Alex in Haremland 2 Chapter 3

I’d taken a strength potion before when I was freeing the Potion Maker from the Clover fortress, so I was familiar with the sensations coursing through my body, and I was eager to try my might against the Clover Card assholes who’d captured my friends.

“Over here, dipshit!” I cried out as I lunged for the closest Card man, but I had to jump over a log they’d been using as a stool.

Several Clover Cards leapt toward me at once, and three swords clashed against mine. I pushed them back easily with a grunt, and the three armored assholes flew backward into the dirt like they’d been hit by a car.

I jumped on top of one, and I used the strength in my legs to hold him in place while I jabbed the tip of my blade into the space below his helm and above his breastplate. I could feel the metal of his armor crinkling beneath the pressure of my legs, but I ignored it as I focused on his neck. A spout of black blood poured from the puncture wound, and I hopped to my feet without another glance at the dying Clover Card on the ground.

Meanwhile, the other two had regained their feet, and they both lunged at me simultaneously. The Clover Cards made no cries of pain as I sliced off their gauntlet covered fists as easy as if I was slicing pieces of pie, but they were much more wary when they came at me again with the severed limbs oozing black droplets into the dirt.

The ground was already covered in the slippery black goo the animated cards consisted of, so I was careful not to slip in the muck as I blocked the blows of the swords now gripped in left hands.

“Arrrgh! For the Dreamer!” a roar echoed through the Clover Cards’ campsite, and I spotted Una over the shoulder of one of my attackers. The cat-girl’s purple-blue striped tail stiffened as she ripped an entire arm from one of the armored assholes, and a fountain of black slime rained from the wound.

“Holy shit!” I gasped as I marveled at my lover’s strength.

It was like Una had taken a potion as well.

Una used the severed arm to beat the Clover Card senseless, and she straddled him as he fell to the ground. The cat-girl didn’t get up until her target stopped moving, and she let out a menacing hiss at the closest enemy as she bounded toward him.

The Clover Cards attacking me had been momentarily distracted by the obscene power and carnage displayed by my lover, but then they turned back to me with raised blades.

“Oh, you want to dance, huh?” I chuckled as I sidestepped one swing and brought my sword up to meet the other.

I jumped back and forth, spun, ducked, and kept the two Clover Cards on their toes while I waited for an opening, but just when I was starting to grow impatient, one of the assholes swung his blade high overhead.

I didn’t bother dodging his weapon, but I lifted my own gauntlet covered fist, and I caught his arm in mine while simultaneously ramming my blade into his exposed abdomen. Normally, it would have been difficult for my curved sword to cut directly into his armor, but with my potion-enhanced strength, I sliced through the metal like a hot knife through butter.

The sound of metal scraping against metal was punctuated by the splash of the Clover Card’s life fluid onto the ground, and I wrenched my blade free with a twist of my wrist. A large, gaping hole on his torso released gallons of his slimy blood, and I leapt backward to avoid being sprayed with ichor.

“Did you see the girl?” Mae hollered as she fought her way to my side. The Dodo-woman whirled as she drew near, and my remaining opponent’s head toppled from his shoulders to be replaced by a spray of black sludge. “She ripped an arm off with her bare hands!”

“I saw!” I shouted, but I was already scanning for more enemies. “Stay focused!”

“Yes, Dreamer!” Mae cackled as she jumped back into the fray.

The Clover Cards had divided their ranks, and half of them stood in a possessive circle around the friesians while the other half charged my companions. The sounds of battle rang out across the small clearing, but it didn’t look like anyone had managed to break through the armored assholes ranks. The friesians were still tied together, but their desperate nickering grew louder with each passing moment.

If only I could talk to them.

I put all thoughts of things I could not control from my mind, and I picked a target. Una was circling a Card, but another waited in the wings, and it was obvious he planned to attack my lover at the first sign of weakness, but the cat-girl wasn’t giving him an opening.

Yet.

