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CHAPTER SEVEN

IN WHICH THE PARTY NARROWLY AVOIDS A TERRITORIAL SKIRMISH

Our run-in with the beetle nest was a minor setback.

We didn’t make it as far as we did the day before and had to stop before reaching the body of water.

That evening, I pored over the map to see if there was a shortcut we could take to reduce the distance.

There were several reasons to stick to the main road, but we were going by foot, so it wouldn’t be that much harder to go through the woods.

Trees only covered another hundred kilometers or so anyway—once we crossed the river, we’d be hitting coastal plains and swampland.

Luthri disappeared into the woods during dinner.

He returned with a handful of herbs, combined them with a tin of animal fat he happened to have on him, and cooked it down into a pale green goop over the fire.

By the time he finished, the moon was high in the sky.

He gave us each a portion of the homemade salve, telling us to apply it to our bites.

“My mother is a mender,” he reminded us when faced with suspicious stares. “They do more than throw magic around, you know.” He shot me a cocky grin when our eyes met. “Are you impressed? I can think of a way you could show your gratitude.”

I wouldn’t be ‘showing my gratitude’ in the way he hoped, and I said as much. However, I wasn’t the only one dazzled by his ingenuity. Even Vyrain was happy to accept his salve. Thanks to the soothing medicinal goop, I was able to get some sleep.

We made it to the river before lunchtime on the following day.

The surrounding trees thinned until surrendering to open air and flat, grassy ground, beyond which the expanse of water sparkled in all its glory.

The moment that came into view, Yrra stripped down and dove in.

Daethie settled by the shore, and I joined her while the rest of the boys undressed.

The moment everyone else was out of earshot, Daethie spoke. “I didn’t know about the bugs,” she said quietly. “I should have. It’s something my people would have come across before, and they would have known how to deal with them, but I never…”

She trailed off, her scowl deepening. Is this… her version of an apology?

“It’s all right,” I replied. “I don’t blame you. None of us blame you. In what world is a log with an ‘X’ on it and a few stones enough to convey that there are man-eating bugs ahead? Whoever did that ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

Daethie’s mouth twitched in an approximation of a smile. I followed her gaze out to the water. Her eyes were on Yrra, who ducked in and out of sight with the grace of a dolphin. This was his element; he was at home there in a way he never would be on land.

“What’s that about?” I asked. When Daethie gave me a blank look, I tipped my head to indicate the young waterfolk male in the distance. “You’re close, yeah?”

She shrugged. “Sure. We want the same thing, he and I.”

She didn’t volunteer anything further, and I didn’t press, instead turning my attention back to the others.

Judging the distance to the opposite shoreline, I guessed it was a few kilometers.

We could save some time by cutting across, but it would be a pain in the ass to swim, especially with our packs.

We’d have to find a town and pay for a ferry.

That meant more travel, but according to the map, there were a few options along the river to the north and south. It should still save us a day or two .

Yrra pulled himself onto shore as Hohem, Vyrain, and Luthri were preparing to go in. His legs were looking better, not nearly as raw as they were after our unfortunate encounter with the bugs. As our companions went to race down the bank, he held out a hand to stop them.

“This river is claimed by another of my kind,” Yrra announced. “We should be brief.”

“A quick dip shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Hohem asked, eyeing the water.

Yrra hesitated. “It could be. With me here.”

Ah, right. Because another waterfolk male would see him as a challenger, a potential threat to his territory and females. Men and their cock Olympics.

They made it quick, sitting in the shallows to wash off the critical bits.

Luthri braved the deeper end, submerging himself to rinse away all evidence of our time on the road.

He scrubbed at his scalp and straightened up, flipping his head back to toss his wet locks like he was posing for a photo.

He never turned my way, but he cupped water in his big hands and let it cascade down his body as if he knew he was being watched. Perceptive, that one.

“Aren’t you going to join them?” Daethie asked.

I shook my head. “Not right now. I’ll go later. After dark, if need be. I’d rather not strip down to my underthings in front of that lot.”

Daethie snorted. “Modesty is the least of your worries. They’ll wear you down eventually. If I were you, I’d have jumped all four of them long ago.” Her gaze turned critical. “Of course, I also would have given myself a better set of tits.”

