World of Ranicke Bk. 03 Ch. 07

Theik had made a point of going back to the market several days in a row since he wanted to know what the 'package' was. It had been indicated it would be a few days before the special delivery would arrive. He wanted to know what it was simply so he could have a hold on whoever had ordered the slave. Well he assumed it was a slave but he had to know who it was and why.

That was something he had finally talked to Zephara about during training. As of now the tutor, guard captain, and Z'nala were part of Zephara's inner circle. There were one or two guards who were close but it was going to take some time for the inner most to really start trusting very many of the guards. That was specifically due to the treason of the one guard. Theik had talked to the captain and suggested they find a few new recruits and start training them.

At the moment Zephara had the smallest contingent of all the royal children. As far as Theik could tell they were some of the best but that didn't help since numbers could overwhelm them. If you threw enough bodies at even the best you could take them down. As one person in had said quantity has a quality all its own. He was starting to grow attached to the young man and he didn't want anything to happen to him. Z'nala was quickly growing into someone he cared for as well.

When he had originally purchased her it was almost on a whim but something about her touched a deep need of his. It wasn't sexual in any way since she was just a child. What it was that she was coming to mean he wasn't sure but he felt driven to protect her. He couldn't do that with all the slaves but he could take care of at least one of them. At night he had joined her in the small nook in the wall and she really did help him sleep better.

Theik shook his head since his mind was wandering while he waited for the next visit. One thing he really did want to know was who the hell had been the person who had tried to kill him the other day. The man had been very well trained and it had showed both in their skills and their weapons. As it was he was still recovering though with some of the herbs and ointments he was doing reasonably well.

At the moment he was sitting in a shadow on the roof of the building closest to the slave owner's stalls. He had kept a very close eye and made sure to arrive early each evening so he could see if anyone was checking the roofs. He had noticed some people using the roofs as pathways but most of them appeared to be simple thieves. As concealed in the shadows as he was it would take a very sharp eyed person to locate and identify him. With the soft gray cloak he was using he blended in very well with the shadows.

Eventually his patience paid off and another imperial group showed up. He looked around the area and when he felt nobody was looking he slid off the roof and landed on his feet. Theik landed as carefully as possible to minimize the sound. He had considered changing his sandals but decided not to. He liked them and they were good for gripping slippery surfaces as well as a weapon. Getting kicked in a leg or stomach with spiked sandals would hurt no matter what.

This night appeared to be his lucky night with the arrival of the imperial guard and who they were escorting. Since he had been spending so much time here he had grown to know where the best hiding spots were. He did have to deal with one guard but before he left he would make it look like a robbery. When he had decided on that the fact he was going to kill him didn't even make him blink. Right now everything he was doing was for that boy and Z'nala.

Once the guard was knocked out he settled into the spot he had selected previously. From here he could hear the speakers clearly. Once voice was haughty and definitely carried a better than thou tone to it. "Are you sure we have privacy?"

"Yes sir we do. I have guards surrounding the tent and nobody can get close." His tone was obsequies and servile. "The package has been delivered and awaiting your examination."

There was a grunt from the other and Theik had to frown slightly since the voice was familiar. He couldn't place it but he did know it so that limited who it might be. Most of the people he had come in contact with were at the court which made sense.

"Good since I don't need this getting out. Have the package brought to me now. I am going to be presenting it in several days." Once he had the package and was out of the market he was going to have the man killed to keep the secret.

"Yes sir, just a moment please." The slave trader raised his voice slightly. "Bring the package in for inspection." It only took a few moments since it appeared the package was in a separate section of the same tent the slave trader used.

Theik could hear two additional footsteps and raised an eyebrow. For some reason it had never occurred to him the package might be a person even though this was a slave trader. He had been thinking drugs and other illegal items.

"Has she been trained in what needs doing?" The one voice asked.

"Yes sir, she is from the Yalal clan and knows what is needed. Here is the supplies she is going to need." The trader handed the man something.

