The Caravan was still in the unnamed town with the twin peaks, and a few days had passed. Gypsy was now becoming unsettled as a rumor from her girls reached her again about a stalker. This wasn’t uncommon in their work, but it always raised concerns. A few weeks ago, a few girls were killed after a stalker grow agitated that they were “entertaining” other men. Since then, the Madame had been extremely strict when it came to dealing with them. As this was a problem, Gypsy couldn’t keep the guards out of the loop.

“Stalkers? There here to?”

“I don’t know what you mean, but yes. Every once in a while, a fan will get attached to one of my friends and begin to stalk them. Usually its harmless, but we’ve had problems in the past. Please keep an eye out for anyone. We’ll try to identify them.”

“How will you ID them?”

“Obsessive clientele that only want one of the girls. They aren’t that hard to spot but making a bad move could cause a lot of problems. If I think someone’s dangerous, I’ll give you a name and description. If all else fails, I won’t ask why they aren’t coming around anymore. If you understand me?”

“No questions, sure. I will let you know if I spot someone. Barbara, do you know what a stalker is?”

Barbara shook her head but seemed to have a determined expression. Jackson placed his face in his hand and gave a laugh. As he led his friend away, Gypsy could hear him giving her an explanation of what a stalker was. Gypsy once more feared for the safety of her caravan.

“Why couldn’t we get some of those other adventures. I’ve seen them, their big, have many weapons, and don’t have to explain everything as if their companions are children. Maybe I should just ask for more support. We tend to get more in each town, yes maybe I’ll do that.”

Meanwhile, Jackson found it hard explaining what a stalker was in simplest terms. He was now speaking like she was a baby.

“Stalker follow un-wanted! Stalker bad! Very bad! Kill Stalker!”

Only on the last set of words did Barbara seem to understand. He deeply wished she could speak, as to repeat back what she’d understood.

“If you see someone sneaking around at night, wake me so we can deal with them. Don’t do anything on your own!”

Barbara nodded her head, but Jackson wondered if she truly understood. He leaned on the bird’s nest wall, took out the small book from his pocket, and began to read. The other book was so hard to read that he was now transcribing it just to understand the content. It was a slow process, but he felt like he understood its meaning better. He also started practicing some of the new spell ideas while he was not on watch. He almost mastered the basic concept of this form of magic.

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The following day, Jackson was helping escort Gypsy and some of the other girls. They were partly down the street when a young man in fine clothes ran out, grabbing one of the girl’s hand. His eyes were sparkling, and a smile was a cross his face.

“Miss Scarlet, I have been thinking and I have come to the conclusion that I must remove you from this life. I can’t take you as a wife, cause of social status, but I swear as my concubine you will want for nothing! You’ll live in the life of luxury, protected at my manor for the rest of your days!”

Jackson gently broke the man’s grip on Scarlet as he pushed him back. Scarlet retreated behind the group of girls and looked to the floor. Gypsy moved to Jackson’s side.

“I’m sorry mister, but please don’t just push yourself onto us.”

“Scarlet, Scarlet I’m giving you a chance to live as a noble! Come on my dear, this is a once in a life time chance!”

“Dude, you’re scaring the poor thing. Clearly, she not interested, otherwise wouldn’t she jump at the opportunity?”

“You don’t understand! We clearly share something special! You’re just holding her here against her will. Now, sir remove your hand from me and release the girl!”

“Gypsy?”

Jackson looked over at Gypsy. She shook her head, silently telling him not to attack. Jackson removed his hand from the man and took a step back. The man held out his hands, but Scarlet retreated from him. He didn’t seem to understand. Jackson took that opportunity to take Scarlet’s arm and lead her away from him at a fast pace. Jackson used body strengthening to lose the man and sped to the wagon. Barbara look surprise to see him return on his own gripping Scarlet’s arm.

“Go to Gypsy, she just down that way!”

Barbara nodded her head and dashed away. Jackson hid Scarlet on the wagon away from the others. She was a young girl, younger than him, with scarlet hair and eyes. Her clothes were more modest than the other.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded and kept looking down. She was shaking and seemed distressed. Jackson decided to take a step back and let her calm down. Time passed, and Gypsy joined them. Jackson took his leave and returned to his watch post. Barbara looked confused, but that was normal for her. As the sun set, Gypsy came to report.

“She fine now. That was some noble that she been servicing these past few days. Spoiled brat of the local Lord. Never felt a woman before and mistook her affection as love. It happens a lot. Thank you for getting her away from him, and not attacking.”

“It’s fine. She seemed scared.”

“Scarlet only joined us a few weeks ago and is still learning. She wasn’t prepared for this. No one is the first time something happens. Trust me, it could be much worse. We’ll put him on the black list, and Scarlet will be restricted to the wagon until we leave town.”

“Could he be the stalker?”

“No, stalker don’t come up like that. But he might come back at night so make sure you do your job.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll regret trying something while we’re on watch.”