Chapter 14

Slowly Nilsen dropped to his knees, a look of utter astonishment and horror on his face. "What have you done?" he rasped. "Why?"

He wasn't the only one in that room shocked to near-silence. Everyone else was now looking at the twins in disbelief. As if a signal had been given, the room suddenly erupted into clamoring voices and shouting. The two responsible for the pandemonium simply stood there looking at Nilsen with bemused smiles on their faces.

Hearing the ruckus two guards rushed in with swords drawn. "My Lord," one exclaimed, "where is the enemy?"

"What? Oh, there is none," Nilsen grunted as he scrambled to his feet. "No enemy, just a couple of idiots. Thanks for your quick reaction, but there is no danger. If you would, please wait out in the hall for us?" The guards saluted and withdrew looking very confused.

"All right, quiet!" he shouted. Then fixing his two aberrant sisters with a gaze almost dripping poison he stomped over to them. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"We are protecting ourselves," Fobie stated as if pointing out the obvious to a child.

"What?" he gasped. He had no idea what they were going to say for themselves, but this surprised even him.

"Protecting ourselves, Nil," Deimie answered, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"All right," he said, his curiosity momentarily overcoming his anger. "I have to admit I'm intrigued, so before I beat both of your backsides black and blue tell me how becoming slaves is protecting yourselves. You know Lav and I not too long ago killed a number of men trying to do this very same thing."

"Of course, Nil," Fobie said. "That's why we had to do it."

"Ouch, my head hurts," he said scrunching his eyes shut and rubbing his temples. "Would you mind explaining that so someone who isn't as obviously insane as you are can understand?"

"Of course, Nil," Deimie said, reaching out to pat his arm. "It's very simple. Anybody not bound is going to be in terrible danger of being captured and bound by one of our enemies. By binding ourselves to you we cannot be used against you. As with May, you become our protection."

"Oh? And what if I get captured and someone slaps one of those fucking things around my neck?"

"Nil, language," Fobie admonished. "Besides, you will have all of us to prevent that, and ... something else."

"What do you mean, 'something else'?" he asked cautiously. Then he shook his head and glared back at them. "Never mind that now. Don't try to change the subject. Think of what you're doing to me! How am I going to explain this to Father? Worse yet, to our mothers?"

"Oh, they will understand," Deimie said with a wave of her hand. "Don't you think we should be getting on with this now? You can beat us later if you want."

"Shit!" he hissed. "Maybe I should find some street rat outside and bind you two to them. How would you like that?" They just giggled and twittered at him and all he could do was close his eyes, count to ten, and keep telling himself that strangling them wasn't an option ... a viable option, anyway.

"Nil," he opened his eyes as he felt someone putting a hand on his arm. He looked and Makro was standing beside him. He could tell she wasn't happy, but he was surprised she hadn't exploded in a truly monumental temper already. "They're right. For whatever reason they did this, it is done and cannot be undone. Let's get the binding finished and get out of here. We can talk about it later." He started to protest but she laid her hand against his mouth and shushed him. "Now is not the time to argue. You know as well as I that we are in much greater danger if we remain unbound. It's best if it be done quickly."

"Fine!" Nilsen huffed. Then he looked over at the twins with a frown. "I think I know a couple of apprentice bilge cleaners for our trip back. You want to be bound to me? Well, we'll see how long that lasts!" Again he could only grumble as they openly laughed at him. "That reminds me: Do we even know if there is a ship willing to take us?"

"Not yet," Makro said as she motioned for Mihi to approach with his equipment. "But I expect Banar back soon; then we'll know."

A few minutes and one sore thumb later the three girls were bound to their brother as the pewter-gray bands around their necks turned a lustrous golden hue. Sucking his thumb and sulking, Nilsen looked over and saw his sister Jarrah looking at them with disdain.

"You want to make it a full bag?" he asked crossly.

"Not hardly," she said, now almost laughing. "You can have these two idiots, but it'll be a dry day at the bottom of the sea before you collar me and have me simpering at your feet."

Fobie walked over and stood in front of Jarrah, peering at her. "Hmm, maybe not," she said thoughtfully and then looked over at Deimie. "Maybe it isn't her." Jarrah frowned and looked like she was going to say something.

"Tall and blond," her sister added cryptically. "She fits, but as you say, maybe not. We will see."

"Stop it, both of you," Nilsen said, sighing. "It's time we were gone."

