There was only one thing on his mind now. Emi. He couldn’t wait to lie down beside her, feel her in his arms.

  Stumbling with weariness, he walked towards the little cave where he knew Emi was waiting for him. As he approached, he noticed smoke curling up from below. So, she’d made a fire. How cozy.

  “Emi,” he called as sat on the ledge and lowered himself into the hole.

  “Tex!”

  She rushed out and embraced him. As Tex put his arms around her delicate body, he felt happy.

  He felt like he could relax and sleep deeply. He’d earned it. All the obstacles were eliminated; tomorrow, they would go home.

  Chapter fifty

  EMI WALKED INTO the cave ahead of Tex. The ceiling was high enough that she could stand up, albeit in a crouched position.

  Tex, on the other hand, duck-walked his way in.

  The fire burned near the entrance, within a sort of “front-hall” area.

  Inside, it was fairly spacious, with plenty of room for the two of them to lie down. Dry white sand covered the ground, providing a soft bedding.

  And the space didn’t feel cramped at all, probably in part because there was a natural window in the rock, giving a view to the moonlit ocean.

  Emi looked at Tex’s wet animal skin wrap. “Let me take that animal skin and put it by the fire to dry,” she said in a cozy voice.

  Tex took off the covering and handed it to Emi.

  She busily took the animal skin and laid it out beside the fire.

  Then she went over to the corner where the window was and sat down on her heels. Tex could see that she’d already made herself at home there, and she was excited to have him join her.

  But there was tension in the air, now that Tex was stark naked. Emi looked down at the sand, running her fingers through it.

  Tex noticed a tiny bouquet — made up of the little flowers Tex had seen growing out of the rocks.

  He picked it up. “That’s cute.”

  Emi smiled shyly. “Thanks.”

  “Are you shy because I’m naked? Sorry about that.”

  Emi shook her head, almost glancing at him. “No, it isn’t that.”

  “What is it, then?”

  “I don’t know.” She let out a little chuckle.

  Tex sat down beside her, leaving a couple of feet between them. “You’ve made it really cozy in here, Emi. I like it.”

  The little elf looked down at her fingers. She pinched her thumb, giving it a squeeze, then she did the same for each of her fingers. Then she started the same process with the other hand.

  Tex watched her, bemused. “Does that feel good?”

  Emi suddenly froze. She lowered her hands onto her lap, and Tex could see her cheeks redden.

  “It’s a habit,” she said in a small voice. “I … I do it sometimes. I suppose it does feel good.”

  “Hm. Let me try it.”

  Tex proceeded to squeeze each of his fingers. Emi turned her head and watched him do it, but she was still too shy, apparently, to make eye-contact.

  “I see why you like it,” Tex said. “It’s relaxing.”

  Emi finally looked up at Tex’s face, as if to check if he was being serious. There was such an earnest, questioning look in her eyes that Tex chuckled with joy.

  He smiled broadly, scooting closer. “You’re so adorable,” he murmured.

  Emi leaned closer to Tex, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Why are you in such a funny mood?” Tex said in a gentle voice. “We’re going home tomorrow. You’ll see Neesha again, and your other friends. And tonight we’ve got this cozy little home-away-from home to stay in.

  “I couldn’t ask for anything more. In fact, you know what? I’m so happy right now. Listen! You can hear the ocean. What a beautiful sound.”

  Emi sniffled once, and then she burst into tears. “Oh, Tex,” she sobbed, putting her arms around him and falling against his chest.

  Tex stared at the top of her head in surprise. “Emi … Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing… I… I’m so happy.”

  Tex chuckled softly and kissed her hair. “Well, you have a funny way of showing it.”

  “I’m sorry,” she breathed.

  “Don’t apologize.”

  Tex lifted her chin. Her big green eyes blinked at him, puffy from the tears. He gazed at them admiringly, and her cheeks flushed even more.

  He kissed her lips. Just one quick kiss. She gazed at him blissfully.

