by Logan Jacobs
“Follow me,” I told the racoon women. “We’ll take you back to where our people are camped out on the beach. And you can ask everyone there as many questions as you’d like, until you know for sure we’re not frauds. We really are here to help you.”
And figure out what the fire breathing beast took from these people, but that was a question for a later time, when I didn’t think I’d accidentally make them take off, never to be seen again.
So, I went to retrieve my little backpack from where it had fallen during the fight. The flap was open, and the chicken I’d stowed away had managed to escape. It was probably just as well. Who knew what other beasts could attack us before it was actually time to head home. I was sure there would be plenty of more chickens on this island, since those birds always traveled in flocks. We’d grab a couple before it was time to head home, and we’d finally have some good, fresh eggs and lean chicken meat to feast on.
Nadir and her women followed us through the forest and back the way we’d come. Even though it was their island, and they knew it far better than we could ever hope to, they let us lead. Every so often, I could hear small whispers behind me, barely more than breaths, and so quiet I couldn’t make out just what they said. But every time I glanced back to see if they finally wanted to converse with me, all five women fell absolutely silent and stared right back at me with wide, innocent eyes, like they couldn’t believe I’d even bother to look back at them. Their big, fluffy, and striped tails flicked about behind them to ward off bugs and give them the distinct look of nearly angelic innocence.
It was a facade, though, I could tell. In the exact same way a raccoon will fake a person out until it can get what it wants, these women seemed to want to fake me out and pretend they didn’t like us at all.
I knew that couldn’t be totally true. If they really distrusted or disliked us, they wouldn’t have followed us. No, I knew they needed our help, even if they didn’t want to admit it, because the prospect of fighting off the orcs was a pull no one could ignore.
After about an hour of hiking, Nadir suddenly appeared at my side like a silent shadow. I hadn’t even heard her approach, but I made sure not to let my shock show on my face.
“So, you finally decided I’m not dangerous?” I teased.
“I never believed you were dangerous, Ben,” she quickly replied. I couldn’t tell if she knew I had made a joke and made one right back, or if she was actually serious. She reminded me of the type of British girl with humor so dry it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t.
“Right.” I nodded. “That’s why you attacked me with that crude axe of yours. Because you didn’t think I was dangerous.”
“I believed you may have been in league with the orcs,” she huffed. “That just makes you my enemy, not dangerous.”
“Fair enough.” I shrugged.
“I would like to know how your people escaped the orcs,” Nadir said as she shifted the subject seamlessly. “Clearly, they did not kill you. Did all the men of your island survive?”
“None of them did,” I replied. “I’m sort of from another world. I washed up here after the orcs had already done their worst to Mira’s island, and I knew I needed to help them.”
Nadir’s eyes widened, and for the very first time, I saw true, unadulterated emotion pass through her gaze. She was absolutely shocked.
“How did you come from another world?” she demanded. “Did the orcs send you here? Did you escape them?”
“It’s a pretty complicated story,” I explained. “Just know if I hadn’t come here, I’d be dead right now.”
Nadir nodded as she took that in. She didn’t respond, though, but she continued to keep pace with me.
“When did they orcs come through here?” I asked. “Was it recently?”
“It was about nine moon cycles ago,” she sighed. “The moon was fat and full. My husband had decided it was a day to feast. We planned to cross the ravine, to finally explore the other side of the island. For a very long time, our lords had forbidden it for many seasons, but my husband was brave. He knew something special was across the ravine. But when he went out with his party of explorers, none of them returned. The orcs invaded that same day. They slaughtered the rest of our men and took many of our women and children. Many of us hid. We know the island better than the invaders could ever hope to, but by the time we’d gotten to safety, most of our people were dead or taken.”
“That’s the same story I’ve heard everywhere,” I said with a frown. “Those bastards just come in here and ruin everything, like they think they have some sort of god given right to do it.”
“I did not know they did this to others,” Nadir growled. “I wish for them to suffer the way they have made us suffer.”
“You and me both.” I nodded. “So, you’ve never been to the other side of the ravine?”
“No.” She shook her head. “We know not what lies there, only that our people have been afraid of it for a very long time.”
“Huh.” I contemplated this for a moment, but her words only made me more curious.
Moments later, we arrived on the beach, where the rest of our crew had already managed to set up a camp, complete with some tents and a big bonfire, which already smoked as they roasted meat over it.
“Ben!” Anora yelled as she ran up to us, but she stopped short when she saw the newcomers and paused to inspect them.
Nadir and her people did the exact same thing, and I had to hold back a chuckle as the beautiful women looked each other over curiously.
“Hey.” I grinned at the green-haired dragonkin beauty. “How did everything go while we were gone?”
“Perfectly,” Anora replied as she tore her attention away from the newcomers. “Jonas and George have helped us to capture some animals to feast on, whilst the rest of us set up the sleeping quarters. This beach is lovely. The ground is so soft.”
“It is.” I nodded as I glanced around at all of the things the women had already accomplished.
