The group trudged on in silence for the rest of the day. No one seemed to mind, as they made better progress without the distraction of talking. This also left everyone alone with their own thoughts, all very different in their nature, as the light dwindled around them.

“Fucking humans, and their fucking pushy ways…”

“Girl is good. Girl will bring good. Boy is strange. Boy is familiar.”

“How can I ask Tork to train me…? Will he want to train me after Aggie bullied him into agreeing to a deal?

“What are the odds that Tork will rob us and disappear? He bluffed about smelling a liar, so is he the type to make shit up often…?

“Snarnnng. Snarg arg Snaaaaaaaarrrrnnnng.”

Ora’s pet named Quib, was hungry, and smelt food in her satchel. He waddled closer to her, and began brushing his quills against her fur periodically to send a helpful message. When Ora spared him a glance, despite her brisk pace, he begged for food more verbally, breaking everyone away from their thoughts.

“That greedy bastard is going to eat away our savings, Ora.” Tork called over his shoulder, casting a careful glance at Quib whose black nose was twitching earnestly. Even Tork wasn’t immune to Quib’s cuteness, as the corners of his mouth began to turn up.

Nothing else was said, but Arlen saw Ora sneak a small wedge of cheese into the beast’s mouth from her satchel. She saw him watching and pressed her finger to her mouth. Or rather, the front of her nose, which dangled and covered her mouth. Arlen smiled. He had liked Ora a lot thus far in their journey. A far more subtle and gentle being than he was used to.

It was an hour before complete darkness, when Tork suddenly veered to the right sharply. No one verbalized their confusion, as they climbed through brambles and roots off the beaten path. It was only an additional 10 minutes before Tork finally stopped, and swung around to face them.

“We’ll camp here.” He grunted at the group. It was an area well covered by trees, with their greening spring buds, and thorn bushes. It was as good as they could have hoped for, when it came to finding a hidden site large enough for all of them.

What was startling; was that in the dying light of the day, Aggie saw Tork’s eyes glow brightly. It as though a light was shining from behind his eyes, making their orange and yellow color look like a demonic sunset.

Aggie felt a relapse of the fear she had originally felt for Tork when he had first threatened them. She reminded herself of Sean O’Farrell’s rage however, and it somehow made the experience pale in comparison.

“Can’t we keep going? I don’t mind if it’s a bit slower, but shouldn’t we press on?” Aggie glanced at Arlen for support, but he was staring at Tork wearily. Even Ora was stifling a yawn.

“Not if you want to be a fool and break your ankle.” Tork replied sarcastically. His bright eyes rolling in the darkness before fixing their focus on her.

“We can smell other humans coming, and Ora’s a light sleeper.” He added, as Ora began unfurling a blanket and mat.

Aggie narrowed her gaze; she didn’t trust his nose since he had lied about being able to detect lies. She was about to say exactly that, when Arlen’s hand on her forearm stopped her.

“Let’s sleep Aggie. We can try and get going before dawn, does that sound fair to everyone?” Tork grunted, Ora waved (they took that as a yes), and Quib let out a fart.

The fart made everyone pause, but Aggie was the first to double over laughing.

She was laughing until tears ran down her face, and once they had subsided, she stared at everyone’s skeptical expressions.

“Was that really so funny?” Arlen asked her seriously.

Aggie shrugged, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“I’ll be honest Servicer, it was well-timed. If I were less of a composed being, I might’ve laughed as hard as Lady Aggie there.” Aggie turned, and smiled at Tork mischievously.

“I’m a little different than some Ladies.”

“You don’t say?” Tork scoffed, as he lay down on the mat Ora had already unfurled for him. The mute Beast Awares was already doling out their light dinner, and Tork wasn’t turning his attention from his chunk of cheese and bread for anything.

As if on cue, Arlen handed Aggie some cheese that he had been gifted from Bonnie, before their departure, as he himself grazed on a chunk of stale bread.

Though Aggie wasn’t feeling all that hungry, despite another hard day of travel, she ate it nonetheless. Arlen proceeded to hand her a thin blanket that she could use either to sleep on, or under.

After feeling something suspiciously slimy on the ground, Aggie opted to lay on top of the blanket. Despite the weather having warmed considerably over the past few days, the nights were still cold, and so Aggie curled into a ball to try and preserve her warmth.

