Shadowborn

Chapter Ten: Skipping Town

Thanks to old wounds being ripped open, I slept like absolute shit. The only silver lining was that I got a lot of thinking done. I went over it in my head a few dozen times and decided Rhallani had done the best she could. All things considered, she’d probably ended up with the best possible outcome.

Besides, if I couldn’t help one girl who’d been through the worst this world had to offer, how could I hope to save everyone else? I wanted to be clear with myself, though. I was helping Scarlet because it was the right thing to do. If doing so helped me get answers about my enemies, then that was just a bonus.

The bald man worried me. If I was right about Allura being the one to give Rhallani her information, then that meant the goddess had led them to Scarlet. If Allura thought baldy was bad news, then I was inclined to agree. It was time to change plans. We needed to get out of Listone before he came looking for Scarlet.
That was how I ended up outside Rhallani and Scarlet’s room before sunrise. I knocked softly. “It’s me,” I called.

It was a minute before the door cracked open. My brows travelled northward when I saw nothing but undergarments through the gap in the cloak she had pulled around her. Her eyes were bleary, but her cheeks were flushed. When she saw my eyes travelling over her body, she shifted to widen the gap in her cloak. I could see the hard nubs poking through the fabric. “Good dreams?”

She smiled. “The best. But they just can’t compare to the real thing.”

I eyed her, then made a quick adjustment to the plan. “Come with me, we should chat.”

I pretended not to notice her biting her lip when I walked back into my room. I hadn’t realized how much I’d miss waking up with someone snuggled into me until I’d been all alone in bed. She shut the door behind her, and she’d barely taken another step before I’d swept her up and pinned her against to the wall next to the doorway with my leg between hers.

Her gasp of alarm was silenced by my lips, and there was barely a moment’s hesitation before her hands were all over me. Her tongue slid against mine, and I sunk my fingers into the flesh of her ass. She moaned into me and started grinding against my leg. I let go of her rear and slid her bra up so I could knead one while my other hand slipped beneath the waistband of her panties. She moaned again when I slid one finger along her outer lips before plunging inside. She was dripping wet.

I chuckled. “Someone’s ready to go.”

I felt her lips on my throat. “Always.” Her hands went to my waistband and fished out my cock. I slid her panties to the side and she lined me up. I slid in to the hilt with a single thrust and she cried out into my neck. I groaned as her heat enveloped me. Her silky smooth walls massaging every inch. I slid one hand to the outside of her thigh and lifted so she could hook her leg around my waist. The other I sunk in her hair and pulled. Her head went back with a gasp, and I put my own lips to her throat.

She cried out when I started thrusting. One of her hands roamed my chest while the other wrapped over my shoulder so she could hold on for dear life while I fucked her into the wall. She held her voice in as much as she could, but when I felt her walls tighten around me and a loud moan slipped out. I took mercy on her and occupied her lips with my own. She stopped focusing on holding the moans in and started rocking her hips against me.

I fucked her into the wall for a long while. She was constantly shifting her hips to try and get me in deeper, and I aimed my thrusts towards her weak spots. In just a few more minutes, I felt her climax roll through her.

I could feel my limit getting close. She must have felt it too, because she pulled back and pressed the side of her face to mine. “Cum for me, baby. Cum for me,” she pleaded.

I slammed into her a few more times before I used my grip on her hair to guide her lips back to mine, then I plunged in as deep as I could and let go. I felt her third orgasm come at the same time as mine while I painted her insides white.

I kissed her until the aftershocks of her orgasm faded, then I let myself slide out of her. “Did you get to enjoy it that time?” I asked her.

She giggled, then rested her head on my shoulder after I let her leg drop. “Way too much.” She hummed happily and ran her hands down my back. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

“It means,” I trailed the tips of my fingers down her spine and she shuddered, “that you didn’t do anything I need to forgive you for in the first place.” I pressed my lips against the top of her head. “So stop beating yourself up. I already said I’d help the demi-humans, I’ll just have to start small.”

“I love you,” she whispered into my shoulder, then she froze.

