As more hours pass, I continue studying him, and he moves silently. I purse my lips, thinking about the best way to seduce him.
When I finally hook him, will he want kisses or for me to trail my hands over his groin and act impressed at the size?
Shortly after being taken as a comfort woman, I was grouped with a dozen other slaves for training. We were all given half a dozen paintings sewn together. They showed twenty-four sexual positions. We memorize them all before being given back to the men.
Some are more appealing than others, but for some reason, almost all of them seem interesting when applying Ra'Sa to the equation.
We follow behind all the men and women, missing most of the views when night falls around us. The evening is gentle, though, with the vast open sky twinkling with silver stars.
I’ve never been anywhere other than Zlosa. It’s sad to miss seeing whatever bits of the world lurk in the inky blackness. But then, we crest another hill, and I ask Ra’Sa to put me down.
When I look at what awaits us, I gasp. I don't mean for it to happen, but I’ve never seen anything like… this.
Beneath us are two glaciers with a narrow passageway in between. Spell lights are bobbing above a thick blanket of fog that dances over the glassy, blue ice, reaching up toward us like floating waves.
For a second, something akin to fear grips me, despite the men and women disappearing into the cloud hovering near the ground. I stop on the road abruptly.
"Melisa?" It’s the first thing he’s said since he started carrying me here.
I don’t respond immediately, transfixed by the landscape.
I take one step forward. "Sorry. It's just a little terrifying."
He smiles gently. Barely a twitch of his mouth, but it makes me feel better.
"It's also beautiful," I blurt out.
"It is," he says slowly.
When I look back up, he's not looking at the misty clouds kissing the massive ice formations. He's looking at me with his eyebrows knit together. He looks away quickly; all confusion fades until it’s like it never existed.
I turn away and start walking, feeling pleased.
He follows.
My lungs slowly remember how to breathe as we move through the passage. Soon, I almost enjoy the thick, frosted air. It is salty. My mind wanders as it combines with the sounds of the ocean outside the ice chunks. The creaks and groans of ice floes help me settle back into reality.
It isn't until we emerge on the other side that I hear shouting and find three elves holding all the humans back. The clash of metal against bone is sharp and unmistakable, as is the screech that fills the air. When I reach for Ra'Sa this time, he stiffens.
“You don't like to see blood," he says, putting his arms around me again.
“No,” I murmur. I tell myself that I stay in his arms because men need to feel like they can care for their women. The fact that he happens to be right here is of little consequence.
It doesn't take long for the hunters and warriors to clean up the situation and for us to be ushered on our way. At last, I see Estela near the front. She speaks with the men who saunter over from slaughtering the awful, gray-skinned beings.
"I should go help," Ra'Sa murmurs.
I look up at him and nod. “All right.”
He hesitates. “Are you… well?”
“Well enough,” I say.
I continue walking when another one of the trolls catches my eye and sends me a smile. I return it, then push further into the group.
He’s not as big as Ra’Sa.
Abi and another friend, Paoli, join me. They excitedly speak with their hands . I just barely catch the signed words,"hay mas hombres."?1