Darkness had settled around them, and Tork had informed them that a fire was out of the question—due to them hiding a refugee of sorts, and Aggie didn’t argue.

It was in the silence as they all lay down, with Tork snoring loud enough to scare away any curious nightlife around them, Ora letting out small trumpet ‘toot’ sounds, and Quib occasionally farting, that Aggie rolled over to face Arlen’s back that was 3 feet away from her.

“Arlen,” She whispered, and waited for him to slowly roll over. “What happened to me with the Fey man today…?” It hadn’t been exactly at the forefront of her mind, but in the silent forest, it suddenly crept back to her.

Arlen sighed, his eyes were already closed, and he could feel his consciousness ebbing away.

“Because you are human, you are subjected to Wonder.”

“Wonder what?”

“Not ‘wonder’. Wonder. It is the phenomenon when someone, without any natural magic, encounters a pure magical being for the first time. It’s really handy for the Fey when they come to spread their seed, but not the type of liberation you’re looking for at this time I believe.”

Aggie’s brain was sleep deprived, and burning on several days of heightened stress, but she was still quite certain that none of what Arlen said made sense.

“Spread their seed?”

“Impregnate as many species as possible before their world draws them back in.”

“Oh. So he knew I was a girl?”

“No, I believe he was merely intrigued at meeting a pure human. It’s rare these times, that someone responds to Wonder.”

“What did he mean when he said he couldn’t affect my mind?”

“Fey can’t cast spells to harm humans without consent, or to tamper with their minds. Their magic is strongest with the elements. Controlling Earth, Wind, and so on. They can wield powerful music, and food that may entice people, but it is against their laws to interfere with our beings outside of our full-consent.”

“What do you mean without consent? Could the Fey cause interference with a Servicer, or Beast Awares?” Aggie asked the questions in quick succession, as even more unknowns began filling her mind. She felt uncomfortable at the idea that the rest of the world was at the Fey’s mercy…

“In rare times, a select few Fey have taken part in human wars. A human willfully engaging in the battle consents to being harmed by law. Otherwise, they can only harm a human in an act of self-defense. Though if a human seeks to hurt the Fey they may face greater repercussions.” Arlen explained, while he slid the sword Declan had given him closer to his grasp. He still wasn’t used to having to mind a weapon.

“Beast Awares have human, and Fey strains in them. Hence why they can stay in our world without being pulled from it, but also how they can think and talk. Therefore; they fall under the rule of humans. Servicers are forbidden to breed while bonded, and as they are tied to humans during their line of duty, they too cannot be tampered with.”

Aggie was silent for a long time, her head swimming with more questions. She had always imagined the Fey as all-powerful beings-, beings that were too wise, and noble to have any interest in the affairs of this world. To hear that they came to fuck as many individuals as possible, with the intent to abandon their offspring, was infuriating.

“Why would anyone-”

“Lady Agnes, I will be happy to answer more questions in the morning. However, for now, sleep is necessary.” Arlen’s tone was gentle, but Aggie still felt annoyed that she couldn’t continue the conversation. He had just introduced a complex new corner of the world, and expected her to sleep?!

She let out an aggravated sigh, and turned over on her blanket. Despite the chilly evening, her cheeks felt warm, and she could tell sleep was floating closer, drawing her in with its gentle hands. Aggie was asleep within minutes, and stayed that way until just before dawn, when Quib’s wet nose nudged her ear, and woke her up with an unpleasant jolt.

*

As the group rolled up their blankets, and ate a hasty bit of breakfast, Arlen approached Tork. The Beast Awares was stretching out his stiff muscles, and taking deep breaths as he did so. Ora was trying to communicate with Aggie about her hair, for some reason.

“Pardon me Tork, I understand now isn’t the best time, but would you be able to train me more after we put another day of distance between us, and Duchaster County?” Arlen had guessed that they had finally cleared the boundary between Sean O’Farrell’s lands, and were now in the North King’s home County. Kerry County.

Tork paused in his stretches, and cast a sidelong glance at the Servicer.

“What for?”

“So that I can defend Lady Agnes to the best of my ability. I am currently useless outside of my knowledge of politics, manners, and law. My educators did not believe I would need such skills, but my Mistress seems to be more driven than was anticipated.”

