Slave Girl Ch. 74-84

Chapter 74

Keeping conversation to a minimum so as not to attract attention, on we press along the winding mountain path. We forgo eating beyond whatever easy forage we found along the trail. Each step felt more urgent than the last as we got closer and closer to our final destination. We do come across a fresh mountain spring where we freshen up properly as well as completely slake our thirst. The brief yet crucial stop breathes new life into us. The road eventually descends back into the trees and for the latter part of the day we are traveling along a hilly valley between the higher peaks. Beyond a few tense moments with a curious bear the rest of the day passes without incident.

Our footfalls are slow and heavy as we crest yet another hill. There we stop. In the distance we could make out a few spires of smoke drifting up out of the verdant canopy.

"A town?" Rosa says with rising hope.

"More like a village I'm guessing."

"Can we get there tonight?"

"We'll make it." I say. "Even if you need to ride again."

A look of iron determination comes over her. "I can make it Master."

I was so damn proud of that woman, she had come so far. Our spirits buoyed we forge ahead. Evening turns into dusk and we knew that we had to be getting close. Despite how tired we were we are downright giddy when we see the walls and torchlights of the village ahead. We laugh and hold hands as our pace quickens, our minds already enjoying the comforts and security of the village ahead.

"Who goes there?" A voice asks as we approach. A town guard steps out into the center of the open gate. Beyond him the trail turns into a earth packed street that leads to a small town square. There should be a inn somewhere around that square.

"Are we glad to see you!" I say as I approach the man with my hand extended.

He gives us a once over, his eyes narrow suspiciously. I couldn't blame the guy. We were rough looking and wearing the most ridiculous clothes, from his view we were a couple of wild vagrants coming in on a sparsely traveled trail. This too could be rectified here. Surely there would be a general store to purchase proper attire. We come to a stop a few feet back.

"Greetings." My hand still outstretched I say. "It has been a long road and we could really use..."

"No Amazons." He cuts me off gruffly. "She's gotta go, and so do you kid. On your way."

My heart drops, as does my hand, as the jolt back to civilization proves to be an unpleasant one. "Sorry?"

He motions to Rosa, his eyes dip for a second down to her crotch. Unbeknownst to either of us Rosa's makeshift capelet turned shirt was parted near the bottom leaving a clear view of the bulge at the front of her shorts. She quickly covers up but it was too late, he had seen the truth.

"Move along." He orders us.

"Move along?" I say. "Move along!? Move where?"

"Round the wall, back the way you came, I don't care. You're just not coming in here."

"No. No, you don't understand." I say. "We aren't beggars, we'll be no trouble, we have money."

"Good for you. Take your coin and move along."

"Sir." I say as politely as my weary mind could muster. "We've come a very long way. We've had a...difficult journey. This is my slave. I am a land owner from near Grumentum."

"I suggest you move on through then. Sooner you leave here the sooner you get there."

"But it's almost dark and..."

"I guess you better get going then, before you lose all light."

"Sir...it's not fair." I plead with him. I couldn't believe this was happening. "You don't know what we've been through to get here. You don't understand. We just want a dry place to sleep and a warm meal. That's all."

"Listen kid." He steps closer and lowers his voice. "You don't want to bring her in here. For both your sake." His hard eyes soften with his voice. "It's not safe for you here. Get outta here before you draw any notice."

"But..."

Rosa lays a gentle hand on my arm and whispers. "We're not welcome here Master."

I look to her and shake my head. I felt so fucking angry and helpless all at the same time. We'd worked so hard to get here only to be stopped by this bullshit!? I wanted to give my Lady a comfortable night. Who were these people to deny us that simple service?

"It's not fair." I say to her. "It's not fair!"

"No." Rosa says. "It's not." She looks at the guard. "Thank you sir, we are in your debt."

"Sorry about this Ma'am." He nods. "May Mercury watch over your road ahead."

"And I hope Janus stands with you at your gate tonight." She says with impeccable manners.

"Hurry now." He urges us.

"Come on Master." She pulls my arm and leads me away.

