Slave Girl: Chapter 11 (Patreon)

I could tell by the way her eyes were locked onto the bracelet and shifting with its every movement that Rosa was not imagining things.

“You see it?  You see the bracelet?”

“Yes.  No.  Not exactly.”  She says as she brings the other hand up to inspect the other half of the magical item.  “It’s not the bracelet…it’s the magic I’m seeing.”  She says.  “There is a brightness but it sheds no light.  I cannot see my hand or even what is visible through the rings.  All I can see is two pale disks suspended in the darkness surrounded by tiny dots.  The lettering!  The dots are the writing around the insides of the bands.”  She says.  “I can feel the silver in my fingers but it is invisible to me.  Only the active magic itself shines.”  To my eyes the bracelet looked normal.  The portal magic within the two halves showing me out the other side as if they were still connected.  In each of Rosa’s hands I could see the ceiling and in one the tips of Rosa’s horns.  She sticks a thumb through one loop and it sprouts up through the other before pulling back through again.  “Nothing really changed.”  She reports.  “Just the same soft yellow light.”

“Uh…that’s really strange.”  I say.

“Yeah.”  She ponders.  “Do my eyes look different?”

“No.”  I say.  “I mean, I can tell you’re looking at something by the way you’re focusing, but other than that they’re the same.”

“Blind except for magic.  I wonder why would he do that?”

“Silvanus?”

“Must be.  Right?  But why take away my sight and leave me with this?”  Her confusion is broken by a momentary smile.  “It is nice to see something though.  Even if it is just two circles in the black.”  Reaching out I pass my fingers across one of the bracelets.  Rosa gasps.  “I saw that!  The silhouette of your fingers!”

“You sure it’s the magic?  Maybe there’s something about portals or Janus or even silver.”

“I didn’t see anything until it was active…”  She gasps.  “Master!”

“What?”

She snaps the bracelet back together, puts it on, then finds my hand and grips it tight.  “Come with me.”

With that she hurries toward the cold storage room with me trotting along behind her in tow.  “What’s this about?”

“Hold on.”  She says as she opens the door.  A wave cooler air flows out along with the smell of musky mold and the rotting aroma of meat, cheese, bread, and vegetable that nearly knocks me back.  But Rosa, undettered by the retched smell, forges onward.  She feels along the North shelving unbothered by the moldering produce her fingers slide through.  Opening my eyes wide I struggle to see myself, the only light coming into this room straying in from the open door we’d just come through.  In the center of the North wall there was a raised chest with slots along the sides about a foot off the ground and three foot square.  As we approach I could sense the subtle shift in temperature.  This box was the source of the rooms coolness.  It was hardly frigid but the difference from the kitchen to here was unmistakable.  Once there Rosa flips up the top of the chest to reveal the glossy tiles that lined the inside of the chest.  As she said, they looked very similar to the ones that merchant tried to sell us on the Appian Way.  In the gloom of the dark room I couldn’t make out what was in the chest but based on the smell I knew it was nothing good.

“Yes, yes!”  Rosa says as she looks over the square tiled lid interior.  “It’s the magic.  I can see the glow.  It is fainter here.  The magic less powerful.  The color is different though.  This one is…blue?  It’s hard to tell.”  Pulling me in close to her side Rosa slaps my hand against the center of the lid.  “Hah!”  She gasps with a great big grin.  Reaching out she slowly traces the edge of my thumb with her fingers.  “I know that hand.  Big and strong.  A working man’s hand.”  She places her hand over mine.  “I seeeee youuuu.”  I stand beside her and slip my free arm around her shoulder as she continues to admire the silhouetted shape of my hand.  “I don’t know what I can do with this but…I’m happy I have it.”

“Who knows, it’s possible you had it all the time.”  I say.  “And you just couldn’t see it through everything else.”

“I don’t think so but maybe.”  She says.

“Do you think those eyes will help you follow in your father’s footsteps?”

“I can’t see how it would hurt.”  She says.  “Funny.  They used say that I had my Papa’s eyes.”  She looks up to me, her pupils widening to their blind state.  Reaching up she feels my lips to find them smiling as well.  “Today is certainly full of surprises.”

“Yeah…and they can stop anytime now!  I’m not sure how many more I can handle.”

We both laugh.  After a bit Rosa closes the chest and scrunches up her nose.  “Let’s get out of here!  Ew!”

I lead my slave girl back into the kitchen and shut the tight fitting door behind us.  That room would be a job for another day.  As we ruminate on this strange new ability we set back to work.  Rosa separates the bracelet again and I take on half to head down to the river.  We knew that we only had about an hour of charge with the bracelet but in the meantime I could wander anywhere I wished and keep a conversation with Rosa back in the house.

