by Aaron Crash
“It’s not just that.” Lillee’s voice was barely a whisper. The idea that Lillee’s father was coming had weakened her. He wouldn’t approve of her lifestyle, and his judgement just might undo all the progress the Sullied princess had made.
“What else is it?” Tori asked.
“Ymir misses the song of battle,” Lillee said softly. “He misses the blood and chaos, and he misses using his body rather than his mind. He’ll need spells as well as his sword, though. Because Gulnash will have magic. He will insist on it. I’ve heard stories that he isn’t just a warrior, but a mage as well. The Betrayer. It’s a horrible title to have. I’m frightened by it.”
“Is she right?” Jennybelle asked Ymir. “Do you miss fighting?”
He let the fire pop while he considered how to answer. “The song of battle. Once you sing it, you are changed. I’ve sneaked around, I’ve been an assassin, and I’ve fought against demons from the pit and creatures from the sea, but mostly I’ve used fucking magic. To swing my ax? To put to use my new swordsmanship skills? Yes, I want this. But, Jenny, you were right the first time. I’m doing this for Gatha. Perhaps I can help her in this.” He wasn’t sure if he could. He still wasn’t sure what the rules of the Kurzig Durgha were. Gharam tried to explain them, but it was a complex ritual, and he’d been far too drunk.
When the women didn’t say anything, Ymir turned the conversation to the Gather Breath Ring, already forged but not functional yet. They didn’t even know what the damn thing would do. “Gatha and I are studying the Theranus passages from the Circulum tome, but we’ve gotten stuck. I was going to see if Professor Albatross can help us.”
Jennybelle grimaced. “Ugh, Linny is so creepy. And from what Tori said, she’s been obsessed with demons since she saw that one dark thing in her garden. That sounds dirty. I bet you Linny fucked that demon. Isn’t that a thing? I mean, I’ve heard stories my whole life about demons seducing women.”
Tori stood up. “I don’t know about all that, but I do know I’m bushed. I’ve had, uh, quite a day. Before I go, I want to know where you two were this morning. I think I know.”
“How do you know?” Jenny asked.
“Spies in the kitchen. Well, to call them spies is a little overdramatic,” the little woman admitted. “It’s gossip. You two were around, looking for a place to live because the suite in the Flow housing is too expensive. I’ve offered a million times to pay for it.”
“And we appreciate it,” Lillee said, smiling. “We love you.”
“Love you too, Lil,” the dwab answered. “Which is why I want us all to live together. In the Zoo. Some of the girls have left. Others I’ve suggested to move out, and I used Ribrib as the excuse.”
Jennybelle grunted her disgust. “Precisely. Why would we want to live with her?”
“I’m pretty sure Ribby isn’t going to be at Old Ironbound much longer.” Tori brushed the sand off her dress. “I think she’s changing, and I like her, but I know you people don’t.”
“She danced so wonderfully,” Lillee said quietly. “She kept her feet moving to the tune even when it was so fast, and she was so pretty. But even I have trouble with her, Tori. She can be so brusque.”
Tori shrugged. “At least you know what she’s thinking.”
Lillee sighed. “I know, but sometimes I have these thoughts of...of doing things to her. Then I know she’d get bossy, and I want to boss her back.”
Tori colored. “Well, now, I’m not sure I want to hear about this.”
Jennybelle squealed. “I do, Lil. What kind of thoughts do you have about Ribrib? Please, do tell.”
The elf girl squinted her eyes closed, obviously embarrassed. “You know how I can get a little cruel in bed?”
“Do you mean dominant?” Jenny asked.
Lillee glanced at Ymir. “Normally, Ymir is the one who takes control. I like that. Sometimes, though, I think that I want to try being more aggressive sometimes. Not with Ymir, he’s too strong, but maybe with Charibda. She can be so haughty. I have fantasies of...of taming her.”
That made Ymir inhale. Just the thought got him hard.
The Ohlyrran princess broke. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. And we really don’t know her. She might not like that.”
“Who can say?” Jenny laughed. “We all walk around pretending to be things we’re not. It could be that the mermaid would enjoy a little...taming.”
