Day 6

The troop thundered down the street towards the castle. Chris really held onto his gun as Nikki had taken all his bullets and one gun.

James had been sticking up for Kerri since she was in the dog’s box. Because a panther got in while they slept.

Lakisha was finding it easy to dislike Natrica who in her educated opinion dressed like a whore.

Spice just followed Natrica, and lead the horses which Natrica had allowed the injured Chris to ride on.

Natrica was unsure about Chris, he looked like trouble, the oil smooth type. But she could help now and so she did. She usually tried to help even if the person didn’t deserve it. She knew kindness was not something earned but given.

Fiona and Ranger joined the same road a little behind them

“Hey” Fiona called.

The group stopped.

“Where is Viola?” Fiona asked once she had caught up.

“She went looking for you. I am sure she is fine.” Kerri said.

“I’m so rude” she said holding out her hand to Natrica,

“I am Fiona”

“Natrica, and this is Spice. She’s a local and doesn’t understand us.”

Natrica said shaking her hand.

Fiona extended her hand to Spice who looked at it. Then turned it over.

“Anyways…” Fiona said awkwardly taking back her hand

“We are going to rescue Ranger’s people from the queen. If anyone wants to help with this good course, please do join us.” she confidently announced.

“Should we tell her?” Lakisha whispered to James but Fiona heard it.

“Tell me what?” Fiona asked

Chris blurted “A slave girl named Rachael is sneaking us into the castle. She has food there too. So, we are all going to the castle.”

“Is that it?” Fiona was disappointed.

Ranger watched these people. He gazed at the dishonesty that come from most of them. Chris however was not welcomed by them. He saw how they pretended everything was fine but it was not. Ranger had no idea why they disliked him yet helped him.

“I will join your campaign to right wrongs and free slaves” Chris volunteered.

“Great! But since we are also going to the castle, we can all travel together? Maybe we will find Viola along the way.” Fiona said

Spice greeted Ranger and they discussed the nature of their journey.

Spice told him that they were looking for Joe their friend who was able to kill the queen and that there was a woman that looked like the queen traveling with them. She suspected that this group of misfit travelers were going to take over the country.

The new queen to be was a nice woman. She did not like the executions.

Ranger felt some hope for freeing his people.

Kerri listened to them talking and realized how she had treated Spice like she wasn’t an equal person. She could have told Spice what was going on but she hadn’t thought of it. Kerri decided to fill them in on everything. Including Chris selling Rachael, and how he had killed slave traders with a weapon that goes bang which was called a gun.

Then Kerri trusted them with the conversation she had overheard while on watch. Before the Panther lady showed up.

Kerri had quietly been putting a theory together on how they got here. She hadn’t shared it for fear of the others not understanding or overreaching. And now after the panther incident, seeing how they were so quick to be angry without concern for her. Or even checking if everyone was alright. She felt keeping it to herself was better. She needed to meet this Joe and see if she too had a blue diamond from the Ceronio collection.

If so then she would be right in thinking that the blue diamonds are in fact crystals that open ‘sugs’ between worlds.

This was quite the theory and if it was true that they, the new comers, could open the ‘sugs’ again then it would be possible for things to change permanently.

Fiona looked at her ruddily handsome man. His dark hair that curled a little on his neck, and how it stroked his face while he was walking. His deep brown eyes that really drew her in. His obvious strength. After all he had carried her and her sister Viola at the same time without effort. He was beautiful to her. But yet she wasn’t sure if she was beautiful to him.

But how could she not be!

Ranger walked next to her with Spice the other native girl on his other side. They were chatting away wonderfully.

I wish I could learn the language quickly, Fiona thought with jealousy.

Ranger didn’t like being around so many people. Especially people from another world who didn’t understand how things work here. Spice was a slave and being a spectator to decisions made by others was normal for her. She wasn’t allowed an opinion.

But Ranger had opinions. He felt their world had been through enough. These outsiders who were stampeding through his world with no thought for the big picture. The future they would leave behind once they found a way back to their own world. It bothered him.

He was conflicted. He wanted to save his people without tipping over the apple cart.

Fiona wanted to tip over the apple cart, or so he felt.

Fiona watched Spice and Ranger talking. Spice had big honey-colored eyes with short black hair. She found herself wondering is that the look he is into?

Her depressing thoughts were interrupted by Chris.

