Bonded Spirits

by Jake Daniel

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Thank you.”

  I stared into Gwen’s eyes for several seconds and then noticed the sweet smile that Dahlia wore behind her as she watched us. I eyed her for a moment. “What?” I said in a friendly tone.

  Dahlia raised her eyebrows and turned away slowly, as if I’d caught her. “Oh nothing, I can just see how much you two love each other. I hope to have that one day.” Her cheeks immediately flushed, and she looked away in embarrassment.

  I shook my head with a smile and rolled my eyes lightly. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

  We loaded back onto the wagon and continued along the path toward Necross. After several hours, the sun fell below the horizon, spreading a plethora of colors as far as the eye could see.

  We crested a large hill, and I saw a small village nestled against the shoreline of a massive ocean. At least I thought it was an ocean because it was absolutely massive. I squinted through the setting sun and tried to determine where the water ended and was unsuccessful.

  Several large ships sat in the port while a few smaller boats sailed away from the city with their small white sails dotting the bay.

  I pointed down the hill as we approached. “I’m guessing that’s Necross, which means we should probably find somewhere safe to store this wagon.”

  I pulled the wagon off the road into a small patch of trees. There was barely enough room to squeeze through, but the horse and wagon fit nicely inside. As long as no one hung around too long, they wouldn’t be able to spot it.

  I grabbed a bag and filled it with a few supplies and hurried back across to the other side of the road. The trees grew more sparsely the further down to the city we traveled, although the sun had fallen low enough to obscure us, mostly.

  I led our small raiding party down into the town and stopped behind an old tavern that looked more like a log cabin than a bar.

  Gwen raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Oh, can’t we stop in for just one quick drink? I promise to be discrete.”

  I responded in a loud whisper. “I’m sorry, but a satyress, decked out in sexy leather armor, isn’t all that discrete.”

  She scoffed and gave me a pout with her full seductive lips. “Fine.”

  We moved together to the edge of the tavern and watched for any sign of the poachers or Gwen’s sisters. I leaned around the corner and was about to move forward when a door slammed open and a fully nude satyress spilled out, followed by a gruff bearded man.

  The man undid his pants and grabbed the woman by the back of the neck. “Get over here, sweetheart. I’m not done with you yet.”

  The woman pleaded with the man, begging him to stop. He bent her over an old wooden bench and held her pressed against it with one hand while he worked his belt with the other. “Please, no, I didn’t mean to.” The woman cried.

  “Shut up, bitch. I know what you were doing. Fucking satyrs all the same. You think I’m stupid or something? Did you really think once you unlocked those chains that you could actually get away?” The man dropped his pants, revealing his hairy ass as he moved behind the satyr.

  Blood rose to my face, anger filling my body. I rushed forward and pulled my knife out. I pressed it firmly against his neck within seconds.

  The man faced away from me and let out a low chuckle as the woman scrambled away to join Gwen near the side of the tavern.

  He tried to crane his neck to get a look at my face. “You fucked with the wrong guy, you piece of shit. Fucking monster lover piece of shit. I am going to fucking kill you, you son of a...”

  I'd heard enough and brought my knife screaming down in front of him and sliced off his dick with one swift motion. The man dropped to his knees in agony and held up his detached member in shock.

  He turned, his face pale in shock as he met my eyes. “But you, you’re a human. You’re a fucking dead man.”

  I gave him a small smile and shook my head. “Doubt it.” I swung the butt of the knife in an arc and connected with the man’s temple, sending him to an unconscious heap on the ground, bleeding profusely from the spot where his small dick once occupied. “Piece of shit.” I spun and rejoined the others next to the tavern.

  Gwen slipped her cloak off and wrapped it around her sister and attempted to calm her down. She hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

  I motioned for Dahlia to follow me and we approached the door where they had burst through moments earlier. From the noise coming from inside, it was apparent this was a popular place to be.

  I looked up and noticed along the second floor of the building, one room had the flicker of a light inside. I turned to the Alraune and held her hand. “Dahlia, can you grow your vines along the side of the building?”

  She looked at me with a confused expression. “I... yes, I think I can do that. But why?”

  I rubbed the back of her hand and released it. “Because I’m going to use them to climb up there through that window.”

  Dahlia pushed her hands flat against the back of the building and I watched in amazement as several long tendrils shot from the tips of her fingers. The vines wove their way up the wall and latched onto the windowsill. She gave her hands a quick pull once she’d attached her vines and broke the ends free from her fingers.

  I stood in awe of the woman. “That was absolutely amazing. Thank you.”

  Dahlia blushed and hurried back to the others as I gripped the vines and worked my way up to the opened window. I stopped a few feet from the top and listened for any others.

  I glanced over to Gwen, who waited patiently at the edge of the building, and then pulled myself up onto the windowsill. I froze for a second as I found my eyes locked on a bound satyress who sat across the room. I swung my leg over the edge of the window and stepped inside.

  The satyress looked at me with wide, scared eyes. As I entered the room, I discovered she wasn’t alone. Across the back wall were four additional bound and gagged naked satyrs.

