Chapter 10

We are both exhausted, so we stay quiet and listen to one another's breath, when the fights have concluded I become human and get Samantha's clothes, avoiding looking at places she keeps private I help her back into a mage robe, I even remember to put my shirt on. Before we leave the room Samantha asks for my right arm, I don't know why but I hold it out to her anyway, she casts some spell causing two small black lines like a tattoo to appear.

"They are to show how many foes we defeat whether it was a knockout or death all familiar's have them, the more you have the better people see us, if you get any on the left arm it means we lost, although most don't get many of those."

I understand it is kind of like a scoreboard but on me, seems chill. Walking out of the room we encounter two large men, me expecting it to be an ambush I kick their shins then hold their own daggers to their throats on the floor. Lou taught me the move I had just adapted it to fit two men instead of one, one of the men holds a letter, while the other has nothing. Samantha fills me in, "these men are not enemies they are messengers." Feeling embarrassed I help them to their feet and return the daggers and sure enough they bow, give Samantha the letter, then leave.

As we walk back to her room she reads the letters, she doesn't tell me what it says or even give a hint through facial expression, but I know through our bond it both excites and surprises her so I don't ask. Once inside she walks to her desk and starts writing, when that's done she seals it in an envelope and casts a spell on it causing it to disappear. With that out of the way she starts packing, not everything, just a small travel bag, three outfits and food, kind of confused I pack some food in my bag as well.

Finally she flops down on the bed, "Jack, I am going to nap for a bit. You are free to do what you would like, but remember, we leave by nightfall. Now help me."

I help her get into her nightgown and say, "you know you could say please."

She falls asleep quickly, she is exhausted from our fight, her energy is expelled in her magic, revealing to me now why it is necessary for mages to have familiars. I personally don't feel to bad but I know I should rest while I can, so changing into my wolf form I curl up on the straw pile, I can sleep as a human, but as a wolf there's more padding between me and the floor.

I don't dream but I do notice the change in the sun from where it was in the sky, I can still hear Samantha's slowed breath. All is normal, all but the smell of high end cologne, it's strong but I can't tell where it is coming from, that's when I notice the window that was closed is now wide open, someone is in here and by the smell I'd say it's Armin. I get up and whip my head around to Samantha, she is still there but something is above her, a shiny outline almost impossible to see.

Without thinking I leap, going clear over the bed and landing on Armin and his familiar, the commotion is great enough to wake Samantha but it is over before she gets up. I had received a blade in my lower left side, but other than that no one is hurt so job well done if I do say so myself. I hold them there until Samantha can cast two paralysis spells, once that is done I have Samantha remove the blade before I become human, the cut is a lot smaller while I'm human so it is less effort for her to heal. Once that's settled we grab our bags, I transform so she can lay them over my back and climb aboard. It is a tight fit but when I crawl and suck in we make it through the doors, stairs end up not being too difficult.

I walk where Samantha tells me to heading through the halls and finally to a market in a courtyard where, after quite the stares, we sell the enchanted swords for some thick blankets. We lose on the deal but don't really care considering we are trying to get rid of it, from there we head to a large chamber in the castle and meet with a jailer. After we explain our predicament he nods and hands Samantha some cash, "for your trouble," is what he says, he clearly intends on making Armin pay him back, sadly for him he can see and hear everything. It gets even more interesting when he asks us to get them down from my back, I stand as tall as possible while Samantha gives them each a good kick in the ass, it's like a seven foot drop but the guards completely ignore it and pick them up.

As I walk through halls Samantha explains, "they will punish him for his crime, then make him pay off the debt that I was given, when that is complete he will be free to go. Now it is not as late as I'd hoped but we can set off now, we are headed north, a week and a half north. Mind you at the speed you run we might make it there in four days, this will be some sort of record."

I say nothing as a response because a man at the gates stops us, "excuse me ma'am, you aren't allowed to ride steeds inside the walls, it is against the rules."

