Tex realized these were other women from the Rama tribe. It was a reunion. They hadn’t seen each other since their escape.

  He laughed with joy.

  How perfect! I can’t wait to see Grendel’s reaction.

  What he wanted more than anything, though, was to show Emi the village and introduce her to Lorelei.

  She was going to be so happy.

  ***

  Utu and the other girls set out with the bachelors to retrieve Emi, Grendel, and the Weevol tribe. In the meantime, Lorelei led Tex through the village, followed closely by about a dozen Rama women.

  Fimm consisted of several longhouses and a few smaller structures. Lichen-covered totem poles towered here and there. The most prominent figure depicted on them was a handsome elf with flowing hair and a shining crown on his head.

  “Is that Solis?” Tex said.

  “Yes. That is how the elves envision him,” Lorelei said.

  “Is it accurate?”

  She looked at him in surprise. “Oh, I haven’t seen him!”

  Walking past the longhouses, they swished through long grass and looked down a slope towards the beach. The Isle of Shayla rose out of the deep blue, the last outpost in an endless sea.

  “Alok longed to set foot on that island,” Lorelei said. “He wanted to seduce Shayla more than anything.”

  “She’s real then?”

  “Of course!” She sidled up beside him. “If he could seduce her, she might give him untold power.”

  “So why didn’t he take a boat over there, then?”

  Lorelei smiled archly. “Legend has it you can only sail to the Isle of Shayla on a craft made with trees of the forest of Fimm. Any other craft will be smashed asunder and all the travelers drowned.

  “And no one would cut down your trees without permission, right?”

  “They wouldn’t dare.”

  “So the legend is true, then?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t believe a word,” he said jokingly.

  She shrugged and flicked her hair. “Try it then. Make a craft from a different tree, not one of mine. See if it works — I dare you.”

  Tex laughed. “Does that mean you give me permission to use one of your trees?”

  The nymph was already walking away, swaying her hips. Instead of answering his question, she gave him a playful look over her shoulder. “There’s a natural spring over here! Come, I’ll show you. Perhaps you’d like to bathe after that battle.”

  Taking Tex’s hand, she led him down a trail through the grass towards the part of the woods on the south side of the village.

  The touch of her hand was electric. He felt himself overflowing with muscular virility, and he could practically smell the pheromones of all the fertile females around him.

  Especially Lorelei.

  She squeezed his hand as if she knew what he was thinking.

  All the women followed, whispering and tittering excitedly.

  Tex heard a nagging voice in the back of his head. No! Remember the plan… Propriety!

  But that voice was just a faint discordant note in the much louder erotic chorus that rang in his ears and switched on all his senses.

  His balls seemed to get heavier and heavier, and his cock filled up fast.

  Lorelei’s hips swayed as the mounds of her tight butt moved beneath her tunic.

  Chapter thirty-three

  TEX WAS SO enraptured with the view of the nymph’s backside that he almost didn’t notice they were walking through the forest.

  When they reached the pool, he blinked at it in surprise.

  “Hang on,” he murmured. “Maybe we should wait until the others arrive.”

  Lorelei batted her eyes at him.

  “You mean your friends? Don’t worry; I will know when they arrive in my woods. We’ll send one of these ladies to get them, and then they can join us.”

  She turned around, rubbing her thighs together and looking at the water. The Aramantha women crouched and dipped their hands in the water.

  “It would be so lovely to bathe in here!” one said. “Deslora reserved that privilege for herself and the harem exclusively.”

  “Yeah,” another one whined. “She only allowed us to have sponge baths!”

  This piqued Tex’s interest because there was something off about it.

  “But weren’t you all part of Alok’s harem?” Tex asked. “Forgive me if it’s too personal, but I thought that was his whole plan.”

  The Aramantha women all threw their heads back and cackled with glee.

  Lorelei explained that Alok had been too greedy in his acquisition of Night Magic, taking up too much of it too fast. This led to certain side effects, of which Alok had been given ample warning.