Tork eyed Aggie, who was gingerly petting the soft nose of Quib, as Ora seemed to be picking bugs out of her hair. Arlen grimaced when he saw what Tork was watching. Less than 3 days since their escape, and his Mistress already had fleas. Or lice. Arlen wasn’t fond of either of those options.

“I’ll train you. I don’t like her much, but I won’t leave her dead. I saw you fighting Declan, and you’d be lucky to make the end of the week.” Arlen was surprised at how easily the Beast Awaress consented, but decided not to read into it as his relief shone through in his face.

“I should train her too.” Arlen’s face froze, and he turned with a jerk to stare at the Beast Awares, who was frowning, and watching Aggie speaking softly to Quib.

“In my experience Arlen, no one can always be there. You can’t just let her be a sitting duck if you happen to be elsewhere.” Tork’s voice was quiet, and had a note of sadness in it. Arlen decided that, given the tone, he wouldn’t press further on the matter. He sensed a story that should be kept private for the time being.

The Servicer returned his thoughts to Tork’s earlier sentiment. He saw sense in Aggie being able to defend herself, but had an uneasy sensation in his stomach when he imagined her becoming proficient with a weapon. After a minute of being lost in his mind, he realized that Tork was staring at Aggie pensively, as though trying to come to a conclusion about something.

“What is it Tork?”

The Beast Awares shook his head, making his ears flap, and gold hoops jingle.

“Better move while we can.” He muttered mostly to himself, then continued more towards Arlen. “We’ll train once we make it to the end of the 4th day while traveling.”

Something about the Beast Awares carefully chosen wording made Arlen suspicious. However, because his favor of being taught was being granted, didn’t feel like bugging the gift horse.

“Hey Arlen! Look what I can get Quib to do!” Arlen turned to stare at Aggie, and found that Ora was standing behind her, with her face in her hand… or paw. Arlen wasn’t sure exactly. There was a lot of fur covering them, but he noticed nimble fingers as well.

Aggie turned her face back to Quib.

“Hey Quib, pull my finger.” Aggie gently tugged Quib’s nose, and the beast farted, causing his spikes to rise straight up as he did so. It was like a mini-explosion of smell and spikes.

Aggie roared with laughter, Arlen shared Ora’s sentiment. The biggest shock of the morning however, was when Arlen turned around to see Tork doubled over laughing.

After a sigh, Arlen concluded that; Aggie Beatha could never be accused of being boring.

*

It was mid-afternoon, when Tork stopped their progress. He held up his fist, halting all of them in their tracks. Aggie opened her mouth to say something, but Tork suddenly darted off the path, and they all quickly followed. He hid behind a small hill with thorns and trees, and gestured for Aggie and Arlen to stay down.

It took a few moments, but a gentle rustling of leaves could suddenly be heard, nearing their former path. A Beast Awares entered the clearing, wearing no armor, except for a metal plate around the tip of his tail. He did however; wear a tunic that was cut close to his thick body.

A tunic with mustard yellow, and midnight blue… He was from Sean O’Farrell’s keep.

The Beast Awares was reptilian; closely resembling a black rat snake, but far larger.

Despite the thickness of his body being, perhaps a foot in diameter, he was at most, only 6 feet in length. His black eyes scanned the area quickly, while his tongue darted in and out in rapid succession. He looked terrifying-, as though he could snap a man’s neck as easily as sneezing.

All too quickly, he turned his head towards the small hill the where the group was hiding behind. Aggie held her breath, and turned her head to see that only Arlen and Quib were behind the hill with her. Ora and Tork she could hear, were stomping down the hill towards the knight.

“Oyy! You there! My friend here has us lost, we’re trying to get to the North King’s land. We got a summons there for a job. Mind telling how far we are?” Tork changed his diction, and she could hear him adjust his normally smooth walk to be more lumbering.

“I’d ssay about another week’ssss journey by foot.” The cool voice of the Beast Awares chilled Aggie to her bones, and she fought the urge to shiver.

“Fucking hell. Ora, we took a wrong turn!” Tork sounded exasperated, and Aggie could almost imagine the wild look he had on his face.