As we walk around the tall wooden walls of this backwater forest village I am still muttering at the injustice of it. We didn't deserve this. Rosa didn't deserve this. Out on the road when it was just her and I it was easy to forget about the ugly side of society. It isn't long until we are on the other side the settlement and walking away from it, we find that the road had returned to smooth stones and pavement with smooth ruts along where wagon wheels would roll.

"I think that was where the short cut meets the main road again." Rosa says with admirable composure. "I feel a bit safer already."

I stop and look back at the village with its comfortable rooms and hot suppers. "That's not right. That's not right to turn us away."

"Master."

"I should report them to the governor. You are a legal slave."

"Master."

"I am a citizen! They have no right to do this."

"Master."

"I'll...I'll..."

"Master!"

"What?"

Her eyes motion off to the right side of the road. I turn my head to see a sign, on that sign were the words: Grumentum: 25 miles.

"25 miles?" I say, the meaning slowly sinking in. "25 miles! We can do that in a day!"

"We'll get there tomorrow." She says with a tired smile. "And I'll be a bit more careful when we approach the gates this time around." Reaching down she scratches her nuts in a most unladylike way. "No need to go rousing jealousy among the menfolk."

I laugh and shake my head, my anger from just a second ago all but gone. "How do you DO that?"

"Do what Master?" She bats her eyes.

"Never mind." I look around. "One more night in the bush then."

"What is one more?"

After the watchman's warning we put a little distance between us and the village before spotting a still pond just off the road. We set camp along the shore. Still being in a fairly untamed area we skip building a fire and simply find a secluded spot where we could hide away and catch some sleep. We set our belongings to the side. Rosa peers out over the glassy surface of the lake, the heavens splendor reflected in the dark water. She stands still and perfectly quiet.

"Pretty." I say as I look over her shoulder at the starry lake, to no answer.

I leave her in peace with her thoughts and try to feel about for a decent place to rest. The moment I sit down and rest my back against the trunk of a tree Rosa comes to curl up onto my lap. I wrap my cloak around her and hold her tight. She balls up and starts to rock back and forth, it isn't long before she begins to cry.

"Rosa?" I whisper.

My Lady only breaks down more. She was in no state to talk. She nuzzles into my chest and clings to my body as her weeping turns into heavy sobs. I couldn't be sure why she was crying though I heavily suspected. It wasn't what happened at the village, it wasn't the wear and tear of the road, it wasn't even her striking me. She had held a brave face for as long as she possibly could, but the terror of our encounter with the harpy had at last come to the surface. It could only be bottled up for so long. Monsters were her greatest fear, and with good reason. A monster had taken her parents from her and her sister while she was still of a very impressionable age, leaving them orphans fending for themselves. I couldn't even imagine the horror she must have felt when she found herself alone in the harpy's lair.

I hold her. I soothe her. I stroke her and I kiss her head. I keep my girl inside of my cloak and inside of my safe loving embrace until she gradually cries herself to sleep. It is only once I feel her small warm body relax against me and hear her soft deep breath that I close my eyes to find my own slumber.

Chapter 75

Rosa on top of me, a tree trunk as a mattress, a knotty root pressing into my butt and the small of my back, and a cool breeze chilling my feet it is not the best of sleeps. I manage to catch a few snippets of slumber through the night though, enough to function at least. With or without sleep the excitement of reaching Grumentum would have been enough to keep me going.

I awake from the last of my naps to see the morning light brightening the forest around us. Rosa is at my side, curled up and using my cloak as a blanket and my leg for a pillow. If I tried to move it would wake her, plus I'd either have to keep the cloak with me and leave her shivering or leave it with her and walk about in just my undies, so I opt to just stay sat where I am. I sit and listen to the morning birdsong and watch the fish jump to snatch bugs from the shimmering surface of the pond. Lovely. This was going to be a good day, I could feel it.

My empty stomach growls in protest but I ignore it. I had bigger things on my mind.

Once we hit the city, less than twenty five miles away now, our new life would begin. We'd get a bath, we'd get some clothes, we'd get a proper meal, and then we'd get to work. I had to register the ownership of my land, and probably my slave too, with provincial officials. I wouldn't mind checking in with the local temple of Ceres either. If we got an early start and really pushed this could potentially be done by this afternoon. Once there I would find out where my plot was, I hoped it was close enough to the city that Rosa could enjoy some of its amenities from time to time. Although the experience last night at the village was a cruel reminder that she might not be welcome with open arms. We'd figure something out.