Along the way I am struck with how quickly we were becoming accustomed to using the item.  Not so long ago something like this would have blew my mind.  It was a strange thought that magic was now a part of my life and, if Rosa found any success in developing her gift, it would occupy an ever increasing part of it.

We chat about supper, which would be a part of that lamb I had hanging, and some of our plans in the coming days.  We had to make a trip to town for proper supplies.  We had to make a trip to visit the neighbors.  The sooner we bedded into our new community the better it would be.  For security, news, communication, and so much more we had to get to know our neighbors.  In the cities citizens could rely on the guards and government officials, but in the country people helping people was all we really had in a pinch.  And, with Rosa’s great approval, I also wanted to find where my uncle’s grave was.  It was only proper I give respects to the man who gave us so much.  Without his inheritance I wouldn’t have met Rosa.  I owed the man everything.

I was just arriving to the river when a warm, wet tickle to my fingers makes me jump.  I look down just in time to catch Rosa’s demon tongue slipping back through and hear her giggle.

“You little…”  I look through to see her laughing a playful laugh.  I knew with Rosa playful often meant horny.  While I had gotten to nut this morning Rosa had not.  I really ought have done something about that.  Giving her a stern look, though I know she couldn’t see it, I say.  “What did you tell me earlier?  You ought to get a spanking for that.”

“Ooo!”  Rosa peeps.  “Have mercy on me Master.”

“We’ll have to see about that.”  I remove my tunic and sandals and roll up my legs before stepping out into the river to find a place where the water ran clear and strong.  “Here it comes.”  I announce just before dipping the bracelet in, where I leave it under for a three count, then pull it back up again.  “How’s that?”

“Great!”  I hear some splashing from the kitchen.  “That works great!  Hold on.  Once more.  I want to fill these buckets.  Okay, ready when you are Master.”

I plunge it in again and pull it up.  “How’s that?”

“How’s what?”  Comes a shrill voice off to my left.

I startle at the unfamiliar voice and quickly tuck the bracelet into my pants.  The last thing we needed was it to get out that the two lonely and exposed newcomers had magical treasure.  For the time being it was far better if they thought us paupers, which wasn’t too far from the truth.

“Hey!”  I turn and wave to see a group of three women walking along the opposite bank.  They were all about five and half feet tall and each brunette, blue eyed, and buxom.  The nearest one was graying, the next with just a the odd gray streak here and there, and the last in full blush of young adulthood, very close to my age.  Their disparate ages yet similar looks gave me a clue that they might three generations of the same family.  Grandma, mother, and daughter if I had to guess.  Each of them carried a straw basket with a lid.  Like me they are barefoot with the hems of their long simple white tunics pulled to their knees.  They were likely collecting crawfish and other edible goodies from the river.

“How’s what?”  The eldest asks again, looking me up and down warily.  “Who you talkin to over there?”

“Mother.”  The next one says as she approaches me with a warm smile.  “He clearly said, how are you.”  She gives me a polite nod.  “And we are doing just fine thank you.”

“He never said that.”  The elder grumbles.  “Who are ya?  Whatchu doin down here?”

“Grandma!”  The youngest scolds.  “Excuse her rudeness.  She’s like that with strangers.”

“Of course.”  I bow.  “My name is Quintus, most call me Quin, and I was just down here washing my hands.”  I motion to the villa towering up on the cliff.  “My uncle left me a heck of a job.  And it is dirty work I can tell you.”

“Oh!”  The middle one’s blue eyes light up.  “You are Paullus’ heir.”

“I am his nephew, yes.”

She nudges the eldest.  “Hear that mother?  This handsome young man owns this place.”

“Oh really!”  The old lady scowl becomes a crooked grin as she comes up to her daughter’s left.  “Well why didn’tcha say so!”  She frantically waves the youngest forward, trying to use her daughter’s body to block gesture.

The youngest hurries up to stand to the other side of her mother.  “Hello there Master Quintus.”  She curtsies.  “A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine ladies.”  I reply, trying to play it suave.  

Just then there is a giggle…emanating from my pants.  It was Rosa, she was listening in.  The four of us stand looking at each other, them on one side and me on the other.

“What was that?”  The eldest asks.

“What was what?”  I ask innocently.

“That laugh.”  Says the middle one.

“Laugh?”  I say.  “Must be this old river playing with your ears.”

The youngest gives me a curious raise of a brow.  “Of course.”

“Anyway.”  I say.  “I gave my name but I didn’t catch YOURS!”  I peep that last word out two octaves higher and a lot louder as, in my pants, the slender fingers of a very naughty slave girl had begun to explore.

Chapter 12