“Have you travellersss sseen, a couple on your journey?”

“Not a soul since leaving the inn owned by Delcan, and Bonnie O’Dwyer.”

“I have heard of that inn, isss it far from here?”

“About a days journey on foot back down Southeast of here.”

“Thanksss for the tip.”

“Anytime friend!”

Aggie let out a small breath of relief, but held it again when she heard:

“Mussst be an animal up there.”

She then heard a small trumpet sound, most likely form Ora, and Quib went flying down the hill at a gallop.

“Ahh, this is my companion’s pet. He likes to roam around as we journey.” Tork’s tone was warm towards Quib, and the guard was quiet for a moment.

“I ssee, well ssafe travelsss to you two.” The shifting of leaves was the only cue that Aggie, and Arlen could hear that the Beast Awares was departing.

Regardless of his movements becoming more distant, they stayed put. Aggie’s heart was hammering against her rib cage, and sweat trickled down the side of her head despite the cool temperature of the day.

“What do you say Ora? We rest for an hour, and then carry on?” Tork was speaking marginally louder than normal, but it didn’t seem strange. Aggie knew he was waiting to be safe, and make sure that the guard was gone.

Aggie and Arlen waited in silence, their hearts thudding in their chests.

Aggie continued to sweat, and subtly dabbed her forehead with her sleeves, as she tried to lay flatter against the hill. Her breath coming out in quiet puffs, and her skin burning all over, made Aggie close her eyes in frustration.

She had suspected since bedtime the previous night, what she didn’t want to admit.

She was sick.

Aggie did her best not to show her symptoms of fever, dizziness, or weakness. She had to keep going. She knew the constant running, and the inadequate warmth in the night, had broken through her immune system, but she refused to let that stop her. Fortunately, Arlen seemed focused on paying attention to everywhere around them. He failed to notice the sweat covering Aggie’s forehead, or her shallow breaths. He merely attributed these things to the stressful scenario.

As time moved, they gradually became slightly less tense, and the hour long rest was a big help to Aggie. She felt herself drift into, not quite sleep, but into a restful state, hoping that the sickness would reach its peak, and pass quickly. Mentally, Aggie was steeling herself for when she had to move again.

She was grateful for the cloudy day, and for the small breeze that gently moved strands of her hair away from her slick face. If it had been sunny, she would have probably fainted from heat. She was also aware how lucky she was that it did not seem to affect her bodily fluids.

Once the hour had passed, Tork let out 2 short low whistles. Cuing Aggie and Arlen, to cautiously rise back up, and descend the hill wordlessly.

Ora and Tork were sitting leisurely on the ground, nibbling on bits of dried sausage, and seeming to be enjoying the unencumbered silence. Though once Aggie and Arlen stood in front of them, she noticed Tork’s hand was near one of his swords on the ground, that had been placed there casually. Aggie swallowed hard.

When Tork caught a glimpse of Aggie, he had a grim smile, but stood up without commenting on her glassy eyes, or sweat.

Though Tork and Ora, could not in fact smell lies, they could smell sickness. Especially a sickness that was in full-force upon its victim. The smell of decay, and body odor permeated Aggie, making both the Beast Awares’ noses twitch.

Ora was looking worriedly at the human girl, but made no move to signal Arlen about his Mistress’ poor health.

“Let’s keep moving. You heard him, another week of travel at least.” Aggie set off ahead of the others, and waited for Tork to inevitably pass by her. She was doing her best not to show her chattering teeth or her shivering, so she hoped that Arlen would take the back of the group as he had thus far on the journey.

Aggie crossed her arms in front of her, in an effort to help stop the trembling that wracked her body.

The fever had been lower before the encounter with the knight, but the sudden stress of his appearance seemed to accelerate the sickness. Regardless, Aggie stubbornly refused to stop. She had a hunch that the Beast Awares knew about her condition, but they weren’t mentioning it to Arlen-, most likely because they too didn’t want to waste time. The knight from O’Farrell’s keep had been too close for comfort.

Tork didn’t join the Lady at the front, and instead, kept Arlen occupied by talking to him.

“Though I know about Servicer’s existing, and their duties, mind telling me more about them? I’m curious.”

Arlen considered the question carefully.

