Chapter 6

I sat, exhausted, as we took a break for lunch.

So much fucking bullshit. Walter had started trying to order everyone around and John had reacted by calling him a coward, which just pissed him off. The number of times I heard him bellow 'You should respect your elders'...

Emily was no better. She hadn't bothered to put on a proper tunic because 'It looked like such a nice sunny day' even though it had started drizzling. And she seemed to do her best to sway her hips and flash her eyes as she walked, which I didn't mind whatsoever. In fact I loved her damp too tight tunic and the sight of her nipples sticking out firmly. The problem was when she started walking into brambles and begging with tear filled eyes, breasts heaving, for me to make it better. That got tiring quickly.

Poor little Janey was terrified of our elving captive and refused to part from me. Which meant that I carried her all the way.

I was just thankful that I could rely on Jessie to keep watch. Whenever I saw her I found myself calmer and smiling slightly. Like my very own walking calming ritual. Which is probably why she started moving around so much, to give me reassurance that she was still here.

And we still had another fucking day of travel to go.

As I got Janey sat down with the last piece of smoked deer Jessie walked up to me, pulling out a pack of salt from her pack for the camp ritual. 'Listen, Mikhail. You're getting really easily pissed off all of a sudden. You need to calm down and work out why, okay.'

A momentary flash of anger rose up up before I quashed it and nodded.

Asking Janey to stay there I got up and pulled out some salt, my bedding and a stick of the damn chilli incense from my pack, walking slightly away from the camp. Sitting down, I lit the incense and started an extended calming ritual, trying to work out why I was so easily angered.

Scraping out a circle in the ground, I laid the bedding on top, sitting down. I collected a handful of salt and as each thought came into my mind I blew into the salt and the thought flew off into the wind with the salt. As my mind emptied I started relaxing, the emotions leaving me.

I threw away the rest of the salt over my shoulder and started meditating, working out where the anger was coming from.

After a short period of meditation I had it. I was still confused about whether or not I liked Jessie. I'd been thinking that I was just dealing with her and ignoring our mutual dislike, but I couldn't find any trace of dislike.

The more I thought about it, what in my head I found attractive in girls; confidence, bravery, beauty, strength, wit, intelligence, understanding and trust, was strongest in Jessie.

I just had no idea why I thought I disliked her.

The answer was just out of reach, niggling away at my mind until I gave up trying to get it. Putting out the incense, I shrugged and got up.

Looking towards the camp I could see Janey looking out from behind a bush at me. Smiling at her I walked over. Looking up at me she offered half the smoked deer I gave her earlier.

Chuckling happily I accepted it and started chewing on it. As the camp started arduously getting up to continue, I hugged her quickly and put her down before going towards my pack.

I could almost feel Jessie coming up behind me. With a hand on my arm, she asked 'Hey, you feeling better?'

Noticing myself leaning into the hand, I straightened and turned to face her. Without realising it I blurted out 'Why do I dislike you?'

She grinned at me. 'Old Mother Grey says you don't. You just don't like your choice being made for you. She said that if I came with you, you'd have a chance to make the choice yourself, and would probably choose me.'

I gaped at her.

Giggling, she started walking past me. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. 'Daddy says you're so stubborn you're going to pick someone else, but Mommy says you'll come back to me.'

Jaw hanging, I watched her walk off, her hips swaying. I found myself staring at her ass, wondering why I'd never noticed it was so cute and firm, and wondering why I wanted to bite it. Jessie stopped and leant over next to Janey. She whispered conspiratorially but loud enough for me to hear 'Remember Janey. It's okay if he's yours and it's not lying if you're going to do something about it.'

It took a while for me to get back to reality. I didn't know what to think. Jessie had been advised to come along with me? Was the whole village conspiring against me?