Bound in Spirals Ch. 08

'Hm, a hoshind... I have not seen one of them in a long time. They are loyal creatures. I do not hate them, but they are far inferior to argwolves.'

'Of course they are. Argwolves are the greatest, right? No comparison.' Sam said jokingly.

'Yes, you are becoming more enlightened by the day, Sam. I am proud of you.' Letta joked back.

Sam laughed aloud, and his fellow passengers looked at him oddly. "I'm not crazy. You don't need to look at me like that."

Suddenly, Feima groaned and shifted. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again. The other girl glanced at him with disapproval as she looked at the goose egg that was forming on the elf girl's head. Sam winced, thinking that maybe he'd hit her too hard. He reached for Feima, intending to heal her, but the other girl swatted his hand away. A spike of icy fear gripped him for a moment, but he forced it down, hastily pulling his hand back so that the others didn't see it shaking.

Sam scooted further away. "I-I was just gonna fix that..." He muttered.

"Oh. I thought..." The other girl said, trailing off.

"Yalene, what did you even think he could do?" Dettella asked the other girl, a hint of anger flashing over her eyes. "Apologize to Samson."

"I-I just... Milady, I'm sorry." Yalene replied, giving Dettella a bow.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" She said, annoyance mingling with the hint of anger in her eyes.

"But, didn't he kidnap this girl? Why should I apologize to such a man. He is reprehensible." Yalene pled, looking at him with unobstructed disdain now.

"A-Ah, it's alright. It's my... It's my fault. I-I deserved it." Sam cut in, his head lowered in shame.

"Do not say that, Samson. You must have had a reason for taking this girl, and it is unfair to call it kidnapping under the circumstances." Dettella said, looking at him with a serious expression, forestalling any argument.

"Y-Yes... There was a reason..." He said quietly.

"If we hadn't caught him when we did he probably would've raped her." Yalene said, still looking at him. Her expression becoming more determined.

THWAP! Sam jumped slightly, thinking for a moment that he'd been the one who was slapped. Yalene looked dazed, as unsure about what happened as Sam was. She felt her cheek tentatively. Then tears began falling from her eyes, a trickle of blood escaping her lips. Sam's first instinct was to feel guilty, but he shoved down his desire to apologize.

"Wh-What...?" She asked, finally looking up at Dettella. Seeing the look on her face, Yalene realized what had happened.

"Apologize to Samson. Right now." Dettella said, her voice soft, an unspoken threat in her tone.

"M-Milady...?"

"Do not try my patience."

"I-I am sorry, Samson..." Yalene muttered reluctantly.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I... I don't know... M-Milady, I don't understand? Why are you acting this way?"

Sam thought Dettella was about to slap the woman again for a moment, then she spoke. "You act rashly on the small amount of information we have obtained. You accuse him of something that did not even happen, and choose to treat him with disdain for said hypothetical situation. Then you continue to embarrass me, your mistress, by refusing to listen to me. Is your lack of thought clear enough yet, or need I go on?"

'Scaary...' Samson said approvingly. 'I think I like her a bit more.'

"But, milady, he's a man."

"...And? What do you think, that because he's a man that he must have had some heinous ulterior motive? That he was going to rape her, or something? Is that what you think?" Dettella went on, her voice betraying an anger and frustration that Sam guessed wasn't entirely spawned from this conversation.

Yalene looked like she wanted to say yes, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Some beliefs do not change overnight." Darrel said. His words coming in the same neutral monotone, giving away nothing. Yalene seemed not to understand.

'That one might not be so bad either.' Samson said.

Suddenly, a rapping at the window made everyone turn. Darrel opened it, and a guard peeked his head in. "Captain, this hoshind is leading us straight to where we saw the argwolf earlier. Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"The argwolf is this man's familiar. We will not be harmed by it." He replied, glancing at Sam. The guards eyes widened at that, but he did not question further. Darrel shut the window with a click.

Feima broke the sudden silence with another groan, and Sam was reminded of what had started that whole argument. He reached over and touched her hand, summoning his power simultaneously. The gold and silver spirals erupted from his skin, overwhelming the silvery light of the binding above. He let some of it flow into Feima, and nearly instantly the swollen bump on her head diminished.

