Wolves of War

10

  The next morning, Valo woke up with the sun in his face. He woke up slowly, rubbing his eyes. It was then he realized that he wasn't on his ship. He was in some strange bed with barely any memory of the night before. Panic touched him lightly and he sat up with a small gasp. He had to get out of here and back to his boat. If they were still there. But when he turned to get up, Valo plunged face first to the stone floor, his legs didn't seem to work. Because he no longer had legs. From his waist down he had a powerfully thick fishtail like the people of this weird place. It was silver, powerful and shiny as if it had been forged from valuable metals by careful artisans.

"What the hell?" Valo yelled, his eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and fear.

Halia sat up with alarm at his yell, covering her mouth to hide her giggle. "That is only temporary, my dear. As soon as you are back on land it will vanish and you will be normal again. You took some of my blood last night and it has caused the change. Only if you feed thrice on the full moon can you become one of us permanently. I am certainly open to it."

Valo felt a wave of relief that almost made him laugh. He sighed deeply and pulled himself up. He found if he concentrated on standing the fin worked accordingly. It strung behind him for a few feet, more serpentine than Halia's. Valo gathered his clothes and started for the door. "I will pass, thanks. Can you help me return to my ship?"

Halia made a pouty face. "You're leaving so soon? You don't want to stay and perhaps enjoy each other's company?"

"You were a good fuck. I'll give you that." He agreed, though he inwardly thought he'd had better. "But that's all it was. You brought me here. I would like to return now, if you please."

"You used me for my body!" She leaped from the bed, tossing the white sheets on the floor. Her legs were gone and she was back to the deep blood red fin she'd had when he met her.

"You brought me here!" Valo repeated. "I did not ask to come. You probably bewitched me somehow. In fact, I know you did. You got what you wanted, I got what I wanted-- I guess. Now I am going back. Our paths may cross again, you know, I plan on sailing a lot." He thought trying to reason with her was a bad idea, and he was right. She was furious.

"Fine. Let's find your damned ships!" Halia angrily slammed open her armoire and selected a top. This one was seashells attached to what looked like chain mail. Valo didn't imagine it was comfortable, but he didn't care. Desperately she wanted to feed on him twice more to obtain the Goddess status she craved but once a victim asked to leave, the glamour was broken and she had to let him go. "Come!"

Valo sighed, pulling the thongs of leather from his hair and re-tying his long mane back to flow down his back. The market was humming this morning. Daylight made the place almost blinding with color and overwhelming with life. Mermaids, mermen, fish, creatures that defied logic swarmed around the beautiful corals and plants. Some of the women were harvesting plants to eat; they were headed into the village with baskets of kelp and seaweed.

It was a longer walk that Valo recalled but he knew the place where he had dove in by the Siren rocks. He lurched upwards, breaking the surface into bright sunlight. He was blinded for a moment. When his eyesight returned, he froze. The ships were gone. Turning in the water he saw he was alone, except the crazy bitch whom he'd dove in after.

"Dammit!" He slapped the water, sending a spray over his head. "Where could they be? Traitors."

"Probably thought you were dead and moved on, you know?" Halia said from below him, inspecting her nails, which were also a blood red color.

"Damn. I have to find them." Valo sank to the sandy floor again. His displeasure was clear in his scowl. "This is what I get for chasing after women."