The carts were packed and the company was just about to leave with their escort when Banar ran up and Makro motioned him over to her. He whispered in her ear and suddenly she smiled and nodded saying something back to him in the same low voice. Nilsen noticed but was distracted by the conversation going on between Mihi and the twins.

"Now, you might be disoriented until the bond has a chance to develop," he was telling them.

"Actually we feel nothing different," one of them told him. "I doubt that Makro does either. You see, we've been bonded to Nil since we were born; we just never had the physical manifestation of the bond before."

"Well, that may be..." he continued but Nil stopped listening as Makro came over to him a triumphant smile lighting up her face.

"Good news?" he asked.

"Very good news," she said. "Guess what came in on this evening's tide? One of our merchant ships. It was sent here specifically to retrieve us and even now a detachment of marines is on its way to help escort us to the docks. You'd better tell the captain over there to expect some help or he might be foolish enough to try and cause trouble when they get here."

"I'm surprised there isn't trouble already," he mused. "You'd think twenty of so Jeevelian marines walking around downtown Salas might cause a bit of a commotion."

"I doubt they're in uniform," she answered with a grin. "So unless they cause trouble, the local constables will leave them alone and go prey on easier targets."

The captain was concerned at first, but then shrugged his shoulders and again repeated that so long as they were gone before daylight it wasn't any of his business. With that they all took a last look around and started the carts moving.

Nilsen decided to walk as that was at least as comfortable as riding in the sturdy but roughly-built carts. He wasn't the only one; in fact almost everyone except the drivers decided to leg it themselves. He was strolling next to the lead cart, Lavender watchfully behind him as Makro pulled up beside him. The twins were walking slightly behind Lavender with a love-sick Cerberus and four guards forming a semi-circle behind them.

"May," he said looking over at her. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. You know that I won't―"

"Oh, hush up," she said and then reached over and poked him in the arm. "Well at least I can do that. It's not like I can't do anything to you and at least so far I can say whatever I want."

"You can say whatever you want, anytime you want," he quickly assured her. "And as for hitting ... I really shouldn't remind you I suppose, but Momma Shasta has been known to smack Father upside the head now and then. Her col— necklace doesn't seem to protect him all that much."

"True," she said thoughtfully. "That is a hopeful sign; I think I'd explode if I had to refrain from giving you my rightful guidance. That must be the case with Momma Shasta; she knows Father needs a good whop every now and then just to get his attention."

"Well, it's not like it really hurts him or anything," he said with a chuckle. "I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor, May. I'm not sure I would if I were in your place."

"At first I was horrified," she said with a shrug. "But once you saved me and I realized who I would be bound to it didn't seem to be that much of a hardship."

"But, May," he protested. "You've lost your freedom, something you can never get back."

"Have I?" she asked him pointedly. "What will you forbid to me that I couldn't have before?"

"Well, nothing I suppose," he admitted.

"Would you prevent me from living away from you? Taking a lover? Becoming anything I wanted?

"I thought not. So what is the real difference?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "It just doesn't seem right is all."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," she said patting him on the arm. "Now, with the Demons..."

"Don't remind me," he groaned and glanced back over his shoulder. "You I can at least explain away as my own stupidity, but them... ?"

"They are a force of nature unto themselves," Makro said with a sigh. "If you want to explain what happened, just point to them and everyone will know it is not something that can be reasoned about.

"Besides," she added with a grin, "don't you think you'll enjoy having your own little gaggle of women to order about as you see fit? Not that I need to put ideas into your head but you can order us to do anything you want."

"And some things I don't want," he sighed and shook his head. Then he perked up and gave her a slightly-evil leer. "Of course I can tell you to show me your tits now," he said in his most lecherous voice.

"You always could," she said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" he grunted.

"I can see I have a most witty and eloquent master," she quipped. Then she continued, "You could have asked anytime you wanted; I would have shown them to you. It's not like you haven't seen tits before, and certainly better ones than mine."

"I doubt that," he muttered and she smiled back at him as if to say thank you. "Anyway, I was just kidding." Thinking fast to change the subject he said, "You know, I'm somewhat surprised that those assholes from Durhorn haven't attacked. As pissed off as the envoy was, I thought he would try something tonight."

"Well, we do have our escort."

"True, but I know that wouldn't have stopped me," he said.

"I'm sure," she agreed. "But that doesn't matter now. If anybody is going to try anything it's going to take a lot more men now." She pointed to a group of men in civilian clothes coming towards them at a quick walk. The clothes may have been civilian but anyone except the blind could see the men in those clothes weren't civilians. Nil instinctively reached for his weapons and the rustle behind him told him Lavender was doing the same. At almost the same time Makro reached out and put her hand on his sword arm restraining him.