I wasn’t going to let that happen, so I charged across the clearing, hopped over the dying fire, and plunged my curved sword into his back. I struck the Clover Card so hard there were indentations in his metal armor, and blood pooled from beneath his unmoving corpse as I looked for another opponent.

Una seemed to be having a fantastic time, and her grin was savage as she sat back on her haunches to goad the Clover Card into attacking.

“Dreamer! Dreamer!” Shelli’s voice called from the other side of the battleground. “Help me!”

My gaze immediately flicked to the source of the sound, and I spotted the bear-woman shuffling up into the branches of a nearby tree. There were three Clover Cards at the base of the trunk, and they began to hack at the bark like they intended on felling the giant timber with the bear-woman in it.

I gritted my teeth as I charged across the distance to the tree, but the Clover Cards saw me coming, and two guarded the third while he continued to chop huge chunks of wood from the trunk. My sword came up instinctively when they attacked, and my body moved of its own volition to counter the move with one of my own.

Mae’s training sessions were paying off, but now all the practiced movements were paired with the obscene strength coursing through my veins. We were still outnumbered at least two to one, and every time I glanced over my shoulder it seemed more and more Clover Cards appeared from inside the tents. There was no time to waste, and every move I made had to be fatal.

I batted away the clumsy overhead attack, twirled, and stabbed my sword into the Clover Card’s armpit before he managed to cover the opening to his side. Then I wrenched my blade free, grabbed the dying Clover Card, and used his body as a shield just in time to meet the sword of his friend. Several more Cards suddenly trotted over, and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded, but I wasn’t daunted.

My arms screamed with power, and my body felt invincible.

I killed the last of the three Card men at the base of the tree, and Shelli scurried down just as quickly as she’d climbed up.

“I have your back, Dreamer,” she exclaimed as she lifted both her chin and her weapon proudly.

“No.” I shook my head, but I didn’t take my eyes off my enemies. “Get to the friesians. We need to set them free.”

“Yes, Dreamer,” Shelli said as she snapped a salute, but then her eyes circled the armored men surrounding us. “Uh, how am I supposed to get out of here?”

“Give me a second,” I requested, and a devilish smirk twisted the corners of my lips before I barrelled straight forward with a ferocious cry of rage. “Diiiieeee!”

I crashed into the Clover Card directly in front of me, and the two of us went down in a tangle of limbs. The sound of metal crashing together echoed in my ears, but I ignored everything else as I twisted the Clover Card beneath me. It was a simple enough task thanks to my potion-enhanced strength, and then I gestured to Shelli.

The bear-woman rushed forward, and she bounced off the head of the Clover Card beneath me before she bounded through the gap in our enemies circle. I leapt up and attacked the Card man who turned to give the Shelli chase, and soon I was locked inside the ring of armored bodies once more.

Just where I wanted to be.

I took deep calming breaths as I came to my feet in the center of the circle, and I scanned over the helmets of the Clover Cards surrounding me. There were ten of them, and only one of me, but I was okay with that.

They were going to have to fight for their lives.

“Arrgh!” I shouted as I tackled one of the Card men around the waist, and I bore him down to the ground as I riddled his armor with punches. Huge dents marked every spot my fist had landed, and then his chest deflated with a wet splat.

With no time to spare, I returned to my feet, but I grabbed the ankle of the now-dead Clover Card as I stood. The circle around me tightened, and I could sense the air of resolve around the animated cards. They were confident in their victory, but they hadn’t seen my full strength yet.

Yet.

I stayed hunched over to mask the ankle clenched in my fist, and I waited as the Card men closed in closer around me. Once I saw they were springing for the attack, I let out a ferocious warcry and swung the dead Card’s body around in a circular motion.

The armored dead body slammed into my opponents, and half of them fell to the ground, but the other half managed to jump backward in time to avoid the blow. They returned to their former positions with an air of caution, and I cackled merrily as I lunged at the nearest one with my hands reaching for his throat. With the sheer strength of my hand, I managed to hold him steady with my left fist while I stabbed my sword into his chest over and over again until he resembled a colander more than a man.

