Chapter 3

They were a few feet in front of me and both had their blades drawn. Based on their stance I could tell that they had experience with them, but they were overconfident. They lacked the discipline to treat each encounter seriously and that would ultimately prove their downfall. I drew both my sword and knife and got in a defensive stance. I had the knife facing towards the ground in my left hand and had my sword drawn in my right. Through the link, I could tell that Janet was pissed and, on her way, here.

She was discussing today’s plans with the others when these morons arrived. I closed my eyes and began to draw out my combat awareness. They took the chance I gave and attacked. My eyes opened and they were not that far from me, moving slower than normal to my eyes. I used my weapons to guard the attacks as I kicked my foot out to the one on my left. I made sure not to use my full strength, but it still hit him pretty hard. I parried a blow from the soldier on my right and used the knife to cut his hand and forced him to drop his sword. I then punched him in the face, the hilt of the knife adding an extra amount of force and set him on his ass.

By this time, the other one had gotten up and was charging me. I moved out of the way but left my leg outstretched, causing him to lose his balance. Lillian had pounced on the one I had just injured and was keeping him out of the fight. My opponent recovered, but I quickly parried and blocked his attempt to overpower me with a flurry of attacks.

With my combat awareness, I was able to meet each blow perfectly and bide my time until an opening presented itself that allowed me to strike. I was able to block with my knife and slice his arm with my sword before kicking his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Now vulnerable, I punched him as hard as I could and knocked him out. It was at this time that Janet burst through the front door. Around the same time, the man who visited us the night before arrived.

“What in the seven hells is going on here?” yelled the platoon captain. “What is the meaning of this? Why are my men lying on the ground, one of which with a cursed wolf on them?”

I walked over to the man and got in his face, which caused him to take a step back. There was a look of seething anger in my face and I doubt this man was used to people reacting that way with him.

“Your two idiots here decided that I had to be taught a lesson after what happened on the docks. They felt I was fair game, since Janet was not with me and they planned to injure or possibly kill me and my wolf. This conduct is disgraceful, and I will be sending news of this to my Patron to tell the Dran of Bardack province.”

“If they attacked, it is because you provoked them,” he replied with an arrogant tone.

“Really? So me dropping off a fresh kill of deer, then returning to my hotel is a provocation? If this is how your soldiers act, I am surprised that the Voguel have not wiped you out already!”

The platoon captain began to fume and sputter in reply. A glance at his hands and I could see him begin to reach for his sword.

“If you draw your weapon,” I growled menacingly, “then I will have no choice but to cut you down.”

He heard someone clearing their throat behind him and turned to see Janet standing behind him with her sword pointed at him.

He took a step back in shock and yelled, “How dare you draw a weapon against a platoon commander!”

“The Torgal answer only to the Dran. You are aware of this but choose to ignore it due to your inflamed sense of self-importance. I am your superior and have the authority to kill you without fear of punishment. Anyone who is deemed a threat to my platoon is a threat to the Dran. Davik is a part of my platoon.”

I watched as the platoon commander’s face paled with every word she spoke. His hand slowly moved away from his sword and he turned to look at me once again. I could see his eyes evaluating me, trying to understand why I would be so important. I stepped forward and got in his face once again.

“To answer the question on your mind, I killed an entire pack of Voguel that was attacking my village. With Janet’s help, I was able to end an Old One and his remaining pack. I am not one you would wish to fight with or make an enemy of.”

He swallowed hard and took two steps away from me, moving his hand away from his sword and up in a sign of resignation.

“I apologize for my actions and the actions of my men. I do hope you enjoy your visit to Vishant.”

I nodded and smiled, hoping to show I had no lingering ill will. Janet nodded and sheathed her sword and watched as the commander called for two guards to assist his injured men. I shook my head at the unnecessary violence and confrontation. We made our way inside and I could sense Janet felt embarrassed about what happened.

“Janet, you had no way of knowing that this would happen. I did what I could to limit the damage, though most of the damage was to their pride. I tapped into my combat awareness to make sure they did not hurt me and to ensure I didn’t accidentally cut them in a way that could cause them to bleed out.”

She nodded. “I know, Davik, but it does not mean that I have to like it. The years of dealing with Voguel have caused a lasting distrust in everyone.”

“If you believe it is bad now, what do you expect will happen if our abilities are revealed? How do you think your Dran will react?”

She sighed and nodded, remembering her Dran’s orders to kill all those suspected to be Voguel. It did not matter if they were cured of the disease, as his paranoia would not allow them to live.

“You are right, Davik. Based on my Dran’s orders, I would be obligated to kill you, Lillian and myself.”

I nodded. “I just wanted you to understand that conflict with your military might occur. I will not let them hurt those I care about because of fear and prejudice.”

She kissed my cheek as we arrived at our room. Lillian had been relatively quiet during our talk, keeping behind us as we made our way inside.

“Are you okay Lillian?” I asked, looking down at the black wolf now at my side. “You have been quiet ever since the fight.”

<< I am just feeling out of sorts, Davik. When they threatened you, I saw red. I was surprised I did not trigger growing to my larger size. I felt more animal than person and that has never happened before. It scared me.>>

I had sensed that during the fight, and it had worried me as well. We entered the room, making sure to close the door behind us. “That is why we are here, love. You know that I will not stop until I can hold you, kiss you and make love to you in your human form.”

<< I know, Davik, it is just scary. I know we will figure it out, but part of me is worried I may lose myself before that happens. >>

Janet knelt in front of Lillian and ran her hands along her soft coat. I could feel the contentment at the contact as well as the love radiating from each of them.

“If you lose yourself, we will find you,” Janet said with a reassuring smile, “because you are never alone.”

We could feel the worry begin to fade, replaced with a sense of contentment and hope for the future.

“So how did your meeting with the others go? What exactly did you need to talk to them about that was so important?”

“It went well,” she replied. “We came to a consensus on what we should do next, but first, we need to find out where our target is.”

“Okay, that makes sense.” I felt somewhat uneasy at her vague response. “Have you figured out how you will start your search?”

She nodded with a smile, “I will explain it while we eat breakfast. There is a section of the dining area that is secluded enough that we could talk openly without worry of being heard.”

I nodded and removed my sword belt, placing it on the top of the dresser. After the last few months, being without it made me feel somewhat naked.

I knelt down in front of our companion, “Are you coming with us, Lillian, or are you going to relax here?”

<< I am going to stay here. You know that I would not be hungry after eating that deer. Besides, I will be able to keep an eye on our rooms. I plan to lie in the hall. That way, no one will attempt to do anything. >>

“A wise precaution,” Janet replied with a sigh. “I just wish that it was not a necessary measure.”

Lillian simply chuffed in reply and we left the room. Since we had one room beside us and the two directly across from these two rooms, Lillian stayed in the middle of the hall, thus blocking access to all four doors.

Janet knocked on each door and told them we were ready to head downstairs. Each one of them appeared a short time after and I was surprised by their attire. Each was wearing an outfit that caused my brain to short circuit slightly. Irenia, Faye, Cherish and Ingrid were dressed in various dresses that were tasteful in cut, but sensual in how they hugged their bodies. Elsie and Kayla were dressed in pants and shirts, though the shirts were opened far more than normal - creating their own allure.

I shot Janet a curious look and she only gave an innocent smile in return. She was also doing her best to hide her thoughts through the link. I could feel Lillian chuckle through the link at the attempt at subterfuge. We made our way downstairs and entered the dining area and were ushered to the far side of the room. It was a table built with a small wall obscuring it from view from the main dining area.