He pulled away, to see the other three looking at him strangely. It seemed like that was happening a lot. Letting go of his hold on the magic, he slumped back into the cushioned bench. Suddenly feeling tired, the result of the day's stresses. 'I just want to get back to Letta and get going again. I need to get away from this Yalene, she's starting to make me anxious.'

Sam suddenly felt a spike of curiosity come from Samson, and was not surprised when he spoke. 'Hey, why is it that you feel afraid when you look at Yalene, but not Dettella? In fact, it's almost as if she comforts you or something...'

'I was about to ask myself the same question... I suppose it's just because she reminds me of someone. I don't know.'

'Don't you get anxious around most women?'

'Well, yeah I guess so.' Sam paused and resisted the urge to cock his head to the side in thought. 'Just to clarify, I know that not all of them are like my stepmom and half sister, but I can't help it really.' He said, barely noticing as the carriage started to jump as it changed to rougher terrain.

'I understand. I have a hard time with that occasionally too, I always feel like they're looking down on me somehow. Makes me angry.'

'Yeah, I noticed.' Sam replied dryly.

Samson went on, apparently not noticing Sam's tone. 'I don't really get that feeling from her though... Don't ask me why. It's just a hunch. You still shouldn't trust them.'

'I got it. I'll try to be cautious. For Theodore's sake if nothing else.'

The carriage finally came to a stop, and Sam heard Dettella gasp as she peered out the window. He straightened as the door was opened by one of the guards. Dettella stepped out, holding her dress up in tight fists. Sam immediately noticed how her movement was smooth and graceful, like a ballet dancer.

Sam stepped out directly behind her, quickly scanning the area. They had stopped in the middle of the clearing. Two chests sat nearby, next to which lay Theodore wrapped in multiple blankets. A few yards away, a smoldering fire crackled in a circle of stones, lighting the darkness with a flickering glow. Fenella glanced at them unconcerned, as she stirred a pot of tea over the fire.

"What took you so long? I had to eat raw fentils for dinner!" She said in a half curious, half annoyed tone.

"Ah, I suppose you could say I got sidetracked on my way back."

"I'll hear the details of that later." She told him. "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Sam glanced down and realized he was still bare chested. "Oh, uh it got torn up when I was dragged along the ground. Haven't had the chance to fix it yet." He explained embarrassedly, pulling the shirt out of his pocket. She nodded as if she understood and turned back to her tea.

'Strange woman.' He thought, not for the first time. He walked over to his chest and put the torn shirt inside, pulling out it's twin and his coat. After pulling them on, he remembered that there were other people around. He turned back to see Dettella and Yalene gaping at something. Darrel leaned against the carriage in a deceivingly relaxed pose, his eyes focused intensely in the same direction. Sam could almost feel the threatening aura coming off him.

He glanced to where they were looking and saw Letta's dark form. She was laying down, her paws outstretched and head resting on them. She was glaring intently at the new arrivals. Darrel in particular.

'He is a dangerous one.' She said. 'You must be cautious. I do not know if I could save you from him.'

Sam looked back to Darrel, and saw him look away from Letta. The dangerous feeling suddenly abated, and Letta immediately leapt up. Before he could react, Sam was lying on his back wondering what happened. Then he saw Letta's big black eyes looking down at him. Suddenly, her tongue darted out and licked his face. It felt like someone had dragged a soaked towel across his head.

"Agh! Bleh! Letta you got your slobber up my nose!" He cried out, pinching his nose to prevent it from going any further than it already had. He wiped the saliva from his face and pushed himself up, scowling at Letta. She just stared back at him with a playful glint in her eyes, tail flitting about behind her.

The rest of them just stared at the bizarre display, as the supposedly fearsome creature playfully pranced about.

"Sh-She was just worried about me." Sam quickly explained when he noticed their bewildered gazes on him, then added, "I feel like I'm receiving that look a lot lately."

"What was the name you called the argwolf?" Dettella asked, and Sam realized he'd said it aloud. He saw Letta stop and tense up.

"Her name is Letta." He said, and felt like hitting himself upside the head a moment after. 'Why did I just say that?!'

He felt all of their gazes on him now, holding him there as strongly as any chains could. Even Fenella was looking at him with interest, a very deep interest based on how her eyes seemed to gleam despite the firelight. He even caught a small smile tracing her lips. Dettella's expression wasn't much different. Darrel, on the other hand looked like he didn't care a whit.