Tori yelped. “Gosh me underground, but we can’t always be talking about rubbing noses. And especially not about Ribrib ’cause we don’t know much about her. Not really.”
The women packed up, putting cups and other dinner supplies into the baskets they’d lugged down. They were ready to leave, but Ymir wasn’t done. “You girls go on. I’ll stay here and watch the fire go out. I might sleep out here. I’m liking the night.”
The swamp woman yawned and stretched. “I’m wanting my bed...in my suite...for just a little while longer. What do you think of us moving into the Zoo, Lillee?”
The elf girl put her head against Jenny’s head. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we live. I think it might be fun to live in the Zoo. The kitchen is better, and we’d have so much room. And the views of Angel Bay would be different. There are some nice rooms there.”
Tori threw a nod at Ymir. “What about you, big man?”
The clansman would be fine with the move. However, living with Ribby? They’d have to do something with both her snoring and her attitude. He was weary of talking, and so he smiled. “We shall discuss it in the coming days.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “That means he’s not on board. We’ll work on him, girls.”
The three started across the beach, and he watched them go, the small dwab, the pretty, round swamp woman, and the tall, willowy blond elf. They’d be fine. All of them were third-year sorceresses. Ymir sat in the sand and watched the fire devour the wood. This felt right, being alone, with fire, out in the night.
The shape came out of the ocean, a tall woman, and he knew who it was by her arrogant strut.
Charibda Delphino herself walked up, seaweed in her blue hair with the purple stripe. She smoothed her hair back and flung away the kelp. She was naked, her skin smooth in some places and scaled in others. Her hands and feet were webbed, and she had the bone spikes sticking up from the backs of her legs.
Those spurs made him wonder. If she could transform her legs into a human’s legs, why did she have the spurs? He could’ve asked her, but he wasn’t much interested in having that conversation. He’d been enjoying his time alone.
And yet, being alone would always be strange for him. Growing up in the Black Wolf Clan, he’d always had his battle brothers around him, or the elder men, or any number of people. Grandmother Rabbit had warned him about eating alone. People who ate alone went insane.
However, being constantly around women did make the time alone more precious.
Yet, there stood Ribby, arms crossed over her chest to hide her tiny nipples on her little breasts. Her oheesy didn’t have any hair on it. She looked like an ancient creature right then, strong and defiant, and he thought about Lillee wanting to tame her. Could you tame the sea? Perhaps not, but there would be some enjoyment in the attempt.
Ymir gave her a nod and stared into the fire.
The mermaid put out a hand. “Fire. It feels so strange. We had magical light in the Blue Dark, and we had our bed nets, but we were never cold. Only the elderly freeze in the depths. Not the young. Not me.”
Ymir found that hard to believe. “You were never cold?”
Charibda shook her head. “Never. At least not until I came to this fucking school and had to be human all the time. Now, I shiver in my bed if I don’t have a pile of blankets on me. When I am my true Aquaterreb form? The cold can’t touch me.”
The clansman had to pause to consider every word she’d just said. He’d grown up in a constant war for warmth, and it was only in the summer that he could relax from the fight. To think of he
r, in the frigid depths, away from the light of the sun but comfortable? It was a wonder.
“When did you come to the surface?” he asked.
“Why come to the surface at all?” the woman said meditatively. “Everyone I loved was in the Blue Dark. Or the Undersea. Or Blue Home. I went years not breathing this thin stuff. Years and years, happily.”
“Then tragedy touched you. You knew cold then, only it was a different kind of cold that nothing could warm.” Ymir smiled at his own poetry. “I know of such cold.”
For a moment, he thought of telling her about the night bear hunt down in the Crack, what happened, and the terrible price they’d paid to win their awful victory. They could bond over their pain, like he and Jennybelle had. Both the swamp woman and Ymir had lost family members, and such death could cement people together.
Instead, Ribrib ruined the moment. Anger flashed through her dark eyes. “Of course you do. You’re a barbarian from the north. You grew up fucking snow.”
“Never snow.” He grinned. “But good barbarian oheesy kept my uht warm at least. What is this anger? Why suddenly throw hate at me?”