"I recognize the group's leader," she said. "They're ours."

The meeting between the two groups was short. After a brief salutation to the prince and the princesses, although he paused in surprise when he saw the salidin around three of the princesses' necks, the unit was spread out in a defensive pattern around the group. The Salas captain discreetly pulled back his troops so as not to interfere with the Jeevelian marines' deployment, a professional courtesy Nil was very appreciative of. That maneuver completed, they resumed their trek to the docks. Even with the reinforcements Nilsen was uneasy and kept a sharp lookout for trouble. Makro sensed his unease and stayed by his side, quietly.

With a palpable sense of relief they arrived at the docks unmolested and made straight for the Jeevelian merchantman tied up against one of the further piers. Nilsen noted it was one of his father's special ships. Built to be both a merchant hauler or a warship, it wasn't the most efficient in either role, but was capable of doing a credible job in whichever function was needed. It wouldn't offend the delicate sensibilities of a foreign host like a warship might, but even a dedicated line warship would think twice before tangling with it. Waiting at the foot of the brow with two marines stood a figure Nilsen instantly recognized. He rushed ahead to meet him, Lavender trailing a step behind.

"Demeter, old friend," he said taking his friends hand. "You here to see us off? I really wanted to see you before we left, but as you can see this was done in somewhat of a hurry."

"No shit," Demeter said with a frown. "I heard all about it. What a fucking mess! I wish I could apologize for my father, but..." He just shrugged, and then he saw Makro and the twins walk up behind Nil. "I heard what happened to you, Makro. You don't know how sorry I am—

"Wait, I didn't hear about you two," he said looking at the twins in surprise. "I heard they only collared one black-haired woman, but..."

"You heard right," Nil said sourly. "This happened afterwards. Never mind, long story, or maybe a short stupid story. Anyway, I'm glad I could see you before we left; no telling when, if ever, we'll be back here."

"I wouldn't think any of you would be particularly eager to return," Demeter grunted. "But that's not the only reason I came. I'm looking for a ride out of here and I was hoping I could get one with you."

"Ah, sure," Nil said with surprise. "But we aren't exactly well-liked around here. If you came with us I'm not sure it would be safe for you to return."

"It isn't safe for me to stay," Demeter said bluntly. "I've been told that if I'm still around in the morning my life isn't worth a copper, so I thought I'd come and see if I could beg a berth with you."

"Absolutely!" Nil exclaimed. "Do you need to get anything?"

"Have it here in a trunk already," Demeter answered. "If you hadn't said yes then I'd have found another ship sailing with the tide."

"Well, welcome aboard!"

The ship rolled gently in the swells as Lavender leaned over the railing and puked up the remainder of her morning meal. She had been miserable for the past few days, especially in the mornings. Jarrah had been sympathetic but mostly unhelpful. There were herbs that could lessen the impact of seasickness, but their effect on the unborn was unknown and the way she said it made Lav think Jarrah didn't consider it safe. That eliminated that possibility.

"You had better be worth it," she muttered to her stomach. She was still flat without any noticeable bulge although she checked several times every day. She was both anxious and dreading it at the same time. Having resigned herself to a life without children of her own, she almost automatically tried to smother and suppress any maternal feelings. It didn't work. She caught herself more and more putting her hand to her belly and wondering what the child would be like. A girl to take after her mother, or a boy to follow his father?

She acted like she tolerated it when Nilsen did the same. Rubbing her belly and actually talking to it like it could understand him. As much as she pretended she was putting up with it for his sake she secretly enjoyed and craved the attention. She told him he was being ridiculous but then caught herself doing the very same thing!

It didn't help that the Bitch was here either. It still made her angry to think Nilsen didn't gut the slut when she first showed up, or at least let Lavender gut the traitorous whore! Lav spit over the side, partly to clean her mouth, but partly because even thinking of the Bitch made her want to spit.

It had been very early that next morning. The ship was loaded and they were waiting for the morning tide that would allow them to leave that forsaken hellhole. The docks were starting to come alive after the quiet of the night and there were sailors, merchants and others of even less repute beginning to move around the docks and the nested ships. Nilsen was up on the bridge talking to the ship's captain when one of the deck hands shouted up that someone wanted to see the prince. Instantly Lavender's hand went to her sword and it found its way half out its scabbard before she realized it.