The whistle of metal through the air alerted me to the attack coming from behind me, and I ducked just in time to avoid the blow of the blade. The sword sliced into the helm of the Card still gripped securely in my fist, and even more blood oozed from the skull of my victim.

“What even are you?” a Card behind me asked in a terrified voice, and I grinned over my shoulder as I threw the now-dead Card into the shadows of the forest.

“I’m the motherfucking Dreamer,” I hissed. “And right now, I’m your worst nightmare.”

“Kill him!” another Clover Card shouted, and the animated ink bags rushed toward me as one with a false sense of confidence.

I backpedaled to give myself space to maneuver, but then I met their charge head on, and two Clover men crashed into my steel-plated chest. They were stunned like they’d just headbutted a brick wall, and they slid to the ground without making another movement. Three more came right behind them, but they pulled up short so they didn’t trip over their unconscious companions.

I kicked one of the unmoving bodies at my feet, and the much bigger form flew across the space between me and the oncoming Clover Cards. The impact of their fallen comrade against their chests drove them back onto their asses, and I rushed forward to end them.

The three Clover Cards struggled to free themselves from beneath their dead comrade, but they weren’t fast enough to avoid meeting their own deaths at the tip of my sword. I sliced their throats in rapid succession, and then I turned to bare my teeth at the next set of opponents.

I could hear cries of pain and effort from my friends, and I sent out a silent plea for them to all remain uninjured, but I couldn’t focus on them yet. I needed to eliminate the threats as much as possible, and I knew Mae and Una would be able to keep the others safe.

Right on cue, Una roared yet again, and I had just enough time between attacks to catch a glimpse of my hybrid lover as she tore into her opponent.

Literally.

Una had abandoned her sword and was using her bare hands to pull off the Card’s armor, and then she squeezed the exposed ink bag underneath until it exploded with a loud pop.

A sword flying through the air brought my attention back to the enemies I still faced, but I was grinning from ear-to-ear as I blocked the blow with a gauntlet. Then I slammed my other fist into his gut, and ink-blood sprayed from the mouth hole of his helmet. The Card fell to the ground when I released my hold on his sword, and then two more leapt into his place, but a nicker of joy alerted my ears to the release of the friesians.

My heart leapt at the sound, and I attacked with renewed fervor.

The sound of trampling hooves filled the clearing, and flashes of black and white filled my peripheral vision as the horse-like creatures fled the campsite. I was momentarily distracted by the commotion, but so were my opponents, and I managed to recover before they did. With two slashes of my sword, blood poured from their throats, and I turned to search for a new target.

“Alex!” a beaver-woman screamed. “Help!”

I whipped my head toward the sound to see six Clover Cards grappling with my animal-people warriors. Two beaver-women had swords at their throats, and the Card men stared me down as though daring me to take another step toward them.

“Alright, alright,” I chuckled as I put my weapon on the ground and held up my empty hands. “There’s no reason to get crazy. We’re all rational thinkers, right?”

I inched closer to my companions as I spoke, but the Cards holding my friends hostage stiffened, and Isabel, the beaver-woman, tensed as the sword pierced the skin beneath her jaw. The Card men said nothing, but I could tell they were feeling cocky by the casual posture they held.

Then I spotted Una and Mae approaching from the opposite direction, and I shook my head subtly to signal them to stop. Una’s eyes showed her confusion, but the two women immediately obeyed.

I kept my shoulders straight and my palms outstretched in a peaceful gesture, but I continued to approach the hostages and Card men with slow, careful steps. Once I was within range, I nodded to Mae and Una, and the three of us attacked in unison.

“For the friesians!” Mae called as she jabbed her sword into the back of one of the Card men.

“For the Dreamer!” Una cried out, and she jumped onto the back of another one of the animated ink bags holding our friends hostage.

