Dreamland

It was warm under the blanket, and the carriage rocked him gently. He was feeling good. He stretched and suddenly realized two things: he was not alone, and... he... he had a bulge... ahm... what is called a boner. OK, this is a normal thing to happen in the morning, but... he opened his eyes and saw Awa's grinning face.

He panicked for a moment until he realized he was well covered with blankets, and Awa was halting a bowl in her hands.

“Morning, Geral! Breakfast?” - she asked, showing him the bowl.

He nodded, then carefully sat to avoid disturbing the blankets. He took the bowl in his hands and looked around.

“Thank you! Where's Noviel?”

Awa shrugged.

“On the bench with mother!”

With mother. Why would she say that, were they still being spied upon?

He did not know that Awa had been an orphan since she could remember. For her and Anabella, that adopting spell had changed how they saw and felt for each other. It was a long-term commitment with profound implications. And it implied him, too, even if he did not realize it yet.

He started to eat. He had an urgent need to go to the toilet. Somehow she guessed.

“For the toilet, you'll have to either use the pot or wait for the next caravan stop in one hour... “

“What?” - he grumbled, surprised.

What a stupid thing. He shrugged. He'll find a way.

“I saw they did not let anybody leave the caravan, but you might try...”

She smiled happily. Was she trying to make conversation?

He wondered how come he did not wake up earlier. The girls must be since a couple of hours up. Well, truth be told, he had never been the morning type.

There was a sudden bounce; the wheel must have passed over a bigger boulder. He barely kept the bowl in his hands.

He heard Noviel cursing, and then she came suddenly in.

“Morning, Geral!" - she greeted in passing.

“Good morning!” - he answered dutifully with a mouthful.

“I'm all wet!” - she said, taking her jacket off, then, with a slick movement, the blouse. He choked on something and started to cough.

She continued mumbling:

"Tea with honey! Urgh!"

She was with her back to him, cleaning herself with the discarded blouse, her upper half naked.

Unfortunately, he was choking; he got tears in his eyes and had to bow his head, trying in vain to swallow, not being able to follow the very interesting happening.

He heard her shuffling through her package for another blouse.

He continued coughing, fighting with a piece of meat inside his neck, and Awa gave him a slap on the back of his head, and he finally spat.

"Gross!" - said Awa

“Thanks!” - he said to Awa wiping his tears

“Sorry, I've just spilt my tea over my blouse.” - said Noviel turning to face him while she pulled her new, clean blouse down - “everything OK?”

Awa laughed at her misfortune.

“Ma told you to let her hold the reins when you drink tea!”

He took a deep breath and cleaned his face with the back of his hand.

Noviel showed a surprisingly long, red tongue to Awa in a remarkably childish gesture, then took on her jacket over her shoulders, gave him a pale smile and wanted to leave but then suddenly stopped and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you!” - she mumbled.

“Ahm, why?” - he wondered, glad to feel her fingers on his shoulder.

“For last night. For letting me sleep near you two. I was so distressed about the slaves that I thought I would go mad.” - she breathed deeply - “Sleeping near you and Awa helped” - she shrugged with a sheepish smile.

Before he could answer, she went through the curtains to sit on the bench.

He took another deep breath. OK, that was random!

He finished his breakfast, trying to understand the signals he had been given. Were there any signals? Was he so low on Noviel's attraction scale that she ignored him? Or was there something else to read in her show-off? Maybe choosing this somewhat older character was a mistake. He had chosen Geral to look at around thirty; he wanted to have a more mature look...

Did Awa say something? He smiled at her and gave her his empty bowl.

“Thanks!”

Now he needed to pee. Urgently!

The carriage started to shake heavily, and he heard Noviel scream. Another tea catastrophe? He had to halt himself not to be thrown down. Was the road so bad here? Awa, who was closer to the front, went to see what was happening. He followed.

There were more screams, people yelling, and then some strange barks. The carriage came to a sudden stop, and he flew to the ground.

He heard Awa's scream of fear, which instantly kicked his blood pressure one hundred notches up.

He hurriedly grabbed a sword with his right hand. The next second he was pushing himself beside the girls looking out. A vicious scene unfolded in front of his eyes: giant wolves were jumping around them, their carriage being a bit away from the caravan. Two slaves were on the ground, and he just saw how one wolf started to drag one slave by its ankle.

The imminent danger chased any other thoughts from his brain. He realized instantly that the carriage was stuck in some bushes while wolves were attacking the horses. Luckily the right side was protected by those same dense bushes that blocked the right front wheel, but the left side was completely open, and one giant wolf was preparing to jump at them.

He cursed. He was dressed in pyjamas and with only a sword, no shield. It would take too long to go back inside, find his inventory box, take a shield and come back. He should have slept with his armour on!

Without hesitation, he jumped, yelling, trying to chase the wolves away from the carriage and from the horses, drawing circles with his sword.

As the nearest wolf tried to bite his left hand, an arrow struck its eye even before he could hit it with his sword. The wolf fell with a yelp, but another wolf used the moment to bite his right ankle. He screamed in pain and anger, decapitating the wolf with a stroke of his sword. As more wolves approached, a wall of fire engulfed him as he felt Awa's trembling hand on his back.

“Shield!” - he screamed, but then he realized that nobody had access to his inventory box.

To his luck, the circle of wolves retired several steps while another arrow struck the nearest beast. He felt his wounds healing as Anabella's staff touched his shoulder.

The next moment the wolves ran away. The fire that was covering him died, but it was too late for his pyjama: he was covered in smouldering rags that were rapidly disintegrating as he looked at them. Behind him, an almost fainting Awa was gripping his skin with a cramped hand.