Yalene's eyes were fixed on him with a mixture of fear and absolute disgust. She looked on the verge of outrage when Dettella spoke again.

"Is that the name you gave her?" She asked, and it looked as though she were trying to hold back her excitement.

Sam saw his chance then to amend for his last mistake. "Ah, no. She used to have another master a long time ago who named her that."

'Sam, why are you telling them the truth?' Letta asked in his head, sounding on edge.

'I don't know! I didn't mean to say that, I swear!' He replied, wondering what had happened to the caution he'd had a few minutes earlier. It was like Dettella just sucked the truth out of him. She was so beautiful... So graceful...

Sam shook his head, trying to clear it. 'What has gotten into me? I'm going to end up giving everything away!' He tried to convince himself that he was in a precarious position here, but it felt like he was lying to himself. 'I need to get a hold on my tongue. We should get out of here before I make even more of a fool of myself.'

"Do you mean to tell me that this argwolf is the same Letta who assisted Lady Everen in killing the queen of Stralda 200 years ago?" Dettella asked, her excitement almost palpable. Sam fumbled for a plausible excuse, but could not come up with one.

'Might as well be out with it now. You already missed your chance to make up for the mistake, and we both know how bad you are at lying.' Letta said, sounding resigned now. She sat back on her haunches. 'That maid there wants to kill me. Almost as much as she wants to kill you.'

Sam winced at her words as if they were a physical blow. 'I'm not that bad am I? Oh forget it.' He glanced at Yalene, seeing her clenched fists and grinding teeth. 'What the hell did I ever do to you?'

"...Yes, she is the one you speak of." Sam said, his voice strained.

A sudden burst of movement made him jump as Yalene came sprinting toward him. A knife in her hand that he hadn't seen her carrying a moment before. He was frozen in place. Then a whoosh of air and Yalene was slammed into a tree. She slumped down limply, her face hitting the damp earth with a soft smack. Sam barely realized what had happened, and Dettella seemed startled. Darrel and Fenella were apparently unfazed however.

Darrel slowly stood straight and walked to Yalene. He checked her neck for a pulse and ran his hands over her in a quick inspection, then nodded. "She is fine."

Sam didn't know how to react, so he just said the first thought that came to mind. "Er... Shouldn't you be killing me or something?"

Darrel glanced at him. "My duty is to protect her," he said, nodding to Dettella, "not the maid. If I were to fight you now I would probably be able to come out the victor, but not without putting her in danger. Besides, I don't think the princess would like it too much if I killed your familiar."

The way the man said it gave Sam no doubts that he could kill him easily. But he felt no hostility from him. If his own feelings weren't enough, Letta was now lying in a relaxed position like she hadn't a care in the world. She saw his questioning gaze and spoke.

'He will not attack us as long as we do not hinder his mission. We need not fear him.' She said, her eyes flitting toward Dettella for a moment. Sam nodded his understanding, and turned back to Dettella.

She was still standing stock-still, looking at her handmaiden's crumpled form. Eventually she seemed to wake from her immobile state and slowly walked to Yalene. She placed a hand on the young woman's head and Sam saw silver light glow from it. There was an audible snick sound as bones were realigned, and she withdrew her hand. The princess frowned at the knife in the maid's hand.

"Where did this come from?" She asked, looking at Darrel who had returned and assumed his previous position against the carriage.

"That one was hidden on her thigh. She has another in her cleavage, and one up her left sleeve." He said, absently fiddling with the purple collar on his coat.

"What should I do with her?"

"Dismiss her from service." Darrel replied immediately. At Dettella's look he went on. "She's impulsive, dull witted. She just tried to kill a man for the actions of a woman who lived several centuries ago. Need I go on?"

She hesitated a few moments. "I suppose you're right." She sighed softly. "I'd hoped to correct her ignorance and ineptitudes, but I admit it was a dim hope. I knew I should have picked a more experienced handmaiden..."

Sam just listened, trying not to pity the now unemployed maid. It was difficult, despite the fact that she'd been about to kill him a minute earlier. He knew he shouldn't feel that way, but he couldn't help it.

"Er... Well, anyways. W-We should probably get going now." He said, trying to sound casual. It didn't work.

"Why? It's not even morning yet." Fenella said. "Besides, it's not often you get to meet a princess. You should savor it." She gave Sam a mischievous wink.

