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We busy ourselves, getting wood for the fire, tending to the injured, gathering the dresses from the trunks so we can bathe and get into clean clothes.
With my hand, I inspect the back of my head for injury, finding a minor abrasion that bled, causing my hair to matte and look worse than it was. But it’s not just my head I have to worry about.
With the wounds on our wrists, it’s likely that more of us will succumb to infection if we don’t see a cleric.
Or, possibly, all of us.
4
GRIXIS
Peeking out over the cliff, the first thing I notice is that the men are no longer seated around the campfire.
They’re dead.
Pale, exhausted-looking women mill about slowly and sluggishly, piling the corpses.
In all my time in this godforsaken land, I’ve never seen a ship pass to the north, so their presence is a shock. But it’s not just them being on the shore that’s jarring.
They’re small—tiny, both men and women alike, cream colored with hair of many shades.
The men traveled in colorful red clothes that seemed more decorative than practical, and their weapons were puny little things that could hardly pierce my flesh. My people would never board a boat without armor, axe, and bow.
The women have strange jewelry around their wrists. No, not jewelry…but that’s impossible. What man would ever brutalize a woman? Strong women are revered, while the weak, ignored, left to die. There isn’t a man I know that would ever dream of shackling one.
Those men had no honor.
What could have happened to these creatures? Could they really be the seeds of so long ago? Tiny and slight and not at all worthy of the gift they’ve been given.
I’m sure my eyes do not deceive me, as I’ve had no intoxicants and I’ve suffered no conscience-altering wounds.
The women have no chance of surviving on their own. There has to be at least twenty of them, and all but a small handful look incapable of even the smallest task. They have a boar roasting on a spit, but meat will be hard for them to come by once they’ve devoured it, and they’re probably unaware of where to acquire fresh water.
They’ll all be dead within a week. Perhaps that’s for the best.
Is it possible these creatures have been in contact with the Veriskans? Somehow, I doubt it. Despite being vile, I don’t see them dishonoring themselves by consorting with such pitiful creatures.
Perhaps the men that were here before my tribe were in contact with them, but it’s more likely that their ship got lost in the storm.
A few gather on the shore, shedding their dresses and entering the water. If only they’d walk a few hundred feet inland, they’d stumble on a hot spring, something much more suitable than the freezing cold ocean they’re treading into.
My gaze falls on a dark-haired woman who’s standing off to the side. Her expression is one of mistrust, like she’s swimming in a pond full of sharks and not feeble women.
She’s stronger than most, with more energy and an authoritative demeanor. Despite her frail body, I find myself aroused by the sight of her.
She has to be at least two heads shorter than me, with small, narrow features. Her breasts are perfectly formed, round with pert, excitable nipples. Her hips are shapely, as a woman’s should be, and the small thatch of hair below her waist looks…alluring.
If she weren’t so small and sickly, I’d make her mine, but these aren’t women you want to bed. Their offspring would be weak, unfit for battle, and likely to die young.
Still, the woman is intoxicating to look upon and seeing her wrists so badly bruised and shackled brings out a protective urge in me. Something I haven’t felt before.
How long has it been since I’ve lain with a woman? So long I’ve all but forgotten what it feels like to feel the heat between their thighs.
But not long enough to make me forget my honor.
These women are unfit, and if they’re lucky, nature will claim them soon and their weakness will provide nourishment to the strong.
As sure as I am about such matters, my gaze continues to stalk the inferior woman, enjoying the curve of her rounded buttocks, the flair of her hips, the swaying of her breasts.