“For New Haven!” I shouted as I charged forward.

Then I went full Hulk on the assholes jeopardizing my friends’ safety, and I growled as I seized a Card’s helmeted head in both hands. I squeezed with all my potion-enhanced strength until the ink bag’s thin skull exploded into a shower of black gore. The slimy goo rained down on me, and I was instantly covered in the muck from head to toe, but I didn’t let it deter me from repeating the action on the next asshole.

Isabel scampered away to safety as soon as the ink bag released her to face me, and I grinned as I crossed the remaining distance to him in two swift steps.

“Shouldn’t have done that, asshole,” I growled as I lunged for his throat.

The ink bag attempted to lift his sword, but I was already squeezing the life out of him, and his arms flailed helplessly while the pressure continued to mount in his head until it burst in an array of droplets that reminded me of black sparklers. The wet squelching noise accompanying the black rain was like music to my ears, and I hardly noticed the additional gore coating me as I released the dead Card man.

“Thank you, Dreamer!” the beaver-woman exclaimed from the safety of the tree line. “You saved my life!”

“Anytime!” I hollered back with a shit-eating grin spread across my face.

I felt intensely alive, and powerful, but I knew the strength potion would start to wear off at any moment, so I turned my focus back to the Clover Cards still left alive.

There were only a handful of enemies remaining, and they huddled together back to back as they jabbed their swords out at Mae, Una, and Shelli. My three warrior women slowly closed the distance between them and the Card men, but I wasn’t about to let them have all the fun.

I dashed across the clearing and jumped into the fray just as a Clover Card broke rank to stab at the unarmed Una. I grabbed the offending arm, twisted, and wrenched all in one fluid motion. The Clover Card fell to his knees as his arm was ripped from his body, and the inky blood spilling from his wound quickly covered him from the shoulders down.

I tossed the arm aside with the Clover Card’s sword still held in the gauntleted fist, and then I grabbed the kneeling Card man around the throat with both hands. His armor was slick with his blood, but I managed to get a strong grip, and then I began to apply the pressure necessary to pop his head.

Splat.

The shower of gore and ichor was like confetti from a pinata, and the cheers of my companions echoed in my ears as I let the dead Card fall to the ground. I glanced around the clearing in search of another enemy, but I didn’t find a single Card still standing. The clearing was a mess, and severed limbs and dead Cards covered nearly every inch of ground not coated in slick, black blood.

We’d won.

I took a moment to process the information as I caught my breath, but then I inhaled deeply as my grin widened even more, and I gestured for everyone to gather close. The friesians were nowhere to be seen, but we’d set them free, so I wasn’t worried about them just yet. My companions appeared tired but uninjured as they trotted over to me, and I looked around at their sweaty, Card blood covered faces with pride.

“You did it!” I clapped Shelli on one muscular shoulder. “You all helped save the friesians!”

“Where did they go?” Una asked with one of her curious tilts of her head. “Do you think they’re already running back to the mountains?”

“They could be.” I shrugged. “But for now, I’m just happy they’re okay and you’re all okay.”

“Hear, hear!” Mae chortled, and she took a long pull of her pipe that ended with her face enshrouded by smoke. “They can go about their business as they please. The Dreamer’s work is done. The rest will be up to them.”

“I’m not saying that exactly,” I countered.

A nicker from behind me caused me to swivel, and I came face to muzzle with the herd of friesians we’d just freed. Like the mounts we’d ridden to the Clover fortress, the horse-like creatures standing before us were black and white, but some had zig-zags while others were striped. All of them had the four weird eyes and the stiff, zebra-like mane, but their gaze was friendly as they stared at me.

“Welcome back,” I greeted.

“They’ve returned!” Isabel cheered.

I glanced over the friesians’ bodies to check for injury, but apart from some red marks on their hooves where the rope was attached too tightly, they seemed none the worse for wear. They were smaller than the friesians we’d ridden to the Clover fortress, and they had a restless, youthful energy about them. Many of the horse-like creatures stamped their hooves as though impatient with us, and I wished yet again I could speak their language.

