304. Of slaves, confessions and a little bit of recognition

Cassandra Pendragon

Eyes still closed I tried to puzzle out as much about them as I possibly could. They didn't reek of Asra's blood anymore, nor of wounds or pain. Apparently they had managed to wash without encountering one of his stauncher supporters. The wolf girl smelled surprisingly… wild despite her captivity. A faint tinge of sweat mixed with something earthy, like freshly sawed wood, reminded me of a sunlit clearing in spring. The human was more in line with my expectations, a hint of expensive oils and soap, still present beneath the sweet aroma of a young woman. Considering what they had been through, calling them girls didn't seem very appropriate anymore. A handful of steps away they slowed down until they stood, stock still and silent, just beyond my reach. 

"I don't bite nor do I usually incinerate people on the spot," I reminded them dryly. "There really is no point in keeping your distance, is there? I think I've already proven that you've got nothing to fear from me. Why don't you come closer and sit with me? Conversing on your feet always feels like the prelude to a fight and I don't intend to harm you. So… unless you mean to gut me like your previous benefactor why don't we make ourselves comfortable?" I heard their surprised intake of breath, the quickening beats of their hearts and the growing tension in their contracting muscles but after a moment they moved.

"Thank you for saving us," a warm, slightly raspy voice mumbled while I felt them sit down, arm in arm to provide each other with some comfort. "You didn't have to…" I opened my eyes and the silvery glow brought the wolf up short, her gaze immediately dropping away from my face. Damn it, she should be proud, self assured and confrontative, not nervous and timid. I sighed, for the umpteenth time today.

"Don't mention it. You had every right to make him pay. I'm just glad I got there before your time was up." They had changed from their elaborate, revealing attire into something much more normal. Worn and comfortable leather pants and cotton shirts made them look less like courtesans and more like the pretty girl next door. I didn't know how they had gotten their hands on different clothes but if someone was willing to help them out, I wouldn't complain. A tiny bit of consideration and decency already went a long way. I was just baffled that a hint of a smell I had definitely caught before was still clinging to the garments, even though I couldn't place it.

The wolf's grey, fluffy ears twitched cutely, almost like ours did when we were embarrassed, but she still managed to raise her red, smouldering eyes and meet mine openly. "So are we," she said. "I'm Faelan, this is Anna. We're…," she struggled with her words until her companion jumped in.

"Desperate," she finished the sentence, her voice a husky, inviting whisper. Paired with her long, flowing black hair, grey eyes and enviable bust she truly was… had been a catch for the late Captain. "Truth be told," she quickly added, uncomfortable under my scrutinising stare, "we didn't expect to see the sunrise again when we killed that monster and now…," I missed the next part, my attention diverted by another set of approaching footsteps. These, though, I could easily place. As well as the scent accompanying them. For one reason or the other the Brightblaze sisters had decided to go looking for me, even though I had already expected them to have returned home. They didn't join us, though, and remained hidden behind the trees, just out of sight. For a moment I was puzzled but it clicked quickly enough when I realised that it had been their smell I had recognised on the the two women at my side.

"…don't even know why he was suddenly alone, but when his mercenaries ran off we took the chance. We don't have anywhere to go and… I'm, we're scared. Everywhere we turn someone might recognise us and now that we actually might live, we don't…" I raised my hand to shut her up, which worked like a charm, for the first friggin time. Adding two and two together, Serena and Emilia had probably bribed, threatened or lured Asra's soldiers away and even helped his two slaves afterwards. But why? Why had Serena first considered handing over her precious sister and then turned around, more or less killing the man she had been prepared to hop into bed with, or at least send her sister to do just that? And why were they hiding now? Oh well, speculating was about as satisfying as trying to ice skate uphill and about as sensible.

"You're not as alone as you think," I said. Much more loudly I added: "are they? Why don't you join us? Otherwise I might just come to believe you actually have a reason to hide." Faelan and Anna stared at me as if I had just lost my mind, a bit surprising, considering the she wolf should have been able to smell and hear the two humans just as easily as me, but their expression quickly turned into guarded weariness when they saw two silhouettes appear from the shadows.

"Your senses really are as good as you claimed," Emilia said through a bright smile. She came closer without hesitation and dropped down against the trunk, hugging me from the side.

I cocked an eyebrow and asked: "did you expect me to lie to you? I have no need of that."

