The sun was well past noon, and Anchorex finally brought the children back to the campfire. No one slept well in the short, cold hours before dawn, and both little penguins were grumpy this morning. They shuffled along, complaining of hunger, and it seemed like there was nothing Angelus could do but grit his teeth and let them keep going. Sev, on the other hand, stayed silent for the most part, saying only that he was glad he didn't have to walk because his legs would freeze.
The ruined camp quickly became more popular. The slave traders never returned to clean the camp, leaving behind many useful things. Several blankets hung from the bushes, and a bowl fell from the cart and rolled toward the fire. Even with the ax stuck in the end of the firewood, the firewood was still dry. The fire started right where he left it, and soon a healthy fire was burning in the circle of stones.
To the children's relief, although the crust of the bread was burnt, the inside was still edible, and once the fire melted it a bit, they were able to take out a large chunk for breakfast.
Seph's eyes widened when he saw his food, and he ate with surprising concentration, as if he had never eaten bread before, which Ankerex thought was entirely possible. After the children had eaten their fill and wrapped themselves in blankets by the fire, their moods soon improved. Flower and Pepper began to tease and tickle Sev. He looked really uncomfortable and didn't know how to react, so A
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Okles decided to jump in to save him, tickling Flower and Pepper mercilessly, laughing in a deep and vicious voice.
They struggled and laughed until they coughed, and when Seph figured out what was going on and reached for Pepper's armpits, Androx shouted, "Attack my son, don't you dare?" and he hugged the little devil. He got up and pretended he was eating the boy's stomach, which elicited a fit of giggles and Sev squirmed with all his strength to get away. Then Anchorex held him out at arm's length, tickling his armpits as he squirmed and swayed, and then put him down until he began to gasp.
Flower and Pepper looked at Sev with a predatory glint in their eyes, and from that moment on, it was all over. Andrew stood back and let them go, feeling a mixture of relief and growing unease as he began to collect the things scattered around the camp. The children were safe, but the wagon was gone, along with all their food, clothing, tools, and dozens of pieces of silverware that he had hoped would get them all the way to the meadow.
He paused, wondering if he should go after Argon now. How long, he wondered, would he have to wait before he could find them? He knew he should be worried, but he wasn't. not real. He could hardly imagine any real danger to Aguna - she had triumphed over everyone she met, including himself. However, she is a woman, and her fists only have the power of a woman. Everyone has limits.
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Okles decided to let the kids play for a while before going back to her, as it would be good for them and take them away from the horrors of the night before.
But looking at them now, no one would have guessed that they had just been kidnapped and found again. "Flower" and "Little Pepper" imitated some kind of monster, drooping their ears, roaring clumsily, wagging their tails like predators, chasing Sev around the campfire. The imp doesn't want to get too far away, which makes him easy prey. Every once in a while, he would yell, "Wait, stop! I'm so cold," then bring various parts of his body as close to the fire as possible to warm himself up, and then run away again without warning.
After a while, Androcles heard something behind him and turned to see Deanna emerging from the bushes. He was almost breathless with shock - she was covered in blood, bandaged from head to toe, and now wore a tunic instead of a piece of cloth. Where did this come from? Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet with tears. Worst of all, she was alone. Aguin, Gabi and the Wolf Sca
All gone.
"Where's my woman!" he shouted to her, hoping his voice sounded more angry than fearful. The children stopped, mouths hanging open.
"Dina!" Sev yelled in horror. He ran towards her but didn't jump on her, probably for fear of hurting her.
"Oh my gosh, that's not...! They're fine! They're at the cart!" Deanna said, reaching out her hands to reassure him. She seemed completely bewildered, which unnerved him. "They are safe."
"Where are they?" he said again firmly.
"Dina..." Sev said. It sounded like he was about to cry.
Deanna picked up the boy, frowned slightly in pain, and said to him calmly: "I'm fine, Sephy. I'm fine. See? I can pick you up or something." He wanted to find someone else. would touch her bandages, but Deanna just held him tight until he gave up and held her tight with his arms, legs, and slender whip-like tail.
She said: "Your woman was by the cart. We had a bit of a row but I was the only one injured. On the way back we found the cart coming in the opposite direction. Then the cattle got stuck, so You need to pull it out.”
Androx stared at her uncomfortably and appraisingly for a long time. She seemed to have been beaten and whipped, and some of the wounds were open. He punched her without hurting her, so what else could hurt her?
The young woman's expression reminded him of someone trying to appear honest, not because they were lying, but because they knew how deceptive it looked. After thinking about it for a moment, he found himself believing her. The cloth looked familiar, and the tunic had only been barely sewn. Aguna must have pieced it together for her to wear.
He finally asked: "Who attacked you?" You said you could deal with those slave traders. "
She quickly looked away and said, "Can we talk about this later?" Master Agnar will be angry if we delay too long. She put her hand awkwardly on Sev's back, as if to protect him. She met Anjax's eyes furtively and then looked away. She was holding him in a way that was uncomfortable. Nervous.
Sev wagged his tail, an unconscious habitual movement, and it was at that moment that Ankrex realized what was happening. "You fought one, didn't you? Why are you still alive?" he asked.
"I don't...I don't want to be with..." she said, glancing at Seph with an uneasy expression.
In this way, she is fighting a demon. He was sure. For God's sake, is this land full of them? If so, who could bear to live here with Tullos's swaying purse? But she prevailed, survived, and now She knew what this little guy would become one day. Judging from the look on her face, if he pressed her, he might be able to convince her to let him strangle Seif.
If he still thought about it, he didn't think about it anymore. Agorn knew what to do with the little one, or the god knew, and she could ask him as his priestess.
"Dina? How were you hunted?" asked the little devil.