From the inside Theik could hear the exchange of money and from the sounds of it a fair amount of money. He was now very, very curious as to what this female was for. His first thought was some sort of special sex slave but he wasn't going to assume that. In this court one never knew what might be happening.

~~~

Lak-Non was settling into the routine of the caravan. From what he understood the majority of his requirements were to protect from animals. Bandits weren't nearly anything like what they had been at times back in Cerule. It had been only a couple of days on the road and it felt damn good to be moving again. The urge to move wasn't nearly as bad as it had occasionally been back on the other continent. Erma seemed to be enjoying the travel as well as far as he could tell.

The first night or two had been a bit of a pain in the butt since this was wildly different than what he had done before. Yes he had been in a few caravan's but mostly as a traveler and not as a guard. Yes they had known he was a warrior but that had been rather obvious by what he carried as much as anything. On top of that since he had been rated as a Senior Journeyman Songsmith he had additional respect. It felt somewhat odd to be getting respect for simply singing and playing around the fires at night.

At the moment he was leaning back against a log with the Corwith in his hands and he was strumming something he had learned back where he had come from. It was mostly instrumental since he wasn't in the mood to actually sing. Since the evening meal was over with Erma was relaxing next to him listening to the music. Since the caravan was reasonably large there were one or two other bards and a junior Songsmith and they had gathered around to listen. One was quietly strumming something which was counter point to what he was doing. The other was obviously trying to make some notes on what he was doing which didn't bother him at all.

To be honest he was more relaxed than he had been for years. This place though foreign felt almost like home which made him wonder. He still didn't have much if any memories from before waking up so many years ago. The headaches and brief flashes of something was becoming more common which was both frustration but also right. "Well I think I am going to go and crawl into my bed roll and contemplate the sky, well clouds, before I fall asleep." He leaned over and gave Erma a light kiss. "You coming or are you going to stay up and relax for a while?"

She considered it for a short time. "I think I am going to check on what is needed for breakfast and then I will meet you at the tent." Erma gave him a good kiss. She murmured something in his ear which made him laugh and then blush.

"Oh you are a horrible female and... Oh damn it." He groaned as he stood up and adjusted his pants as he destrung the Corwith and tucked it back in the case. He was getting ready to head to the tent when one of the females spoke.

She had a rather curious expression on her face. "I really want to know her secret for having caught you. Even if it is short term I really want to know damn it." She was a race he wasn't familiar with but was sleek and well rounded. Her fur was a tawny gold and she had faint traces of maybe some sort of feline but he couldn't be sure of that. "Besides I have to admit I would like to know what you are doing to make her howl at night..." Just for good measure she winked at him.

Lak-Non had more than a few years of experience dealing with females from his time in the court. Then again he had dodged more than a few after leaving the court as well. He gave her a good wink back as well as an insouciant grin. "Some secrets I need to keep to myself and though you are truly a lovely woman... Erma is keeping me more than content." He went so far as to lightly take her hand and pressed a kiss on the back. "Now as far as possibly showing you a few things to help with playing an instrument..." One last wink and he headed towards the tent.

At the fire there was a pause and then everyone died laughing. One man looked at the female and smirked. "Oh my, I can't believe you got turned down. I might have some time before I go on watch if you want..." He winked at her even as he was leaning against his current companion.

~~~

They finally made it to the pack Erma was a member of and he couldn't help but be impressed. To be honest if he hadn't known what to look for he would never have figured out just how many pack members there were. The tents and caravans were very carefully designed to blend in with the forest. They had plenty of green, brown, hints of gold, and other colors. "Damn this is nice and I can't wait for a real bath."

Erma leaned against him for a moment before turning to grab her things. "I know what you mean Lak-Non, I do love my family and I did enjoy traveling but after a while it just got old. I love my job in the town as well and there isn't much which would make me leave it." If it wasn't for the fact he was not going to settle down for a while Lak-Non would have been a damn good male for her. He was smart, well educated, strong, yet gentle.

Lak-Non gave her a warm smile before lightly licking her muzzle. He knew what she was thinking but he simply couldn't stop moving. They had very briefly discussed it at one point even though he couldn't really explain it. He was literally driven to keep moving which was why he was here.