As a response she smiles back at him, "he's not a steed he's a wolf." Taking this as my que to move we take off leaving nothing but stirred dust and a slack jawed guard behind us. I can move quickly across the land expelling little energy, it is running at breakneck speed, probably 150km/hr that we start up our first conversation. Samantha takes the lead, "hey Jack, there is a group of trees getting closer, don't you think you should slow down or something?"

Her worry is too evident I cannot help myself, "what trees," while headed straight for the thickest one.

Her tone is now angry, "you know what trees you are headed straight for them slow down god dammit."

I leap at the tree with all of my might, listening to Samantha's shrill scream we cut completely through it without even feeling a bump. Sadly there are no more in my path or I'd hit them all, for right now I'll have to settle for my laughter, she is so not thrilled about me laughing, "you ass. We could have died, how did you know it was going to work, why didn't you tell me?"

Amid my laughter I manage to reply, "I - that's - I figured it out on my way to the arena." This sparks a fit of rage from her but her fists beat pointlessly against my neck, before I can warn her about my fur I hear a yelp and assume she punched it the wrong way.

The next four or five hours are spent silent and at one point she falls asleep, this is my que to stop running and trot instead. Still fast but not as much jostling, she seems to be getting energy whenever she can, almost like she's saving it, but for what. Either way I keep moving, we have a long way to go, I take this time to sightsee taking in all the trees birds animals and grass. In my world the vegetation is sparse and the animals almost nonexistent, here everything moves, even the villages are mostly green. It is passed noon by the time anyone even takes notice, a small platoon of men on horseback come up on my right, I could easily outrun their horses at this speed but I'd rather not be hunted.

Taking a tiny hop I say, "Samantha wake up, there are men and I don't think they would like to talk with me." It's not the best I can come up with but it does the trick, she sits up and starts fixing her outfit and ruffled hair.

I slow down to a complete stop before facing them, Samantha explains how it works, "when two groups of people meet you send two riders maximum to great the other, if any more than two advance past one hundred fifty yards it means they are attacking or have no idea how far away they are. They are allowed to come weapons drawn but if it's a bowman you can't even have an arrow knocked, in this case they will come to us."

She is right about them stopping and sending two riders but I don't like it and as they get closer my Anxiety rises. Samantha does all the talking as per usual, lower my head enough so they can talk, the height difference is comical considering she is like five foot tops and yet her head is like six feet above theirs.

I listen as they discuss us, "whose knights are you and what is the issue we have important business in Snowfall."

The lead man has little confidence and I watch as his eyes dart to me occasionally, "you see m'lady, we… we are not used to seeing such a beast and only wanted to make sure it wasn't a threat.

I'm normally the one to irritate, bug or make people squirm so I'm surprised when she says, "and what were you going to do if it was?"

As intended both men squirm in their saddles, "we uh… we would have attacked, and you can assure us it is safe."

Samantha is done with pestering and says to me, "let me down than show them."

To be fair they are only doing their job so I let Samantha off and change back to a human, "greetings."

I'm not sure what to be more confused by, the fact that they would attack a giant ass steel wolf, or the fact that when I transform into a human they are even more afraid, damn knights.

When the man speaks he rushes and garbles his words as if it will make it better, "I - we - we are sorry, we didn't mean any disrespect to you or your familiar it's just -we - it - sorry." The man is somehow pulling off a bow from horseback while he apologizes.

I change back into a wolf and allow Samantha to climb aboard before she says, "no apologies necessary it was a small mistake, you guys have done a fine job, me and my familiar will be on our way then?"

The man is more together and no longer bowing when he says, "if it's alright with you we will escort you a fair ways."

Samantha replies acting as though irritated, "your horses move much to slow we would outrun you, if you want to help could you get me some leather and let us go."

Now I don't know why she needs the leather and neither do the knights but as a reply he says, "we would happily lend you some leather, and if you leave us behind then that is fine."