Hearing that made me much happier than I cared to admit. I brushed my lips against the tip of her ear. “And I love you too, Rhallani.” I was surprised by how much I meant it.

She made a happy sound and nuzzled deeper into me. It was several minutes before I could coax her out.

“We’re skipping town today. I want to get a move on. I’ll take Scarlet with me, I need you to head to the shop and get some traveling clothes that fit her.”

Rhallani nodded, fixing her clothes and drawing her cloak around her. I couldn’t help but notice she didn’t use her cleaning spell to remove my cum from her lower lips, but I didn’t say anything about it. “Where should I meet you after?”

“South side of the city. The caravan is probably already getting ready to head out.” I saw her eyes flick towards my lips. “You know you don’t have to ask for a kiss, right? I’m happy to taste you whenever, wherever.”

She beamed, then leaned up for a quick peck. “We should save it for in private, though.”

“I don’t care much what people think of me.”

“You should.” She pulled the cloak around her tighter. “If you’re going to repair relations, then you need friends on both sides. Until you—” she cleared her throat, “—until we make some progress, you need to ride the line. Prove yourself a friend to demi-humans by not being cruel to us, but don’t alienate yourself by being too openly familiar. I can be one of your wives in private, but in public it’s best I remain a servant.”

I choked. “I’m sorry, one of my what now?”

She flashed a smile at me. “Sorry, we need to get moving before that caravan leaves.”

“You mischievous little bookworm.” I gave her a smack on the ass and her eyes flared. “Get a move on. And get an extra sleeping bag, just in case one of the two we have gets torn. Or I need some way to punish you, I suppose.”

She glared, but her smile never wavered. We went back to her room where Scarlet was sitting on the bed waiting. I hoped she hadn’t heard, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. “What will this one’s duties be today?”

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She looked much better after the health potion and a night’s rest. “You’ll be following me. Your, uh, duties will be the same as Rhallani’s. Stay close, defend yourself if you need to, and if I give you orders then follow them immediately.” The last one rankled me, even if I wouldn’t be giving orders unless it was life or death.

“This one understands.”

I turned to Rhallani, who started pulling on clothes. When she saw me watching, she made a point to give me a little show. This girl was incorrigible. I ended up looking at her for a second longer than I meant to, whatever I’d been about to say lost to her long ivory legs and her perfectly round butt. By the time I looked back towards the other girl, I yelped.

Scarlet was standing right in front of me with her hands reaching for my waistband. Completely nude.

“Whoa, hold on!” I jumped back and grabbed her wrists. She froze, and I saw her pupils flare slightly. Her skin felt abnormally warm, and I could feel magic thrumming through her blood. The tug felt almost familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Even after the potion, up close her body was exactly as bad as I’d feared. Teeth marks marred the slight bumps that were her breasts and her stomach was covered in bruises, more cuts, and one or two burns. Her ribs protruded further from over her stomach than her breasts did over her ribs.

“This one apologizes,” she said. “This one misunderstood.”

“Scarlet, I will never order you to do anything like that with me or anyone else. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

I let her go and she stepped back slowly. Her eyes searched my face with slightly more interest than normal. I gave a pointed look to Rhallani, who had frozen halfway through her show. She smiled sheepishly, but then I turned to where Scarlet was retrieving her clothes and froze.

“Stop.” My voice came out against my will. Scarlet ceased even breathing while my eyes traveled over her back.

It was the long white scars that had first caught my eye. Old wounds caused by a barbed whip unless I was mistaken. That wasn’t what made my blood run cold, though, nor were the jagged and torn stumps of her wings. On the back of her left shoulder was a brand. Two crescents with a line bisecting them. I recognized it because, until I seared it off, the same brand had marked my own flesh.

I struggled to control my breathing. “I’m sorry, please continue to get dressed.” Rhallani put a hand on my arm with a question in her eyes. I grabbed it and willed my shadows to deposit the control bracer on her wrist. “You’re taking the golem, and that isn’t up for discussion.”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Will you get arrested?”

