Strange Adventures of Cinnamon Ch. 01-05

"Where did you find her diary?" Michleson asked.

"It was hidden behind a loose air vent under her bed."

"Clever. Any way she could get out that way?"

"None Sir."

"Do you think she could have faked her disappearance?" he asked.

"No Sir. She didn't have the means to do so."

"OK I'm going to call the lab boys in. Lorraine go back in and inform the parents will be needing their house for a while."

"Yes Sir." She replied and turned to go back up the front walk. Then he turned to the other two officers.

"Yes Sir?" the other two officers asked.

"Go pick up the brother for questioning."

"Yes Sir. Do you think he did it?"

"No but he's dirty and I want to put a scare in him."

They smiled and said "Yes Sir" and headed for their car as he leaned in to pick up the radio mic.

Chapter 4: More Strange Questions and Stranger answers

After the circle of light faded into darkness Lancos said turning back to Cinnamon, "Well, you've told us the who and where and that portal explains the how. Now would you mind explaining what and why?"

"What?" Cinnamon asked confused.

Lancos gave her a grin. "That's what we'd like to know."

"Let's start with something simple shall we?" Muriel said. "She has had quite a journey." Turning back to Cinnamon she asked "Can you tell us anything else about why you're here?"

"I can tell you what she's doing here!" cried Harnley "And I can tell you what she is too! She's a foul temptress sent by the dark wizard to distract us from our quest!"

"We can all see you're tempted Harnley." Sharmon said with disgust as she indicated the tenting of his nightshirt.

The Dwarf looked down and his ruddy face turned even redder under his beard. The others chuckled, and Cinnamon stared in shock as he quickly turned away sputtering "You see! I told you she was a temptress!"

"I didn't need to see that to know what she was Master Dwarf." Sharmon said snidely.

"You'd be tempted too if ye weren't such a frigid wench." Harnley muttered.

Sharmon began to raise her bow while demanding "What did you say?" but she was quickly restrained by the pale woman while the elf wrapped his arm around Harnley's head and covered his mouth with his hand and grabbed the axe with the other.

"I believe he was just cursing our evil temptresses" he said while the dwarf struggled and muttered half understood curses.

Alarmed at this turn of events Cinnamon exclaimed "B-but I'm not a temptress!" Then she blushed as all eyes turned back to her in disbelief.

"Well you certainly look tempting." Lancos said with a smirk. Cinnamon felt her face flush while at the same time Muriel gave him a frown. Lancos looked away clearing his throat while the others grinned. Then the elf spoke to her.

"You say you are not a temptress yet it is too far from the nearest town to merely be a harlot lost in the woods."

Cinnamon's eyes widened. "I'm,,,I'm not one of those!" she cried. None of them looked like they believed her. "I'm not!" she insisted.

Vanessa, the pale woman, spoke "Yet you are clearly displaying your wares so brazenly. You are clearly trying to tempt us out of something. So which is it you want? Our purse or our lives?"

"My wares? But I'm not displaying anything." Cinnamon said confused.

Muriel gave her a look of total disbelief and said "You are displayed rather lewdly for one not advertising her services."

Cinnamon followed the woman's gaze between her raised knees, down between her bare thighs, to see the mass of dark hair covering her mound. Her eyes widened in shock and then she screamed and yanked her nightshirt down to cover her exposed pussy. "Don't look! Don't look!" she cried out closing her legs and turning away from them.

"That was unexpected." Lancos said surprised.

Sharmon gave him a dirty look and approached the crying girl. She slipped off her cloak and draped it over the young girls shoulders.

"Hm?" muttered the Harnley. "Perhaps she is not a strumpet or a temptress after all."

Chapter 5: A strange discussion

After calming Cinnamon down the three women took her to their tent to rest. She didn't think she'd sleep any in this strange place or with these strange people about but she was fast asleep soon after laying down on Muriel's bed roll. She didn't even notice Muriel cover her with a blanket, or breathe a silent prayer of healing for the girls bumps and bruises.