  But he didn’t listen.

  A big part of the reason he wanted to get Lorelei on his side was that she could have cured his erectile dysfunction.

  “He never touched any of us,” one woman purred, taking Tex’s arm. “He got to a lot of the other women, but not the Aramantha. I guess you’re pretty lucky.”

  “I’m lucky?” he rasped. “What’s it have to do with me?” His tongue felt like lead. Plus, he couldn’t take his eyes off Lorelei’s legs.

  She giggled, thrilled with the effect she was having on him.

  Turning around, she let her tunic drop to her ankles and stepped out of it. Tex watched as she waded into the crystal clear water of the spring, quickly descending until she was up to her hips in water.

  The nagging voice at the back Tex’s mind had gone completely mute now.

  Several young women immediately threw off their clothes and ran past him, brushing against him before splashing into the water. All the others followed, and the pool was soon filled with naked women, splashing, cavorting, and laughing.

  Tex suddenly realized he was standing there leering at them and gritting his teeth. His cock pushed hard against the animal skin.

  “Come on, Lord Tex!” Lorelei said, rising from the water, streams trickling down her swollen breasts and over the roundness of her calves.

  Her smile was so genuine and cheerful, it was disarming. She walked onto the shore, her eyes fixed on his.

  She gazed at his granite chin, her chest heaving.

  Is she swooning over me? Tex thought. A nymph, the embodied ideal of female beauty? This hot immortal babe… swooning for me?

  She reached out impulsively and brushed her fingers over Tex’s hand.

  “I… I’d like to help you…”

  “Help me with what?” he rumbled.

  She looked down at the bulge in his animal skin. “With that,” she whispered.

  The noise of the cavorting women faded as Tex gazed at Lorelei’s perfect, Disney-princess face.

  “I’d like to let you help me... but…”

  He had a vague feeling he was seconds away from destroying everything he’d worked for.

  Propriety, remember? You don’t want to undermine your credibility. How will it look if you have an orgy with a big group of women you’ve just supposedly liberated?

  He looked into the nymph’s eyes. “I can’t... Not like this.”

  Lorelei’s brow crinkled with confusion. Her sexy confidence suddenly faltered. She searched Tex’s eyes anxiously.

  “Um, I was just really hoping… you’d... um, join me in the water… for… you know. The consecration and all.”

  Tex frowned.

  Consecration?

  The little nymph wilted, mistaking his confusion for irritation. She rushed to explain herself.

  “I — I didn’t mean to presume. If you don’t want to choose me, I understand! I didn’t expect you to choose me, anyway. I’m just a nymph, after all. It’s just… I–I’d hoped that maybe…”

  She looked at the ground, clutching her wrist and inadvertently squishing her tits together.

  “... I hoped that maybe you’d choose me once you saw how fun I was. I know, it was silly.”

  “Choose you?” Tex gritted out. “Choose you for what?”

  She looked up at him again, her eyes wide and her mouth making a small “o”.

  “For… For the consecration… You mean you don’t know about it? Oh!” She stared at him for a few seconds, and then all the words suddenly spilled out in a confused rush.

  “Because you are the subject of a prophecy and prophecies come from the gods, that means a god or fey can declare you to be the one and confirm it. Ugh, I’m explaining this badly!”

  “Don’t worry. You’re doing fine.”

  “Thanks! Well, anyway, the first god or fey who sees you in the world may take the privilege of confirming you, which I did already. Once you’ve committed great deeds and proved yourself, that same god or fey can consecrate you — if you choose her! Oh! one more thing: the consecration will initiate you into the Order of Heroes.”

  Tex was speechless.

  “But if you’d rather be consecrated by a goddess… I understand.”

  She hugged herself and looked away, embarrassed. Apparently, she felt she’d made a fool of herself.

  Tex stifled a chuckle. She was so naive and innocent. How long had she lived in her chaste forest where men feared to walk?

  Lorelei’s pretty lip quivered, and her eyes became misty. Was she actually about to cry?

