Page 22 of Fionn
His expression clouded over for a moment.
"What is he going to do?"
Fionn's smile disappeared. "Nothing good, I fear."
11
Fionn
Carrying her in my arms was the best feeling in the universe. I swam through the waves on my back, cradling her protectively against my chest. She'd complained at first and I'd let her swim next to me for a while, until she'd given into exhaustion and had finally accepted my help. She was a proud female. I liked that. She knew her strengths, of which she had many.
Her wittleweed scent mixed with the salt of the ocean. I would pay good money for someone who could bottle that scent for me.
As I swam, I told her stories about Finfolkaheem. I doubted she could hear me, exhausted as she was, but I wanted her to hear my voice and know that she was safe.
The tension in my greenskin told me that land was fast approaching.
"We are almost there," I told Elise.
She was half-asleep. Her eyes were red from the salty water and her skin was flushed from sun exposure. Her kind was clearly not made for swimming in the ocean all day. It had taken me a fair while to get us here as I'd taken the calmest route so as not to encounter high waves and dangerous currents. I'd listened out for Kelon, but hadn't heard anything suspicious. If he'd taken the fastest route, however, he might already be back on the island.
I couldn't contact my clutch-brothers while holding Elise and swimming. I just had to hope that they would be ready for whatever was to come.
"When we arrive, there will be other finmen," I warned her. "Remember Cerban and Rainse from last night? They are my brothers."
"All aliens?" she asked weakly.
"Yes. Together with Kelon and the captain, there are twenty-five finmen on board the Tidebound."
She coughed. Maybe I should take her to the medbay. I didn't know enough about Peritan physiology to understand what impact prolonged exposure to saltwater had on their health. Yes, that was a good idea. Medbay first. Just to make sure. And if she had been harmed... Kelon would not leave this planet alive.
My clutch-brothers were waiting for us on the beach. When they saw us they waded into the water, meeting me where the waves broke over the soft sand.
"How is she?" Rainse asked, concern clouding his voice. For a moment, the acrid taste of jealousy rose in me, but then I relaxed. He was my brother. He wouldn't take her from me. Not like Kelon. He was a threat. Rainse wasn't.
"Mostly exhausted, I think, but I want to get her checked out in the medbay first. Can you make sure the corridors are clear? I don't want her scared by curious finmen lingering about."
Rainse hurried away while Cerban stayed close by my side, a silent, reassuring presence. We walked along the beach, Elise still resting against my chest. She was so light. Peritans were smaller than finfolk, the females especially. Elise was tall for her kind, but she barely reached to my elbow. Carrying her on land was no more trouble than pulling her in water.
"Any sign of Kelon?" I asked Cerban quietly so as not to worry Elise. Her eyes were closed but I could tell she wasn't fully asleep.
"Nothing. And the mood on the Tidebound is shifting. Maggnus was not too pleased to disrupt his meal in order to search for a Peritan. I believe that as soon as Kelon returns, the captain and the crew will bring their demands to him."
"They want their own females."
Cerban clicked his tongue. "Yes. And they don't want to wait. I tried to reassure them that if the dating agency experiment went well, they could all register there. But they wouldn't listen. They thought they were going to a pleasure planet to blow off some steam, scratch that itch. They didn't get that. Now they're desperate for females."
"It's not safe to stay much longer. Should we contact Pam?"
"Maybe. I still hope that the finmen will see sense. Kelon has sway over them. If he intervenes..."
I laughed harshly. "He won't. He's worse than them." I told him how Kelon had abducted Elise and had intended to claim her as his own.
"We should have known. Kelon was always focused on his own needs first, even back in the clutch-school. Remember, he never shared his toys."
"And he'd take the toys of other finboys, not because he wanted them, but out of spite. You are right. We should have known better than to trust him."
The Tidebound came into sight, its camouflage circuits disengaged.