Dear one, you have found the inhabitants of this island! George exclaimed in my head, and the blue water dragon bounded from the ocean and onto the sand, which took us all by complete surprise. He shook the water from his scales like a dog as he ran, and the dopey smile on his face was pure happiness.
The new women, though, didn’t seem too pleased with George.
“What is that beast?” Jira demanded.
I turned to see the white-haired woman had bared her sharp, devilish teeth as she stared George down, ready to tear him apart with just her mouth if she needed to.
George stopped and glanced between her and then me.
They are afraid of me, he sighed. It is my size that does it.
“He’s harmless,” I told the women, since George couldn’t actually speak to them. “This is George, my water dragon buddy.”
I walked up to George and patted him on the head to show them they had nothing to fear. That only started up his dragon hum, and the deep sound reverberated off the beach and through the sand.
All five women leapt back when they felt the vibrations crawl up their legs. They stared at George in suspicious horror for a second, but neither he nor I made a move to accidentally scare them off.
These women are very strange, George chuckled.
I gave him a playful glare and turned back to Nadir.
“George thinks you guys look nice,” I lied.
“You can talk to him?” Malak gasped. “But how? I did not hear a single sound.”
“It’s called a bond,” I replied. “George and I are… well, we’re a bit like one creature. We’re connected, and we can talk to each other in our minds. Mira has a water dragon, too, and so do two of my kids.”
“Interesting,” Lezan breathed, but then her black eyes widened. “Wait, you have children?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I have five, and two more on the way.”
“Children,” Jira murmured in a sad tone, more to herself than anyone else.
“Did you have any?” I asked her before I could stop myself, but I just knew the answer, instinctually, from the look in her eyes.
“I did,” she sighed and nodded. “A son. He is… was in line to be king, when Nadir’s mate died. He was their nephew.”
“And we miss him every day,” Nadir added, and she strode over to Jira and pressed their foreheads together in a quiet sign of intimacy.
At once, I was both heartbroken and impossibly angry. I wanted nothing more than to find an orc and rip him limb from fat, greasy limb for the death of Jira’s son. Now that I had children of my own, it was even harder to imagine how she felt. If I lost one of my kids, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to move on.
“We’ll get revenge for your son,” I vowed to Jira. “And for all the people the orcs have killed. I promise.”
Jira looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw trust in her dark amber eyes.
Just then, Jonas approached, with impeccably perfect timing, as always.
“Hello.” He nodded at the new women. “I am Jonas. I am Ben’s grandfather by mating. And I am very excited to meet you all. This island is absolutely wonderful.”
I couldn’t help but grin at the way Jonas’ eyes lit up as he looked around at the island he hadn’t even explored yet. I could tell he was grateful to even be here, away from home, and to have the opportunity to see something new.
“Another man,” Nadir breathed, but this time, she didn’t seem like she wanted to leap forward and rip Jonas’ heart out with her teeth. Instead, she cocked her head at him in that strange way I’d started to like, and she gave him a teeny, tiny smile. It was barely there, but it was something.
“Yes.” Jonas nodded. “I imagine you do not see many of us. Come now, you must be hungry. Anora, would you take our guests to eat some of the meal, please?”
“Of course,” Anora responded, and the green-haired healer motioned for the women to follow her.
Nadir glanced back at me one last time, like she wanted to make sure I didn’t plan to just up and leave her there, before she quietly told her companions to follow Anora.
“I am starving.” Jemma grinned, and then she bounded toward the campfire, with Mira and Sela not too far behind her.
“So, guess what,” I murmured to Jonas.
“Ben, you know I am terrible at these guessing games,” the soothsayer chuckled.
“The first thing these women wanted to know was if we were there to try and take their treasure,” I replied. “They seemed pretty obsessed with it.”
“Well, were you there to take it?” Jonas joked.
“No, but it didn’t matter because something else got to it first,” I told him.
“What was it?” he questioned as he tilted his head to the side.
“Some sort of fire breathing beast,” I muttered. “Probably the exact same fire breathing beast that destroyed the orc ship.”
“Do you believe we should go after it?” he asked with wide eyes.
“I’m not sure,” I sighed. “For all we know, it could be thousands of miles away at this point.”
“Or it could be close,” Jonas pointed out.
“Or that.” I nodded. “I just wish we had some way to know what this beast is like. If it’s intelligent and communicative, like George and Nixie, then maybe we stand a chance. But if it’s not… ”
“Then we will all be burnt skeletons,” Jonas finished my thought. “I wish there were more stories about this creature, but I am afraid I cannot help you. You seem to know more about these beasts than we do.”
“Let’s hope not,” I snorted. “Because the dragons I know about don’t care about anyone but themselves. They’d be a bigger threat to us than the orcs and maldungs combined.”
“Ben!” Jemma called out suddenly and interrupted my conversation with Jonas. “Come and eat some food! We are about to share the story of how you came to our island. Come and listen to it!”
“Coming!” I called back, but then I turned to look at Jonas and saw an intense curiosity in his watery blue eyes. “What is it?”