  Fear filled each of their faces as they stared wide-eyed at me. I could only imagine what they’d gone through up to this point. I held my hands up to calm them. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help. Let’s get you out of here.”

  The room was only large enough for one small bed pushed up against a wall. Several blankets laid scattered about as if someone had tossed them in there as an afterthought. After seeing the women’s dirty clothes and disheveled hair, it was apparent they’d been there for quite some time.

  I pulled out my knife and quickly removed the bindings around each of their arms. As I moved closer, it amazed me that each of them was nearly as striking as Gwen.

  I escorted them over to the window and helped them over the edge. For having hooves for feet, they were incredibly nimble, albeit a little weak from their imprisonment.

  I carefully lowered each of them as Gwen and Dahlia met them at the bottom, ensuring they didn’t fall. Within a matter of a couple of minutes, I’d lowered four of the satyrs down to the others.

  I heard a loud grunt come from outside the door, followed by the jingling of keys.

  “Fuck.” I turned to the remaining satyress and spoke in a loud whisper. “Get behind me.”

  Gwen still had my rifle, although it probably wouldn’t have been very useful in this small room, anyway. I positioned myself next to a heavy oak dresser, pulled out my knife, and waited. Two seconds later, the door flung open and three men stepped inside.

  The largest of the three stared at me for a couple of seconds before he’d put together what happened. “You’re fucking dead.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  I reached back and grabbed the comforter off the nearby bed. With a quick pull forward, I tossed the blanket into their faces and rushed toward them.

  The first swing of my knife hit its mark, sinking deep into the largest of the three’s protruded gut. I twisted the blade and pulled it out, sending screams of pain ringing through the room from the wounded m
an as he collapsed to the floor.

  The other two men pulled out their weapons. One wielded a short sword while the other had a 1911 held outstretched in his hand. I kept my attention focused on the man with the pistol. He was thin, wore tattered clothes, and had tired eyes, but acted like he was tough as shit behind that gun. He pointed the barrel at me as his eyes darted across the room nervously.

  I didn’t want him to shoot the satyr, so I lowered my knife slowly and held up my free arm. “Let’s take it easy. I’m here for a wellness check, as directed by the boss.”

  The two men exchanged confused glances before returning their focus on me. The short, balding man with the sword pointed it toward me, clasping it with both hands. “How do we know you’re the doctor? Where are the other girls? Striker didn’t mention nothin’ about a wellness check.”

  “You idiots. Don’t you remember Striker telling us he was shipping some of them out early?” I watched their confused faces and I could tell these were your typical bottom of the barrel henchmen. I continued, knowing I had them firmly against the ropes. “Well, we already shipped the others. I was just checking out this one here.” I slammed my knife back in its sheath and concentrated on my subpar acting skills. I stepped over to the frightened satyress in the room's corner. I helped her to her feet and whispered in her ear. “Just go with it.”

  I turned and faced the men as the large one on the floor turned pale, blood rising to his mouth. “And for fuck’s sake, clean this bastard up. Are you guys just going to let him bleed out there on the floor?!” They exchanged confused glances. “Here, hand me that pistol and help the poor son of a bitch up.”

  The gangly man stepped forward and the man on the floor spoke, presumably to tell him to quit being a dumbass. I stepped forward and stepped on the man’s wound as he remained hunched over in pain.

  I looked up at the thin man and held my hand out. “What the hell are you waiting for? He’s going to die if you don’t fucking get off your ass and help him.”

  The bald man lowered his sword and bent over his bleeding friend on the ground.

  The thin man looked at me sheepishly and handed me his gun. He handed me his fucking gun.

  I shook my head and shoved the gun in my waistband. “Get his ass out of here and let me finish up my exam. I’ll be down in a few.” The men dragged their bleeding and now unconscious partner out of the room and closed the door behind them.

  I hurried over to the remaining satyress and rushed her over to the window. I lowered her quickly and as soon as I stuck my leg through the window, the door burst open and several men rushed inside the room.

  I released my grip and let myself fall to the ground. I landed a little harder than I’d hoped I would, but was otherwise unscathed.

  Within seconds I had the entire group of women gathered, and we rushed away from the tavern. The angry yells of the poachers filled the air as they exploded through both exits of the building.

  Bullets and arrows flew past my head as I ran behind the others with several of the men in pursuit. The satyrs had a hard time keeping up, and most suffered from dehydration or fatigue.

  I knew that we’d never make it back to the wagon before they reached us, and even if they did, there’d be no way we could’ve loaded everyone up in time to get away safely.

  I rushed to the front of the pack and grabbed Gwen’s wrist before calling out to the others. “Everyone grab onto the person next to you and don’t let go.” I turned back and headed directly for the thick forest that was about a hundred yards away.

  Several of the girls tripped and stumbled as we formed our chain and ran to the safety of the trees.

  A man yelled out from behind. “Run you fucking freaks, enjoy your freedom because it’s not gonna’ last! We will find you, and this time we’ll kill you!”

  I closed my eyes as we reached the tree line. The forest was pitch black, but by utilizing my Sight I could navigate every obstacle in my way.