“My tits are fine, thanks very much.” I discreetly glanced downward. They were a perfectly respectable handful, proportional to the rest of me. Who needed breasts weighing them down with this lifestyle? Turning my attention back to the boys, I added, “And don’t be gross. They’re like family.”

“Even Luthri?” Daethie raised an eyebrow .

“Well, no, not him. Not yet, anyway.”

“Mm.”

A flash of movement out on the water caught my eye. It was subtle, but enough. As I raised a hand to ward away the sun in order to see better, a head the same dark blue-green shade as the water appeared above the surface. It waited there, watching the bathers.

I dropped my hand and bounded to my feet. “Yrra!”

More blue heads popped up behind the first. Yrra and the others retreated, hurrying back to shore as the strangers advanced.

A waterfolk male armed with a long, bone-tipped spear led the approach, with six or seven curious females trailing some ways behind him.

One of the women carried a toddler, and another was heavily pregnant.

The strings of beads and shells they wore as clothing covered little, which was painfully obvious as the male paused in knee-high water, blue balls swinging freely in the breeze.

“We’re no threat,” Hohem called, holding out his hands. “We’re just passing through and wanted to refresh ourselves. We have no intention of causing trouble.”

The male’s attention didn’t leave Yrra. Their gazes met, and a thick layer of tension fell.

Yrra stepped forward, his shoulders hunched inward.

His neck already turned a deep navy from stress.

The male responded by modifying his posture to make full use of his height and frame.

He smacked his chest with a fist in an undeniable challenge, a motion that made his beaded arm cuffs and chest piece rattle ominously.

Yrra bowed his head. The male’s eyes narrowed. Keeping his gaze downcast, Yrra stepped forward so that he and the male were almost within arm’s reach of each other. After another moment of silence, he tilted his head, baring his neck to the other waterfolk male.

Gradually, the stranger relaxed. The females behind him seemed almost… disappointed.

“Today only,” the male grunted. Yrra responded in a low voice and kept his head bowed as he retreated to where the others waited.

A relieved breath left me in a rush. I hadn’t realized how tense I had been, waiting for something to go wrong.

Starting a territorial skirmish would have been the cherry on top of the journey so far.

And what the hell would we have done with a harem of women and kids after killing their mate and dad?

I hurried to join the others. By the time I reached them, the waterfolk family had disappeared to wherever they’d come from, as if they were never there.

“Well handled,” I praised Yrra. Vyrain gave him a friendly slap on the back. Yrra, reeling from the near-altercation and uncomfortable with all the attention, put up a gentle fight.

“I didn’t do anything,” he protested, ducking his head. “They weren’t here to fight, not with the young. And that was a fishing spear.”

“Take the credit, seu bobo.” I tapped his bicep with a fist.

“Are you coming in?” Luthri asked me, nodding to the water.

Without meaning to, I took in his wet figure once more up close.

The unbraided ends of his long, mahogany hair formed artful tendrils where they adhered to his neck and shoulders.

Droplets of water gleamed as they trailed down his chest and into the waistband of his boxer-like underwear, which clung to his bulge in the most indecent way.

And those thighs … Waterfolk were onto something; men who looked like that should wear less clothing.

Goddess, I needed to get laid.

“Later tonight,” I answered his question, dragging my gaze back up and ignoring Lu’s smirk.

Of course he didn’t have the decency to pretend he hadn’t noticed.

“I was thinking we could call it an early day. Set up camp close by, try to get some fish or meat for supper, go over the map again, and figure out a way across this river. Then, hope for a good night’s rest.”

“I think you’re better off not stressing over the map,” Hohem advised.

“It’s not going to change on you. We can follow the river north until we hit the closest town.

And I disagree with relaxing for the afternoon.

We’ve been on the road for three days; it’s going to be a problem if we start taking our time purely for the sake of fresh meat and some rest.”

“Oh, yeah, food and sleep? Trivial things.” I snorted. “We can take a vote, that’s fine. I, for one, would appreciate some hot protein and a bath.”

Seizing the opportunity, Luthri put his hands on his hips and waggled his eyebrows. “Well, isn’t that convenient? I’ve got both for you right here.”