“No, but—”

“Then you keep the golem near you at all times till we’re out of Listone. Not up for discussion.” I could see the question in her eyes, but I couldn’t tell her why I was suddenly terrified. I tucked a strand of her gorgeous silver and gold hair out of her face. “I’ll explain later, but I’m not taking any risks. Not now, and definitely not with you.” Then I put a folded slip of paper in her hand. A list I’d written last night before trying and failing to go to sleep. “Get these, too, while you’re at it.”

She read the list, then her brows drew together, but she nodded. I gave her what was left of my coin as well.

“You’ll just have to trust me.”

# # #

Pulling a six and a half foot golem out of thin air definitely caused some stares, but if it meant Rhallani being safe I was alright with a little attention. As usual, Scarlet had no reaction. Despite her warnings, I gave Rhallani a quick peck on the top of her head before I sent her off, then I took Scarlet to the south side of town.

Just like I’d figured, the caravan was making its last preparations. I counted four wagons and about a dozen people milling about. Only four were kitted out in adventuring gear, so I figured the other six were either drivers or served some other function in the group. The adventurers were the first to draw my eye. All four were human. One man dressed in fine armor with a long thin sword at his hip accompanied by three women. One wore almost exclusively leather and had a recurve bow slung across her back while the other wore the padded clothes often favored by mages. The third one caught my eye.

Long blond hair pulled back into a tail and shining green eyes accented a smile that could light up a room. Her armor was nothing too fancy, but it was rather shiny. She was probably the only person in the group that seemed excited and energetic this early in the morning. There was almost a glow about her that brightened up whoever she talked to. Everyone except for the man with the thin blade, at least.

The caravaneers consisted of four humans, an elf, a dwarf, a Nekomata, and a Dragonling. Of the three demi-humans, only the Nekomata was female. The humans in the group all wore standard travel clothes, bustling about strapping things down on the carriages and directing the demi-humans who carried the last of the crates. One of the human caravanners spotted us and grabbed a second. They had a quick conversation and one came jogging over.

“Sorry, we’re all filled up on muscle,” he did a double take when he saw Scarlet’s face under her hood, but didn’t comment. “And we don’t really have room for any passengers.”

“I was wondering if we might just join you on the road,” I told him. “We can help in a fight, and we won’t charge. I just feel better in a group. We’ll worry about our own supplies, so you don’t even have to factor that in.”

He still looked uncertain. “I’m not sure. It sounds like you’d be getting a free ride to me.”

“We can handle ourselves,” I assured him, “though if it makes you feel better I can pay.”

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. You’re strangers, and I can’t have you around the caravan at all hours without some kind of contract, and we’re already above budget for security.”

Four carriages worth of goods only afforded four guards? It sounded like someone needed to make some adjustments to that budget. “I’ll be honest, I need to get to Amesseria, and it’s a little time sensitive. I can’t afford to wait for the next caravan, and I’d rather not travel alone in these parts.”

The guy scoffed. “You realize that makes me feel less inclined, right?”

“Oh, let him join,” a familiar voice said from behind me. I wasn’t sure if I was glad or annoyed to see Pierce, flanked by Al, Yen, and Lana, join the conversation. “I owe him a favor, and you owe me a favor.”

“Pierce. Glad your friend made it,” I said.

He inclined his head. “The healer was perplexed. Said there was no way she’d have made it, said he’d never seen a skill quite like yours before. Not as good as real healing, but it’ll do in a pinch.” His eyes flicked down to the sword at my hip and his brow raised.

I sighed and started unbuckling it, but he just laughed. “No, no, it’s fine. Not like the sword cost me much in the first place. Loot is loot, and if you braved that deathtrap then you earned whatever you found.” His expression grew serious. “I should probably ask, since I’m gonna get asked myself. She didn’t die too bad, did she? I only hope it was quick.”

A flare of anger rushed through me. He really hadn’t stopped to make sure she was dead before he abandoned her. “Actually, I didn’t find her body. I found her. Rhallani—” I put slight emphasis on her name, “—is fine. She’ll be joining us soon, hopefully.”

His brows rose. “I’m impressed. Seems I owe you two favors now. As much of a pain as it is escorting a little girl around, you’ve saved me quite the headache. I’ll take her off your hands.”

