Chapter 8

It had been nearly two months since we had left the port town of Iltha’tal and thankfully we had not run into any trouble. We had maintained the schedule of who would travel the forests and who would travel in the wagon. Of those who did travel in the wagon, the driver on duty rotated between everyone and at least one other sat to keep them company. They also kept their eyes on the forest just in case something slipped by the others.

Training their skills and accessing their combat awareness had progressed well and we were confident that we could handle any fight we could find ourselves in. I had made sure to spend time with each one of them, ensuring that the relationship was individual to each and had a chance to grow naturally. I was pleased with how things had progressed though we had not done anything sexual as yet.

The one issue was Lillian. She was feeling left out of things and though I spent as much time with her as I could during meals and before bed, it was not the same. I could feel her being disheartened by things and we tried to help by making sure she was getting attention in the dreamscape. We worried she would become distraught before we could find someone who might be able to cure her.

We had crested a hill, an hour or two after mid-day, and could see the town of Fro’litali about an hour of travel away. We were happy to see signs of civilization and looked forward to sleeping in a bed for a night or two as we restocked our supplies and let the horses get a nice rest. We sent the return signal across the link and ten minutes later the others were in the back and Lillian was keeping pace beside the wagon. The horses no longer minded Lillian and did not consider her a threat.

There was some trepidation and, as we drew close, as there was no telling how the people in the town would react. We had talked about it last night and wanted to be sure we were ready for anything. There was no telling the reach of the Voguel at this time and we could not be fully sure that the Dran was on our side at the moment.

As we entered the town, there were murmurs as we passed, with a few pointing to Lillian. We made our way to the stables to put the horses up for our two day stay. As we approached, a large man came out to greet us.

“Hello there, my name is Rokare. I am the stable master of the town. What is it that I can do for you?”

“I am Janet. Commander of the Torgal. We need lodging for our horses and wagon. Our supplies will need to be restocked as we need to get to the capital to report to the Dran. Get some cured meats but focus more on items we will not find during our travels and make sure that anything we may need to replace with our current gear.”

His eyes widened and he nodded quickly. He bellowed into the stable and the doors opened. We were guided in and once inside, we began to unload our gear from the wagon.

“It will take around a day to get the things you requested,” the stable master said nervously. “Everything will be ready as you requested, and your horses will be well taken care of. What of your wolf? Do you wish to keep it here during your stay?”

I shook my head, “She is only comfortable around us so she will be coming with us. Thank you for your generous offer, though.”

We made our way out and headed towards the town inn. Given the size of the town, we expected it to be more than able to accommodate our group. We found it with little trouble and were surprised to find the innkeeper to be pleasant.

“Good evening, sir and madams. Welcome to the Blood Briar Inn, my name is Elgor. How might I help you this evening?”

“My name is Janet. I am the commander of the Torgal, on route to the capital. We need lodging for two nights. Do you have group rooms or just single occupancy rooms?”

He smiled and said, “We have a group occupancy room on the top floor. It is reserved for travelling platoons to use, or for groups of dignitaries. There should be more than enough room if it is just the eight of you. Will your wolf be joining you within the room?”

Janet nodded, “Yes she will. She is a companion to one of my soldiers and a fierce combatant against Voguel.”

“Ahh, I see,” Elgor replied. “Well, that is not a problem. We do ask that you make sure the animal does not damage anything, else extra costs would be accrued. Here is your room key. It has its own set of stairs behind the building and is not accessible from inside.”

Janet thanked him and took the key from him. We gathered our things and made our way towards the rear of the building. He headed up the steps to the third floor of the building. Upon entering the room we were surprised at the openness of it. There was a bathtub on the far side of the room with at least ten beds on the opposite side. There were foot lockers at the end of every bed and a large table with ten chairs.

This would be most helpful, though I had to admit my mind did wander to the possibilities for the next two days. I was not shocked to sense that all of the others felt the same as I did. I could feel Lillian’s sadness and distress over her state and walked over to her.

I knelt down and asked, “How about we spend a few hours together in the woods, just you and me?”

I could feel her happiness grow a little at the prospect of having personal time with me.

<< I think I would like that, Davik. I am sorry if I seem so sad lately. But other than in the dreamscape, I do not get the time with you the others do. I know we put time together long before them, but still a silly part of me feels some jealousy. I know what you did to bond them to us was necessary and the things that will go hand in hand with the bond. However, they have the ability to be with you here and now, where I do not. >>

“I know, my love, and I understand. That is one benefit of the bond. I can feel the emotions you are going through and can best assess how to be there for you. Celka had mentioned once that she learned the basis for what would become the cure from a healer from the capital. I am certain we can pick up the trail and, hopefully, her teacher is either alive, or passed on the knowledge to an apprentice.”

With that I got my bow and arrows, flinging my quiver onto my back. We said our goodbyes and headed out. We passed a cook who was cutting some potatoes and asked if he wanted some deer to cook. He smiled and thanked me, saying he would love one if we could bring it back. He then directed us to the entrance to the nearby forest and off we went.

Lillian was content as we made our way and soon, we came to the edge of the town and the forest that lay beyond. I was surprised that the town had no walls to surround and protect it from Voguel.

((That is because there has not been a Voguel attack in this area for nearly two centuries.)) Janet said in response. ((For whatever reason they have not traveled south of the capital in all that time. A couple of centuries earlier they were all over the province. The Dran believes that is because we have them contained to the north.))

I made a mental note of that and entered the forest. We traveled at a normal pace until we felt we were far enough away from the town. We then ran at full speed, enjoying the freedom as we delved deeper into the woods. I stretched out with my senses, hoping to locate prey and after a few moments I was successful. There were at least two deer not that far from us, so we adjusted our course to close in on them.

When we neared, we slowed down to make sure we did not spook them. One was a female and the other a male. Lillian and I settled on the male and made sure that she got our first kill. Once she had her fill, we would search for another for the inn. While being careful of the direction of the wind, Lillian headed around them, so they would run right to her. Once she let me know she was in position, I tossed a rock to the left of the pair, causing it to bounce loudly off a tree.

They darted away just as we had hoped, and Lillian was able to catch her prey with little fuss. She changed into her larger form to allow her to devour her meal faster and I sat back and waited until she had her fill. I marveled at how her mind slipped into a more primitive mindset when she feasted. She had not seemed that way prior to the bond, so I wondered if that had possibly brought out more of the wolf than there was before.

An hour later she had finished her meal and we used our senses to locate a nearby river. I kept an eye on things while she drank her fill and cleaned her muzzle and paws of the blood. I could not help but laugh at the state she was in when she was done. Her entire underside was drenched with water.