  “Emi. You make me want to keep going. You make everything worthwhile.”

  Her lip quivered, and tears pooled in her eyes.

  “Don’t cry.”

  Tex put his hands on her face, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Then he gently cradled the back of her head and kissed her again — and again.

  The next one lingered for longer. Emi returned his kiss with a soft moan.

  When Tex moved away, her head was tilted back, eyes shut, lips parted, hungry for more.

  He continued kissing her, putting an arm around her supple waist and placing his other hand on her thigh.

  Emi responded to Tex’s touch by twisting her body towards him, squirming closer. The way she arched back and writhed her slender body reminded Tex how lithe and flexible she was.

  He groaned and kneaded her thigh. Emi gasped. Her waist convulsed and shudders ran through her lower body.

  She recovered herself and pounced, almost climbing on top of Tex.

  Her inhibitions seemed to have gone out the cave window, at least for the moment. Emi kept kissing him passionately, but Tex eventually stopped. He sat beside her again, his arm around her waist.

  “I’ve never seen you like that,” he said with a smile.

  Emi’s chest rose and fell as she gasped for breath. She looked like she didn’t know what hit her, but she clearly wanted more.

  However, Tex knew perfectly well it would be better for her if he backed off for a bit to let things calm down. Let the tension build, and then … boom. He’d hit her with more, and it would be even more intense.

  Emi rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. I … I guess I’ve been keeping it all inside. Until now.”

  “Well, I’m glad you let it out,” Tex said.

  “Yeah. I just… wasn’t ready before.”

  Tex hugged her. “I know. But now that you’re cured, you feel more confident. I can see it already.”

  She grinned at him. “Really? I do feel so much better. Oh, I can’t wait to see Neesha, and the others.”

  “Me too. I can’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces.”

  They cuddled for a bit. Before long, they started kissing again, but the kisses felt even more intimate and deeper than before.

  They ended up spooning on the soft sand.

  “Tex,” Emi mewled. “I … I want to …” She giggled.

  “You don’t have to say it,” Tex said. “I know.”

  Emi suddenly turned around, lying on her side but pushing her bum against Tex’s groin and pushing her head back so that her hair was in her face.

  Tex chuckled knowingly. “This is what Neesha told you to do, isn’t it?”

  Emi drew in a breath. She twisted around and looked at Tex. “You mean…?”

  “That night in the cave … I was awake.”

  “Oh, gods!” Emi breathed, turning back around.

  Tex grabbed her waist and pushed his pelvis against her behind. “That’s alright. I enjoyed it.”

  “Mmm. I bet you did.”

  He squeezed his fingers into her waist, and then his hand explored her stomach. It protruded a little beneath her belly button.

  “This is mine,” Tex whispered, clutching her belly possessively. “This womb belongs to me.”

  “Yes,” Emi whined, squirming her hips. “It belongs to you, Tex.”

  He kept his hand firmly on her stomach, pushing his fingers into her soft flesh. Emi moaned.

  “I wanna put babies in there someday.”

  “Now, Tex,” Emi breathed.

  Tex leaned over Emi to look at her face. “Now?”

  “Yes! I want your seed now. I’m ready to have babies.”

  Tex put his hand up Emi’s animal skin wrap and caressed her tight bottom. Then he slipped his fingers between her ass cheeks, pressing into her warm mound. She was dripping wet.

  Pushing his finger into her folds, he spread the wetness around and then pushed in farther.

  Emi gasped, arching her back and pushing her bum into his hand.

  Tex felt the tightness of her pussy gripping his digit.

  “This is gonna take some work,” he murmured, pressing his cock against the soft skin of her bum. “But that’s okay. We’re gonna take it slow.”

  He lined up his tip with her warm entrance, slowly pushing in. Emi spasmed as Tex forced his way inside her, arching her back even more, legs trembling.

