Chapter Eight

The rancorous sound broke the still dawn air. He tried to place it. Gorga’s long, muscular body slithered over him as she made her escape.

Where are you going? He inquired.

You need to ask? She turned to look at him.

Are you deserting me in a moment of need?

She is your female. I seek the solace of my basket.

Can’t you give her a small bite?

She will blame you for poisoning her.

You are right. Go on. I’ll stay here and pay the price. Daylight is nearly here.

He couldn’t stand the noise any longer and decided to get up. He looked at Krinna. She lay flat on her back with a hand covering each breast. Her mouth hung wide open.

Birds gathered in trees around her, but none dared to land above the unholy snoring from the sleeping woman.

Gorga, I’m going for supplies. I’ll be back soon. If you want to, you can fang her while I’m gone.

You fang her. She is your female.

###

Krinna awoke to the pleasant odor of cooked food. Her mouth felt dry. She rolled to her right side, sucked moisture from her throat, and spit. She opened her eyes and jumped past her bedroll. Tangling her foot in the blanket, she fell face down onto overripe fruit. She screamed. Her pain-wracked body demanded relief. Through tear-filled eyes, she watched her mark stand and look at her.

“What is the problem?” he calmly asked.

“Your stupid snake scared me. She is in my face,” she whimpered.

“Yes, I can see that. What did you do to challenge her?”

“Idiot,” she whispered. “I didn’t do anything. I spit. My mouth was dry, and I spit.”

“You spit toward her. In her species, it is a threat. You are vying for territory or her mate. In this case, it would be her male traveling companion.”

“Don’t you wish? You think too highly of yourself.”

“She isn’t after me.”

“All right! I’m sorry, okay. What do I do to appease your slinking girlfriend?”

“Very slowly face her. Look her in the eyes. Place either hand in front of your eyes and look away.”

“That sounds like so much horse dung.”

“It’s your life. Good luck. I need to attend to the food.” He smiled, faced the fire, and ignored her.

“I bet you are enjoying yourself.” Against her better judgment, she faced Gorga and raised her left hand before her eyes.

“If she senses fear, she will strike.”

Krinna looked away and said, “Can I get up now? My ribs hurt.”

Without looking, he replied, “Yes, she is pacified now.”

“Great!” Moaning and murmuring, she stood and stomped from the camp.

What was that about?

I don’t know.

Are all your females that way?

Perhaps it is a character flaw. If so, then I pray it is limited to her. It may come naturally. Remember, she is a female.

I’m not like her.

We can thank the Creator for it, he added. Get ready for another day. She is coming back.

I’m going hunting. Gorga replied and disappeared in the short grass.

###

Krinna’s mood lightened when she returned to camp. She needed to talk without arousing suspicions from her mark. Attempting to change subjects, she asked, “Do you rise early all the time?”

“No, I do it when I travel. I have decided to rest today. Tomorrow, I’ll continue my journey.”

“Where are you going?”

He hesitated to reply. She prayed she didn’t give herself away.

“I’m going north,” he said, scooping food into a dish. He extended his arm. She walked to him and took the plate.

“What sights do you have on your agenda? Is there any particular place?”

“No, but I heard about a place called Robbers Gulch Gorge. It is supposed to have a large, swinging bridge across it. Have you seen it?”

“No, I have not. I don’t frequent a den of thieves. I heard the scum of the earth lives there. I have other business in the north.”

“Since we travel in the same direction, you could go with me.”

“Oh no, I don’t care for your attitude. I don’t want people to know I have been with you … I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” she said hastily.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I understand,” he said and sat on the ground with a full plate. Spooning a bite into his mouth, he chewed quietly until he swallowed it. “Do you need me to check your bandage?”

“Now, that, I don’t need. I’m not going to expose my nakedness to everyone.”

He slowly looked around the orchard. He ate and ignored her.