“Fiona, right?” he asked

“Yes, that’s me” she replied unsure and not really in the mood to talk.

“Is that your boyfriend?’ he asked referring to Ranger.

“Umm…” she began

“His loss” Chris quickly said, then smoothly changed the topic.

“I am feeling homesick. It’s been days and mostly bad days” he complained

“I really want a hot bubble bath. Soak and wash everything away like it was just a bad dream.”

He paused checking Fiona’s response.

“Part of me is still hoping this is a bad dream.” He continued

He waited for her to respond. If she didn’t, he would try elsewhere. But he really hoped she would engage.

“It hasn’t all been bad.” She finally said not so convincingly

“Then I am happy for you. Maybe some of this goodness will come my way if I stick around you.” Chris beamed.

She gave an awkward smile.

“So why are you going to free this guy’s people?” he asked

“Because it’s the right thing to do. Slavery is not ok, ever!” Fiona was getting into the conversation

“To the castle to free Ranger’s people from the queen. This is a noble cause. I know I am beaten down at the moment but I really do want to help.”

“How, you cannot even walk?” Fiona said

“Ouch! My bruised ego.” He teased

“How do you intend to free the people?” Chris asked

“Anyway necessary. Break them out if I must.”

“All for a guy?” Chris asked intuitively

“No, for honor and correcting injustice.” Fiona was fired up

“I am impressed with you. You found an underdog and you are helping him and saving him. Not only him but his enslaved people. You are a perfect picture of America.” He said

Chris was not meaning it as a complement even thought that is how Fiona took it. He was thinking, typical! Run in guns blazing and get everyone killed and call it honor. Have no real plan nor the concept that winging it has negative consequences.

“Thank you!” Fiona said feeling better.

“You are a brave woman and a very good friend.” Chris said touching her arm

A good friend? she objected inside herself

Don’t be silly Fiona, we have a connection, she told herself.

But truthfully, once a woman starts to feel insecure in a relationship or non- relationship relationships. She keeps feeling insecure and it takes a lot for that to go away.

Fiona had embarrassed herself. Put herself out there to get turned down. Ranger had made sense at the time. But now looking at it. It seemed more like an excuse.

Chris was quite happy with himself. He was on his way to the castle. He was surrounded by women and some quite beautiful. He was going to get real food and if Rachael was there, he would deal with it.

She was beautiful and he was sure that with her inability to speak the language she wouldn’t have been bought by someone in the castle. Even if she was it would be as a prize for some guy. In this world he could rule the slave trade. Make a fortune and live comfortably with slaves doing everything for him. All he needed to do was learn the language.

This world had opportunities for men willing to take it and he was willing.

Ranger wanted to tell Fiona everything Kerri-liana had told him about Chris. Yet traveling with everyone he couldn’t. He wasn’t willing to reveal himself to them. Even though he had trusted Fiona he wasn’t a trusting person and living in fear and guilt for years hadn’t helped.

Her chatting with Chris had worried him. As it had seemed to be going so well.

He had always thought inter-tribal relationship were detestable. Each with their own was the acceptable way.

Yet Fiona’s persistence and her willingness to help his people had softened him. He did find her beautiful even if he believed her to be too young for him.

But now Chris, a man of ill intentions was talking to his naïve little alien… it stirred a feeling. One he felt guilty about.

A protective, ‘that’s my woman’ feeling.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He dismissed the feeling and felt guilty for even having felt it. But part of it lingered, like a smudge on the floor that you forget about but it’s still there.

Kerri-liana Jones was thinking about all the things that could go wrong with their plan to assassinate the queen and have Tẽra Trazzie rule instead.

What happens once we leave, provided we don’t get killed?

What they were doing was reckless and part of her wouldn’t keep quiet about it.

The voice inside shouted at her.

Then there was the how do we get home, question? That she was still working on.

She had some ideas on how they got there. But none on how to get home.

Well one partial crazy idea.

“Are you alright?” James Thornbulton asked “You look worried”

“I’m just thinking about everything that could go wrong.” she shrugged

“We are not all your responsibility.” James comforted

“It doesn’t feel that way.” she sighed

“I don’t know if in all this craziness, I have thanked you for getting me out of the dungeon and finding Lakisha for me. What you did isn’t a small thing and I appreciate it.”

She smiled feeling shy for some silly reason.

“Just doing my part.”

His nice words, spoken with sincerity were breaking through her brave face.

