Forn and I walk the path up through the tunnel. It’s claustrophobic after the near confrontation we’d just had, and I keep expecting to see the fish-eating triad ahead of us.
The moment we’re in the jungle I breathe easier. It’s sickening, knowing that I could become just as ill as the members of the tribe. I feel as though I have a duty to the sick humans and Aurelians, especially the children – but I’m painfully aware that my future is fraught with risk.
I could become sick and die. Worse, if Hadone, Forn and Darok are defeated by the fish-eating triad, then I won’t just have to deal with heartbreak – I’ll have to run, or escape from the new triad that wants to claim me, but obviously does not want to treat me with the same respect as my triad.
What did Ton mean when he said that Hadone stole his woman? Does Hadone already have a mate here? Does he view me as simply another woman to be added to his collection? Do these Aurelians keep harems like the ones my friends joined on Colossus?
The thought fills me with jealousy. There are too many emotions and fears pulsing through my mind to be able to think rationally. As we walk back up the tunnel, I try to clear my head and think about how I’m going to heal this tribe.
“Have you ever seen a sickness like this before?”
“No, never,” responds Forn gruffly. We emerge outside, and I watch the sun, hot and heavy in the sky overhead, slowly begin descending.
I feel like it’s a mark of the upcoming doom. Forn must have already telepathed the news to his warrior brothers. His face has turned into a stern mask. I know that he’s contemplating his future – and whether or not he’ll actually have one.
He has to fight unarmed. Oh, Gods – what a brutal proposition.
“The fight… Is it… Is it to the death?” I ask, my voice wavering. I somehow know the answer before I ask it. Forn’s eyes confirm the answer. He takes a deep breath.
“Death or mercy – and those three have none. They have a deep hatred for us ever since Hadone… No, it is not my place to say.”
His words hurt. The man I’m falling for is going to have to fight a bare-handed battle to the death. It’s sickening. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now. Forn is a warrior, born and bred – but battling against mindless Scorp is different than facing a member of your own tribe; especially with your bare hands.
I know that even if my triad survives, they’ll be forever changed. There’s only so much violence you can met out before it seeps into your soul; especially when it’s violence against your own people.
I can see the good in these men. If they fight tomorrow, they might lose that – or even all trace of their humanity. And as for Hadone… I don’t know what happened, but I must trust that he will tell me.
I swallow hard as I stare out at the jungle. I might have only one night with these men – but I intend to make the most of it. I ache for their bodies, and I want to give myself to them. I want to feel them inside me, using me, taking me, protecting me. I want to be filled by them; one after the other, and even at the same time.
I run my hand against a huge palm tree, looking for any clue to what could have caused the sickness in the Scorp-Blood tribe. It’s useless, though. All my mind can imagine is the sight of the fish-eaters beating Forn to a bloody pulp while I’m helpless to do anything but watch.
If they kill my men, I will kill them.
The thought feels alien in my mind, but I know it to be true. If Darok, Hadone and Forn do not survive the battle tomorrow, I will find a weapon and cut the throats of the fish-eating triad myself; before they can do anything to me.
“Why are they called the fish-eaters?” I ask idly, trying to distract myself from the dark thoughts of what is coming.
Forn snorts. “They do not hunt the great beasts of our planet. They prefer to stick to the rivers and fish. There’s no shame in it, but I’ll not miss a chance to twist the knife and mock them.”
There’s the tiniest hint of a smile on Forn’s lips, and I feel glad that I could distract him for a moment from the horrors of tomorrow.
I want to distract him more. I want to give him my body, so that for the time we’re tangled together, he has no thoughts except pleasure and need.
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” I finally admit, as we continue walking and I search through all that I’ve learned, to try find some clue to the origin of the sickness. I’m unable to make any sense of it.
“You’ll find it,” Forn reassures me. “I know it, as certainly as I know that you are my fated mate. You’ll save our race.”
My whole life has been turned on its head. Just a week ago I was eking out a living in an illegal chop-shop. Now all that is burned down.
Likewise, I did my best for the orphans that I was taking care of, trying to get them on a straight and narrow path so that they’d not have to live a life like mine. Now, the children are safe - and I have three men who would fight and die for me.
I hope desperately that they’ll survive; but I fear that they’ll be forever changed by the experience; and lose everything that has made me want to be with them for the rest of my life.
There are nearly a hundred sick and dying Aurelians back at that cave, who desperately need me to uncover the secret of