"No, probably not, but you should still try it, some time. Maybe then you wouldn't have most people running away as fast as they can, once they see you." She chuckled quietly and stretched out her legs, the metal threads in her trousers glimmering in the dim moonlight. 

The two former slaves had taken her appearance in stride, focused as they were on her older sister. I didn't know if they had met before, but judging from their expression they knew all too well who she was and they obviously didn't see her as a friend. Which was rather funny, since the two of them were probably the first people Serena had ever helped without compensation. 

I shrugged and replied: "doesn't make much of a difference to me. But… you seem to have buried the hatchet and even decided to put an end to Asra's aspirations all together. It was you, who got the mercenaries to run, wasn't it? Why?" I turned to Faelan, her wide eyes reflecting dawning comprehension since her nose was giving her a decent head start in comparison to her human friend, and added: "and why do you act all shy? You're wearing their pants, after all."

Now Anna finally caught up and I heard her gasp, while Serena slowly lowered herself to the ground, a bit further away than I had expected. "That's actually a pretty long story and the reason why we're here. The burying the hatchet part. That we were able to provide Asra with a decent sent off was just luck," she explained hesitantly. "There's a bit more to it than you may think and…"

"She's afraid you'll turn her into a toad or simply kill her outright, if she tells," her sister interrupted her merrily. She still hadn't let go of me.

"And you don't," I asked emphatically, while I tried to convey to the two nervous and confused women that they had nothing to fear. No one would harm them while I was around.

"No," Emilia chirped, "you're much too similar… you might even have done the exact same thing, if you had been in her place. Just listen to her and try to keep the boisterous displays of outrage to a minimum, will you? Otherwise this might take until dawn." I could feel my mouth opening. I mean, I knew her, somewhat, but this form of informality, dare I say intimacy, was something my family used when they talked to me. Not a girl I had spent less than two hours with. "And don't look at me like that." With a mischievous smile she added: "otherwise I might get scared and then you'll have to console me. Again." So much for me becoming the local boogeyman. I felt more like a damned fairy godmother by the second. But, truth be told, she still elicited a smile and a grudging nod from me. 

"Good," she said and leaned against my shoulder. "Serena even brought some food for the both of you," she continued for the benefit of Anna and Faelan. "Why don't you eat while my sister talks? I guess some parts of her story might interest you, as well. Also… I'm glad you're finally free. For a while I thought I'd have to join you and that…" she shuddered and added quietly: "you have my heartfelt adoration. I don't think I would have held on for as long as you did." Perplex wouldn't even come close to how the two former slaves looked and honestly I wasn't faring much better. What in hell had gotten into Emilia and what was going on? Had I missed a day or maybe even several? 

For the first time since I had met her I saw Serena smile genuinely, the love she held for her sister sparkling in her eyes as she watched her antics. When she realised I was staring at her she cleared her throat and quickly turned away. She was already talking while she extracted a bundle of bread and cured ham from a bag and threw it at the she wolf. "Now that I'm actually here, I don't even know where to begin," she admitted quietly. "But… when we first came to Free Land might be a good start. Let's see…

Back then I was young, barely 15. Emilia is ten years younger. I imagine you can picture how welcoming Free Land can be to two lonely, lost girls. We had run from our home and we didn't have a copper to our name. The only ways I saw to earn money were… repulsive. I couldn't get myself to go through with it. Long story short, we were broke and desperate… just like the two of you are now. Maybe we were even worse off, considering I had a child to care for and was still half of one, myself. That was 12 years ago. The first months were… cruel. No roof above our heads, not enough food, running from thugs whenever they realised that there would be no one to take revenge should they mistreat us. We… survived, in no small part thanks to my gifts, my faith." An almost imperceivable shudder raced through her and her fingers twitched towards the pommel of her ever present sword compulsively. She took a deep breath and shook her head, trying to organise her thoughts.

From the corner of my eye I saw the former slaves exchanged a quick, confused glance. An expression I probably shared since I wasn't too sure myself where she was going with this. Most of it I had already known and the few parts I hadn't didn't matter much, at least in my opinion. Before I could interrupt, though, Emilia pinched and shushed me… What the hell?

