Barry sat down in the small chair in the small room. There was only one bed, and a sack at the corner with what he guessed were clothes. It was only large enough for the bed, a small round table, and a little extra space, with a window filtering the light inside. “This… feels cramped.”

“I’d asked for a small room, it is hard for me to sleep in large ones.” Kajou spoke softly as she sat opposite of him. “If this is too small for your tastes, we could always go someplace you’d prefer.”

“No, it’s… alright. Why do you not like large rooms?”

“It’s just something that makes me uncomfortable.” The Amazon shook her head. “How… how have you been taking? To… Lady Embla? The Court?”

“It’s nice… I’ve… she’s helped me, a lot.” He nodded. “What about you? You… not in good terms with Pan anymore?”

The Amazon grimaced. “It’s complicated.”

“Maybe?” Barry shrugged a little. “Sometimes it’s easier than it looks.”

“I’d…” Kajou’s shoulders slumped, dark hair pooling downwards, covering half her face. She softly touched her throat, fingers brushing against the choker. “Coven is in need of help.”

“Could you explain it a bit?”

“Coven is…” A sigh. “East of the kingdom of Edogia, this kingdom, there is a large stretch of land that is ruled by no one. Coven is what we call the conglomeration of villages, tribes, and small towns that live there. We have survived for hundreds of years.”

Nodding slightly, Barry remembered the map he’d seen of the kingdom. “I’m guessing it’s rough out there.”

“It is, but it has been a way of life for us.” A sigh. “There are barely any humans within Coven, it is a place where they are a very rare sight. Most maidens are ones that have escaped slavery from Edogia… Pan included.”

“But…” The young man frowned. “What about the ferals? Can’t they be turned?”

“We don’t have enough collars.” Her words were sombre, her gaze distant as she spoke. “During the Great War, the Creators made collars for maidens to bond to other maidens. Humans…” She shook her head. “According to our Elders, humans had the ability to make bonds without them. Captured maidens were turned to humanity’s side rather quickly, and eventually, they won.”

That seemed strange, Barry couldn’t help but frown. “I thought the maidens had been cursed with the feral state for trying to fight humans.”

Kajou shook her head. “That is the story that is told in the kingdoms of men. Some of our elders speak of a different truth, that the feral state was used ensure maidens stayed loyal to their superiors, that the curse was that they were made able to bond humans without the collars. A trick done by the Saintess to avoid humanity from being exterminated.” Her fingers crossed together, tightening. “Not many believe the purpose of the bonds was to save humans, and most elders tend to be… displeased, with those that do.”

“But… what does this have to do with the collars right now?”

“The collars we have are five hundred years old, made with spells and enchantments we could not figure out how to replicate.” Her fingers touched her throat once more, the leather under her fingers didn’t look old or worn to Barry, but then again, he didn’t have his glasses, so it wasn’t like he could see the finer details. “The enchantments are starting to break down, and Coven is looking for alternatives to avoid… war.”

The young man became still, brows furrowing. “Without collars, you would need to fight to steal more collars.”

Kajou nodded emphatically. “Coven has tried negotiating with the various kingdoms over the centuries. At first we had amicable relations, that is why some of our population has humans, but after the rebellion…” Her shoulders slumped. “Things have not gone well, and many people of Coven have had to hide further into the wilderness where the kingdoms cannot reach.”

Nodding slowly, the young man couldn’t help but sigh. “It seems like it’s not a good place to be.”

“The ferals there are far more dangerous, and it is… tough, when one of our own joins them.” With a quiet calmness, the young woman met Barry’s gaze. “It’s why I want to bring you there. I… There is hope that we will be able to learn about the strong bonds, and hopefully how they work. At best we might be even able to make new collars, or at the least be able to ensure those whose collars have stopped working avoid going feral while we seek for a better solution.”

“I…” The young man didn’t like what was happening, and to a point, he could understand why she’d be asking this of him. “I’ll… try to think on it. I can’t promise more.”

The Amazoness nodded, smiling slightly. “Thank you, Barry, really.” The relief the maiden expressed with those words were heavier than he expected them to be. She bowed her head, pressing it against the table. “Thank you.”

A pang of guilt made its way through him, and Barry could only look away. “So… what do you want with the Court, anyway?”

“Yes, apologies.” Kajou muttered, taking a deep breath to recompose herself. “Coven had taken in some maidens that had been in the Court, and they’d mentioned about a new kind of collar, one that allowed maidens to form bonds of ownership over humans.” She shook her head. “Many of the elders were intrigued by this, and we were sent here to try to discern whether the Court found out how to make new collars, or if at the very least they had some insight into the enchantments.”

Though Barry could only nod, the realization struck him. “But the… Embla’s mother is unconscious.”

“And she is the only one with insight into the collars, or at least that is as much as Lady Embla has claimed.” Kajou nodded. “Pan and I had some… disagreements, over what to do now.”

“I don’t want to pry any more than I already have,” he said, shaking his head and trying to think of something else to bring up and talk about. Scratching his chin, he couldn’t really find anything in particular. “I… I’ve been spending time with Orion, the… Hound.”

Kajou perked up a little and nodded. “The one you bonded in the forest. I can sense her in your shadow somewhat.” There was a slight moment of pause. “Have you… does she come out of your shadow often?”

He hesitated. “Not really, no.”

“We… have seen escaped slaves doing that, sometimes. Hounds in particular tend to be rather territorial.” Kajou said with a slight edge of concern. “Usually it is a sign that they don’t find themselves comfortable with things, the environment.”

“That… oh, I’m not… how would you handle it?” Barry adjusted himself in his seat. “I’ve been trying to coax her out of my shadow, but she usually doesn’t do that unless there’s some apparent emergency.”

The maiden took a moment to stand up, nudging her chair backwards and kneeling down under the table. Barry hesitated, pulling himself away a little and watching as the Amazon reached down to the dark shadow. She stopped cold the instant said shadow began to growl, the maiden calmly moving out from under the table.

“I think she needs a friend, someone to get along with.” A grimace followed. “It might be hard to find a feralborn maiden in the Court all things considered, but I’ve seen a few Doggirls, they might understand Orion better.”

“Erm… thank you.” He replied, awkwardly smiling at her as he scratched the back of his head. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

Her hand reached out to linger on his shoulder, their eyes met, and for a heartbeat, Barry felt as if the air within the room had suddenly changed into something else. But before he could even attempt to make sense of it, the growling returned, the shadow under his feet rumbling impatiently.

“I… I’ll be going now.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s… meet again?”

Kajou paused, nodding with hesitation. “I would like that.”