The Scarlet Cavern by Michael Dalton

Author:Michael Dalton [Dalton, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction
Published: 2020-10-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

It turned out that Narilora had been following us since I showed up at iXa’aliq’s house.

“But you left,” Kisarat said. “Why did you care?”

“He would not mate with me. But there were no other males to offer myself to. When I tried to return to my clan, they scorned me and drove me off. So I returned. But I did not know what to do. I was still considering returning and begging forgiveness when you appeared.”

We were heading down the road again, Ayarala and Kisarat up in the front of the wagon, while I lay low in the bed in case anyone came the other direction. Ayarala had patched up the scratches in my arm. Narilora was on the other side, nursing the bruises I’d given her. She’d brought a lumpy bag with her that was at the end of the wagon.

“You were there when we arrived?” I asked.

“Yes. And when Kisarat emerged with his body, throwing him into the woods like a sack of trash, I only saw the end of my chance to mate.”

“Did you take the body?”

She nodded, sighing.

“I hated him, but I could not bring myself to leave him there for the busangs. I took his body and burned it that night.”

“If I had known . . . I didn’t intend to kill him. It just turned out that way.”

Kisarat had explained what happened at the end of our brief conversation with iXa’aliq.

“If he attempted to poison you, you had every right. A strong tsulygoi may take what he desires from a weak one.”

“Did you fight iXa’aliq before he claimed you, like you did with me?”

She fought back a smile for a moment or two before giving me a sultry look from under her long eyelashes.

“Had I fought him like that, he would not have survived more than a few breaths. No. I made show of doing so, and then yielded. My goal was to mate with him, not kill him.”

Narilora’s attitude toward me had swung about 180 degrees, from passionately wanting to murder me, to passionately wanting to . . . well, I suppose we would see about that. But she settled immediately into being part of our little band.

“This world has proven more dangerous than I would have expected,” I said. “You’re only about the seventh or eighth thing that’s tried to kill me or capture me since I got here four days ago. We could use you on our side.”

“I am yours. But I have no sword now, Will. You saw to that.”

I reached around into my backpack.

“Well, there’s this. I guess it’s of more use to you than to me.”

I drew iXa’aliq’s sword out and handed it to her. Narilora’s big feline green eyes swelled even larger when she saw it.

“You took it,” she gasped.

“Ayarala said it was a fine blade.”

“It . . .” She stared down at it in awe. “There is no finer make. This was what iXa’aliq used to keep me with him. He said I could have it after we mated, knowing I would stay for it.

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