  Most of the other satyrs followed suit. Dahlia had the most trouble of everyone. A few minutes after we had entered the forest, I stopped and turned to Gwen. “I’m going to let you lead us further into the forest. I’ll stay close to Dahlia to help her get through here without getting hurt.”

  Gwen nodded and grabbed her closest sister’s wrist and started up the train again. I grabbed Dahlia’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Just stay with me, when I move, move with me. Trust me.”

  Dahlia took a couple of seconds to capture her breath before speaking. “Thank you. I am practically blind out here. I trust you.”

  I pulled her soft hand, and she followed once more, this time staying in sync with my movements as we navigated through the forest as one.

  After close to an hour, Gwen had found a spot atop a hill that would give us an excellent vantage point to see if anyone was approaching.

  I kissed the back of Dahlia’s hand as she sank against a large rock. I released it slowly as she let out a long exhale. She shifted her sweet emerald green eyes up to meet mine. “Thank you. I’m able to sense things around me, but I’m definitely not made for moving through darkness with such speed.”

  After we ensured that we were no longer being followed, we made a small fire, shielded from view of the city in the distance. It was much colder tonight than it had been previous nights I’d been in Aurilon. I attributed it to the ocean breeze.

  I chuckled as I thought about my current situation. Sitting around a small campfire with six satyrs and an Alraune, and I had just cut a guy’s dick off only a couple hours earlier. I couldn’t have drawn this one up if I’d tried.

  I set my rifle and my new pistol down next to my side. I still couldn’t believe they were dumb enough to fall for that shit. It gave me hope that I could get the girls back to the manor in the morning and have a bit of time to regroup.

  Gwen finished speaking to each of her sisters before rejoining my side. “A few of them are a little worse off than the others, but I think we rescued them before the permanent damage began.”

  She leaned over, her breasts in full view in the dim firelight and kissed me. She smiled and pulled back slowly. “Kiemi told me about how you tricked those poachers back there. That’s some quick thinking. I probably would’ve killed them all if I’d been in that room.”

  Dahlia walked over and sat down on my other side, scooting close and snuggling against my arm. Gwen smiled and continued. “And how you had Dahlia use her skills to get into the tavern, that was simply amazing.”

  I stretched my arms high above my head and leaned back against a tree before bringing one down and wrapping it around Dahlia. “Dahlia is amazing. We’re lucky to have her along with us.”

  The Alraune smiled and sank further into me, her warm, full breast pushed up against my side. “And you’re right. You probably would’ve killed them easily. Although, I don’t think all the poachers know what they’re doing. They seem like sheep. We need to find the shepherd to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

  Gwen took up the spot on the other side of me and leaned against my shoulder. She glanced up and met my eyes. “I agree, but there are so many of them. My sister said they’ve taken over all of Necross. She said the leader, Farnell ‘Striker’ Talon, is the demented, scarred former captain of the Sea Serpent. He made it abundantly clear that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to capture as many non-humans as he can. Even if he has to do so by force.”

  “The Sea Serpent? Did he sail for the King?” I poked a stick at the fire while the others laid down for the night.

  “The Sea Serpent was a pirate vessel. It was the pirate vessel. The one all other pirates knew to steer clear of. The story goes that Striker became upset with his crew because they refused to attack a village that only had women and children. He ended up burning down the ship, with his entire crew locked inside. As they burned, he raided the village by himself, killing at least fifty women and children.” She paused and shook her head slowly. “The man is pure evil.”

&n
bsp; “Did your sisters mention where Striker is?” I asked.

  “No, they never saw him. They only ever heard the rest of his henchmen scramble each time someone mentioned him. They fear him and, if what they say about the Sea Serpent is true, then they have every right to.”

  I sighed and nodded. “Well, that just tells me we are going to have to be extra careful. He will not like the fact that his prisoners escaped. I imagine his guys know that as well. I’d be willing to bet they don’t even want to think about what the consequences will be if they show up without your sisters.”

  Gwen wrapped her hands around my arm and snuggled closer. “I wish I could be there to see it. They deserve every horrible thing they have coming to them.”

  “I’m going to have to agree.” I pulled Dahlia closer as she rested on my opposite shoulder. “I’ll be excited to get you both back to the manor.”

  Dahlia’s honey sweet breath wafted across my nose as I kissed her softly on the forehead. She smiled and traced some sort of design on my thigh. “I’m excited about that as well.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The fire eventually faded and after a few minutes of calm, both Gwen and Dahlia were resting peacefully at my sides. The other satyrs huddled together and slept peacefully.

  I imagined it was the first night in a while where they actually felt safe, not that we were out of the woods yet. I stretched out my legs and stared out from the top of the hill.

  It was a new moon, so the only thing lighting the surrounding area were the thousands of stars that stretched across the sky.

  There was no way I was sleeping tonight. Even if I wanted to, I felt an obligation to keep these women safe, no matter what it took. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to them. They had already been through enough.

  I pressed down on my temple and took some time to review my skills. I used to love games when I was growing up, but they were so limiting, especially with the outdoors. I eventually abandoned games in order to focus on the outdoors.