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Okles came closer and said, "Sev, let me hold you for a while until she stops hurting so much. Come here." Then he pried the little devil out of her arms. She didn't resist, but Seph resisted a little.
"Is she not okay, Mr. Anddox? Is she okay?" Seph asked, his voice filled with worry, both in his heart and in his ears.
"Did you see how she got up and walked? She's going to be fine, or she wouldn't be walking." But why don't you kiss her just to make sure? Androx said. He suddenly had a self-awareness and didn't know where this woman's behavior came from, but he decided that he could do whatever he wanted and curse anyone who had a problem with it. He held the little devil in front of her and kissed her cheek. The little boy was covered with the blanket and returned to the shoulders of Ankerix, who again took up his pedals, and with a deliberate, exasperated sigh, seized his spear and said: "Okay, let's go get that cursed Gorgon out of this mess."
For a moment, Deanna just looked at him inexplicably.
"What? Move up, girl! You'd better not lie to me, do you understand? If you lie and get them in trouble, I won't forgive you." Androx said, his brows furrowed and trying his best to pretend as usual. Roaring. Watching those boys giggle, though, he must have completely lost it, because his laugh was just as fake as it sounded.
She slowly turned around, facing the road, and with one last glance at Seph, settled comfortably on Ankerex's shoulders.
"What? I decided I liked him. Now do it!" he said, pointing his spear forward.
"I'm sorry, I gotta go. I had a lot on my mind. I was so happy to see him play like that that I forgot about myself."
"Yeah, girls are silly, that's to be expected. Flowers and Pepper, there she was. How do you make a cow move?" he asked with a serious look on his face.
Both of his sons grinned like they were going to get away with it and went to slap her on the butt. Flower simply ran up and swung the swing, but Deanna gracefully sidestepped his clumsy attempt; then Pepper appeared out of nowhere and delivered a resounding slap directly onto her target. Deanna screamed, "I'm leaving! Oh, you evil little mouse! Get over here!" When Pepper went after him for revenge, Pepper ducked, which Sev thought was hilarious, laughing Gotta be like a dog. He squirmed as if he wanted to jump down and join them, but Androx held him back.
"You! Whose side are you on?" Deanna said to Sev, pointing an accusing finger. The corners of her mouth raised, revealing a bitter smile. Then she had to hide from Hua, who slapped her hard again. "Okay! I'm leaving. Stop! Don't let me go too fast. It hurts my heart."
Flower took a step back, looking annoyed. Little Pepper appeared next to him and said sheepishly: "I'm sorry if I made you hurt more."
Deanna relaxed and the worry seemed to disappear from her face. Racketeering is a way to cheer up young people;A
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okles has a lot of experience in this area. Apparently, this works for young women too. But not Ga
bi. Gabby isn't even ticklish when she's angry.
"You didn't hurt me. The carriage is just behind the bend ahead."
They didn't have to go very far, maybe half a mile. The slavers had parked on the road, which was good - Anchorex had had enough of trudging through the snow. The boys' burst of energy proved short-lived, however, and he had to poke them with the tip of his spear more than once. They don't appreciate that.
At least Deanna quickly regained her characteristic composure. She walked with her head held high, every step graceful and deliberate. Androx couldn't shake the guilt of sending her to face the demon, even though he couldn't have known it. He would have to get the full story from Aguna before he could decide what to do, but that would almost certainly involve giving her some kind of gift or honor.
In the military, anyone who kills a demon is almost guaranteed free meals for life, just like other great combat heroes. A
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Okles has never killed anyone, but he may have many other reasons for receiving this honor. He has never petitioned because without ancestral land, petitioning would be hollow. How could he sit there and enjoy the respect of his admiring companions, when he didn't even have a fireplace in which to offer his sacrifices?
But that's another question. He had to think of something appropriate to do with Deanna. Maybe he could get her something from the car. A handful of silver? It was enough to express his gratitude, but not because his family might be without food later on. Of course, buy more warm clothes for the little one. That goes without saying. What else, he didn't know. How does one honor a woman for her extraordinary performance in battle? It has probably never happened, not once in the thousand years since Dikaia was founded.
Maybe Aguna will have some ideas. She was a savage after all, and she knew what other savages liked.
The path took them around the last few secluded trees, and he finally saw them. Galbi sat in the carriage that was driven off the road. Argon paced impatiently. They are safe and healthy. When Ankerex noticed that he was genuinely relieved to see them, he realized that he must be more worried than he wanted to admit, as if he had a strong hope that Aguun would be up to any task, and this came true.
Wolf Sca
Saw him first, flew to meet him, wings buzzing. Someone gave him another small handkerchief, fastened with a pin, and he seemed to find his little boots. The fairy wasted more cloth than all of them combined, but he was so charming that Androl didn't have to buy another lantern.
The fairy went from one to the other as usual, embracing all their faces. "Pepper! Flower! Dad saved you! And Seff! Are you okay? Did you have to fight?"
"Dad found us before we started to get scared," said Pepper, waving his black tail in the direction of the flower. Their tails meet and entwine. "Um, flowers?"
Flower nodded solemnly. "I'm not scared at all."
Seif added: "Master Andowis cut me from the rag and then he saved me too."
"Keep walking, kids. Stop when you get there," Androx said, not slowing down at all. "Hello, Wolf Sca
. Glad to see you didn't get eaten. "
"I've never been eaten!" But! But the devil tried. It tried to catch me, but I was running too fast. Dad, guess what? Deanna and Mom defeated a demon. "
Deanna froze and gave Seph a sideways look. The imp was riding on his shoulders, and Ankerix couldn't see his face, but the boy didn't move and didn't seem to react.