'Damn you...' He reluctantly sat down near the fire. That was when Belleby loped in out of the darkness. 'Oh crap I almost forgot.'

'Ah, right. I'll bind you to Feima.' Sam said. 'Hey Samson, you know how to bind a familiar to someone else, right?'

'...I've never tried it, but I know how it's meant to be done. Can't be sure if I could do it though.'

'Well, I gotta try. I made a deal with Belleby.'

'Alright, I'll try it. Though maybe the next time you tell someone you'll do something, make sure you know how to do it first.'

'I'll try to remember that.' Sam replied and jogged over to the carriage, past Dettella who seemed to be having an internal argument with herself. He wondered if that was what it looked like when he talked to Samson.

"I need to fulfill a bargain with that hoshind." He said to Darrel's questioning gaze as he opened the carriage door. Sam dragged out Feima by her legs. Her petite frame felt heavier than it had earlier somehow and he grunted as he carried her over to where Belleby waited next to the fire.

Fenella raised an eyebrow as he set the unconscious girl down. "I'll explain later." He said.

"You seem to have a lot of explaining to do. What with the regicidal assassin's argwolf and your unexpected disappearance." She said, looking at Letta with a new curiosity.

"Yes, yes. I'll get to it later. For now I just want to finish up with this and go to sleep. It's been a stressful night." Sam beckoned Belleby over as he spoke. 'Samson, you're up pal.'

Sam sat cross legged and let his mind relax, allowing Samson to take control. He felt his hands move on their own, one pressing to Belleby's broad brow and the other to Feima's. The girl stirred, but did not wake. Bright light overwhelmed that of the fire as Samson brought forth the magic. Sam could feel eyes on him as Samson began to weave.

First he felt the familiar bond to Belleby disconnect, and he saw a thick rope of magic floating before him all of a sudden. He could tell Samson was straining to move it over to Feima.

"What are you doing?" Dettella asked. Samson winced and Sam saw the rope begin to fray, dematerializing steadily.

Samson grunted under the effort of keeping his concentration. The rope began moving again, but it seemed slower and it continued to lose it's form. Sam instinctually tried to keep it moving, forgetting that Samson was the one meant to do it. Almost instantly it snapped onto Feima's forehead, right under his hand. Samson gasped, and Sam felt him retreat back from his body.

'It's done.' He said, sounding fatigued. 'Did you help me? Just at the end right then?'

'Yeah, I hadn't really meant to but I did. I just tried to help control it a bit.' Sam replied.

'Ah, well it worked, surprisingly. Next time you're doing it yourself. I feel like I just ran across the desolate plains.'

Sam removed his hands, and looked at Feima expecting some sort of change. He wasn't overly surprised when there wasn't, but he'd thought there might be a small mark at least.

"What did you just do?" Dettella asked, looking at the elf girl with no small amount of curiosity.

"Ah, I-I transferred the familiar bond over to her. I told Belleby that I'd do this if he guided me back to my friends."

"I see. I've never seen it done so... extravagantly. Most bondings I've witnessed use much less magic."

"O-Oh really? Well I might have to practice it more for next time then. But I'm glad it worked. I made the deal not knowing if I could do it." Sam said with a light chuckle.

"That was your first time trying it then?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"W-Well, yeah it was..."

She shook her head. "I truly cannot believe I have not heard of you, Lord Samson. Any female mage with such talent would be the talk of the realm, let alone a male. It is likely because I have been rather disconnected lately. But, regardless I'd think I would have heard at least a rumor."

"I-It's probably because I haven't been around long or something." Sam said, feeling his cheeks color at the praise. She nodded, looking thoughtful.

He rubbed the back of his head, and stole a glance at Dettella's face. He was still taken aback by her beauty. She stood straight backed, with her hands clasped in front of her. Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders and down her back, framing a round face with high cheekbones and full lips. She appeared taller than she really was, which Sam attributed to the confidence with which she held herself. Her breasts weren't small, nor were they large, but they seemed perfectly proportioned on her slender form.

Despite all of that, Sam felt like his eyes were always pulled to hers. The striking emerald green sparkled with an intelligence and curiosity that he'd seen often in Ms. Albright's eyes. There was something comforting in those eyes. Something he was attracted to, like a moth to flame. Sam had never known his real mother, and had never been told what happened to her. But, in his mind he imagined that her eyes were the same.