  The inside of Emi was hot, wet, and tight against the head of Tex’s long member. Slipping his hand underneath her waist, he wrapped both his arms around her lithe body, holding her in a possessive vice-grip as he slowly pushed farther into her.

  “Oh my gods, that feels … so… good,” Emi moaned.

  Gradually, Tex pushed his way completely inside Emi. Her body stiffened as he shoved against the entrance to her womb. Tex leaned over and looked at her face; her mouth was ajar, eyes staring wide.

  He fucked her slowly, but she was already convulsing and spasming, touching herself and moaning.

  “Oh my god, that’s a snug little pussy,” Tex groaned.

  Emi’s orgasm was steadily building up. She babbled and panted, delirious, as her body shuddered violently in Tex’s arms.

  Then she went limp, exhausted. She was finished.

  Tex sped up his thrusting, holding Emi’s waist in the grip of his fingers. She revived, and she started moaning again.

  “Oh … It’s happening … again,” she said.

  As Emi’s body was once again wracked with tremors, her pussy clamped down onto his cock, and a stream of cum shot into her, splashing against the entrance to her womb.

  Tex pumped out stream after stream of seed into Emi until he was empty.

  Then they lay in each other’s arms and blissfully fell asleep.

  Chapter fifty-one

  AMISTING RAIN washed over Fimm for several days, but this did not prevent the Great Contest from going forward as planned.

  Even Miss Weevol agreed that they must hold it rain or shine.

  The women tried to make the most of it. They all baked and cooked, contributing to a kind of potlatch. One could go around sampling all the dishes that each tribe was known for.

  That was Grendel and Bmimi’s favorite part. They weren’t particularly interested in watching the contest, as impressive as it was. But the food — that got them excited.

  They went from tipi to tipi, trying out all the dishes. Utu and Zila took more of an interest in the games, partly for the sport of it.

  But also because they were interested in the politics of the games. Who would come out on top? Which men would the women favor? And would there be any treachery behind the scenes?

  The men competed in spear throwing, running, fighting, hunting, feats of strength, and many other things.

  The Rama women watched these activities with amusement and interest, but they didn’t get too riled up. Tex was their chief, so they had no skin in the game.

  However, all the other ladies—the Weevol tribe and the former tribes of Alok and Houlo — watched with rising excitement and clamor.

  As for the men, they competed like their lives depended on it.

  An outside observer might have assumed that the winners would be awarded all the most desirable women at the end of the contest.

  That was not, in fact, how it worked. Still, the men’s performance and behavior during the Contest was crucial.

  It was all about the impression they made on the women. By the end of the Great Contest, the women would have opinions about the men, either good or bad. Those viewed in a positive light would become objects of interest and even adulation.

  Following the games, dances would be held. And it was during this time that the courtship would take place.

  By the third day of the Contest, the favorites had become clear.

  Among the favorites was Broden. The young bruiser had excelled in all the competitions, making a name for himself.

  Moreover, despite his gruff manner — and Bmimi’s opinion about the size of his head — he was handsome and well-liked by other men.

  Yarolk was another. He was not extraordinarily strong, but he was skilled and intelligent, and the women saw that other men respected him as a leader.

  There were two favorites. Golin, the “interim chief” of the former Houlo women, and Steelfar, leader of the bachelor group that had come from the north.

  Golin was a massive man with legs like tree trunks. He was supremely confident, but his dark, luminous eyes had a bird-like ruthlessness in them.

  Steelfarr had a boyish face and quick eyes that seemed to hold intelligence beyond his young age. He always had a knowing smirk that made girls wonder what he was thinking about.

  By the third day of the Contest, everyone knew that three of these four men would become the chiefs.

  Once that happened, their most trusted men would naturally be next in line as the most desirable men available for the remaining women.

  After that, further dances would be held, wherein the remaining men and women would find mates.

  “The Aramantha peoples will be united once again,” Yarolk had said in a speech during the opening ceremony.

  “And when Lord Tex returns, he will command a force of loyal men. Together we will stand against the menace that comes to enslave us all.

