Dark Stag Ch. 06

I never thought I'd experience this level of intensity again but here I was, completely in over my head. Mercury had me in straight euphoria. Every thrust of his forged our bond more and more. He was soldering a connection that simply couldn't be wedged apart. This...this was something deep.

The next morning, had come. I dreaded this day far more than ever thought I would. I got off the couch looking at my clothes on the floor. Mercury, feeling I had moved came to his senses. He leaned up stretching and wiping his face. He looked up at me, knowing exactly what this day meant. It was bittersweet for the both of us.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head gently upon my belly. I ran my fingers through his soft gorgeous hair, not knowing when I'd get the chance to do so again. He looked up at me.

"Give me a kiss..." He said. I did so. He then got up and went to take a shower. He came back a few minutes later, saddened.

"I got morning duty..." He responded.

"You took the day shift?" I asked.

"I had to due to new recruits taking the night shift. It gives me time to discretely train the young stag, though." He said. I began to smile.

"You know," I started, "You need to name him."

"I'll call him Bastion for now..." He sighed, putting on his uniform. He then stopped, thinking deeply, "You're going to need one last big meal."

"Don't worry about it." I sighed.

"Well, I can't help but be. Depending on where you go, you might not get a meal...."

"I'll be fine." I said as I went to the shower. He followed.

"How can you be this certain?" He asked.

"I'm not." I said back, "It's just that I want to hope for the best." I climbed into the shower, washing off briskly. Mercury had delightful tastes in soaps. They were hard and crystalline, dissolving slowly into a soft foam as you lathered them. They smell was jasmine and camomile. It made a swift scrub down of one's extremities feel much more thorough.

Mercury had grown so silent I thought he had left. I hopped out of the shower to see him standing in the doorway deep in thought. He was struggling coming to terms with the fact that he'd have to let me go. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself.

"You know..." I began, "Those soaps are great..."

"I know." He smiled.

I walked to the living room, putting on a pair of tights. Bazahra was sitting on her perch. I summoned her.

"Follow me from above until I reach the brothel. Then go across the wall and find Richard. Whatever you do, make sure you're not seen by anyone except Richard! When he writes a letter, sneak into the brothel and give it to me." I said, hoping she was able to understand. There was so much riding on this bird, it was almost foolish to believe she was possible of going through with it. She nodded and walked to the door.

I gave Mercury one last look goodbye. He gave a weak smile and walked into the kitchen. It took every ounce of my strength to maintain my composure. I exited his home, walking down the stairs into the stable. Rejon sat tense, still uncomfortable with the presence of the young stag. The fact that I could possibly be leaving him behind forever was overwhelming. I rushed to him, hugging him tightly. The mighty stag could sense something was terribly wrong. but his lack of comprehension left it only cooing in confusion.

"Listen to me, Rejon... Treat that young stag like he's your son... We're all going to need you and him very soon. Don't act so terrible towards him." I cried. Rejon though was not Bazahra. Though he had a small grasp on the Illisian language as a whole, expecting him to understand this was simply too much to ask.

I sighed as I headed to the main door. I pulled it open, Bazahra darting out disappearing almost instantly. To the brothels, I headed.

I took back alleys, not wanting to be seen. Upon reaching the lower ring, the congested streets all felt surreal. I was about to give up my freedom in exchange for someone else's. There was no questioning was it worth it. It most certainly was. No one could tell me otherwise and I was going to succeed.

Everyone looked at me as I walked through the city. I don't know, maybe it was because I wasn't wearing a shirt. Thinking something might be wrong with the little clothes I did where, I glanced over myself. As I checked my rear, someone caught my eye. It was a nobleman of the king but I wasn't quite sure who he was. Nonetheless, this wasn't a good sign.

He could have been following me. This was the last thing I needed when I was so close to making definitive progress. Nonetheless, I trudged on as though I never even saw him. My focus was on which brothel did I want to be apart of. The decision could be detrimental to the welfare of the mission. I had a hunch though and I needed to know if it was right before I made my decision. It did require a bit of a risk though.

I headed to the rear of the distillery where a bunch of freighting crates always ended up. It was where the handful of boys were sitting when Mercury and I were heading towards the ungulate seller. The boys were there, like clockwork watching the passers by snickering at them as they smoked whatever strange herbs they thought was cool enough.

The same boy, the golden one, turned hearing my approach. His resemblance to the the

slaver unerved me. He pointed, causing all his friends to turn. I stood before them, causing the kids to be come nervous.

"I have a few questions." I began. The boys simply looked at me, "Which brothels owns the East side and which brothels take the west side?" Just as the golden one began to answer, his friend held out his hand, a gesture not to speak.

"You new around here?" He asked.

"No, I'm just low key." I responded dryly.

"So where are you from?" He asked, turning to face me completely.

"Here, so...you're going to tell me or am I going to have to find someone else?" I asked. The boy smiled.

"See, I don't give information out to people I don't know. I got to know you first..." He said, licking his lips seductively. I rolled my eyes, walking past him. It was clear the boy was not expecting the reaction.

"I know you want the information." He said, hoping to tempt me back.

"Nah, I don't want it that bad." I said.

As I continued, someone grabbed my hand. I turned back and it was the boy.

"I'm only teasing ya." He said, "Come." I followed him back to the crates, having no patience at all for any more games. I stood there with my arms folded. The boy looked me from head to toe.

"The east side is owned by Felker Distribution and they allow for smaller independent bro...."

"That's all I need to know." I interrupted, turning back towards the road.

"What, gonna get you some exotic pussy?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure." I responded, not caring to entertain the boys any further.

I continued eastward, finding the very stands my sister was dancing on. Looking up, I checked the sky for Bazahra. Her silhouette was barely visible in the sky. Looking back over my shoulder, I had to make sure I wasn't followed. There wasn't anyone suspicious tailing me, not that I could tell. It seemed safe to continue.

I walked between the two tiny stands. There'd be dancers on these by the middle of the day. I hoped my sister wouldn't be one of these dancers. Nonetheless, I persisted forward, heading towards the brothel. Upon opening the door, my heart sank and my stomach twisted into knots. There was someone I instantly recognized... Devari. He was oblivious to my presence, deep into the listings of his clipboard. I sat down in the chair just in front of his desk.

"You're not on my client list." He said, not bothering to look up. My stomach jarred in disgust but I had to maintain some level of composure.

"I'm not here for a service. I'm looking for a job... I'm trying to get out of this city and I can't do it without money... I don't have any money left and I can't find a job anywhere else." I said, hoping I was playing the role to the tee. The man finally looked up, shocked by my appearance. He looked at me from head to toe.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" He asked. The question made me very nervous.

"No, I don't think so." I responded. He looked at me intently for several seconds. The tension was blade proof, "Please I really need a job."

This golden man didn't look anything like the dark and twisted person he actually was. He had a level of innocence about him that could mislead anyone. He handed me the infamously known working contract.

To my surprise, it was very thorough and...blunt. It stated clearly that I would be sacrificing my freedom and would become a simple product for making money and disclaimed any liabilities. It also stated in several paragraphs that I was liable to be sold at any given moment. I wouldn't even be awarded money for my berating and belittling work... This was such a serious scam.

"You read it, you don't get the job." He said handing me a pen, "Just sign your name."

It took some willpower to not just call out this scam. It was saddening and just terrifying to know they counted on people barely able to read to accept this job. Despite my concerns, I signed my name. There was no turning back now.