Lakisha interrupted them,

“Has anyone thought about how we are going to get home?” she inquired of everyone loudly.

“Well, if we know how we got here. Then we can get home.” Chris answered as if it was that simple.

“Kerri thinks it’s the diamonds we are wearing.” Lakisha answered

“Lakisha, you have to be strong just a little longer. We will figure it out and Kerri will get us home.” James comforted.

Lakisha nodded. She wasn’t sure why she was behaving as she was.

She was usually calm and collected, polite and even tempered.

So, her irritability surprised her.

Sadly, she hadn’t realized that she was used to all of James’ attention. Even though she wanted him to marry a nice girl and have children. She didn’t like others in their closed circle. It had been just them for a long time and even when he had girlfriends, she was the trusted friend who he shared things with. But this time, seeing him enjoy Natrica’s body and his eagerness to talk and make plans with Kerri-liana. It made her feel replaced and left out.

But she hadn’t realized this yet.

Natrica decided to pray. She figured purgatory was as good as place as any to learn to pray.

So, she fell behind and when alone she went and knelled. Put her hand together, closed her eyes and prayed that Joe would come back.

She liked some of these people she was traveling with but not most of them.

She wanted Joe back.

Joe was her none judgemental guardian angel and if she wasn’t an angel then her friend.

After praying she ran to catch up with the others and there was Joe with a child. Cutting across a field coming towards the road that leads to the castle.

Or in Joe’s case, the road that leads away from the castle.

“Joe!” Natrica called running towards her.

“Hey! I am glad you’re ok.” Joe said

Natrica hugged her. The child looked surprised but tried to stand up straight like she was with Joe, or something.

Natrica asked,

“Who’s the girl?”

“She doesn’t talk. But she got me out of the queen’s dungeon and she has been following me ever since. She wants to learn to fight.”

“I don’t blame her. You are amazing.” Natrica said

The group come over.

“You must be Joe the guardian angel.” Lakisha said

“No, just Joe. I’m not an angel.”

Lakisha looked at Natrica waiting for her to say something.

“Who said I am an angel?” Joe asked

“Natrica.” Lakisha and Kerri said together

Joe smiled ignoring everyone else

“You thought I was an angel.”

“Yes, since I got here. You have been protecting me and doing the impossible. So, of course I thought you were an angel. Protecting me through purgatory.”

Joe felt good. No one had ever called her an angel before. Other ugly names, but this one misunderstanding filled her with warmth.

“What’s purgatory?” Joe asked

“And are angels allowed to kill?”

“Well of course they are.” Natrica answered without hesitation.

Then before she could explain what purgatory was the horses which Spice was leading began to freak out. They pulled Spice and stomped then rearing up.

Chris was thrown to the floor. His wounded and broken body having, yet another bashing.

“Calm down. Breathe, they will not hurt you.” Spice said to Rosaleighm the child with Joe.

“Close your eyes. It will be ok. I will not let them harm you.”

Rosaleighm closed her eyes. She was afraid of animals. Horses were big and scary and wolves ate things bigger than her.

She didn’t like animals and animals usually stayed away from her, which suited her.

The horses began to calm down. They naiad a little shaking their heads. But they stopped pulling and stomping.

“Stay calm these horses cannot hurt you. I will make sure of it.” Spice promised.

Everyone was surprised by what happened. Well almost everyone. Spice seemed to know what happened.

“What was that?” Fiona asked

But no one answered. It was as if she had never asked.

Joe looked the group up and down. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like them.

Natrica introduced her to everyone. Not that it helped, and then explained how they wanted her to kill the real queen so this woman named Tẽra could take her place on the throne.

Apparently, she was royalty in some little country that most people hadn’t heard of.

Joe didn’t like it.

“The queen is crazy and well-guarded. She has tigers that she feeds alive people too.”

“I know.” James said “I had a very unpleasant dinner with her and she fed the translator to her tiger. Silira I think she called it. But this is why an assassination is being discussed.”

“No.” Joe said flatly

“Why?” Kerri-liana asked

“Because I am not going back there. I want to keep my head. How did you plan to get me close enough to her to kill her?” Joe asked

“Umm…”

“Kill all the guards on your way to her.” Chris said saving Kerri

“I am wounded” Joe replied flatly

They began to talk amongst themselves discussing how much time Joe would get to recover.

“Let’s go” Joe said to Natrica.

