Beyond the Roselands

Chapter 15

  "Wait! What!?"

   I winced as the yell pierced my ears like two knives. "I said Faerys are back in the Roselands and they're planning an attack against our world."

   In front of me sat the tallest, burliest Beerth I'd ever seen. He was nearly eight feet tall and had massive tusks that curled around themselves twice in a spiral. He sat in a throne carved into a humongous tree stump and he was surrounded by scantily dressed Beerth women, which were just as sexily shaped as any women I'd ever seen. They weren't fat or bulky like males.

   Despite that, I could definitely tell which creatures were leaders in the Roselands. They were either the biggest creatures, surrounded by warriors, or they were swimming in a sea of almost naked women. Even the leader of the Zytreys had a trio of topless women who greeted him whenever he entered his home.

   This Beerth was called Rainrock according to the soldiers who had brought me here. He stared down at me with one dark eye that strayed to the necklace Blackvein gave me. He paused and smirked. "So yer a friend of Blackvein, are ye? I respect dat. He gave ya his necklace? Dat's a good friendship. I suppose yer trustworthy."

   His accent was peculiar and reminded me of pirates I had read about. It didn't help that he had a gold ring in his ear and in his snout along with an eye patch across one eye. He gestured to his gaurds and they departed. "I trust yer, but yer gonna have ta explain ta me how dis happened."

   I nodded and explained the story to him in detail and he soaked it in thoroughly. He nodded once I finished. "Fine. Fine. I'll spread da word in my people. If ya ever need anyding, just send fer me."

   I nodded. "Thank you. I need as much support as I can get."

   With that, I winged out of the strange dining hall. The walls were formed by thick tree trunks which had grown together over centuries. The canopy was constructed  of tight woven branches and leaves and the floor was basically a swamp. I flew out instead of walking simply to avoid touching the mud.

   My next destination was a tricky one. I was on my way to the Olket leader. How was I supposed to bargain with a creature who couldn't talk back? Anyway, I needed to get there regardless.

   I'd already spoken to the Ghaght leader and the Beerth leader. Both of those were easy. But as I approached the large cave which I'd been told was their main hideout, I felt a sense of incoming failure with this one. I fluttered down and guards at the door simply glanced at me. I explains that I needed to see their leader and they let me past exceptionally easy.

   I walked in and turned my head back to glance at the door and when I turned around, five Olket women had approached. Two began stroking my wings while two touched my arms and chest. The fifth one grabbed handfuls of my hair and stroked it violently. Maybe these were the real guards because I seriously wanted to leave. "Ow! Please get off! I have to talk to the leader here!"

   The one touching my hair began purring and kissing my cheeks and I gently pushed her off, not wanting to get violent. "Stop!"

   Suddenly, a curtain of stones on strings which I hadn't looked at yet, swung open and a tough looking male hissed at the females. They scurried off and the male walked up to me. He shrugged and shook his head as if to say, I don't get them either. He led me inside and I was immediately swamped by the luscious smell of lavender and spices. It was a tall cave adorned with lanterns and chandeliers. Olkets prowled everywhere, purring to each other and stroking against each other like cats usually did to furniture. I was  led through the hallway to a tall doorway protected by a curtain of shining gems and rare stones.

   When we passed through it, I wished I could turn back. At the end of the hall was a gigantic Olket, striped like a tiger, but with longer hair and a thick bushy mane down his back. He wore a loin cloth and long trailing necklaces made of wooden charms. He looked in our direction and let out a deep guttural growl as a long tail unfurled from the waist of a small female Olket sitting on his lap. She shifted from her sleeping position and I tried not to notice thrashed fully naked. At least they had fur which hid their human like body parts.

   The leading Olket snarled at us and sent a strange guttural noise at the guard. The guards ears pinned back and he knelt low to the ground in a submissive position. He meowed back and the king relaxed. He sat straight and the female situated herself behind him, acting as a sort of cushion for his back. He looked me in the eye and when I opened my mouth to speak, he held up a claw before reaching for a beaker of some mysterious drink. He took a swig and swallowed quickly before clearing his throat roughly.

   What the heck is he doing?

   Suddenly he looked at me again with a smile. "Please proceed, Zytrey."