Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Bleed On It

 I dozed off and woke up just before dawn with my head tucked against Korr's good shoulder. His arm had slipped under and around me at some point, and his head was turned so our foreheads touched.

I was exhausted. Like really exhausted. Like so exhausted that the lumpy, sandy, slightly rocky floor of the cave was preferable to me having to move. But I carefully untangled myself from Korr. He cracked one eye briefly, his fingers flexed to steal a caress of my ass as I got up, but he otherwise didn't move.

"I know those feels," I said softly. Ethat had curled up into a little ball tucked against Itek's side furry/feathery side, and Itek had his head turned into his ruff, snoring softly. Asund, in wolf form on my other side, woke instantly. Ormiss stood at the mouth of the cave, leaning on his staff. It was purple-dark.

The bug corpses weren't there anymore. There was still a wet spot from where the ice had melted, but no bugs.

I stopped myself from blurting out a stupid observation and went to Ormiss. "Where are they?"

He pointed. Outside the cave beyond the wooden structure were the two corpses. They reeked. Not like blood and offal, but like a burned out building and that whiffy scent the Haven docks had had at low tide.

"We moved them," Ormiss said.

"Did you sleep?"

"I'm fine. Hippocamp who live below the ocean don't have the same sleeping needs as land-dwellers. I kept watch. You look tired, my love."

"I feel tired." I tried to twist around to see my wound. "Did I lose a lot of blood or something?"

"You did bleed but it wasn't a lot of blood." He looked worried.

Then why the hell was I so weary? Well, then again, between everything that had happened, why was I even asking? I ran my hands through my hair, then instantly regretted it. I'd kind of gotten to like how the hippocamp kept my hair so silky, but now it was all salty and sandy.

Ormiss examined the wound on my back. "It's closed nicely and looks to be healing. I think Asund is a better medic than I am. I know that Korr craves a necromancer, but I think we would be better to have a Healer. If I might make a suggestion."

I sighed. I didn't want anymore consorts. These five were enough trouble. What the hell would I do with a sixth? Besides go crazy trying to keep them from fighting each other.

He bent closer, and ran his fingers down the crusty line in my skin. I flinched. "Ow, that hurts!"

Ormiss kissed my other shoulder. "Wait here."

He went back into the cave and gave Itek a nudge with his foot. After a few exchanged words, Itek got up, shook himself off, and came with Ormiss out into the sunlight.

"Look at her scratch," Ormiss told Itek. "In cat-bird form. I know you were looking at it last night, so look at it now."

Itek blinked lazily at Ormiss, still not quite awake, but obliged by shifting back into animal form. Ormiss scooped my hair to the side.

"What do you think you see?" I asked Ormiss.

"I don't see anything, but the cat-bird might. I can feel something, though."

"Feel something?" That did not sound good.

Itek peered close with his raptor-sharp eyes. I shivered and tried to think about how pretty the ocean was. It was very blue and frothy that morning. Even if the entire island sort of felt fetid and grungy from the tainted rain.

Itek went over to the bug corpses and examined the leg on one. He clicked his beak, and shifted back into human form. "Smooth. The legs have little hooks on them, like hairs. It's what did so much damage to Korr and Ethat. This one's little hooks are ripped off and they're in her wound. Like nettles."