“That’s crazy,” I said. “Is it supposed to be like that?”
“He had other wives. I was unimportant to him emotionally. He married me for ties to my family, and then I moved across our continent so I could live in his home.”
“That sucks,” I said. “You two didn’t like… uhhh… Spend any--”
“We consummated the marriage,” she said. “He bent me over our wedding bed, thrust into me four times, climaxed, and then left without speaking to me.”
“Uhhh. Fuck. What an asshole.” My head spun with her words. Part of me couldn’t believe she was sharing this much detail, but another part of me ached that my beautiful friend was married to someone who didn’t care for her.
“It is what it is,” Sheela replied as we dumped the body. “From the conversations you and I have shared, it seems that male and females on your world have an even balance of power.”
“Yeah, kind of,” I said. “It’s complicated, but it doesn’t swing as far north or south as your and Trel’s world. It seems to be closer to Galmine’s, only without all the orgies. Or at least, I’ve never been to any orgies.”
“Me either.” She smiled at me, and her eyes glowed a bit.
“So, uhh, you don’t want to go home then?” I asked hesitantly.
“No,” she replied. “That is what I have been thinking about. There is nothing for me there. Here, I have friends and a purpose. Yes, it is dangerous, but I also feel alive. At home, I felt as if the days passed by in a numbing tumble. To occupy myself, I would take long runs through the forest and plains. I would hunt alone, and now I realize I was hoping for something tragic to befall me.”
“For real?” I asked with concern. “That sounds like some serious depression.”
“Depression?” she asked with confusion.
“A deep sadness,” I explained.
“Yes,” she said. “That is a good description. I felt as if I had no escape.”
“You couldn’t have gotten a divorce?” I asked as we dumped another corpse on the pile. “I thought you mentioned something about divorce being possible.”
“Yes, but the situation is complicated. I would have to attach myself to another male, and my husband could challenge him in battle. I could not leave on my own, and if I did find a new husband, my potential mate would need to be willing to fight for me.”
“Damn,” I said as my heart beat heavy in my chest. “You are beautiful, smart, caring, and talented. I’m surprised you didn’t have more men lining up to fight for you.”
“My husband is very powerful.” Sheela shrugged. “Most men of my race stand about as tall as me, perhaps a bit taller. My head only came up to his shoulders, and his arms were as thick as my legs. Most men would lose, and any who might win have their own wives they were probably satisfied with.”
“Ugh,” I said. “That just sucks. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that must be like to go through.”
“It is fine,” she replied as we grabbed another corpse.
“It’s not though,” I said. “You are my friend, and I don’t want you to feel sad.”
“Sadness is a part of life,” she said. “We can only hope it does not last forever. My sadness has passed though. As I said, I am happy on this world. I am happy with you.”
“Me?” I asked as I looked at her.
“With us. Our small tribe,” she corrected quickly. “As I said, I have a purpose now. I feel important and valued.”
“So you want to stay?” I asked, and we held each other’s eyes for a few moments.
“Yes,” she answered. “Perhaps you think me insane.”
“No. I get it.” My mind reviewed what she said, and I found that I did agree with her. I wouldn’t want to live in her world, and even though Dinosaurland was incredibly challenging, I felt like I was starting to belong here.
I still would have gone home if given the chance, but maybe one day I would prefer to stay here.
Sheela and I didn’t speak for a few more minutes, and soon we were grabbing the last corpse. The orange birds still hadn’t come to investigate the pile of bodies we made, but it was still far enough from our camp to provide me with peace of mind.
I just hoped that something smaller than a carnotaurus showed up to eat the pile of bodies.
“That’s the last one,” I said as we hauled the final raptor on the pile.
“Water now?” Sheela asked.
“Yeah,” I replied as we made our way back to the camp. Our task of cleaning up all the bodies had taken us a few hours, and the sun was hanging really low in the sky. It was almost the perfect time to ride to the stream, but I worried we might be too late to go and get clay.
“Huh,” I said as soon as Sheela and I walked under the gate. Hope was already standing beside the exit, and she had two of the larger water jugs tied to her saddle.
“I got Hope ready for you,” Trel said as she strolled toward us.
“Wow, thanks,” I said. “That was nice of you.”
“I do not wish to waste time,” the spider-woman replied as she held out the quiver and bow to Sheela. “We made more arrows for you. Only fifteen, but I have devised a new method that will allow us to craft them more efficiently.”
“Thank you, Trel,” Sheela said as she wrapped the quiver belt around her hip.
“Hurry back,” Trel said as she turned her dark eyes to me.
“We’ll still have to get clay after this,” I said.
“Uhhh, I know.” The spider woman rolled her head back. “That’s why I’m telling you to hurry. It will be night soon. I will fix the door while you are gone.”
“Thank you,” I said. “You are being really helpful.”
“I’m being selfish,” Trel said with a laugh. “I want to have my children, and I want to live. Don’t forget your spear.”
“Got it,” I said as I grabbed one that was leaning against the wall by the door. As I got on top of Hope’s saddle, I kind of felt like I was leaving my wife for a day of work, but then Sheela mounted behind me and pressed her body tightly against my back. This was one hell of a strange job, and the relationship I had with these three women was pretty far away from a typical “marriage.”
Hope let out a happy toot when we passed under the gate. As soon as we were a few dozen feet clear of the walls, I urged her to go faster, and her long legs stretched out in a long lope.
I had no way of really knowing exactly how fast Hope could run, but the wind was soon stinging my eyes, and Sheela was squeezing her strong arms around my stomach. We dashed through the forest of massive redwoods, leapt over tall hedges of ferns, and then winded around the various moss-covered boulders. We made it to our small river in record time, and I felt a bit of disappointment when I slowed the parasaur down.
“That was exhilarating,” Sheela said as she flipped off Hope’s back.
“Yeah,” I agreed as I slid off with a much less graceful movement. I handed Sheela one of the jugs and then took the other to the edge of the water with her. I left my spear on Hope’s saddle, but she was only ten yards away, and Sheela had her bow slung over her shoulders. If anything attacked us, she could buy me the few seconds I needed to get my spear out.
“You still seem upset about something,” I said as she pulled her jug out of the water.
“Why do you say so?” she asked as she brought the clay to her lips to drink.
“I just know you.”
“I am sorry I am acting strange,” she said.
“Is it Kacerie? You kind of dodged my question about her earlier.” I took a long drink from my own jug and let my eyes wander over the surrounding terrain.
“Perhaps I am a bit worried about her,” Sheela admitted.
“Why?”
“She was asking about our abilities. Her power is the beams from her hands. Her Eye-Q said it was level 2. She seemed amazed that we didn’t have it. Her questions concerned me a bit.”
“Do you think she’ll use her powers against us?” I asked as my stomach knotted up. Sheela was my battle expert, and I trusted her instincts. Especially when the enemy was a beautiful woman. I knew that I tended to think more with my penis than my brain around them.