Chapter 35: Visitors

We endure four successive storms before the river level starts to drop and the flooded areas drain. The clouds over the mountains begin to thin. Merope’s estimate of the likelihood of further storms reduces to a less than ten percent chance.

Atelita and Elodia came into heat on the second day of our stay inside the tower. The next five days were a series of orgies with the two Tribu, Cassandra and me. Atelita and Elodia are clearly no strangers to sex. I refuse to ask them their ages, but I think they are in their midtwenties. The traces of stretch marks on their abdomen suggests that they already have children.

Cassandra asks me whether I find them as attractive as her and the Elf Maidens. There’s no way I’m going to answer that question. Simplistically, anyone who causes my cock to stand to attention must, by definition, be attractive to me. However, the Hrill’s beauty is different from that of Cassandra and the elves. Whereas Cassandra, and Thurnians and elves in general, display a natural litheness, Atelita and Elodia are fuller in body without appearing overweight. Compared to elves, their breasts and bottoms are proportionally larger. Of course, I don’t know how typical Atelita’s and Elodia’s features are of their race. Makareta only said that their black straight hair and skin colouring seemed to be commonplace among the Tribu.

With all the elves pregnant, and unable to enjoy sex when not in heat, Cassandra and I make the most of our opportunity for sex while we can. Atelita and Elodia have no problem with Cassandra participating in our romps, which apparently mirrors sexual practises among the Tribu where oneonone sex is less common than multipartner orgies. The two Tribu certainly know numerous positions that are suited for group sex.

After five mindblowing days we discover an unwelcome feature of Hrill biology. Whereas Thurnian and elven females are in heat for at least two weeks at a time, the Tribu are only in heat for four or five days every two months. It’s another feature that is hindering the growth of their population. While I’m disappointed that our sexual romps must come to an end, I have at least done my best to make Atelita and Elodia pregnant. They certainly seem satisfied with the experience.

By our ninth day of camping inside the tower, we are all beginning to feel stircrazy and eager to be on our way. However the river is still flowing faster than normal, although nothing like it was during the storms. The weather has cleared enough that we don’t need to camp inside the Potiora. However, we delay relocating our camp since we intend to be on our way as soon as possible.

“I have a suggestion,” says Makareta as we gather around for the daily review of our activities. “While you have been fucking Atelita’s and Elodia’s brains out, Ikaroa and I have been questioning the Merope machine about the other Potiora. It seems that each Potiora can send short messages to the others. I think we should have Merope send a message to the Atene Potiora to let Kahu and the others know that we will be late in returning to Atene.”

“That assumes that Kahu or someone else is going into the Potiora tower and communicating with Dioxippe,” says Ikaroa. “I’m not certain anyone will be doing that after we left. There’s a lot of silly superstition dissuading Atenex from entering the tower. However, there isn’t anything we can do about that, and sending a message is better than nothing.”

“If Merope is able to send a message, then I agree that we should do so,” I reply.

“There’s more,” says Makareta. “I believe Defina’s suggestion about finding the Potiora to the north of us has merit. Merope confirmed what Elodia told us the other day. The race that was awoken by Potiora Rima ... that’s the Potiora between here and Atene ... have done medical research towards remedying some of the mistakes our ancestors made when creating our races. Perhaps the Phebes ... if that’s what they’re called ... can provide help in resolving the reproduction problem our respective races face.”

“Is that why you wanted to go there, Defina?” I ask.

“No,” replies Defina35. “I simply want to get out of this heat. I thought we might find it cooler near the mountains. I’m not keen on travelling further south if it is going to get even hotter.”

“What does everyone else think?” I ask.

“I agree that the heat is debilitating,” says Makaroa. “But I can manage the discomfort if it helps with our mission.”

“There’s a way we can achieve both objectives,” says Ikaroa. “It’s going to be at least a couple weeks before my arm is healed enough for me to manage a paddle. As Makareta said last week, four rowers will find it hard to row a boat up river at the moment, but five might be able to manage it. Each boat will hold five adults ... and Rawiri, of course. I’m suggesting that Alex, Cassandra, Rawiri, Makareta, Atelita and Elodia travel to the Tribu village in one of the boats, while Ihapera, Defina35 and I travel overland to Potiora Rima. We can meet back here by some agreed date.”

“How do you propose to locate Potiora Rima?” I ask. “You will be travelling through thick jungle for most of the journey.”

I don’t add that the jungle will certainly be home to a variety of dangerous beasts. I know Ikaroa will have considered that hazard. The weapons Defina35 has made will certainly make them formidable foes if they run into trouble.

“Merope has a supply of devices like this one,” replies Ikaroa. “They make a specific sound if we point it at our chosen Potiora no matter how far away we are. There’s a dial on the device that we can use to select the one we want. Potiora Wha is the fourth mark on the dial, and Potiora Rima the fifth one.”

“Are there enough of the devices for each of us?” I ask, thinking they may be useful when it comes to finding the Merope tower on our return journey.

“Yes, there are scores of these devices in one of the rooms on the level above this one.”

Ikaroa lets me examine the device. I test it by pointing in the direction where my map suggests Potiora Rima should be. At Ikaroa’s prompting, I press a small button that activates the device. I’m a few degrees off target at first, but I soon locate the correct direction. I then switch the device to point to the Atene Potiora. Following Ikaroa’s logic, it should be the third mark on the dial. Sure enough the device beeps when I point it about twenty degrees to the left of Potiora Rima. Allowing for the inaccuracies in my handdrawn map, that’s the direction of the Atene tower.

“OK. This seems to work,” I say, resetting the device to point to Potiora Rima, and handing it back to Ikaroa. “Does anyone have a better idea? If not, when are we going to meet back here?”

Our plan is agreed and we schedule a reunion back here in six weeks time. Ikaroa estimates a journey through the jungle to Potiora Rima should take a couple of weeks. I’m not sure how she arrives at that estimate, but I can’t offer a better one. The timing of our reunion should give us a couple of weeks before Ihapera and Cassandra are due to give birth.

Ikaroa, Ihapera and Defina35 depart early the next morning. They offered to help us carry our boat to the river, but we didn’t want to delay them. We have a shorter journey along a known route to our destination, whereas those heading for Potiora Rima are travelling through thick jungle with any number of obstacles blocking their way. Despite the daunting task facing them, the three elves show no sign of having second thoughts.