A possessive urge gripped me, but I fought it down. “Not necessary. She’s with me now.”

His brows drew together, then his eyes flicked to Scarlet. They went from her face to the collar just visible above the neckline of her cloak, and he scowled. “You don’t want to do that. Release her to me.”

My hand found its way to the hilt of the sword and his companions all shifted their weight slightly. “Not happening. Like I said, she’s with me now.”

He stared me down, doing his best to be intimidating, but I’d faced scarier men than him before I’d been fifteen. Finally, his dark look faded. “Fine, it’s your funeral. You should probably know that her sister might just mount your head on a pike.”

Well that was new information, but I was glad Pierce wasn’t pressing the issue. It would make the trip pretty awkward otherwise. Then Lana gasped. “Hang on a minute, you don’t mean she’s the Arelim wandering town with that golem, do you?” she demanded.

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard an excited squeal from the caravan. A blur of brown flew towards us, stopping to reveal a woman with curly brown hair and wide blue eyes that stared at us excitedly through thick glasses. “Golem? Did I hear you say golem? You have one? Can I see it? I can pay!” The words tumbled out and with each one she grew closer to me until our noses were practically touching.

“Er, yes. I have a golem. My servant is with it now, but if I can come along with your caravan then you’ll have the entire trip to examine it all you want.”

She squealed again and grabbed the man by the shoulders. “Korey! A golem! They can come, right? You can take it from my pay or something! Please please please please!”

Korey rolled his eyes. “Fine! If Pierce is vouching for you, then I suppose you can tag along. We won’t be slowing down for you, though, so it’s on you to make sure you and your servants keep up.”

She pumped her fist. “Yes! I have to go tell Garm and Mai, they’ll be ecstatic!” Then, as suddenly as she’d appeared, she vanished. By the time I picked her out, she’d grabbed the Nekomata girl by the arms and was jumping up and down excitedly.

“Is she always like that?” I asked.

“Yes,” Korey and Pierce said at the same time.

“Joy.”

Korey just gave me a grim smile. “Well, you know Pierce and his lovely little group. I’m Korey, I’m in charge of this whole shebang. Over there is,” he pointed the other caravaneers out one by one, “Mihrel, Vaze, Cilrien, Mai, Jalan, and Garm. Jezal is the lovely woman you just met. I’ll let Fel introduce his little band to you on his own time. Welcome, try not to fuck shit up. Now I’ve gotta go, someone gave Jalan another box he can’t see over, and I need to know who to yell at.”

I introduced myself then Scarlet before he made his way to the dwarf who was struggling to carry a crate as tall as he was, then started yelling at the woman, Vaze, who was trying and failing to hold in her laughter. Pierce clapped me on the arm. “This makes us even.” Then he left. What a dick.

His companions followed. Al shot me what seemed to be his signature sneer and Yen merely inclined her head with a neutral expression. Lana thanked me with sparkling eyes, telling me not to mind Pierce and to let her know if there was anything she could do to repay me, but I assured her that wasn’t necessary. I was just wondering how I might help get this show on the road a little sooner when I felt a sharp jab at my shoulder.

“You!” I turned to see the blond girl in the shining armor. Her smile was gone now. “What kind of bastard are you to abuse her like that?” she demanded.

I was very confused until I realized she was gesturing towards Scarlet. “I think you’re jumping to conclusions here, lady.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Let me guess, she fell down and hit her face over and over again? People like you make me sick.”

She was passionate, I’d give her that. I turned towards her and crossed my arms. She was taller than most girls, but I was taller than most everyone. She was still a few inches shorter than me. “Why don’t we start over. Hello, my name is Ren. You are?”

She jabbed her finger into my chest. “Not someone who’ll stand idly by while you hurt people who can’t fight back, so you’d best not lay a hand on her.”

She stormed off without letting me get another word in edgewise. I exchanged a look with Scarlet, who’s expression still hadn’t changed. “Will Sir be wanting this one to handle the loud woman?”

I snorted. “Hardly. After golem girl, she just became my new favorite.”