Embarrassed, she allowed her anger to vent. “What do you want from me, Watermelon? Why are you so anxious to get my clothes off? Do you want me to wander aimlessly through the country, servicing you whenever you wish? I’m no one’s slattern, especially yours.”

He ate and listened.

His silence irritated her. She continued her tirade. “You saw me naked. Admit it. I was unconscious three weeks ago, and you exposed me to your lust-seeking eyes. How many times did you rub your dirty, stinking hands up and down my sexy, torn, defenseless body? Did you lie on me? Did you force me? Oh, you are disgusting.”

He smiled and said, “I washed my hands each time before I applied the salve to your body. They smelled like the ointment. I have something for you. It will calm your nerves and help you to relax.”

“You filthy, low-minded, whoremonger. I would not lie with you for any reason, even if you were the King of Arnsvale.” She set her untouched plate near the fire and stormed into the orchard.

Frustrated, she walked into the tall, golden grass. Ripe seed heads rattled together as a strong breeze bowed their stalks. The noise covered her passage as she went out several hundred feet. She sat down and hid from his prying eyes and his stupid smile. Yes, he would be watching her. He was an enigma. He was a thorn in her flesh. She needed to remove him.

Krinna lay down so he couldn’t find her. What did he say? He cut her clothes off and washed her wounds. I wonder how it feels to have a male rub medication all over one’s body. Scented oil in a romantic hideaway could be very pleasing, possibly sensuous. Perhaps if I play up to him, he’ll lower his guard. Then I head to the bank with my money.

“I wonder how it would be to make love with him,” she vocalized.

“It would be your dream come true,” a raspy voice said behind her.

Krinna rolled away from the voice and pulled a boot knife. Two men were flanking her position. She turned to face the voice.

“I’m here to make your dream come true,” he said, slowly moving a foot forward. “Throw the knife away before someone gets hurt. Make love to me, and you’ll never want another.”

“This is the first time I have smelled stench upwind. You are an insult to lye soap.”

“Come on, girly. The others are waiting." Puzzled, he looked past her.

She chanced a look backward. The other men were gone. Redirecting her attention to the amorous one, she found him lying in the grass. Cautiously, she approached. It might be a ruse. He lay on his back with vacant eyes, staring at the sky. He was dead. She pushed his head with her boot. It rolled to the side.

Rattling seed pods covered all sound. Warily, she rotated her body toward the orchard. She felt naked and exposed. Her little episode caused her to leave the trees and her mark’s protection. She broke her own rule and compromised her safety.

Proceeding toward the tree line, she spied the other two lying dead in the waist-high grass. Who killed them? “Gorga, you long, beautiful viper, I love you. Wait a minute!” Krinna examined the bodies below their knees. Retracing her steps, she checked the first one. There was no evidence of a snake bite.

“Okay, if she didn’t do it, then who did? Oh no, not again. He did it again.” Acting foolish and frustrated because he considered her an immature fool, she walked out into the thicket of trees.

“Just wait, you egotistical … smug … man. I’m going to fix you,” she muttered as she stalked into camp.

By the Creator, he lay flat on his back, asleep. Gorga lay on his chest. Krinna watched her serpentine body rise and fall with his chest. The fool was sleeping.

Someone tries to rape and kill me, and he has the gall to sleep. Doesn’t he care for me … my safety? Without hesitation, she barged in and kicked the bottom of his right foot. He didn’t move. She kicked harder. He didn’t react. “What’s the matter with you? Idiot, wake up! You nearly got me killed. You better tell me how you did it.” She kicked his foot again for good measure.

She shut her mouth in time to see his eyes open. She jumped back. Two diamond-shaped pupils stared at her. I have to learn how he does that. It is a definite attention-getter. If I used such a tool correctly, then it would garner more lucrative contracts.

“How did you do it?”

He yawned and said, “First, I picked the perfect ripe fruit and cooked it. I strained the juice through a clean rag and continued the cooking process. I saved the pulp for dinner and some juice for later. I can show you my technique.”