“I suppose if you are to teach me, and to better understand me, it would help.” Tork rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment as he waited for Arlen’s answer.

“What would you like to know?” The Servicer asked cautiously.

“I heard you, and Aggie talking last night about how your kind doesn’t breed while bonded. I had always believed your kind to be rare, but you made it sound as though there was more of you.”

Arlen was surprised at the nature of the question, and sensed that there was an ulterior motive behind asking it.

“I do not know our population’s exact number, but there is enough of us that there is never any threat of inbreeding. A select few Servicers are chosen after complete training for the purpose of reproducing. We do not allow any cross species breeding, and so these individuals are rather esteemed. They live under the direct protection of the Royal Family themselves, and some even reside in the Ruling Fortress itself. This method allows for careful selection on what characteristics are to be passed on, or faded out, and has been fruitful for longer than anyone knows.” Arlen sounded lofty as he explained the ways of his people, and his eyes seemed to be staring at something that Tork couldn’t see.

“So you could never have a family of your own?” The Beast Awares asked slowly.

“In the event that Lady Agnes were to die, and I did not die shortly after; a review of my time with her would be conducted. If I was found to be of exemplary behavior and action, I may be given the option to take a partner. This is rare however, as in the event of an untimely death, most Servicer’s die shortly after from grief.”

Tork stared at Arlen looking alarmed.

“You have no life of your own? No say in where you live, work, or piss?”

“I was given options of individuals to choose from to serve. A small collective of people who would suit my skill set. Once I select one, they investigate further, and then will accept or deny my request.”

Tork shook his head.

“You’re a slave.”

“We are the race that holds all knowledge of the world. Knowledge is our freedom.”

“Only your Ruling Family has it all. You’re just their lackeys.”

“It is in our nature to find our greatest joy, and fulfillment in aiding our bonded Masters and Mistresses. We raise them to the peak of their greatness, and are instrumental in monumental chapters of history.”

“Tell me, what happens to Servicer’s who abandon their owners? Or breed outside of their race?”

“They are eliminated.”

“And the children from these pairings?”

“Slaughtered.”

A darkness settled over the two of them, and they continued to walk in silence for another hour, when Arlen had his own question.

“Why does my kind interest you, Tork?”

“I’ve heard legends of your kind-, myths practically, of how you can learn the most complex skills in a matter of weeks. You surpass some masters of battle, or science who have worked for years at their craft, in no time at all. I wondered how you all facilitated your pure bloodline, and how the nature of the bond worked. I have heard how; any individual with a Servicer, is known to become heroes in history, or make renowned discoveries. You have to wonder at the man, or woman, behind the curtain that is truly pulling the strings. Cleverly out of sight.” Tork shook his head, and then added:

“Your Ruling Family is brilliant, but cruel.”

Arlen said nothing; he knew Tork wouldn’t understand their ways. Nor should he.

“What does being bonded do to you? Other than being enslaved for life?” Tork changed tactics as he watched Aggie clumsily slip on a patch of mud ahead of them.

“It’s different for every Servicer. Some can locate their Master in any corner of the world. Others can see what their Masters see if they are given permission. It depends on the bond as well. A weak bond won’t elicit the same satisfactory results of lifelong success. For example, Lord Sean O’Farrell has had 2 Servicer’s, and they are both dead. He has risen through the ranks of Noble’s faster than anyone else has in centuries, but could have risen even higher with Servicers of a stronger bond with him.”

Tork didn’t say anything for a while. Only considered what he had learned from the discussion carefully. Noble’s normally kept their Servicer’s silent to anyone but themselves. Having the opportunity to learn more about them was incredible . . . but also terribly sad and frightening.

Tork remembered watching Servicer’s train when he, and Declan had been apprenticing as Magee fighters, and remembered being awed at the speed and grace with which they learned. The awe, always tinged with a bit of fear, struck anyone who saw them train-, even the masters of the Magee.

Aside from Servicer’s having the obvious weakness of their Master’s to protect and serve, they were efficient, and cold. Almost as though emotion had been removed from the act of taking a life.

It was during his deep thoughts that, what Tork had been waiting for all day, happened. Aggie stopped, and crumpled to the ground.

Arlen was beside her in a flash, and Tork merely sighed in exasperation.

“Humans.”