“You were making fun of me!” the mermaid insisted. “Saying the Red Tide Massacre made me cold. Or the cold touched me. Or whatever you said.”
He wasn’t going to fight with her. He sighed at her instead. He didn’t have the patience for this troublesome sea girl.
She softened. “I’m sorry. Let’s start over. I want to be your friend...really, I want to be lovers with you and your sharreb.”
“My sharreb?”
“Your harem,” the mermaid explained. She bit her bottom lip. “I mean, I want access to you. For the sex. I have needs, and I’ve been lonely. My mother wants me to stay at this school until I graduate. She says it’s a matter of diplomacy at this point since my uncle tried to start a war with you dirt w—” She stopped herself.
Ymir flung another piece of wood into the fire. “Dirt worms. Yes, I know, and yet you want to fuck us all. And I said that you’d have to win over the hearts of the women first.”
“Where should I start?” the mermaid asked. “I mean, I’m friends with Tori, but to take it a step further? I’m not sure how to do that. What if I win her and fail with the others? I might destroy the only friendship I have at this school. Even among the Aquaterreb, the power of sex is known to...complicate things.”
“That’s why the Black Wolf Clan has the three questions. We talk about pregnancy, about dishonoring oneself, and dishonoring one’s family.”
Charibda smirked. “My mother wants nothing more for me than to find a sharreb among you land people. So my family is pressuring me. As for myself? I’ve liked sex before. I want sex now. It just has to be with...with more than one person. In my language, sex with one person and masturbation are the same.”
“What’s the word?” Ymir asked.
“Chitub,” the mermaid answered.
That made him laugh.
More anger. “What? I’m sure you barbarians are always jerking off.”
“When we’re not fucking snow,” he agreed. “That’s a new one, Ribby. Normally, we’re accused of fucking elk, though I have to tell people an elk’s cunt is too high. You’d need a stepping stool.”
Her mouth fell open. Ymir saw her standing there, conflicted. Part of her wanted to fall into fury. The other wanted to laugh. It took a few minutes, her standing near the fire, until she started chuckling. “A stepping stool.” The proud mermaid actually snorted. “That’s funny. You don’t...really fuck elk, do you?”
He shrugged. “Winters are long. Some of those elk are cute. We certainly don’t fuck the ugly ones.”
That made her snort again. “We have a joke about that...about a man who didn’t have a sharreb, and he got himself a whale to screw, but it was ugly. So people laughed at him.”
Ymir was seeing another side to the mermaid princess, a softer side that was eager to make friends. She sighed, relaxed now. “I think I’ll start with Lillee. She’s kind. And without her cuff, she’s sure to be horny. I’ll try chitub with her, though I’d rather have her and Tori together. Maybe your Amora Xoca can help. I’ve heard stories about its power.”
“No scheming,” Ymir said firmly. “It’s best to ask them. And you might have the opportunity sooner than you think. Tori wants us to move into the Zoo.”
All emotion vanished from the tall woman’s face. Then she got mad. “Without talking to me? She should’ve talked to me first. You say no scheming, but that Tori has been scheming behind my back! Oh, this will never work. I’ll never be able to trust any of you!”
The mermaid turned on her heel and stormed away.
Ymir watched her go. When she hit the surf, her legs transformed into tentacles and she swam off. Back to the dark, cold depths. He wasn’t worried about Tori or any of his women dealing with the mermaid.
In the end, Charibda had shown her hand. It was like a game of Seven Devils, the card game that Ymir had learned early to make his fortune. In that game, you had to hide your emotions so the players couldn’t guess what you held in your hand while the five cards were flipped up in the center of the table. The minute you showed excitement or disappointment, the other players had the advantage.
Twice now, the mermaid princess had shown her desperation. She was lonely, and she’d either change to become nicer or she’d remain alone. Ymir found himself wanting her to win the battle she was fighting against herself. He wanted her to rein in her outbursts and haughty indignation. For one, he liked the strength he saw behind the façade. To live in hate took courage, and she’d left her people to live in a strange place with strange people. Ymir knew how difficult that was.