So reluctantly Natrica followed Joe, and Spice followed Joe.

“Wait! Where are you going?” James called

Joe kept walking away from the castle towards the city point.

“Unbelievable!” Chris said

Kerri- liana ran after them

“Please. I speak the native tongue. We can help each other.”

“I don’t need help” Joe replied still walking.

Desperate Kerri tried

“We helped Natrica. We were going to help her rescue you from the dungeon.”

Joe stopped walking she stood still looking at Kerri’s scared face.

Kerri waited for her to say something but she didn’t she just looked annoyed.

“Do you have a blue diamond?” Kerri asked sheepishly

Joe’s expression expressed how unbelievable she found the question.

“I’m not asking for no reason” Kerri blurted

“I think the blue diamonds have something to do with how we got here and maybe how we can get home”

“I do not wear jewellery, ever!” Joe answered

But then she remembered Sugar’s earrings and the one she had ripped out.

“But I arrived with a woman who wore earrings and it was blue.”

Joe started walking again.

“Please, wait” Kerri said trying not to sound desperate.

“Please help me get us back home.”

Natrica listened to everything. Well, she was standing next to Joe.

“I want to help them.” Natrica said.

Joe rolled her eyes and sighed

“I had a silvered eyed cat-woman attack me and she could have won. If I go with you. You will be in danger.” Joe said

“A silver eyed cat. I saw her. She spoke to me. Everyone is angry with me for letting a panther into the room. But it’s not like I could have done anything.” Kerri said

“You saw a silver eyed cat woman. One second a blue panther thing. And the next a naked woman?” Joe was interested.

“Yes, well no. Not naked. But a talking dark blue cat/ panther, that spoke.” Kerri answered

“Spice says that there is a tribe called Lovac… I think and they can control animals. But the queen killed them all as she was afraid of them.”

“I need stitches” Joe said stopping.

While the group stood in the road waiting for Kerri-liana to return Chris stirred the pot.

“Are we all really waiting for a woman to save us? No offense” he quickly added for the women there.

“But surely, we need to make our own plans. Ask ourselves the question, what if I am here for the rest of my life?”

“I want to go home.” Lakisha said

“Are you willing to spend your whole life trying to get back and miss out on everything? Like living.” he added in a solemn voice “Getting married, having children”.

Fiona thought that would make things easier. If I just stay here with Ranger, have children, one boy one girl, the boy must be the oldest.

Then she remembered he rejected her.

“If this plan doesn’t work” Chris said

“Then I am going to make a life for myself here, get married” he looked at Fiona

“Maybe have children”.

Ranger didn’t understand but he knew he didn’t like it. The deceitful aura coming off of Chris really got to him.

If he was a slinky cat, he would eat his face off while he slept. Ranger almost smiled thinking about it.

“So, what is the plan, and does it involve us getting home?” Chris asked

“I have left a lot behind and I hate to say it but maybe it’s time to let go and move on.”

“Move on to what?” Lakisha asked with an annoyed tone

“Whatever you want. You are beautiful and a guy would be lucky to have you.” Chris said

James didn’t like it but he did agree with it. So, he said nothing. But gave Chris a warning look.

“We are going to remove the queen. Then with the resources of the kingdom we will find a way home, and put a new rightful heir on the throne.” Lakisha said

“Where do we find a rightful heir?” Chris asked

James wondered how he could comfort Lakisha and stop Chris from talking. However, his words were thought provoking.

“So is Kerri and this Tẽra girl looking out for us or themselves?” Chris continued.

Everyone gave him a cut it out look.

“I’m just putting it out there. After all is Kerri really telling us everything? She’s the only one who can understand them. How do we know she’s not one of them? Or that it’s not her fault we are here?”

“You sound crazy.” James said

But his words were out there like seeds with the potential to grow into something more.

Meanwhile, Spice patched Joe up. Kerri quickly told Joe that there was another woman named Viola who was looking for her sister Fiona in the jungle yesterday and she was meant to meet them at the inn but didn’t.

Fiona however found her boyfriend and is planning to free his people.

“How about we check it out. If it’s dodge, we leave?” Natrica asked Joe

“Why do you want to help these people?” Joe asked

Natrica gave her a please look.

“Fine we can go look.” Joe said

“But I am not getting killed for someone else’s stupid ideas. So, when I say we go, we go.”

