TRC - Lord of the Glass Desert Ch. 40

"Welcome to my humble abode," said Ikuno, closing and setting the book on a small table nailed to the floor beside the pillows.

Kashka rolled her eyes. "This isn't the first time I've been down here."

"I know, but while Kal spends most nights with me, you haven't joined us since we left port."

The cat sighed."That's true, and it's part of the reason I wanted to talk to you tonight."

"I didn't mean to sound accusing. I know you love Captain Ratt very much and that you are spending as much time with her as you can."

"It's okay," she said, tapping her head, "I knew you weren't trying to make me feel bad."

"To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

Kashka took a deep breath. "I want to spend some time with you, Ikuno. Because of the bond, I almost can't help but love you. At the same time, because it's through Kal's feelings for you, that love feels forced, almost artificial. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I don't want things to be like that between us."

"You may find it surprising to know that I understand what you are feeling, though I can't say I feel that way toward you or any of Kal's women. Centuries ago, I was a concubine to the Azumbahan Emperor. I was his eighth concubine, and by the time he passed away, the man had more than forty. Each time a new woman joined us, it was much like you said, a forced affection. Despite the tales told in some books or ballads of cattiness, no offense intended, and backstabbing--"

"None taken."

"--most of us got along quite well. With permission from the Emperor, a few of us even became lovers. Over time, the 'forced' feeling faded. I began to understand that we were there for the Emperor. He was my focus, and it was not necessary for me to love or even care about the other concubines, though good relations among us made life a lot more pleasant."

"I'm having a hard time seeing you in a harem."

"Admittedly, I was more of a novelty than anything. Once the newness wore off, the Emperor rarely called upon me. Not that I blame him. This was before I knew the spell I cast on Kal, and while I can make myself tight enough for a human to enjoy himself, a regular cock looks quite small inside me. Many of my male lovers have voiced similar complaints."

"If he got bored, then why not release you."

"Prestige. Intimidation. He saw having an oni in his harem as a sign of his power. Even after the Emperor stopped sleeping with me, he would parade me in front of visiting dignitaries."

"Before I continue, do you mind if I get undressed?"

"We've seen each other naked plenty of times."

"Yes, but that was always with Kal involved. Since it's just us, I'm asking."

"I appreciate the consideration, and I think I'll join you," said Kashka and began shucking her clothes. Once naked, the cat sat down beside Ikuno."Interesting as your time in the harem was, I'd like to hear a more personal story, like how you met Aradelle."

"That's a fun one," the oni replied. "But 'Dell and I's beginning was a lusty time, and I make no guarantees I'll keep my hands to myself while telling you about it."

"I think... I think I'm okay with that," said Kashka.

---

"What do you make of this?"

"Kashka is small, and I love that about her, but laying beside Ikuno like that makes her look tiny."

Kashka opened an eye to find Kal and Ratt looking at her with bemused expressions. A flash of worry crossed her mind, but she quickly noted there was no anger in either of their eyes.

"Five more minutes," mumbled Ikuno, wrapping an arm around Kashka and squeezing the cat to her chest. Kashka giggled and started purring as she rubbed the back of her head against the oni's huge breasts.

"It looks like you two had a fun night," said Ratt with a reassuring smile. But Poco wants to say goodbye to Ikuno before she heads back to calmer waters. The Great River's currents stir up sand and silt, which makes it harder for those giant eyes of hers to see. So, we're on our own until Silvermoon."

"It's still hard to believe that something as large as a kraken has predators to worry about," said Kal.

Ikuno ignored him and sighed heavily, "But Kashka's warm."

"Come on, Ikuno, you put more effort into Poco than anyone else on this ship. You should at least see her off."

"But... warm."

"Ikunoo," Kal growled.

"Fine. Fine. I'm getting up."

The oni picked up Kashka as if she were a housecat and set her on her feet next to the hammock before leaning over and rolling out herself. "Let me put some clothes on, and I'll be right up."

"Did you two have fun?" Kal asked Kashka.

"You don't know already?" Ratt asked the mage in turn.

"It seemed like Kashka wanted some alone time with Ikuno, so I didn't pry. How did it go?" he asked, turning back to the cat.

"Nice... comfortable," she replied with a soft smile. "I think I better understand why you love her so much."

"But not quite there?"