The friesian in the lead regarded me cooly with its four eyes, and then it bobbed its head. The rest of the horse-like creatures followed suit until all of their noses brushed against the dirt. Some of them rose with black streaks on their lips, and I wrinkled my nose in sympathetic disgust.

“Many of them look young,” Mae observed in my ear as she came to stand by my side. “The Clover Cards likely did so on purpose. Youthful energy is easy enough to break and guide in whichever direction one pleases, and the longer they remain in slavery, the more likely they are to obey.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed. “They look like babies compared to the ones we rode into battle.”

“Why do they look so scared?” Una asked in a worried tone. “We aren’t the ones who hurt them.”

“True, but we are the ones who literally ripped the Clover Cards limb from limb,” I laughed and removed my helmet to show I was not threatening them. My hands were still empty, but I could still feel the effects of the strength potion, so I was far from helpless. I didn’t want the friesians to be scared of me, though, so I flashed them my friendliest smile. “I come to help you.”

I spoke loud and slow like one would to someone hard of hearing, and the friesians nickered as they glanced at each other in confusion, so I sighed and turned back to my companions.

“Anyone else beside Ziti speak friesian?” I asked.

“Nope.” Una shook her head.

“Not I,” Mae said as she puffed on her pipe.

“Ziti has a gift for languages,” Shelli explained, but she spread her hands in a placating gesture as she approached the friesians.

The large, muscular bear-woman seemed to scare the horse-like creatures, and they shivered as they backed away from her approach. Shelli paused, and a frown tightened her brow, but then her gaze flicked to me for help.

“All we can do is follow them back to the mountain valley,” I said, but I still turned back to the friesians for one more attempt to communicate with them. “I do not expect you to carry us as it appears you are all still too young to do so, but we will guard your return to your home valley.”

There was no understanding registering on their faces, but I gestured in the direction the Clover Cards had brought them in. The sun filtered through the foliage to dapple the ground with light, and a clear trail wound through the trees toward the Sunrise Mountains.

The friesian standing in the lead tossed its head and nickered, and then it turned to its companions. I was left standing outside the circle of horse-like rumps, but I waited patiently for the creatures to converse among themselves. After a few moments, the leader spun back around and lowered its muzzle to the ground once more.

I bowed back, and then I glanced around the bloody, gory campsite.

“Grab what good armor you can carry, but don’t spend too much time sorting through it.” I jerked my chin toward the path east. “The friesians won’t wait for us forever since they don’t understand what we’re saying, and I want to see them safely home.”

“Yes, Dreamer!” my team said in unison, and everyone paired up to search through the remains of the Clover Cards for anything useful.

I found some strange looking metal coins and a few pieces of armor that fit and weren’t damaged by the fight, and then I gathered up as many swords as I could hold. My trainees were using wooden weapons for the moment, and Doctor Kria and Miss Maggie both had stores of such things, but we could never have too many blades in my opinion.

Soon, I’d have an army of animal-people all armed to the teeth.

I chuckled at the Narnia-like images the thought conjured, but then I returned my attention to the task at hand. Once everyone was laden down with as much as they could carry, we hurried to catch up to the friesians since they’d already begun to pass through the trees.

We were on the road a few moments later, and I took the lead while Mae took the rear. Una drifted along the side of the friesian herd, and she eyed their backs longingly as her tail twitched from side to side. I could see the exhaustion written all over her face, but she didn’t utter a single complaint.

“Oh, high, oh, low, oh sing-a-ling-a-ling! We are returning from a killing-ing-ing!” Mae called out over the heads of the friesians, and her melodic voice filled my eager ears. The Dodo-woman’s words were echoed by the rest of my animal-people warriors, but the song was unfamiliar to me, so I just listened. “We beat the scoundrels well and good, we killed them all just like we should! Near and far, they’ll fear the murmur! For we are marching with the Dreamer!”