“I am just wondering what sort of a treasure caused the beast to attack two different tribes of people in such a short span of time,” he mused as he rubbed at his chin. “It must have been very important.”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “And that is something I would very much like to find out.”
Jonas and I ended our conversation and joined the women around the campfire, which was now roaring and warm against the slight chill of the evening air. The sun had just begun to set over the horizon, and it cast a beautiful pink and orange glow all around us. Matched with the colors of the flickering flames, it made the beach seem like complete and utter paradise.
“Here.” Anora handed me a piece of roasted fish on a large, flat rock that served as a platter. “We caught them in the ocean, and Nadir said they are one of the most delicious things you will ever taste.”
“Thanks.” I grinned at her.
“Well, they are the most delicious things I have ever tasted,” Nadir interrupted, “but I do not know what your palate is like. And normally, we do not cook the fish.”
“You eat raw fish?” Jemma gasped, and she looked completely flabbergasted at the idea of it. “Is that not disgusting?”
“It is our way of life,” Jira replied. “One might find cooked fish disgusting, if they are not used to it.”
As if to emphasize her point, the white-haired woman picked up a slice of fish that hadn’t been cooked yet and took an enormous bite out of it. It fascinated me to see the way her large teeth ripped the meat apart like it was butter. They were clearly well suited to the life of a carnivore, which, admittedly, came as a huge relief to me. I didn’t want to have to convince yet another tribe of women that vegetarianism was the way of the unhealthy.
“Nadir, how many of your people are there?” Jonas asked as he turned to the Coonag leader curiously.
Nadir flashed him a look of suspicion I’d started to grow used to, but this time, it was brief, and she quickly relaxed her muscles as she apparently reminded herself Jonas was of no danger.
“There are only thirty-four of us left,” she replied. “Our numbers used to be nearly triple that before the orcs attacked, but we have always been a small population. It is easier to stay out of the way of predators, then.”
“Except for the orcs,” Malak sighed.
“I suppose your population numbers more than thirty-four?” Trin asked.
“Quite a bit more.” Anora nodded. “And thanks to Ben, it is growing every day.”
The woman grinned at me, and her sunflower yellow eyes sparkled with joy at the thought of more babies.
“You are helping them to repopulate?” Nadir demanded.
In a flash, the black-haired woman was at my side and right up in my face with a look of such heated intensity in her steely gray eyes that I couldn’t tell whether I was thrown off or completely aroused.
Definitely the latter, I realized as I felt my cock start to grow hard in my pants.
“Uhh, yep.” I nodded. “Not that it’s too much of a task. I enjoy making love to all of my women.”
I flashed Jemma a wink as I thought of how the auburn-haired woman had made a not so subtle request for endless sex until she ended up pregnant.
A request I planned to fulfill completely.
“Hmm,” Nadir mused and pursed her lips. “How very interesting. I suppose we could ask the same of you, then?”
Her tone was completely business-like, as if the request for sex was nothing but transactional, though I felt her tail curl around my back and tickle the space beneath my shoulder blades in a very titillating fashion.
“Of course, you can,” I replied.
“Maybe you are not so bad,” Nadir admitted as she cocked her head at me.
“Ben is also a wonderful king,” Anora interjected. “He came to my village and helped us fix everything, and then he made us weapons so we could fight off the orcs.
”
“And when he came to my home island, he taught us how to fight and fend for ourselves,” Jemma added as she bounced on her log enthusiastically. “You may not believe this, but my people used to think fighting was a terrible thing, unwanted by the Goddess. Ben changed all of that.”
The conversation took a turn, and the women started to go back and forth with stories of the time we’d spent together. Anora, Mira, and Sela told the tale of my first few months on their island, with helpful interjections here and there from the other women. Then Jemma and a few of her people started to explain how Mira and I had arrived on her island and changed everything for the better.
I hardly listened to their discussions. Instead, I was focused on Nadir and her women, and I watched their faces closely to try and deduce what thoughts sailed through their heads as they listened to my story. It was hard, though. I wasn’t sure if it was a learned trait, or if it was in their nature, but the women’s expressions hardly moved as they listened. I couldn’t tell whether they thought something was good, bad, exciting, or horrible. Even when Jemma got to the part of the story where we defeated the enormous orc army and stole their ship from them, only to then chase down another vessel on the high seas and destroy it, I couldn’t tell what they thought. The racoon women could either have easily hated it, or loved it.
I hoped it was the latter, though. The quicker I won them over and got them to understand how much help we could be, the quicker I’d get an answer about this fire breathing beast they’d encountered.
Because I sure as hell had a lot of questions.
The sun had finally gone down, and the beach was lit only by the embers of the fire and the light of the half-moon by the time the women finished their account of all of my adventures.
“We have had quite the time, my king,” Mira chuckled into my ear when Jemma finally took a breath and nodded to signal the end of the story.
“And then we arrived here, on this island,” Jemma sighed. “That is all.”