"Not quite, but a few more nights like that, and I will."

"Wait... you two didn't actually do anything, did you?" Ratt asked

"Not what you are thinking," said Ikuno as she adjusted her top. "But don't shortchange the power of just sleeping naked with someone. I'm ready."

"I, on the other hand, never even spoke to Poco, and my shift doesn't start until later. So I'm going back to sleep." Kashka pulled the side of the hammock down and rolled in, quickly disappearing in the padded blankets Ikuno used to protect her from the rope hammock's scratchiness. "Mmmmm, warm," she murmured as she started to purr again.

Ikuno sighed. "Well, I didn't think this day would come, Kal, but here it is."

"Eh?"

"I'm jealous of one of your other women," said Ikuno as she stared longingly at the hammock.

---

The Great River's current pulled cooler winds from further north, and the air had a chilly bite as they said their goodbyes to Poco. The avatar seemed pleasantly confused by the open affection shown to her by Ikuno and a few of the other crew members, men and women, with whom she had conversations or intimate moments. The oni gave her a huge hug, Scarlet reiterated their agreement concerning the ships in Kal's fleet, and Ratt thanked her profusely for taking so much time off their journey before sending off the kraken with a fair portion of the crew waving farewell from the deckrails. Many never even spoke to Poco but still waved in thanks for saving them from days spent becalmed.

The kraken churned the water as she turned around and began her trip back to the eastern side of the island. Two splashes signaled the departure of the squid-girls accompanying her. One would head south to Soma and join The Dauntless, while the other stayed with Poco and kept watch for Kal's other ships. The remaining two squid-girls were staying aboard, one permanently as she took over Naivoo's job, while the other would eventually be on The Perdition once they had taken it back and converted it into a merchant vessel.

The wave pushed up by Poco subsided as she dove for deeper waters. Ratt waited a few seconds before barking orders at the crew.

"Unfurl the sails and trim close hauled to port!" Captain Ratt shouted.

Kal sighed and shook his head, then looked up at Ikuno. "I've spent more than a month aboard this ship, and sometimes I still barely have any idea what they are saying."

"That's because you spent most of it on your back in your cabin," chuckled Scarlet. "Speaking of being on your back, Tavorah may be joining you tonight."

"I'm not joining you two?"

Scarlet shook her head. "Once we round the corner of Azumbaho, it's fast sailing to Silvermoon, and she wants to have some more fun with you and Ikuno before we reach the mainland. No offense, Ikuno, but I love Tavorah, and I like men, particularly this one," she said with a nod at Kal. "Curious as I am about you, Tavorah is enough woman for me."

"I'm just happy you're willing to share," replied Ikuno with a low chuckle that made her anticipation clear.

"I could say the same for you."

---

An Azumbahan lateen-sailed patrol ship met up with them on the edge of Azum waters and performed a quick inspection to look for smuggled goods. Instead of ferrying the inspectors over in the choppy waters, Kal asked them to put out a rope ladder and 'glided' the inspectors back and forth between the ships after casting featherfall on them. He made a show of casting the same spell on himself, though he never activated it, then gracefully fell across the span before grabbing the ladder and climbing onto the deck. The mage relayed a request from Ratt, asking if any of the other men might like to get involved and give her male crew a rest. The Captain politely refused, but from the looks of a few of his crew, he didn't speak for the rest of the men aboard. They parted with a smile, a wave, and a reminder that The Scarlet Bitch and The Gazelle would be passing through about once a month if they ever changed their mind.

The next few days fell into a routine, with the only noteworthy issue being Kashka and Ratt getting more anxious and agitated as Silvermoon, and their impending separation, drew closer.

"She understands that it's very likely The Scarlet Bitch will be in port for some time, right?" Kal asked Kashka during a conversation on the stern deck. Looking out over The Great River, they watched whitecaps form on the wind-churned sea. Kal preferred the bow, but the constant pitching in the rougher northern waters began making him ill and he didn't appreciate the occasional drenching as they crashed into larger waves. The stern's rise and fall wasn't quite as dramatic, which was part of the reason the galley and officer's quarters were located there.

"She does, but even that she sees as 'the beginning of the end,'" Kashka replied.

"And I thought that from your conversations after we boarded, this separation wouldn't be as difficult for either of you."