"See, the island we come from," Serena continued, oblivious to the affront of transcendent proportions her sister had just committed, "is vast. Our capital, Gryffinhorst, its inhabitants number in the millions, not thousands, and there are several cities which are nearly as large. I don't know how many people live on Aurus in total but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that our deities are far stronger and much more present than the ones you've already stumbled across. We live under a theocracy, which is also why we left in the first place. Emilia was picked as a vessel for the manifestation during the spring equinox, a tremendous and, more often than not, lethal honour. So… we hid on the first ship leaving the harbour, without a coin to our name or even an idea of where we were headed." She chuckled dryly and rolled her eyes.

"Gods, I'm sounding like I want you to pity us, but that's not the case. I simply want you to understand what it means, when I tell you that Asra helped us, back then. He gave us a place to sleep safely and provided us with enough coin to get back on our feet. Not out of generosity, mind you. I've said it before, our gods are powerful and mine, the Eternal Flame, has the largest following. We were running for our lives, chased by a bunch of beast kin, when I stumbled into a dead end, a crying child in my arms. I drew my sword," she caressingly touched the blade at her side, "the very same one I'm still wearing, put down Emilia behind me and made ready for what I believed to be my last stand. Until the wolfs chasing us dropped down dead, their throats pierced by metal bolts. Asra had had his eye on us for a while, he had seen my abilities and he was intrigued. He offered me a deal. If I swore on my deity to never lift my sword against him, he'd help us out." She smiled melancholically and met my gaze head on for the first time.

"What would you have done? There really wasn't much of a choice, was there? With his help and the power of my Lord we turned our life around, but ever since we have always lived in the shadow of that beast… that is until recently." She raised her hands and nestled with the clasp of her cloak, producing a burned out amulet. With a flick of her wrist she threw it at me. The metal felt cold and dead between my fingers but I could still guess at the magic it has once contained.

"When you killed the Mask, my oath broke. Through sheer luck we were close to you and the magic you unleashed shattered my binds. Not that I knew, back then, otherwise I wouldn't have treated you as I did, but for the first time I could act how I saw fit. And well… why don't you tell the rest, Emilia?" The girl in question stuck out her tongue at her and grinned.

"Afraid she might yet lose her temper? Scaredy-cat. Fine. Look, Cassy, truth be told I didn't know most of it until last night, otherwise I wouldn't have gone looking for you. Which was… exactly what my sister had counted on. I imagine you didn't have the chance to actually hear it, but the people have been talking about you for a while, now. In the beginning, no one knew who you were, but over time…" She too a deep breath and lowered her head, staring at me from below her bangs. 

"In a few sentences: after we met you, first during the battle and then again in the harbour, I came to trust you. Don't ask me why, I just did and Serena knew. She thought I might seek you out if she confronted me with Asra's proposal. And… she counted on you to treat me just like you treated those girls over there and everyone else who has come to ask for your help. Like a friend." Her expression changed, becoming more serious, almost sad.

"My sister expected you to kill Asra and probably her, as well. She… the Eternal Flame is a god of law, order and purity. She made sure I would inherit her titles, her power, beforehand and then she cast the dice. But instead of executing one or two Captains you went right ahead and did… this." She spread her arms wide, the smile returning to her face. "And now neither of us is dead and we're still free of our past. Which brings me to the last bit. When you… turned into a star and made us remember why we fear gods and devils, Serena acted. Quickly. She bribed Asra's soldiers while he was busy wetting his pants and," she turned to the two women, "you did what we still couldn't. Even though the amulet was already destroyed, Serena and I would have lost our magic, if we had become oath breakers. Oaths are sacred and binding, at least to the followers of the Eternal Flame. And now, we have come here to tell you the truth, ask your forgiveness, for using and mistreating you, you and your people, and maybe… become friends. I… we do understand, though, if you never want to see us again. But I don't think so. Am I wrong?"

I blinked, I stared and then I chuckled. No wonder the wily woman was still clinging to me like a puppy. Would I have done the same? Hardly, but then again, I hadn't been stuck between an unbreakable promise and the nightmares I had brought to Free Land. On second thought, I actually had and I had fought tooth and nail until I had been free. Just like Serena. A smile spread across my face and I winked at Emilia, before I nimbly got up and offered her sister my hand.

My tails fanned out behind me and I caught her gaze, sparks igniting in my eyes. A warm breeze, carrying the scent of sizzling fat and the sounds of hearty laughter, tousled my hair and when a distant, gravelly voice started singing we shook.