The other reason? He wanted to see what special sex power the mermaid had. She’d mentioned it, and of course Ymir was curious.
Yes, moving into the Zoo would be troublesome, but Ymir didn’t mind trouble. He’d get a bellyful the next day.
Chapter Twelve
THAT MONDAY MORNING, Ymir walked out onto the Sunfire Field for his first day of training with the Gungarr. The sun barely broke the eastern horizon. The morning fog clung to everything.
Gharam, Gatha, and Della Pennez were there, as well as another man, a tall, scarred warrior in fighting leathers, dark hair, and a long moustache. Ymir didn’t like him, and he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because most of the strangers that had come to the school had tried to kill him.
Or perhaps the clansman was simply grumpy. It had been a late night talking with Charibda, then watching the fire go out, and, finally, falling asleep. He’d woken in the early morning chill, hating the mermaid a little for growing up in the Blue Dark, not knowing cold.
Ymir had kicked sand on the coals and made the long walk to Jennybelle’s suite. It hadn’t been the most restful of nights, so now Ymir was on the Sunfire Field, feeling hungover. That was laughable. They’d drunk the weak piss from the feasting hall. He’d need a hundred gallons to even feel it.
Gharam, Gatha, and the newcomer all wore armor, while Ymir was in his leather shirt and pants, barefoot. Della wore sleek, tight-fitting clothing. She stood near a rack of wooden swords, only these were different from their normal practice blades. These new swords were made from a darker wood with runes burned into their hilts.
Ymir had brought his battle ax and the curved Gruul sword, the gift. He nodded at Della. “No armor for you, Princept?”
She gave him a smile. “No armor for you, clansman? Why don’t you come and try me?”
He’d never crossed swords before with the Princept. He’d seen her fight—she was fast and deadly, and he’d be hard-pressed to come out with his skin intact. He nodded. “Soon enough, Princept. Tell me about our Gungarr’s fifth member.”
The Princept waved for the man to come forward. “Introduce yourself.
The man came forward with his hand on his weapon, a straight blade, a hand-and-a-half sword. “Sturm Valarenza. Of the Bloody Dawn Guild. I’m a friend of the Honored Princept.
”
“Grandson of my friend, actually,” Della said. “But friend enough.”
The man’s smile was odd, part sneer, part appreciation. “My grandfather said Della Pennez was the wind. You shouldn’t fight her because you can’t kill the wind.”
“I like a challenge,” Ymir said.
Gharam and Gatha approached. Gatha was silent, which meant she was equal parts furious and afraid. Gharam was as boisterous as ever. He towered over them, twice as wide, a big beast with great tusks splitting his lips. He slurped back spit. “He’s not just some mercenary from the Bloody Dawn. In some Gruul cities, he’s a hero. He’s killed his fair number of rogue orcs, and it’s known that Gulnash loathes him above all.”
“Tell me the story,” Ymir said.
“It’s nothing,” Valarenza insisted.
Della cleared her throat. “He was a knight that served the Holy Theranus Empire on the vempor’s guard.”
“So it’s Sir Sturm?” Ymir asked.
“Just Valarenza is fine,” the man said.
Della went on. “He got tired of the merchant caravans being attacked, and so he left the vempor’s guard and started collecting bounties on rogue orcs. He killed three of Gulnash’s wives.”
Valarenza pulled his gauntlets tight. “Wasn’t just the bounties. I got money from the Undergem Guild. As for the wives, the Betrayer has a dozen in his ptoor, so I figured he wouldn’t miss the three.”
Gatha hissed. “I knew one of them. I fought Udga in Ssunash. You were lucky she didn’t skin you alive.”
Valarenza pulled down his breastplate to show an ugly scar on his upper chest and neck. “Udga tried. It was a good fight. Gruul women fight as savagely as their men.”
“Some would say more so,” Gharam rumbled. “For when they fight in the pits, they fight for their future. They fight to get their pick of men.”
“Or they get to choose something else,” Valarenza said. “It’s an honor to be fighting with the princess of the pits, death’s bride, war’s wet—”
Della cut him off. “We’ve had enough pleasantries.”