“Stop it!” she screamed. “Stop playing games with me! How did you kill them? She demanded.

His pupils changed. I have to learn how he does that.

“Krinna, you are so tense. You need to calm yourself and take a moment to relax. I have something to help you.”

“Don’t start on me, snake charmer. Don’t change the subject. How did you kill them?”

“I didn’t. They fell off the tree, and I salvaged them. Why don’t I help you relax?”

She shouted, “With what snake, man? You think you are god’s gift to womanhood. What makes you believe I want you?”

“Me? Why would you want me? I’m not good enough for you. I only want you to settle down.”

“I’m not tense!” she shouted. “I don’t want you. Stop turning things around. What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Did I say something right?”

“Who said you are not good enough for me? I think … see how you are. You are trying to trick me.”

“Gorga move. I’m going to leave camp. She makes too much noise to make sense.”

Discouraged and disappointed, she sat down and watched him disappear behind the trees. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. She reached up with her right hand and wiped the water from her face and eyes. She was pathetic. Her mind wandered to the orphan children she had seen sitting along the streets begging for alms. They were pathetic. Did they feel then as she felt now? She saw their tears and turned away. The circumstances were different, but now, she was a pathetic orphan, and he walked away.

Why did he make her feel inferior? Did he do it intentionally? Was he trying to drive her away? She raised her head and glared at Gorga. “This is all your fault. You should have killed him.” She said, pointing an accusing finger at her. “If you had killed him, then I would be relaxed and spending my reward. It’s your fault,” she whimpered.

Her mind wandered for hours as she wallowed in self-pity. The sun reached its zenith and started its downward trek before a rumbling in her stomach distracted her.

Gorga crawled over and looked at the offending organ.

“Yeah, I’m hungry. Let’s see what he has cooked up.” She moved to the fire and lifted the lid from a small pot. “I don’t know how he cooks such great dishes, but it smells wonderful.”

She retrieved a wooden spoon he left on a rock and stirred the pot. Hot, mouth-watering, Elple odor filled the air. It was a pudding. “He made Elple pudding, Gorga.” Krinna shoved the instrument into the mixture and ate it off the spoon. “Oh my, you should taste this,” she said, wagging the spoon toward the serpent. “It’s fantastic.” She ate another bite and another one. “Gorga, you would love this.”

Gorga raised her body and followed the instrument of delight from the pot to Krinna’s mouth.

“You are a snake. I can’t feed you with my hands this time. Hey! Do you want to eat it with a spoon? Come on. We’ll show Watermelon how smart you are.”

“Remember, you have to keep your fangs up,” she said, shoving pudding into her open mouth. Gorga looked from the spoon to the pot. “Okay, I’ll give you another bite and then have one. We can switch off.”

“Oops! We ate it all. Look, the pot is empty.” She held the pot up. Gorga placed her head inside and withdrew it. “I hope he didn’t want any. Gorga, my fine, scaly friend, we need something to drink.”

She allowed her eyes to search his belongings. His water bottle lay near his pack. She didn’t want water. A delicious meal called for a small glass of wine. Desperately, she searched. Her eyes zeroed in on the brown skin bottle hanging from a tree limb. “Gorga, we are saved. I see a hanging treasure that needs our cooperative attention. Wait here,” she said and jumped to her feet. She staggered toward the tree. “His pudding has a kick to it.”

Lifting the skin down, she pulled the stopper and raised it to her mouth. She took a long swig from it. Warm wine poured down her throat. Lowering the skin, she caught her breath and took another drink.

Gorga swayed from a limb above her. She pushed her snout against Krinna’s mouth. She kept the bottle to her lips and pushed the viper away with her right hand. Gorga circled her arm and pushed the container from Krinna’s face. Wine poured from her mouth and onto her tunic.

“Stupid stake … snake. You can’t drink wine.”

Gorga flicked her tongue and captured a taste from her chin.

“Okay, if you are sure, open your mouth, and I’ll fill you up. We’ll retake turns. I get to go first.