Once they were assured Cinnamon was asleep, they quietly left the tent and went to join the others around the fire.

"Is she a sleep?" Lancos asked.

"Yes." Muriel answered. "The poor thing was exhausted."

"Did yea git anythin more outta the lass?" Harnley, who was now changed from his night gown to pants and a tunic, asked.

Muriel shook her head while Sharmon answered "No she went right to sleep."

"Okay, so we know she's not from around here and that a magician brought her. The question is why." Lancos said.

"Do you think she may have anything to do with our quest?" Ernon asked.

"You think she's the one we were told to meet Ernon?" Vanessa asked.

"It's possible Vanessa." the elf replied. He turned to Muriel. "You're the priestess Muriel and this is you're quest. Do you think she's the one?"

Muriel looked thoughtful and then recited what the High Pristess had told them. "The one needed to help us regain the stolen holy item will be a lost young maiden of a noble house from a far away land, untouched by others. She will face many temptations but she must not succumb. You must be willing to sacrifice your self, body, virtue, and life for her, for only the blood of a virgin may free the holy item. Go and seek her out in the the forest of the western valley."

"She seems to fit the description." Sharmon said.

"That lass a virgin? I hardly think so!" Harnley said skeptically.

"She was in shock and she didn't realise Harnley. Just like someone else didn't realise something,,," Sharmon trailed off suggestively while Harnley turned red under his beard and sputtered.

"Muriel, do you think she is the maiden we seek?" Ernon asked again ignoring Harnley and Sharmom who were starting another argument. He wished the two would quit their sparing and fuck each other. He'd much rather hear them cursing in Ecstasy than in anger. He smiled at a memory of Sharmon cursing in Ecstasy. Unfortunately, for all parties, both insisted there was nothing between them, except mutual dislike.

"Well,,,she is here." said Muriel careful, missing Ernon's smile. "And she does appear to be virginal,,,going by how upset she was." The last was said with narrowing eyes aimed at Lancos, who was trying unsuccessfully to keep a straight face.

"How do we make sure she is the one?" Vanessa asked quickly adding "Don't even say it Lancos." Who had opened his mouth to reply.

"Aye lad. Ye need to stop thinking with the smaller head or thee blacksmith will be fittin ye with a smaller cod piece." Harnley said with a nod towards Muriel, who's hands were clinched into shaking fists, blue sparks arching from them.

"I,,I was just yawning." he said quickly fibbing. "The hour is late and my watch is nearly up." and went into a big yawn.

"Right lad, of course it is." Harnley said with a wink and a gave a big yawn of his own.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and asked, "Is there any way to know for sure without examining her?"

"There is her last name. Marchant" Sharmon said.

"Aye true. Marchant was a noble bloodline." Harnley said nodding sagely.

Lancos disagreed. "Yes that's what she said, but that line went died out more than a houndred years ago."

"There were rumors of a royal child born by a maidservent." Sharmon said.

Lancos waved it off. "Yeah but every kingdom has rumors like that."

"That does not make it any less true." Sharmon replied.

"So, asuming she is the one, what do we do now?" Ernon asked.

"We should not assume." Sharmon stated firmly. "Nor should we take it for granted she will help us."

Ernon nodded h is head in agreement. "Sharmon is right."

"Yes I suppose she is." Muriel said reluctantly. "Still I can't help but feel she is the one we seek but you are right Sharmon." Muriel sighed. "She may not be the one or agree to help us if she is." The others reluctantly nodded thier heads in agreement.

"Is there a way to find out?" Vanessa asked.

"We could take her to the High Priestess." Ernon suggested.

"Yes, The High Priestess would be able to tell us if Cinnamon is the one we've been searching for." Muriel said. When they'd all agreed, she continued "However, even if she is not the one, she is still a young woman lost and alone and she needs our help. And I meen to help her."

The others agreed but more reluctantly.