the fort while we were gone. I know you would have preferred to join us. I am thankful you were here to fend off the attackers, though,” he replied. She deflated at his words, and her eyes fell to the table. The moment stretched on, and Noah was about to speak when she looked up.

  “You’re right. I would have preferred to go with you, but it really was best that I was here. I am glad that you thought to have me stay, and that you trusted me to do so. I think I let the rumors get to me, and because of them, I didn’t push back when the different groups brought up introducing currency,” she explained. Noah’s forehead creased, and he rubbed at his temples.

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  “Do I want to know which rumors you’re referring to?” he asked. She nodded.

  “People seem to think that you two are quite close, and she hasn’t done anything to discourage the idea. Some have said that she will become your bonded and lead the tribe with you,” she answered. Noah was stunned by her words. Is she jealous? And what about Julie? Why would she encourage those rumors? His mind raced as he stared at his companion in disbelief. He suddenly worried that the issue might be more sensitive than he originally thought and found himself at a loss for words. Another minute passed before he trusted himself to speak.

  “Ne’Ja, just so you know, those rumors aren’t true. I do not see Julie that way, and I don’t think I ever will. We are far too different to consider that kind of relationship. I apologize if that caused you trouble, though,” he explained. Ne’Ja let out a breath and took on a conflicted expression.

  “Why would that cause me trouble?” she asked, her gaze intent. Noah cleared his throat and looked to the two others silently present to their conversation.

  “Ah, I don’t know. I must have misspoken; my apologies,” Noah blurted out. She smiled.

  “That’s alright, about the money though…” As it turned out, money or currency had never been a part of the orcs' way of life. They were familiar with the concept of an economy, as they had bartered and traded debts, but the idea of a stand-in item representing value made little sense to them. To make matters worse, it seemed that Julie had already convinced the group of orcs that had traveled with her up the mountain prior to their arrival, in addition to the humans and elves who were already well acquainted with the idea. When all of the different representatives approached her, she was backed into a corner as the only one who didn't get it. For her to deny the idea, she would have had to admit her ignorance or risk making a fool of herself.

  He then proceeded to explain to her and the others his understanding of currency and its place in a given economy. Recter was the first to get it, as his people often traded treasures with one another and had some standard values when it came to gold. The two orcs had many questions, and Noah did his best to answer each of them one after the next. Internally, he felt that growing their economy and trade would have long-term benefits for their kingdom, but the way that Julie had gone about the change left a sour taste in his mouth. He also wasn't sure what to do with Ne’Ja’s response to the rumors. They had spent a lot more time together before he left for the battle, and even he had noticed their growing closeness. Does she have feelings for me? He shook his head. If she did have feelings for him, he would wait for her to say so. He wasn't ready to initiate that kind of relationship, especially not in the middle of their current crisis.

  Next, they spoke about the attackers, and Noah was interested to learn that the same Scouts never struck twice. It seemed that whenever enemies managed to escape their defense, they either retreated to the army to report their findings or simply stayed out of view and involvement in future attacks. The groups attacking them had been three or four Beast clusters made up of a diverse population. So far, there had been reptilians, giant frogs, and even minotaur-like creatures. Noah also shared about their experiences, especially highlighting the fighting and abilities of Jelene and her people. As it turned out, no one was surprised when Noah shared the warning he had received about the deer. None of them were particularly fond of her, but the increased likeliness of her betrayal was alarming all the same. Ne’Ja decided that they would need to speak with the others at the meeting and come up with a plan to combat her magic.

  Eventually, their talks turned less formal, and a meal was brought to them consisting of bread and a hearty meat and vegetable stew. Noah was briefly caught off guard by the sharp increase in quality and the presence of herbs and missed Ne’Ja’s chuckle as she watched him dig into the meal. Finally, their time was up, and the group readied themselves for the town meeting.

  Noah was led to the tall, circular brick building in the very center of the town. Up to this point, there had been no reason for him to use the building, and its internal construction had been ongoing when he left. Ne’Ja had told him that it was to be a gathering place for the town and loding for guests. He wasn’t, however, anticipating the raucous shouting and lively banter emanating from the doorway. He pushed his way through the heavy set door and found himself in a massive wood-panneled room filled with dancing orcs, clanging glass, and a familiar smell. Noah grinned.

  “Is that beer?”