Slave Girl 2: Chapter 108 (Patreon)

Running side by side, the pounding rhythm of my long strides and her swift ones creating a sort of urgent drumbeat beneath our feet, Cassie and I traverse Horatius’ fields making a straight line for home.  Unfortunately I’d been harvesting at the complete opposite side of his property so there was a fair distance to go.  I consider running out in front of her but I wanted some details before I did.

“Talk to me.”  I say.

“I don’t know what happened.”  She huffs, more out of breath from the sprint out to find me but still keeping pace.  “There was a…priestess.”

“Priestess?”  I say.  “Of Ceres?”

“Yes.”

“We just saw her.  Not even an hour ago.  She came to bless the land.”

“She…”  Cassie gulps in a breath.  “She stopped in to rest her feet and find refreshment.”

“You provided it.”

“Of course.”  She says.  “Before she left Rosa took her aside.  They spoke privately for some time.  Then she left.  All was well.  I didn’t think much of it.  But…after she left Rosa was distant.  Withdrawn.  Said she wanted to take a rest.  I think the priestess gave her something.”  Another hard breath.  “She went to your room for a nap, or so I thought.  When I…went in later to check on her…she was gone.”

“Gone?”

“I found her out back.”  Her voice goes grim.  “Sitting on the balustrade that looks out over the garden.”  Right away I understood her grave tone.  Beneath that stone guardrail the cliff dropped away sharply.  It was not a good spot for a blind person to be unsupervised.

“She was ON the balustrade?”

“Yes.  And Quin…the look in her eyes.”  Her voice quivers.  “I’ve never seen the Lady like that.  It scared me.”

“You brought her away?”

“No!  I tried.  But she kept me away.”  She says.  “She’s using those damn portals.  I couldn’t get near her.  And she wouldn’t talk to me.  She told me to leave her be.  She said she needed to be with her sister.”

“Danae?”  A pang of fear hits my heart as I pray that Rosa was referring to her fox companions and not the departed spirit of her sibling.

“She was crying Quin.”

“Gods.”

“The last time I got close to her…she used the portal herself.  She disappeared.  I lost her.  I couldn’t…find her anywhere.”  She says.  “So I came to find you.  I’m worried Quin.  You should have seen her face.  I’m worried she might do something…terrible.”

With a surge of strength I pull away and say back to her.  “I’ll meet you there.”

“Go!”

Not limited by Cassie’s speed I take off at full pelt quickly leaving her behind.  I have no memory of the intervening distance as the next thing I know I am breaking from the trail into my front clearing.  Breathing heavy I cast my eyes about looking for an glimpse of horn or ear or delicate figure but the only sign of another that I see is the trickster’s smug face smirking down on me.  Much as I wanted to I do not call for her.  I did not want her to use her magic to blink away.  I need to get close enough to her so that I could talk to her and find out what was happening.

I skip the house entirely trusting that Cassie would have given it a thorough search before giving up.  Besides, as a follower of the old Green King it was no longer the indoors where she found her solace.  Silvanus!  Of course.  In a moment of stress there was no better place where she might find peace.  Without even thinking about it my body was already making its way.  I opt to cut through the forest instead of the garden.  As silent as a hunter I glide over the mossy ground and make for the dark heart of the woods.

On another day I would have been awed by the sight that awaited me at the ancient cypress tree.  The green Lord was bedecked in a gown of stars!  From halfway up the sprawling trunk and all the way down and out to follow the sprawling roots the tree was covered in hundreds, thousands, of tiny glimmering motes of verdant light.  Every nymph in the forest must have been gathered here.  The air was thick with power.  Not one leaf stirred.  Not one bird sang.  All was still.  It was a wonder to behold, but a wonder unseen as this mortal’s eyes saw only the frail figure in the center of the twinkling mass hunched and huddled at the old King’s feet.

Rosa knelt on the ground, her eyes shut tight and her shaking hands clasped together in prayer.  Never in my life had I seen someone pray so hard.  At her side is a very confused and very concerned looking fox laying with its head resting on her thigh.  Even my appearance does not cause Danae’s attention to stray from her friend.  Walking slowly I approach my beloved.  As I cross the threshold to enter the space beneath the tree’s boughs I shatter the still by sending a ripple through the swarming nymphs as they retreated from my unwelcome presence.

Rosa’s eyes snap open and she turns on me like a wounded lion, ears back, fangs bared, and eyes aglow with a cornered fury.  Even her new tail was curled up like a scorpion’s ready to strike.  “RRRR!”  She snarls with a fearsome crackle of anger as behind her the gathered nymphs swirl and coalesce into a single blinding green light.  “I told you to go away Cassie!  OBEY ME!”

I stop and say in a low, calm voice.  “It’s me.”

In an instant the rage is gone.  The nymphs scatter like dandelion fluff to the wind and my Lady’s feral fury shatters to leave behind a frightened little girl lost and alone in the dark woods.

“Master?  Massterrr.”  She whimpers as she reaches out for me.  “Babyyy!”

“I’m here.”  I rush to her and take her into my arms.  Wrapping her up in a full, protective embrace I hold her close and nuzzle the hair between her horns.  “I’m here.”

Clinging to me with all of her strength, face buried in my chest, she whispers through hard sobs.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry!  I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay.”  I hold her and pet her.  “It’s okay.  Whatever it is we’ll get through it.”

Not even hearing me she continues.  “I’m sorry!  I…was a fool.  So stupid!  Now look what I’ve done!”  She weeps.  “I…I swore it wouldn’t…it shouldn’t…not for me.  This can’t…happen.  What have I done?  I’m sorryyy!”

“Shhh.  Shhhh.”  I soothe her in touch and tone.  “It’s okay.  I’m here.”

Closing her eyes she swallows hard as she struggles to find the strength to speak.  “I should have known.  Silvanus…Ceres…I should have known.  I should have known.  It wasn’t supposed…to be this way.  Not for me.  Not for me!”

“Shhhh.”  I kiss her.  “Slow down.  Shhhh.”

She takes a long, shuddering breath then opens her eyes.  Staring through my chest she places a hand on me.  “The cave.”  She says in a voice as soft as the breeze which had just returned.  “The harpy’s cave.”

“Okay.  The cave.”

“The cave.”  She repeats.  “You were drifting away.  Finding your way to your goddess.”

“You saved me.  You traded a piece of yourself for me.  You gave up your sight.”

“I called to him and he restored you.”  She takes another long breath.  “I had you back.”

I kiss her.  “What’s wrong Rosa.”

“Do you remember what happened then?”

“We…rested.”

“We made love.”  She whispers.  “We made love Quin.  Remember?”  Through a rosy haze of memory I see and feel her riding on top of me as we made sweet love.  Taking my hand she brings it to her belly and holds it there.  “I prayed to a god of life.  Your soul was seeking the goddess of fertility.  What did I think was going to happen?  What a fool I am.”  Her wide unseeing eyes look up into mine.  “I’m sorry Quin.”

It takes five beats of my heart for the meaning of her words to hit me.  When they do they strike me like a bolt from almighty Jupiter!  I gasp as the realization dawns that it was not her stomach that she was holding my hand to, it was her womb.  Rosa was with child!  With our child!

Chapter 109