Of the two slaves, one has been dragged away by the wolves. Also, the two dead wolves were gone. A caravan guard came closer.

“Idiots attacking ningo-dogs!” - the guard laughed them up - “They will remember you!”

“Ningo dogs?”

The guard shrugged.

“This pack has been stalking our caravan for days. We already lost ten slaves to them.”

“But why do you not defend the caravan?”

“If you have an army, you do it. If you fight and they feel that you are weak, they'll call for more packs, then more and more, until you go under. Better give them some food until you pass through their territory. Good that we are arriving soon at our destination, or else, the cutuza would have left you here. Go back and take your place in the caravan. I'll have some slaves sent to help unstuck your carriage.”

Another couple of woman guards approached. One of them grinned at Geral.

“Nice show you pulled up here!” - She said, showing him a thumbs up.

He snorted as the last pieces of his former pyjama fell to the ground. He felt his cheeks going red while Awa was still clinging to him.

“What's happening here!?” - one of the cutuza's main guards came - “Take your place back in the caravan and stop this circus!”

“But what about her?” - Anabella pointed at the slave that was still on the ground.

“She's terminally sick and was discarded for the dogs. As the dogs have left, you can take her as your prize, but be aware the dogs will chase you. Better leave her there!”

“No way. Geral, we take her!” - said Anabella.

Geral nodded. He bowed to take the slave, an action that was made more complicated by the sword he had in his hand. He wanted to give Awa the sword but realized the girl was somehow on autopilot. Mana exhaustion! She was only clinging to him not to fall. Anabella had to help her back to the carriage as she visibly wobbled.

Noviel jumped down to take his sword and gave him a pair of trousers. He sighed when he realized it was one of her larger skirts, not trousers, but nevertheless, he put it on. She helped him climb back inside the carriage with the slave in his hands, and then Noviel took the reins while they all helped unstuck the carriage. He had to chop some bushes and got more scratches.

As the carriage set itself in movement, he climbed inside with Anabella, where they had left Awa and the slave. The two pulled the slave onto a carpet, and while Anabella started to check on Awa and the slave, he was finally able to dress.

As Awa slowly recovered, she raised her head, looking with a tired but satisfied smile at him. He smiled back and nodded.

“You saved my ass, lady!”

Awa giggled, but Anabella sighed.

“I'm sorry! It was my fault!”

He looked at her, surprised.

“Why do you say that?”

She bowed her head.

“I saw the two slaves aside from the caravan and drove to take them. I did not know they were left there to appease the wolves, and even if I had known, I would have tried to save them. Then the wolves came, and... I've put everybody in danger.”

She sighed.

“I am so sorry!” - she put her hands to her face as tears came to her eyes.

He shrugged. Can undead cry? He finally sighed:

“No. It is OK. You did what you thought was right.”

“You are not angry at me?”

“No.” - he shook his head - “Certainly not!”

She looked at him, swallowing each of his words. It seemed to soothe her. He did not though she had done something wrong.

“What's with the slave?” - he wondered while putting on his shirt.

He looked at her: she was dressed in rags that Anabella and Awa were now removing. She was still not by conscience. Her eyes were deep in their orbits, with dark lines under them. Her skin was dirty and sick with many pustules. Even on her face, she had several, with a big one behind her left ear.

Her nose had been broken and completely flattened. A big ring had been fixed on her nose, and it was obvious that it had been used to guide her. Her ears were a bit pointy, with some hair strands near the points. Her teeth were yellow with dark taints. Her front teeth were missing.

Was she one hundred years old?

She must have been a head smaller than him and very light. He could lift her with one hand! She had two small horns on the sides of her head, dirty green hair, and very small, almost non-existent breasts. She looked mostly human. A malnourished, abused, and battered human.

“I think she is human with some dryad or satyr blood in her. She looks beaten and poisoned to me.” - said Anabella.

“Poisoned?”

“Yes, maybe that's why the wolves did not take her.”

“Dogs. They called them ningo-dogs. Do you think they tried to poison them?”

“Maybe, but it rather looks like long-term exposure to some chemicals. Maybe her whole little life. Some dangerous work.”

Little life? - he wondered. Maybe from her point of view? How long do undead live?

The slave opened her eyes and looked around.

“What, where... where am I? What happened?”

She spoke softly and mumbled her words. It was very difficult to understand her.

“You are with us; you are safe!” - said Anabella.

“Us? Who are you? But, but... Master Heran will want me back! I need to go to master Heran!”

“Master Heran had discarded you. You are poisoned.”

“Oh, yes. True.” - she bowed her head as if ashamed she was no longer useful.

She relaxed and then remembered something.

“What happened to old Hannah?”

She raised her head again. Geral wondered:

“Old Hannah?”

“Is she the other slave you were with?” - asked Anabella

She nodded.

“Yes, she took care of me!”

“The wolves took her.”- said Geral

“Oh!”

She covered her face and started to cry. He wondered if he had been a bit insensible saying that. Anabella sighed but did not say anything.

As the slave lost her conscience, he came closer to Anabella and whispered in her ear.

“Will she survive?”

Anabella shrugged.

“I don't know. I have some substances that could keep her alive for a while, but it would be good to know what she was poisoned with”

She put a hand on his shoulder:

“Thank you again!”

He looked into her undead eyes. Those golden eyes had more life and compassion in them than most of the human eyes he had seen.

He nodded and left to sit in front between Noviel and Awa.

He looked at Noviel, and she grinned. It was a mischievous grin. He watched her, surprised.

“You looked sexy in my skirt! You should keep it!”

He laughed and hugged both girls. He felt good. Noviel hugged him back, and Awa leaned on him on the other side.

Then he remembered he had a very urgent need.