She looked at Kerri

“I will not die for you!” Joe said making it clear.

Before they joined the group to go to the castle.

Autumn followed Joe to the town where she had met the other humans.

Most of them she had already met. Not officially but she had met them.

She could take them all on at once. But if what happened at the barn happened again, she would be in trouble. So, she decided to ask for help.

She was going to eat another piece of humble pie.

Working in the mines and being mistreated, worked to death, seeing your friends and family die. It had been humbling, degrading and awful. She wanted, needed to succeed, her freedom, her tribes’ lives, rested on this, on her success.

Stealing some clothes, she dressed and presented herself before them as a woman.

“I apologize for scaring you. I want to ask for your help before I gain my pride. I need that woman to come back with me to help save my people.”

She pointed at Joe.

“Something about you is familiar” Kerri-liana said.

“Why is she pointing at Joe?”

“Who is she?”

“What does she want?” were the questions Kerri was bombarded with.

Kerri ignored them.

Joe pulled her knife out. The horses began to go crazy again.

Joe stood in front of Natrica and the terrified Rosaleighm. Joe was not looking forward to another fight with the cat woman.

“What’s wrong?” Natrica asked

“That’s the thing that attacked me, the silvered eyed cat woman.” Joe answered

Spice was trying to calm Rosaleighm.

“It’s ok, she will not hurt you. Close your eyes and listen to me voice. You are safe, no one is going to hurt you.” Spice soothed

“How can Joe save your people?” Kerri asked Autumn

“The queen wants her returned alive. She will kill my whole tribe if I do not return with her. She has a meeting with her some of her generals. I fear that my people will be executed as an arrival celebration if I have not returned with that woman and another woman. Which I have been unable to find. If maybe I return with one. I will get another day to find the other woman.” Autumn explained

Humble pie really tasted bad; the words had a bitter after taste.

But she was running out of time.

Ranger then spoke

“Our agreement stands?”

“Yes” she replied

Spice spoke up

“What do you suggest?”

“Please come with me to the queen. Let her see I have fulfilled part of the arrangement. Let your friend save my people.”

“You have said this, but how you have not”

Spice was a clever woman.

“What is in it for my master if she hands herself over to you and the queen?”

Autumn had nothing to offer. She owned nothing not even her freedom.

“What do you require?” she asked

“A favor later, and once your people are freed, you will free my master.” Spice said

“Agreed.” Autumn said overjoyed

If she lived, she would help free the woman that freed her. This appeared fair.

Spice then turned to Kerri who had been speechless at Spice’s ability to negotiate and her quickly resolving a situation.

“Please let Joe know the arrangements and ask if this is agreeable?”

So, Kerri turned to Joe and told her everything that had happened.

“So, I guess it is back to the queen’s dungeon!” Joe stated.

Kerri knew this wouldn’t happen unless the real queen had discovered Tẽra and something bad happened while she was away. But as long as Tẽra was on the throne. Joe wouldn’t be going to the dungeon.

Natrica smiled, she was sure that even if Joe wasn’t an angel, she was god-sent.

“You are going a good thing.” she told Joe.

Joe shook her head is disagreement. Going to the dungeon didn’t feel good at all.

Rosaleighm stood tall, trying to walk like Joe did. She wanted too no longer be afraid. To be brave like Joe. She wanted to be able to look after herself and answer the call to help others. Like Joe did.

She had run from so much her whole life, hiding in the dark, stealing food. Trying not to cry so that the beasts of the forest wouldn’t find her.

She felt safe with Joe, she had seen Joe kill the scariest things in the world, slave traders!

She was going to be like Joe.

Lakisha felt insecure. Joe was so important to Spice and Natrica, so much so that Spice even bargained for a favor and Natrica believed her to be an angel. Even a child followed this woman around. Kerri-liana could speak the native tongue and Tẽra could kind of be understood, plus she had a horse and people mistook her for the queen.

She felt like she had nothing to offer, nothing to bring to the table.

Fiona had a native boyfriend; Chris had a gun and so on.

She hadn’t spent enough time with Viola but she felt even Viola would have more to offer than her, making her feel like she was a burden. She didn’t even feel pretty compared to the other women. Then to add to it, now a new woman, whose hair shone had joined the team and she had the most interesting silver eyes.

Her uncle James was making friends and she felt left out.

Chris came over. He smiled at her with his warm smile.