Depending on how far away the plot was from the city would dictate what happened next. It might still be many miles off. All I knew was that my land was along the Aciris somewhere, but that river wound from the mountains all the way South to the coast near Heraclea. If it was close enough I won't be able to resist trying to press on to get there today, after everything I had been through to get to it I greatly yearned to at last feel my own land beneath my sandals. If it was far away we'd spend the night in Grumentum and head out the next day. Gods, this was so exciting!

Needing to take my mind off of these things lest I wake Rosa just to get moving I look about for something to distract me. Within reach is the leather bag Rosa carries. I pull it close and open the drawstring. Feeling around inside my fingers quickly find a flat wooden surface with a design etched into it.

"The codex." I whisper to myself as I pull it free. I had heard of these, a new way of holding written texts that had some advantages over scrolls, but this was the first I'd seen. I feel the polish of the sleek wood against my hand. Though rather plain to look at, it was a well crafted item.

Setting it down on my knees I loose the little hook that held it shut and open the cover to look at the top quality parchment within. I had never seen such fine parchment, smooth and regular and still supple despite the years it sat in that cave. I am not sure if it is missing some pages but there is no title or list of contents, it simply begins. It was a strange arrangement on the page. The top half was in Greek and I got the distinct impression that it was a copy of another text in another hand, perhaps even a traced version of some rubbing as the writing did not flow as it should. The bottom half was in Latin and appeared to be notes and commentary by the transcriber. This was no story book.

Flipping to the next page my interest piques. "By Ceres!" I see very detailed drawings of three kernels of grain, one wheat, one rye, and one barley. The writing around the drawings is indecipherable to me, I would have to have Rosa read it aloud. Again the bottom half is in Latin but it spoke in reference to the text and sketches above, assuming the reader had read and understood what was there. What I could glean was that the even writer themselves didn't fully understand what they had copied above. This was some sort of philosopher's journal where the scholar was trying to comprehend a much older text. It was far more complex than most anything I had read before, I was well out of my depth, but the mystery had me intrigued.

As I continue turning pages, reading bits of the Latin and studying the drawings, Rosa eventually stirs.

"Good morning Master." She says softly, even before opening her eyes.

I rub one of her horns with my thumb. "Good morning my love."

"Mmm." She smiles. "That's nice, say it again."

I stroke my hand past her pointed ear and along her neck to her slender shoulder. "Good morning my love."

"Mmm!" She kisses my leg. "Mornin lover."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about last night."

"You never have to be sorry for that. Never."

She blinks her eyes open to see the codex not far from her face. Sitting up she cuddles in beside me and wraps her arms around my body, probably as much to leech my heat as a gesture of love. Not that I was complaining. I slide it closer on my lap so that we could both look at it.

"What's this?" She asks, her waking mind suddenly very focused.

"I don't know." I say as I start flipping back through the pages I'd already looked at. "Half of it is in Greek. It outlines some sort process one does with grains."

"Hold on." Rosa stops me and flips back a page. "They're fermenting here. They're making beer. I recognize that from Peisandros' place."

"Yeah." I say. "The notes mention brewing, but it's more than that. Umm, here." I point. "The writer mentions dis...distil...distillation. Something like that. Turning one liquid into another. Eventually the liquid is put into wooden barrels for a time. There's mention of grapes too, but it is mostly focused on grains."

"Quin." Rosa pulls the book even closer. "That's not Greek."

"It isn't?" I say. "Is it those magic letters? Like on the bracelet? Is this a magic book?"

"No, not that either. These aren't magic runes. That language is Atlantean."

"What!?"

"I think it is anyway. I can't be sure." She flips a page.

"This is writing from Atlantis!?" I say in disbelief.

"I don't know. I am not a scholar. I remember Papa had some scrolls like this though. I could be wrong, I was very young."

"Wow...wow!"