  Suddenly overcome with the desire to make her smile, Tex touched her arm. “I would be honored if you consecrated me.”

  The nymph perked up. “You would? Really?”

  “Really.”

  He cleared his throat. “But what does it entail?”

  Lorelei smiled. “You’ve got to bathe in the purifying waters, and…” she blushed. “Um... yeah.”

  He unslung his rifle and put his other weapons beside it, then he untied his animal skin and let it drop to the ground.

  “Anything else?”

  Lorelei shyly took the tips of his fingers into her hand. “First we’ll bathe you in the spring water.”

  “And then?”

  She laughed nervously, her face turning fully red. “You ask too many questions; you’ll take all the mystery out of it!”

  Tex allowed Lorelei to lead him into the water. Once they got waist-deep, all the women waded towards him, and there were a lot of horny hands pawing his cock and balls.

  It was as if being in the water gave them permission to be naughty.

  Lorelei led Tex to a boulder that rose up in the middle of the pond. Two different levels of benches had been carved into it, so it was like seating in a spa.

  Tex climbed to the upper bench and sat down, his erection pointing up like a spear, breaking the surface of the water. Lorelei sat beside him, curling her legs under her. He put his arm around her, and she moved closer, leaning on his lap.

  Other women gathered around, rising from the water and sticking out their chests. They rubbed their hands all over his chest and through his hair, saying, “We’ll bathe you Lord Tex, we’ll bathe you.”

  They rubbed every part of his body except his manhood. It grew even stiffer, pumping and throbbing of its own accord. He was getting worried he’d blow his load before anything even started.

  What am I, 14 years old?

  To be fair, he’d experienced nothing like this before.

  Lorelei’s hand searched underwater and rested on his thigh. Then she timidly wrapped her fingers around his shaft as the other women watched with hungry eyes.

  The nymph brushed her lips against his ear. “There’s another part of the initiation,” she breathed. “I was too shy to tell you before. You can still say no. I wasn’t trying to trick you, I swear. I just.... I would have died if I had to tell you before.”

  “That’s okay.” Tex chuckled. “What is it?”

  “You give me… your…” her voice trailed off.

  “What was that? I give you my… what?”

  Tex threw his arms around her and dug his fingers into her thighs and ass.

  “Your seed!” she squeaked, gasping for breath.

  He groped her pussy and slipped his fingers into her folds. She opened her legs. Her body convulsed.

  “You mean you want me to put my cock into this tight little hole?” he hummed.

  Lorelei gasped. She looked at Tex, wearing an expression of shocked innocence.

  “You — you mean… Th-that’s… how it works?”

  “Yeah, that’s how it works. How did you think I was going to give you my seed?”

  “I… I thought you sprayed it on me... down there.”

  He pushed another finger in and felt her tightness gripping his digits. She and worked her hips.

  A few pretty women gathered around to support her.

  “That’s it,” one of them said, cupping her cheeks and kissing her.

  “But… but how is it going to fit inside me?” the nymph whined. “It’s too big.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” Tex rumbled. “I’ll stretch you out. Come here. Put your feet on this ledge.”

  Taking her pliant wrist, he made her straddle him backwards so that her butt was in his face.

  “Sit down on my cock.”

  “Okay!”

  She slowly lowered herself as Tex lined up his pulsing cock. The sweet smell of her sex was setting his senses on fire. His cock was straining towards her entrance, and he felt warm feminine energy emanating from her pussy, almost pulling his cock towards it.

  This erotic energy was already working on his cock even before he was touching her.

  Tex groaned with pleasure.

  But Lorelei suddenly stopped. “Oh!” she said, keeping her pussy suspended an inch or two above Tex’s dick. “They’re here! Your friends are in the forest.”

  “I’ll get them!” one of the girls said, splashing out of the water and running through the forest, not minding the fact that she was stark naked.

  Although Tex’s cock ached to be inside Lorelei, he suddenly felt guilty. The girls were going to see him right in the act!