“Honeygal, what’s got you down?” he asked her

“Nothing” she lied “I’m fine”

“If you want, I can pretend to believe you.”

She really wasn’t in the mood.

“Go make googly eyes at Fiona. I’m not interested” she snapped

“Oh, that was nothing. It meant nothing. There is no one I trust her more than you.”

He grasped at straws watching her reaction. Trying to get a way back into her good graces.

“I was just offering to help them free her boyfriend’s people. You looked after me when I was injured. You didn’t leave me after that girl accused me of terrible things. I owe you so much.” But it still wasn’t working.

“Lakisha” he took her hand

“You are so beautiful. Your strength to help others even at the cost of yourself. It is a strength that no one can compare to.”

She needed to hear something like that.

“I will come back for you after I help free those people. But I must help. What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t offer to try help?” He said from the horse.

She had found Chris to be very good-looking and like some woman when feeling insecure they can be swept away by the sea and only realize it once they are drowning.

Chris however was thinking about the opportunities of this world.

He was a charmer and women were not usually a problem for him.

“I will not wait for you.” She finally said letting go of his hand

“Is what they say about your true? Did you sell a girl into slavery?”

“No! I cannot even speak the language, how am I going to sell anything?” he asked

Chris sighed.

“When we get to the castle everything will be resolved. I hope this malicious gossip against me doesn’t cause too much damage.”

“You stole a kiss.” Lakisha stated

“When?” he asked surprised

“When?! When we found you!”

“I don’t remember, I apologize that was very rude of me.” Chris apologized

He left Lakisha and rode alone.

She felt bad for him. What if they were falsely accusing him of this terrible thing?

Lakisha then joined James who was taking to Kerri.

“There is something familiar about that woman?” Kerri said again

“It’s the eyes” Joe said

They hadn’t realized Joe was listening to them.

“She had the same eyes as the panther.” Joe reasoned

“Yes!” Kerri said

Then without thinking she ran over to Autumn.

“Are you the panther, the cat woman from last night?” she asked

“What are you hoping to hear?” Autumn asked

“Umm… the truth.” Kerri ventured

“Sometimes the truth is best left alone”

Autumn had broken a tribal code. No one other than a Lovac was to know there secret. She had been desperate and tired and she had revealed herself too many. It was the kind of thing that could get one banished from the tribe or worse…

She didn’t want to talk about it, not ever. She wished they could just forget.

Fiona picked flowers while taking a break from there long walk. Ranger was her future, she had decided. He was strong, capable and handsome, plus those awesome abilities, he was a keeper. But now he needed to get on board and want her back.

However, being together meant sacrifices and she felt sad about it.

Choosing to stay in this world with him meant never seeing her family again.

Her sister Nicola was only fourteen, despite the age gap they got along well.

Then her mother and father, well step-father. He was her father even if not by blood. She would miss them. She wanted to send them a letter or something to say goodbye but she knew she couldn’t. It hurt her to know she was hurting her family. But this is what she wanted to do for herself.

The large group walked towards the castle. Each with their own worries and hopes.

James hoped for a chance with Kerri-liana.

Kerri-liana hoped she could find a way home before everyone blamed her for them being there.

Chris hoped he wouldn’t see Rachael at the castle.

Fiona hoped that freeing Ranger’s people would be easy and that Ranger would then be willing to accept her without self- doubts.

Ranger hoped his people were still alive to rescue.

Lakisha hoped they would go home and that everything would be as it was.

Joe hoped this crazy plan would work.

The large group was hungry.

“We need to rest and eat. Let’s find a place to rest.” Kerri suggested

Autumn wanted to push on but she could see everyone needed rest. So, she didn’t persist.

They stopped at a little tavern in the lower town outside the castle. Most had been moving since the early hours of the morning. Natrica started dancing for money.

“Are you really planning on getting enough money for everyone?” Joe asked her

“Yes, we all need to eat. I will feel bad if we are the only ones who eat while everyone is hungry.”

James and Chris were more than impressed by Natrica’s dancing. She was something to behold. The women in the group however were not feeling so impressed.

They had thoughts like:

Whore

Slut

Skank

Promiscuous

Seductress

Fiona was grateful that Ranger didn’t want to go into the tavern. She was also grateful that Natrica was willing to dance for all of them.

They returned to the inn with enough silver for all of them to get food. The tavern owner gave them brown soup that was more flavored water than anything else. But it helped.