I wake in Umbra''s cabin dressed in near nothing. A large pelt from some unknown beast covers me. I rise tossing the pelt aside.


    "Umbra, where are you!" I yell.


    I scour the cabin but find nothing. Damnit, she''s trapped me here forever. No, I''d never be able to get Crimson Fate and free her sister if she did that.


    "I wandered around in the shadows for what seemed like an eternity before I found this place,” a shadowy voice echos.


    I look around the cabin, it looks familiar. Plain log walls adorned with little décor. The home of a warrior. I fall to my knees, no, it can''t be. The cabin looks like my mother''s home. My home. She bought this cabin when she had me.


    I run to the door in a panic and find words carved in it.


    ‘Ego sum nihil’, I am nothing.


    I push the door open and run into the darkness. It''s all just black, I don''t care so I just keep running. The cabin gets further and further away, and I hear the shadowy voice echo again.


    "How do you know where you''re going?"


    I keep running into the darkness. This realm has no color. Everything is just varying shades of grey. That is except one thing.


    “Who are you trying to find?"


    It''s hard to breathe but I keep going.


    "How can you find nothing in an ocean of shadow?"


    I stop and stand alone in the darkness.


    "Umbra, open your eyes, or I''ll never see you." I walk further into the darkness. "Umbra, you bound us together, don''t leave me in the dark."


    A strange feeling comes over me and then I see two golden eyes in the distance. I run toward them. I don''t know if I reach them or not.


    Vene shakes me, "we must go now, if you wish to reach Caldera soon, we must leave while the sun is still high."


    I sit up and grab Tiru and Gatz. We all pile in the wagon. Meredith sits on the back of the wagon alone. I give her some time before I join her. When I do her mood is downtrodden.


    "Meredith, how are you feeling?" I ask. She looks down at her hands, they''re shaking. "Do you want to talk, I''m not mad at you."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    She looks over at me with disappointment in her beautiful sapphire eyes.


    "I hate you, if it had been Shiroihana I would have understood, but a soft scale demon, what kind of pervert are you." She takes a deep breath. "I really thought you were a good person, is she even a person to you, do you just use her like they used me, what are you going to do with the neko girl, is she to your liking, maybe I''m too old for you now..."


    I slap her with little force. Though I shouldn’t have put my hands on her like that at all.


    "Don''t you ever talk to me like that Meredith, I''m not your bitch,” I yell.


    She rubs her cheek and climbs into the wagon. I sit at the back of the wagon alone for a while until Shiroi joins me.


    "Meredith is upset, Shiroi not so much, Meredith said you struck her, Meredith and Shiroi are good friends, you apologize to Meredith."


    I look over at her.


    "Are you sure I should?"


    Shiroi smiles, "you will apologize to her not because Shiroi asks you, but because you are sorry for what you have done, Meredith feels strongly for you, she is young like you and her emotions confuse her, she has only been the subject of lust, never that of love.”


    I sigh and climb into the wagon. Meredith is sitting on a pelt looking down, she’s more distraught than before and understandably so. I join her on the pelt.


    "What do you want?" She asks angrily.


    I grab her hand, but she pushes me away. I grab her hand again and she slaps me. I hold my hand out and she pushes it away. I push her down and she resists me.


    "What do you want from me Meredith?"


    She looks into my eyes and smiles, "your attention, I want you to pay attention to me."


    I lean down and kiss her. I let go of her arms and she pulls me down on top of her. She was so mad before and now she wants to give herself to me. I don''t understand this.


    I don''t see her but Shiroi peaks in. She sees more than I intended her too. We don''t actually have sex though. I just give Meredith the puppy love she desires. She seems satisfied for now. I hope I can rid her of this without drawing her anger.


    We grow closer to Caldera as our wagon travels further down the road. The tavern we make it to is expensive, well if you want to be cool it is. I get the cool rooms for the Neko''s and the ladies, but I stay in the wagon. I''ve got a spell or two to stay, comfortable.


    Shiroihana climbs into the wagon, "you are here alone, Shiroi thought maybe you and Meredith?"


    I sit up and pat a pelt beside me.


    "What''s bothering you Shiroi?"


    She lays beside me grabbing my arm.


    "Would you be mad if Shiroi, Shiroi has a gift for you." I run my fingers across her cheek. She pulls a small box from her dress and hands it to me. "Shiroi made for you, Vene used magic, but Shiroi gives to you."


    I open the box and it''s a crystal pendant with a white flower inside backed by a white scale. The necklace is a simple leather strap. The backing is one of her scales no doubt.


    “It''s beautiful Shiroi, I''ve never seen this flower, what is it called?"


    She folds my hand closed around the pendant.


    "Snow lily is Shiroi''s favorite, Ruksha do not venture into snow, Ruksha have no boots, feet cold, but one day man brings bushel of snow lilies to Shiroi''s village, now Shiroi''s favorite."


    I smile at her, "thank you Shiroi, I will cherish it."


    She leans into me and touches my cheek. "Shiroi has much desire for you, if you desire Shiroi you need only ask."


    I press my forehead against hers.


    "Thank you Shiroihana, I won''t forget that."


    I leave Shiroi with some tomes to get a drink. Hell, I paid for the rooms I should be able to enjoy a few drinks and a meal.


    The tavern is quiet, too quiet. I step toward the room I got for Tiru and Gatz. Gatz is asleep and Tiru is gone. The window to their room open. Approaching it I can smell her. I run and grab Umbra from the wagon. Shiroi runs after me but can''t keep up.


    Blood dots the ground. Some of it smells like her, some like someone else.


    I swear if they hurt her, I swear.