My chest puffed out with pride as I listened to the rebound call from the rest of my warriors, and even the friesians nickered along to the tune. I was victorious once more, and I was so filled with elation I barely noticed the drain of strength from my limbs as the potion wore off.

I sighed deeply and shook my arms and legs as my energy levels drooped, but I still managed to keep a brisk pace for my animal-people following to match. We made good progress through the forest while the sun continued to arch through the rainbow sky, but I could only catch glimpses of the orb through the dense foliage overhead.

“You did it again, Alex.” Una trotted to match my pace at the head of the procession, and she flashed me a cheeky grin. “Not that I had any doubts on your abilities.”

The wind ruffled the black hair around her ears, and the furry triangles swiveled in all directions. Una’s tail, which always demonstrated her mood and thoughts, twitched happily with each step the cat-girl took, so I knew her vigilance was from habit more so than anxiety.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said as I returned her joyful expression, but then I lowered my voice so only she could hear my next words. “By the way, wow! You literally ripped a Card’s arm off, babe!”

“It was nothing.” Una shrugged, but I could tell by the blush darkening her adorable face that she was pleased by my compliment. “I did little when compared to your great skill at killing Clover Cards, Alex.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” I argued with a shake of my head. “You’re amazing! When did you get so strong?”

“I told you,” Una giggled, and her purple gaze flicked to my crotch. “Your seed is magic. Every time you fill me up, I get a bit stronger.”

My blood ran cold, and my eyes bulged as I processed her words, but the amused glimmer in her violet orbs pulled me out of my thoughts.

“You really think you could do all that because I came inside you?” I chuckled and shook my head again. Some things were just too ridiculous to entertain.

Una’s violet eyes were serious as she nodded, though, and I frowned as I thought it over.

Did I have magic cum?

The fact that Una’s opposition effects vanished way sooner than they had any logical reason to was one thing, and I was more than willing to let Doctor Kria figure out how that had happened, but causing my lover to have superhuman strength was beyond my ability to comprehend.

Still, I’d seen with my own eyes what Una could do, and it was a far cry from her former strength levels. It was worth further examination, but whatever magic lay in my love goo was a mystery for another time. I had to keep my guard up just in case enemies lurked within the shadows of the trees.

Nightmares could be anywhere.

I scanned the road to either side as a shudder ran down my spine at the thought, but I took a deep, steadying breath and shook the feeling off. Fear would only serve to draw the minions of darkness toward us, after all.

Una drifted back to the flanks of our procession to chat with Shelli, but a few moments later, Mae jogged into step beside me.

“Did she explain about her delightful delirium of strength?” The Dodo-woman cast a glance over her shoulder at the cat-girl, so I didn’t have to ask who she was talking about, but I was hesitant to share Una’s theory.

“Not exactly,” I said in a cautious tone, and Mae eyed me curiously in her peripheral vision. I sighed and raked a hand through my hair, but then I flashed the Dodo-woman a sheepish grin. “She has a theory, but I don’t think it holds water, and I’d like to get the doctor’s take on it before it’s discussed openly.”

“Do you not trust me to lock your words into a vault of friendship?” Mae looked genuinely hurt, and I resisted the urge to wrap her in my arms.

“Of course I do,” I hurried to assure her. “It’s just… Really personal, you know?”

“Personal to you?” Mae lifted one eyebrow. “Or to the cat?”

“Both,” I sighed, and I spread my hands in a placating gesture. “I’ll tell you as soon as I know something for sure, but I can’t have gossip floating around about me.”

“I would never utter, spit, or sing a word without your permission,” Mae pressed, and she bumped her shoulder against mine in a playful manner. “We have protected each other’s backs in the grandest dance of our lives, and yet still you do not trust me?”

“Well…” I debated in my head if I should tell her, but before I could expand, Una popped up beside my other elbow.