"I can make some of it out." She says as she turns another page. "It has a lot of commonalities with Greek." She studies the strange bent item in the drawing. "This thing is called a still." She runs her fingers over the page. "I wonder who copied this."

"And where. And when. How long had it been in that lair?"

"The academies would pay handsomely for such a journal."

"You think?"

"Yeah, don't you?" She says. "I bet Peisandros would be interested too. It seems right up his alley. We should show him if we see him again."

I let it sink in a moment and then...clap the codex shut and latch it. "A topic for another time."

She laughs and looks up at me. "Anxious to get on the road are we?"

"Just a little bit." I wink.

"We're so close!" Slapping my knee she states. "Then lets get you shaved and groomed Master and we can be on our way. You need to be looking your best today."

I grin. "Yes my Lady."

She shaves me and grooms me and makes me feel special like only she can. As she is washing up she pulls the two halves of the magical bracelet from her inner pocket and again attempts to connect them.

"Hey! I did it." She grins. "They are one again."

"They just needed time I guess."

"No, I think it's more to do with me. I felt so hollow yesterday morning, so empty. It's hard to describe. I'm feeling much better today though." She twists the bracelet, studying it. "Hopefully it will recharge itself now. Time will tell I guess."

Within moments we are on our feet, each with our own pack over our shoulders. Rosa looks to me then back to the hollow where we had just slept.

"You know, I'm gonna kinda miss roughing it." She says wistfully.

"Really?"

"NO!" She exclaims. "Come on Master. We're almost home!"

Chapter 76

Back on a proper road again is not only much easier to traverse it also brings with it other travelers once more. For a piece of silver we manage to purchase some food off of a group heading to Potentia. A loaf of bread and some cheese for a dinarii, highway robbery by any measure but absolutely worth it to feel our bellies full again. With each mile the area swiftly became less wild and more settled. It is only an hour before we come across another village.

Remaining as inconspicuous as we could given our rough appearance we make a few purchases of food and clothing then move right on through to find a secluded place to get changed. Rosa didn't like the idea of buying premade clothes as she usually made her own, but we hadn't the time today to be choosy. I wanted to be presentable for arriving in Grumentum. For myself I buy another good wool tunic to replace the one I'd lost, this one was red. Rosa we spend a bit more on, at last buying her proper sandals along with a stola and a blue palla. We find a small clearing behind some bushes and try on our garments. Simple as they were, being commoner clothes, the dress and shawl completely transformed my adorable slave girl into a lady of beauty and refinement. She even goes the extra step of, with a bit of twine and the hairpin we'd found, putting her long hair up into a topknot which accentuated her willowy neck and showed off her lovely ears. It was the first time I had seen her in clothing she had not borrowed or cobbled together or her hair in anything but naturally flowing locks and the effect magnified her natural elegance tenfold. Seeing her like this was a sudden reminder that Rosa was no simple peasant as I was. Her gestures, her movement, even the way she stood simply oozed a grace and sophistication that could not be missed. If not for the brand on her hand anybody looking at us would have assumed I was the slave and she the master. Wow! I couldn't even imagine how stunning she must have looked in her fine silk Alexandrian gowns of her previous life.

"You look...incredible!"

"Thank you Master." She curtsies. "We need to make a good impression, right?"

"Right." I look her up and down one more time. "Wow."

Once back on the road we notice an immediate difference. Folks smiled at us again. We would nod and say hello and move along with far fewer suspicious looks or sour faces. I soon realized that Rosa's dress cloaked her Amazon heritage much better than her capelet ever did. We are even invited to join a picnic, which we accept with apologies that we could not stay for long. We eat and drink and enjoy the casual company of others in a way I hadn't felt in quite some time. It just felt...normal. It had been awhile since I felt like anything in my life was simply normal. It was nice. Rosa regales them with the tale of the harpy, even showing them our old bloodstained clothes as proof, as well as a vastly exaggerated account of me doing battle with three men and two dogs. The group is duly impressed even as I blush at the attention. As soon as we could excuse ourselves we are back on the road again.

"I kinda miss seeing your legs." I quip at one point.

"I don't think you'll see me in an outfit like that ever again. Not on the road at least."

"I guess not." I say. "Things are already changing. Everything feels...different today."