The blond girl continued to shoot me accusatory glances every so often while I helped the Dragonling adjust and strap down some crates. He was taller than me, which wasn’t uncommon for his race. Jet black scales covered the backs of his hands, forearms, and the fronts of his shins. The same scales covered the back of his neck and the underside of his jaw, wrapping up so that they trailed under his eyes. I knew they’d stretch over his shoulders, most of his back, and his thighs as well under his clothes. A scarred tail trailed behind him, and onyx horns sprouted from the sides of his forehead and twisted behind his skull. Yellow eyes appraised me curiously, and he bowed his head in thanks.

I spent about thirty minutes helping where I could, though I noticed that Pierce, Fel, and their respective groups did little to speed things up. Around the time I was helping the Wood Elf, Cilrien, tie down the last wagon, I heard the sound of a very excited Jezal.

I followed the high pitched shouts and found her practically bouncing around the golem, who stood there as one might expect a nonliving construct to. Korey stood with his head in his hands, but my attention was drawn to where Pierce had pulled Rhallani aside. He had one of her biceps in his grip while he talked to her in hushed tones. The second I saw her expression I knew something was wrong.

I headed towards them, resisting the urge to draw my weapon. The second she saw me she pulled free of Pierce’s grip and half-ran to me. I was just about to ask her what had happened when she practically ran into my chest. I felt her arms trembling when they wrapped around me underneath my cloak. Pierce raised a brow in surprise, but Rhallani just buried her face in my shirt.

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Rhallani, what happened? Are you alright?”

She nodded, collecting herself. “Yes, sorry. I just—” she shivered, then whispered so that Pierce wouldn’t hear, “I saw him.”

I glanced at Scarlet, and she tensed. She should have been out of earshot, but I knew she’d heard Rhallani’s words. She must have some exceptional hearing. I made a mental note of it, then turned my attention back to Rhallani. “Did he see you?”

“No, but Ren, he was asking about me. He knows I’m the one who took Scarlet.”

I really wanted to crush her to my chest and promise she’d be safe, but she’d been right earlier. Doing so could cause problems down the road. Instead, I just squeezed her shoulder. “He won’t lay a finger on you. Not as long as you’re mine.”

“Thank you.” She seemed calmer, so I let her go, though not before I shot a glare at Pierce, who merely shrugged and walked away.

“Come on, lets go rescue your golem.”

Jezal had been joined by the Nekomata, Mai. She was of a similar stature to Rhallani, though a little fuller in the chest. Her hair and fur were both black as night, and her ears twitched while she walked slow circles around the golem. A long black tail flicked side to side behind her.

“I blame you for this,” Korey grumbled at my side. “We’ll never get out of here at this rate.”

Garm, the Dragonling, approached. When he spoke, it was with a thick accent I didn’t recognize. “Should I pick her up and tie her to a wagon again?”

“Let me try something,” I said. Leaving Rhallani with Scarlet and the two men, I walked up and touched my finger to the golem. Shadows wrapped around it and the golem vanished into my storage.

“Hey!” Jezal whined. “Bring her back! She’s one of the most advanced non-skill golems I’ve ever seen!”

I crossed my arms. “I’ll bring the golem back out after we stop to make camp.” I shrugged. “Guess you’ll just have to wait till then before you can look at it. I was going to have Rhallani here run it through some paces for you before we settled down for the night, but at this rate I’m not sure we’ll have the time.”

Her nostrils flared. She turned on her heel and stormed towards the carriages, barking orders all the while. “Mihrel! You’re tying that knot to the wrong hook! Vaze! Shut the crate and stop eating the merchandise! Jalan, Garm, get on your carriages already! You too, Mai! Come on, people, let’s move!”

Korey looked at me appreciatively. “Not sure I’ve ever seen her handled so quickly. I’m impressed.”

“She just needs the right motivation. Let’s say I know the type.” I ruffled Rhallani’s hair, and she fought my hand off with a smile before fixing it with an amused glare. I caught the blond girl from before staring at us, but there was a little less vitriol in her eyes this time. Instead I saw a hint of uncertainty that made me throw a smirk her way, but she just huffed and stormed off.