“Did you tell her about how your seed made me super strong?” The kitty hottie bounced on the balls of her feet, but if the expression on her face was any indication, the cat-girl was walking on air.

“Oh?” Mae’s blue eyes searched my face for confirmation.

“You just had to share, didn’t you?” I flashed Una a playful glare, and she winked before bounding ahead down the road.

“I’ll scout the path before us!” the cat-girl called over her shoulder before her purple-blue striped tail disappeared from view.

Mae continued to watch my face closely, but her expression was unreadable. I pretended to ignore her for a few moments, but I could tell she wasn’t going to drop it.

“Alright,” I sighed. “Una thinks my… seed, as you ladies call it, holds some kind of magic that both healed her and made her stronger.”

“And what does the Dreamer think?” Mae countered without missing a beat.

“I think it’s crazy,” I answered honestly.

“I see,” Mae chuckled, and she took a long pull from her pipe. The smoke cloud swirled around her head for a moment and then drifted into the sky, but Mae paid it no mind. “You are wise to seek the doctor’s response.”

“Thank you.” I let out a low exhale as relief flooded my chest, and the two of us walked in silence for a long while.

Una returned to the procession with the announcement that the way ahead was clear, and she slipped her hand into mine with a cocky grin stretched across her face.

“Mae will want your seed now,” she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “I know she doesn’t drink potions, but no one will be able to resist your magic.”

“That’s why we need to keep it quiet for a little while longer,” I urged. “Wait until Doctor Kria has some answers.”

“The answers are clear as the sun in the sky,” Una argued, and she shook her head. “You’ll see, Alex. I’ll be the best warrior you’ve ever seen, and then you can’t deny the power of your seed.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with you being an awesome warrior,” I said as I squeezed her hand affectionately. “But you’re wonderful just the way you are, too.”

“Thank you, Alex.” Una pressed a sweet kiss against my cheek, and her violet eyes were brimming with emotion. “I don’t know what we would do without you.”

Behind us, the friesians nickered as though in agreement with her words, but I knew they couldn’t understand what we were saying. I shot a smile at the young horse-like creatures over my shoulder anyway, and the lead friesian tossed its head. I’d have to have Ziti go with me to their valley soon so we could all discuss the details of their capture, but for now, I was happy to be seeing them home.

I spotted the edge of the tree line on the road ahead, and the foothills of the Sunrise Mountains just beyond that, and I hurried my pace. I was eager to get back to New Haven, and I wanted to get to the doctor before anyone else to tell her about Una’s theory.

The sooner we found out the truth about my sperm, the better.

Then a loud rumbling sound, almost like thunder, suddenly echoed through the ground beneath our feet, and we all froze as we exchanged worried glances.

“What was that?” Una asked as her tail stiffened behind her in alarm.

“I don’t--”

The ground gave way beneath my feet before I could get the rest of the words out, and everyone screamed as we fell into a crater that opened up underneath us. The canopy of the trees grew distant in my vision as I fell backward, and I grappled for anything within reach to right myself with. I grasped clumps of dirt and rock, but the chunks broke apart in my fist into useless crumbles.

What the fuck was happening?

We crashed into the earth roughly thirty feet below the surface, and groans echoed through the shifting cloud of dust. Shadows clung to every surface, and the only light came from the dappled sunlight above, but above had become very far away.

I winced as I pushed myself to my feet, but I stumbled over huge chunks of rock and dirt before I managed to regain my balance. Then I peered around us until I noticed the flickering light ahead of me. A torch embedded in the wall sputtered in the wind caused by the explosion of debris, but the flames illuminated the walkway of a tunnel. My gaze lifted to the hole in the ceiling, and I had to crane my neck to see to the top.

We’d fallen through the earth into a tunnel of some sorts, and for the moment, we were stuck.

My heart pounded against my ribcage as my companions got to their feet and looked around, but then all eyes turned to me with an unspoken question.

What do we do now?