  “So let us stand together, my brothers. We shall make Lord Tex proud!”

  The speech did rouse some patriotic feeling, and when Yarolk cried, “Three cheers for Lord Tex!” a great chorus of cheers rose up, especially from Yarolk and Broden’s bachelors.

  But the speech was tainted somehow. It was hard to put one’s finger on it, but there was something … ugly crouching beneath Yarolk’s words, like a toad hiding in the dark.

  This was not lost on Golin. He watched the speech with a cynical glimmer in his eye.

  “He gives a fine speech,” he said to his men. “But his words ring hollow. There’s doubt in his voice. Can’t you hear it?

  “And see how he keeps glancing at the dark-haired woman, as if for permission to speak. One may wonder if he is his own master.”

  Indeed, Nikrilda watched Yarolk closely, and his words seemed strained under her gaze. Grendel noticed it, too: Yarolk kept casting sidelong glances at the Gypso woman, as if she was his mother and he was a naughty little boy.

  The feeling that something was just … off grew stronger as the Contest continued.

  “It’s all wrong,” Grendel said to Bmimi as the second day wound down. “I can feel it; there’s something … I don’t know, discordant about the whole thing.”

  Bmimi’s ears went flat, and she gazed out at the field, where men competed in fighting matches. “I know what you mean,” she agreed.

  All the mad rumors going around certainly didn’t help.

  Grendel caught wind of them even before the Great Contest began. There were disparaging whispers about Tex — just a brief comment here or there.

  That was how it started. By the third day of the Contest, the rumors were spoken more openly and frequently. People outright said that Tex might be a fraud, and some even positively declared that he certainly was.

  Then there was the gossip about Yarolk — how he was too honorable for his own good. Some even called him naive.

  All this chatter became a growing source of anxiety for Grendel and the others. Grendel found it harder and harder to sleep at night.

  Everything was falling apart without Tex there.

  Naturally, all the Rama women were also very upset to hear these rumors going around about their chief. Arguments often broke out with women of other tribes, sometimes becoming physical.

  By the third day of the contest, rumor and gossip abounded, not just about Tex and Yarolk, but concerning Golin and Steelfarr as well.

  The main rumor about Golin was that he had nefarious motives in coming to Fimm to participate in the Great Contest.

  “It’s skullduggery!” one lady told Grendel. “That’s what it is. Think about it. Golin takes over the Houlo tribe but declares himself interim leader?

  “Come now, do you think he did it out of the goodness of his heart? Does he look that virtuous to you?”

  “But don’t think he believes in what Tex is doing?”

  “Child, he doesn’t even know Lord Tex. Why would he trust him? It’s more likely he saw an opportunity to seize a greater number of women than he would have got if he’d settled for the Houlo tribe.

  “He probably wants to keep the Houlo women and take another tribe into the bargain.”

  Everything reached a crisis point at the end of the fourth day, during what should have been the most joyous part of the Great Contest.

  Points were tallied up, and it was time to announce the winners. Medals and trophies were not a thing for the Aramantha; the prize was the glory that came with having one’s deeds recognized in a public forum.

  The Ceremony of Glory was to take place in the field outside Fimm, on the Contest grounds. Crowds of women huddled together in the drizzling rain, chattering with anticipation. Rows of men stood with grim, expectant faces.

  Then a person came forward — the one selected to announce the winners.

  Of all people, it was Nikrilda.

  She strode onto the empty field and stood where the winners would soon present themselves. All eyes watched her, and it was evident she enjoyed being the center of attention.

  She tossed her hair and surveyed the audience. Grendel watched her with increasing disquiet. She didn’t know how or why Nikrilda had been selected to announce the winners, but it didn’t surprise her at this point.

  So many people seemed to adulate Nikrilda almost to the point of worshiping her.

  Grendel certainly felt her thrall when she looked into her eyes, but this only made her more suspicious, once she thought about it more clearly.