Slave Girl 2: Chapter 130 (Patreon)

I sit with the gals for a short time before excusing myself to deal with a couple of things before the investigators arrived. I take the blanket Rosa had been resting on and drape it over Aristocles’ body so that Colly wouldn’t have to see the grisly corpse of her former master. I then feed the two fires so that we were not left without light or warmth during our wait. The sword I take and lay on the platform away from any blood and far from the broken statue, even taking the precaution of laying a heavy stone over the blade in case it decided to come alive like the minotaur did. It was as inert as the fallen bull-man and Rosa saw no magic in it, but why take chances. I was not sure what would be made of it. My instinct was to hide it as it would be another thing we would have to explain, but too many people had seen it to try to cover it up now.

By this time footsteps were approaching, but from the opposite side from town. Into the clearing steps a scowling Horatius with a group of his most burly men flanking him. I’d seen him upset in the past but nothing like this before. Nothing good was about to come from this. His narrowed eyes widen as he scans the blood and carnage before eventually finding his daughter.

“Cassia.” He barks. “Go home now.”

“That’s not happening, Dad.” She barks right back.

“Cassie! You headstrong girl! Would you just…listen!” He shouts. “For once in your life just…just…” Through a grimace he chews and swallows the words he’d been about to speak. In a tense but lower tone he says. “Please go home, daughter. I would like to speak to Quintus alone.”

She gives Colly a final hug then slips from the embrace to come stand at my side. Gripping my arm with both of hers she stares down her father. “Whatever you have to say to my fiance you can say to me as well.”

“Mmm.” I could practically hear his teeth grinding. “Very well.”

“Could this wait?” I ask him. “At least until morning.”

“It cannot.” He looks to me and sees the state of me, as battered and bruised as the men we’d sent to his villa a short time ago. “Quintus, you’re fired. Your slave’s services will no longer be required in my wife’s business affairs.”

“The harvest ball!” Cassie gasps. “Dad. You can’t take that away now. They’ve worked so hard…”

Ignoring his daughter’s protests Horatius continues speaking only to me. “You and anyone associated with your house is not to set foot on my land again. We will settle up what is owed to you and that will the last of our dealings.” He takes a deep breath and hardens himself for his last proclamation. “And finally, you will NOT be receiving our daughter’s hand in union.”

“By Ceres, you just try and stop us!” Cassie retorts.

“By law you have no say in this, daughter.” He says bluntly without looking her way.

“Don’t you dare…!”

“Not until you are 25 at least. You need my permission to marry and you do not have it. And you will not. Not with him.”

Before Cassie could explode I pat her arm and say to him. “Does a condemned man at least get a chance to defend himself in your court, Horatius?”

“No.” He says.

“Guilty without trial?”

“Your guilt is not for me to judge, young man. Though my sympathies you have. This…” His eyes stray to Toke’s gory remains. “…tragic night might have been simple misfortune. But trouble, chaos and misfortune follows you like your own shadow Quintus. Mala Fortuna has taken a special interest in you and your demon and that spells ill tidings for everyone whose paths cross yours. I should have recognized it sooner. Your honest heart and hard work blinded me to what was right there in front of me from early on. Your trouble is yours to keep. My family will have nothing more to do with it. Not anymore.” With a nod of his head he orders his men. “Take her.”

“You bastard!” Cassie lowers into a fighting stance and raises her fists as the men start to move. “If you think I’m going to let you…”

“Cassie.” I say, my voice low and tired. Though wiser than his son, certainly wiser than me, he had the same stubbornness as Lucas and I could see in Horatius’ stony stare that there would be no negotiating with him tonight. “No more fighting. Not tonight.” I lay hand on her shoulder. “No more.”

“But…no.”

I turn to her and take her hands. “Go with them, just for now.”

She gazes up into my eyes, a gaze full of fear and worry. “I don’t want to leave you and Rosa, Quin.”

“I know.” I lean in and kiss her cheek, while there I whisper. “Come find us when you can. If I don’t see you by the morning after this one then I will come and find you.”

“They won’t keep us apart, Quin.” She says. “I swear it.”

Standing tall I give a tired smile to my future wife. “I pity them. Trying to keep a lioness like you leashed? Can’t be done.”

Her eyes brighten. “And don’t you forget it, boy.”

WHAP!

As the first man reaches us Cassie flattens his nose with a snapping right jab without even looking his way before holding her hands up in surrender.

“She broke my damn nose!” The man blubbers as blood pours through his fingers.

Looking more than a little proud of herself Cassie allows the three others to usher her away. “I’ll see you soon Rosa.” She says. “This tiny tyrant can’t hold me for long.”

“Be well, Mistress Cassie.” Rosa says, looking up from the huddled Collywaddle. “I love you!”

“I love you too, Rosa!”

“Love!?” Horatius exclaims. “What is…!? Bahh! Never mind. Get her out of here!” Backing away from me he shakes his head in disappointment and regret.

“This won’t end how you’re hoping, Horatius.”

“I’ve got to protect mine, Quin. Best I can.” He says. “When the investigators come tell them that the men’ll be ready to give their accounts at my home. Do not come with them unless you are not given the choice.”

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I get the message, Horatius.” Stepping forward I offer him my hand. “For what it’s worth it was a pleasure workin for you, sir. Thank you for giving me that chance. I grew a lot, thanks to the trust you showed me.”

My honest gratitude takes him off guard though it was not enough to change his mind or accept my hand, the second time tonight that I was refused the honor of a simple handshake by a man I respected. Just more salt in my fresh wounds. But I understood, to him I was as cursed as the magic that brought the copper to life. With a grunt and a slow nod of respect he turns and disappears through the forest with the rest.

I shuffle to the platform and slump down beside Colly and Rosa. “As if this night needed to get any worse.”

“It’s darkest before the dawn, my love.” Rosa gently strokes my back. “We will get through this too.”

“Yeah.” I whisper. “But…all of our hard work…for nothing. Their wariness of outsiders, confirmed. Their prejudice against demons or those that look different, confirmed. Their fear of magic, confirmed. We’ve made things worse here, Rosa.”

“Oh, my boy.” She says softly.

“I can’t help but wonder if Horatius is right. Perhaps Cassie would be better off…” I sigh.

“Don’t you assume to know what is better for her. Don’t be like him.” Rosa fingers find my hair to stroke it. “She chose us and it was her choice to make.”

“Yeah.”

“It’th not your fault Thir.” Colly peeps as she crawls to huddle at my legs. She takes one of my hands in both of hers and squeezes it tight. “He’th a human dad. It’th hith job to look after hith little girl.”

“I know, Colly.” I pat her plump little hands. “But thank you.”

She looks to the mounded blanket sitting a few feet away and say in a low, flat voice. “That’th not your fault either. That’th no oneth fault.” She swallows hard. “No one round here anyway.”

“You’re a wise woman, Collywaddle.”

Each of us lost in our thoughts it is a somber vigil as we await the group from Grumentum, but a dry one as the slow drizzle peters out to nothing at all. By the time that the first ochre glow of morning creeps out from around the Eastern peaks the gray clouds were parting. At long last we hear Gyasi’s call of “This way.” announce their arrival.