Korey noticed where my gaze had gone and looked to Scarlet himself. He winced. “Look, I get that it isn’t my place to tell you how to deal with your servants, but—”

“I only acquired her yesterday,” I told him. “I’ve got no intention of mistreating her or Rhallani, nor will I allow them to be mistreated.”

He relaxed. “That’s good to hear. Anyways, I guess I owe you for getting us moving sooner, so let me know if you guys need anything.” Then he frowned. “You guys do have supplies, right?”

I pulled one of our travel packs from my storage and his eyes widened, then I sent it back. “Like I said, you won’t have to worry about us.”

“Duly noted.”

Despite my help, it still took another forty-five minutes before the caravan finally rolled out of the town. I made sure Rhallani and Scarlet spent their time shielded from the center of Listone just in case the bald man came looking, but thankfully he never did. Finally, nearing noon, the caravan set off. Each of the demi-humans sat in the drivers’ seats while each of the human caravaneers took a seat next to them. All the adventurers would be on foot, it seemed.

It hadn’t snowed in a few days, but the thick layer of clouds overhead made me wonder how long that would last. I didn’t relax until long after Listone had faded from view, and it was even longer before I felt Rhallani start to calm down. She was really freaked out by the man, and I made a silent promise to take her mind off things tonight.

The caravan wasn’t moving too fast, so once we’d entered the forest to the south of Listone I had Rhallani take Scarlet into the trees so she could change into some clothes that fit her. As soon as they’d disappeared from sight, the man from the other adventuring group approached me.

He had slicked back black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Up close I could tell his gear was very fine, though I could see marks from plenty of use. He had dark eyes that sized me up like I amused him and an oily grin that immediately set me on edge. He walked with his arm resting lazily on the hilt of the long, thin blade at his hip.

“So you’re Ren, then?” His tone was jovial and easygoing. “Sorry about Serena, she’s our newest member, and she can be quite the handful.”

“No worries. I’ve dealt with worse.”

He laughed like I’d said something funny. “All the same, let me know if she’s being too much of a pain and I’ll have a talk with her.” His eyes flicked towards where Scarlet and Rhallani disappeared. “She’s just a girl from a small town. Plenty of ideas in her head. Hasn’t figured out she’s got no business telling others how to treat their property.”

I decided then and there that I didn’t think much of Fel.

“Like I said, nothing I can’t handle. Don’t go out of your way or anything.”

He laughed again. It was a fake laugh that probably worked on most people, but I was hardly most people. He certainly had a kind of natural charisma, but his words were a little too honeyed for my tastes. “So, since you’re around, what can you and your slaves do? Just in case it comes to a fight, of course. I like to at least know what tools I have at my disposal.”

A perfectly harmless reason for asking coated in words that worried me. Still, he had a point. “I’m good in close combat, Rhallani has her golem. I don’t currently plan for Scarlet to fight.”

He nodded with a knowing expression. “Every slave has their use.”

“Servant,” I corrected, all humor leaving my voice, “not slave.” Even that distinction made my gut twist. “And how about your little group?”

His eyes glittered darkly. “I stab things, Sola shoots things, Rastra sets things on fire, and Serena pokes things with her spear.” I knew if I gave him vague answers I’d get them in return, but his expression still bothered me. I decided I’d keep a close eye on him and his. He disappeared when he saw Rhallani and Scarlet walking back towards me.

Scarlet still wore her same disinterested expression, but I couldn’t help but think she looked a little more comfortable in clothes that fit her. Her cloak at least wasn’t dragging on the ground and her top didn’t hang from her narrow shoulders. I gave Rhallani’s hair a ruffle and felt her arm wrap around my waist to give me a quick squeeze.

Despite the circumstances we’d left under, I still felt a thrill of excitement. We were finally on the path to Amesseria. I’d found at least one amazing ally and was surrounded by a few potential ones, and I felt like I’d managed to get my hands on a big piece of the puzzle with Scarlet. According to Korey when I asked, as long as nothing went horribly wrong, we’d hit Amesseria in a little under three weeks. Then I could finally start holding up my end of Allura’s deal.

I could only hope that she still planned to uphold hers.