  But Lorelei lowered herself, and his tip entered her tight, warm pussy hole.

  Tex growled and dug his fingers into her waist.

  Lorelei put her hands on Tex’s knees, spread her thighs wide, and began frantically moving her hips, sweating and whining as she slid up and down, up and down. Tex involuntarily thrust his pelvis, plunging deeper.

  Eventually, the nymph made it right to the base of Tex’s aching cock, squeezing her wet pussy up and down his entire length.

  “Oh… God… Your pussy feels amazing… It’s… different.”

  “Because I’m a nymph,” she squealed.

  Lorelei’s magic pussy gripped him, sucking and milking, making his cock tingle with its needy, feminine energy.

  She kept moaning “Lord Tex…. Lord Tex,” over and over. Tex groaned towards his climax. He felt himself pop. Streams of cum squirted deep inside the nymph. Grabbing her waist, he thrust into her and screamed out his final release.

  At that moment, he noticed Neesha, standing on the shore, watching him with a quizzical expression. Emi, Grendel, Zila, Bmimi, and Utu were all there.

  Tex felt kind of sheepish, but the women didn’t appear to be upset. Utu, Neesha, and Zila looked like they wanted to join in.

  Emi and the others averted their eyes, but they didn’t look shocked.

  They expected it.

  “It’s — it’s finished!” Lorelei announced, releasing Tex from the tight grip of her body. She waded into the water towards the shore.

  “The consecration is complete! Lord Tex is now in the Order of Heroes! Yay!”

  She jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

  All the women in the water joined in, many of them cheering, “Alok is dead!” “Long live Tex!”

  All the harem girls clapped and cheered, and none was more excited than Emi. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands and beaming at Tex.

  Chapter thirty-four

  LORELEI WANTED TO begin the festivities as soon as they got dressed.

  However, Tex explained his urgent plan to bring Emi to the Isle of Shayla. He wanted to go immediately.

  “Unless... you can help her?” he asked Lorelei hopefully.

  The nymph shook her head. “I’m sorry. I cannot heal that kind of sickness. But I know Shayla can… if she chooses.”

  Tex’s eyes brightened. “Realy?”

  “Certainly. That doesn’t mean she would for just anyone who asked.” She grabbed Tex’s arm, seeing his face fall. “But for you, she may do it!”

  “You mean she already knows about me?”

  “Most certainly! The gods are interested in your progress. I’m sure Shayla’s been watching you, too.”

  Tex stared in amazement. Even gods were interested in him?

  Lorelei raised her fist, apparently holding something inside. “If you’re going now, you’ll need this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Take it.”

  She opened her hand, and a green light shone between her fingers and dropped onto Tex’s palm. Before he could react, his entire hand shone green. He howled in surprise as the light crawled up his arm and spread over his entire body.

  Lorelei pawed at his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m giving you magic. You don’t think I’d hurt you, do you?”

  The green light grew brighter, and for a moment Tex saw images of leaves and branches, and a pine smell was in his nostrils.

  This soon passed.

  He rubbed his temples. “You surprised me.”

  “Sorry… I should have warned you.”

  “What was that?”

  “I gave you the power to magically craft a vessel to take you to the Isle of Shayla. This will ensure a safe passage, as long as you follow my instructions.”

  Tex’s eyes glowed at this news. “Thank you so much, Lorelei. Can I build the boat right away?”

  “You can build it whenever you wish.”

  Emi burst into tears and flew into Tex’s arms. She looked at Lorelei, sniffling. “You really think Shayla will… cure me?”

  “Yes. But don’t expect it to come without cost. She may want something in return.”

  Tex and Emi gazed at the nymph with concern.

  “Like what?” Tex murmured, imagining she’d demand his soul or make him complete ten impossible quests.

  But Lorelei had something else in mind. “Shayla may be a goddess,” she said with a smirk, “but she’s also a woman. It gets lonely on her island, I’ve heard.”