"With us being in Azumbaho and obtaining Darrow's ships, she knew there was a good chance of seeing me when we returned to the mainland. This time, it might be years before I come this way again."

"I guess we'll need to hurry and defeat Azrin, so it doesn't have to be years."

"I still plan on coming home with you and meeting the rest of your harem. There's also the matter of my sister still in Fazal. Even if we make short work of Azrin, it may be a while."

"I wish there was more I could do to make this easier on you both."

Kashka leaned over and rested her head on his arm. "And I love you for that. But this is how things are, and we'll deal with it as it is."

---

The next evening, the call of "Land ho!" sounded from the crow's nest. A few minutes later, Ratt stood on the main deck and cursed as she spotted the mainland coast.

"Courses and topsails on the main and aft only! Furl the rest!" she called out.

"I don't understand. Why are we slowing down?" Kal asked.

"Because land means rocks," she replied. "It's why we sail out to sea before setting course for our next destination. We don't want to come into land at night and don't want to chance overshooting Silvermoon. It's not actually an issue, just an annoyance. Helmsman, change the heading to due south," she called into the open door of the helm.

"What would you have done if we hadn't spotted land before the sun went down?"

"The same as what we are doing now," Ratt said with a grin. "Remember, Tavorah is our navigator. She wouldn't let us run aground."

"And what will you do if she goes to a different ship?" Kal asked as the ship began slowly turning. Kolas shouted orders to those on deck, telling the crew to slack or tighten sails and lines, acting as the ship's first mate during the maneuver.

"We have a few good navigators on board. Naura, the otter, is one of them. Then there's myself, Scarlet, and even our helmsman, who could do the job. Kolas could probably step up in a pinch. But Tavorah is the best of us all."

"Then why were you surprised?"

"I wasn't, just annoyed. He really does know his way around a ship," she said, observing the former Captain.

"You just noticed?"

"No, but I think his stunt with the kraken was enough to convince Scarlet to give him The Perdition. Which means I am going to have to seriously start thinking about who is going to be my new first mate. Speaking of serious thinking, you need to come up with a design for a flag. Us girls hate the idea of sailing under Darrow's."

"You aren't the first to mention that. I've been thinking about it but don't have any ideas." He looked upward at the top of the mast, where a red flag with a broken black ring flew. The ring was a symbol of the original crew's emancipation, while the red was a reminder of the bloody battle to take the ship. "Using The Scarlet Bitch's wouldn't seem appropriate. However..."

"Uh oh, the mage is thinking again," Ratt chuckled.

"We are taking former slaving ships and turning them into merchant vessels. So what if we kept the black ring but put a golden coin in front of it?"

"I'm not following."

"A black broken ring like yours, then down and to the right, put a yellow spot covering a part of the ring."

"You're always in that green shirt, and your cloak has red trim. We could split green and red at an angle across it," she suggested, making a diagonal slash with a finger.

"What about black and blue?" he said, making his eyes glow for a moment.

"Yellow would look horrible on a blue that light, and black would hide the ring."

"Ring on the blue, coin on the black?"

"Are you sure you want a coin? Forgive me for saying, Kal, but you never come across as someone who holds riches in high regard. Maybe something more akin to your magic would be better than a coin?"

"But we are changing the fleet from slaver to merchant. It feels appropriate."

"Aye, but only for this. Once you have your own flag, you'll start using it elsewhere. Maybe your next cloak will have the design on it, or you'll put it on your carriage."

"I usually walk everywhere."

"That's not the point, Kal," said Ratt, rolling her eyes. "This is your symbol. When people see it, they will think of you or wonder who it stands for. Make sure what they see is what you want them to see. For you, money and riches just don't fit." Her eyes flicked to the side. "Uh oh," she said with a grin.

Kal looked behind him to see Tavorah dancing her way through the crew as they hauled and secured ropes during the turn Ratt ordered, all while making a beeline for him and the Captain and somehow looking extremely sexy doing it.

"Scarlet mentioned she might ask you to join them for what might be their last night at sea for a while. From the look on the elf's face, I'd say you're being fetched. Think about what I said, maybe ask Scarlet and Tavorah their opinions, and definitely ask Kashka and Ikuno. Lastly, have fun. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Kal had enough time to mutter, "Thanks," before the giggling elf grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her and Scarlet's cabin.